Minutes of the Barrington Hills Village Communications Committee Meeting July 21, 2008 5:30 p.m. Training Room VILLAGE HALL 112 Algonquin Road Final 1. Call to Order Chairman Nikki Panos called the meeting to order July 21, 2008 at 5:38 p.m. in the Barrington Hills Village Hall. Roll Call Present Nikki Panos, Chairperson Barbara Kemp, Vice Chair Pamela Cools, Recording Secretary Maureen Prettyman Linda Fox (arrived 5:46 p.m.) Laura Ekstrom (arrived 5:43 p.m.) Beth Mallen, Trustee Robert Kosin, Village Administrator Lt. Joe Colditz, Police Department 2. Reports from the Village Robert Kosin • Algonquin/River Road closure for culvert replacement work began today. Residents should follow posted detour signs. • As a result of the recent storms and heavy rainfall (measuring 2 inches in McHenry County), there are many fallen tree limbs, as well as trees in need of trimming. Residents are reminded that there is no municipal pick-up of yard waste, and they should not drag branches to the roadside for removal. Disposal of this debris should be done by burning (in accordance with ordinance provisions) or be handled through private landscaping contractors. • Gypsy moths have been found near the Village, and residents are discouraged from using “home remedies” to control them. The USDA website lists appropriate management methods. • Active mosquito control is not practiced within the Village, or even within Barrington Township by the Northwest Suburban Mosquito Abatement District. With 5000 acres of Forest Preserve in and around BH, there is a constant new population of these insects coming into BH, making any eradication efforts very short term at best. • The new 2009 Budget is being formulated, and the rising price of asphalt is likely to make a major impact upon the ’09 Roads Program. Depending on projected costs, scheduled resurfacing of certain side streets may be deferred in favor of more highly traveled roads. • BH is not greatly impacted by recent downturns in sales tax revenues, or reductions in building permit application fees as other villages are because the Village relies on property tax revenues for the vast majority of its budget. • Trustee Smithe has provided budget articles for the newsletter in the past, and will be asked to give his perspective on current Village finances. Lt. Colditz * Chief Murphy has announced that the Cook County Major Crimes Assistance Team is currently looking for a temporary location (an unused barn, garage or storage structure) in our area to house several of their vehicles. Lt. Colditz will supply more information to post on the website. * The Fourth of July holiday period was uneventful, with a very low number of complaints concerning fireworks. * Work on the new Police Department website is ongoing. * Lt. Colditz also mentioned the recent Traffic Safety Challenge Awards won by the Department at both State and National levels. He will follow-up in an e-mail with details to be used for a newsletter feature. He will also send along announcements of new Department members. Beth Mallen • Trustee Mallen had no formal update for the committee. 3. Approval of Minutes Approved May minutes as amended. Motion by Pam Cools, and seconded by Maureen Prettyman. Approved 6-0-0 Reviewed June minutes, and approved as amended. Motion by Barbara Kemp, and seconded by Linda Fox. Approved 6-0-0 4. Newsletter * Pam has sent out e-mails to the Trustees, Village representatives and community organizations announcing an August 9th deadline for submissions for the next issue, slated for mailing in early September. * Feature articles are planned about Barrington Area Conservation Trust’s Heritage Roads program, and the Jenese Busch Conservation Easement on Haegers Bend Road. An article describing the low cost associated with the new glossy recycled paper and use of soy ink for the newsletter will also be included. * In addition to the “lap drop” insert (to be discussed later), Linda & Pam will prepare a story announcing the launch of the new website. * Lt. Colditz suggested that the newly amended burning ordinance be explained in the next issue. Mr. Kosin mentioned that the intent of enforcement of the amended ordinance is to protect residents and their property from any immediate dangers resulting from the fires, and not the long-term effects of smoke. * Nikki asked Linda if she were still planning on writing an article about the Pony Club trials, and Linda assured her that she will put together a nice piece. 