City Council: Walk-a-thon, Film Shoot Permit and Parking Changes

The Wheaton City Council quickly dispensed with its agenda in near unanimous consent Monday. 

The City Council unanimously approved several agenda items, including special event permits for a film shoot and a walk-a-thon.

A walk-a-thon fundraiser for CareNet Pregnancy Services of DuPage will be on Jun. 17. According to the petition, walkers will gather at and walk as a group through downtown Wheaton. The walkers will stick to the sidewalks so there will be no street closures. CareNet organizers expect approximately 250 participants.

The council also approved a permit to allow Chicago-based DASH Entertainment to film a portion of the production “The Broken and the Beautiful” in an alleyway behind the Wheaton Playhouse. The shoot is scheduled to take place between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17. 

The board also approved an amendment to the city’s liquor code to allow companies classified as "limited liability" to apply for a liquor license. Limited liability companies have become more and more common and the Illinois State Liquor Control Act of 1934 was amended to include those classifications. Council members unanimously supported an amendment to allow limited liability companies to hold a liquor license as long as the companies are in compliance with the Wheaton City Code. According to the amendment proposal, prior to the new ordinance language, city staff has been treating limited liability companies in the same manner as other corporate entities.

Council members awarded a bid for thermoplastic striping to Countrymen, Inc. based in Loves Park, Ill. Thermoplastic striping is used for striping and symbols during minor road repair. The contract award is worth $20,320.

The one agenda item that did not receive unanimous support was an amendment to city parking codes. A new amendment will allow parking along certain sections of Wheaton Avenue, the west side of the road from Roosevelt Road to Evergreen Street, from Illinois Street to Liberty Drive and from Wesley Street to Jefferson Avenue. Parking will be allowed on the east side of the street from Roosevelt Road to Illinois Street, from Park Avenue to the school boundary south of Park Avenue and from Wesley Street to Front Street. Parking will be allowed on both sides of the street from Front Street to Liberty Drive.

Parking times along certain stretches of Wheaton Avenue will also be limited to a maximum of four hours on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. The portions of Wheaton Avenue that will have the new parking times are from Evergreen Street to Illinois Street, where cars will be allowed to park on the west side of the road. Cars will be allowed to park on the east side from Willow Avenue to Illinois Street and from Union Avenue to Jefferson Avenue.

Councilwoman Jeanne Ives objected to the parking amendment. She said the amendment lacked consistency and asked if the council could consider changing the plan to parking on one side of the street only.