5. Website Management Process document * Barbara presented the document to the Committee which she prepared regarding management of the website, submission of articles, and editing. Each member received a copy to be reviewed prior to the August meeting when it will be discussed in greater detail. (attached) * Barbara explained that she has been posting all articles on the website. Laura and Maureen have agreed to assist with content and editing. * Laura has already been helping Barb by making suggestions for consistency of style on captions. Statistics * Barbara reviewed highlights of the Google Analytics report on the www.VBHComm.info website for the last thirty days. In total, 491 unique visitors have made 724 visits to the site, averaging 3 minutes per visit. * The home page and photo page were the most used. * .INFO site still trails the official .GOV site substantially in number of hits, so more marketing of the newly remodeled site is imperative. * The complete Google Analytics report is available for on-line review by members. * Laura noted the statistics on browsers used by website visitors, and commented there are some glitches she has encountered while using the Safari browser for Mac computers. She encouraged that the website be tested with all browsers, and appropriate tweaks be made by the developer. * Laura also made an additional suggestion to add “Welcome” prominently at the very top of the home page of the website. Marketing * Laura Ekstrom has been working on three means of marketing and advertising the website – a banner to be displayed in front of the Village Hall, the “lap drop” insert for the newsletter, and an 8.5x11 inch “poster” for locations such as Village meeting rooms, local libraries, etc. * Laura first presented cost breakdowns by size & color of vinyl banners. Several prototypes were displayed, and members agreed on a simple two-line message on white vinyl with kelly green lettering. Bob Kosin and Beth Mallen recommended the 3’x 8’ size at a cost of $129.00. Bob also made mention of the number of reinforced grommets which would be needed. * Maureen Prettyman made a motion to approve “Final Version 1” with specifications as discussed. Barbara seconded, and all members said aye. Approved 6-0-0. * Next, Laura displayed several samples of the “lap drop”, featuring the header graphics from the actual webpage. Barbara and Laura had worked together on refining the text, and the members proceeded to discuss wording. * It was decided that the insert should be a full page in size in order to adequately communicate the features of the site. The page would be loosely inserted into the newsletter, not stapled. * Members worked to refine the message, and reduce the number of bullet points to be used in the final copy. Laura will revise the copy as discussed during today’s meeting, and e-mail all members the last draft prior to printing. Once the members approve the draft, Laura will send the PDF file to Linda and Pam to send along to Dundee Press when the rest of the newsletter is printed. * Linda Fox made a motion to approve “Version 7c” of Barrington Hills News & Info as amended. Barbara seconded the motion, and all members said aye. Motion approved 6-0-0. * Lastly, the members discussed the proposed PowerPoint slide to be displayed on a rotating basis on the flat screen monitors at the Barrington Area Library. The members agreed on a design incorporating the website’s home page header graphic and a simple two-line text. Either the PowerPoint slide format or the “lap drop” format can be used as posters to advertise the website in various public locations. * Barbara motioned to approve “Slide v.7”, with Maureen seconding. All members voted yes. Motion approved 6-0-0. 6. Technology Committee * Linda reported that the Technology Committee has not met recently, but Barbara brought up the issue of the ramifications of Congress passing the e911 bill which will ensure that 911 calls placed through VoIP companies can be tracked just as 911 calls made from traditional landlines. * Linda also noted that once the mandatory transition from analog to digital television broadcasts takes place in February 2009, the former analog bandwidths will be available to cellular telephone companies. This has the potential to significantly improve nationwide cellular coverage. 7. Adjournment Given there was no new business, Nikki Panos entertained a motion for dismissal at 7:23 p.m. The next meeting is on Monday, August 18, 2008. Motion to adjourn made by Maureen Prettyman and seconded by Barbara Kemp. Approved 6-0-0. Meeting Adjourned Respectfully submitted, Pamela A. Cools Recording Secretary Attachment Village of Barrington Hills Community Website Process version 0.4 1