2026-11-07 - SECA Commission

Good morning and thank you for coming today. I'd like to call the SECA Commission meeting of Saturday, November 7th, 2026 to order. We are beginning at 9:05 a.m. And may I have a roll call, please? >>

Broadhead >> here. >> Gusami >> here. >> Ganon. >> Meyers >> here. >> Prasad >> here. >> So >> here. >> Sade >> here. >> Gustin >> here. >> Zards. So, uh we have a uh also two student representatives

and I believe um one is here today and that is Lshana Adabala and our other student representative uh Suma Tdi I believe is not here today. So, we welcome you. Thank you very much for coming. Um and I

would also um uh like to introduce the seek commission members who are here today. Um and also something I'm going to remind um the commission of because of the way the microphones work. Um definitely

push your the button on the lower right hand side to talk, but then if you're not talking, uh turn it off. There's some feedback if it if too many are on at the same time. Um, okay. I'm going to begin

with uh Linda. Linda say hello. And our names are up there. Tom Myers, Rashna Prasad, right here. Um, Lyso here. Greg Gustin, >> good morning. >> Uh, Shri Gurasami. Okay. And our city council

representative, Ashvak Sayed. Um, And I'd also like to introduce our city staff members, Jake Feedler right there, um, and who is our special events coordinator and staff liaison to the commission and

Melanie Marortis who is director of community services. And Melanie is over here. Okay. Our next order of business is public forum. Um, we have no one signed up for public forum. So, I'm going to move

forward. And of course, that's not what you are here for. That is um if you're here for something else not on the agenda. We will now move on to old business. And our first item of old business is to

formally welcome our new SECA commissioners, Greg Gustin and Shri Gurasami. Greg was appointed to the SECA commission at the March 18, 2026 city council meeting and Shri was appointed to the SECA

commission on April 7th, 2026 um at the city council meeting. Welcome Greg and Shri. So, thank you for joining us. And our next item is to approve the SECA Commission meeting minutes of October 21st,

2026. Has everyone had a chance to review the minutes from our last meeting? And are there any questions, comments, or revisions? Okay. If not, I will um entertain a motion to approve the SECA

Commission meeting minutes of October 21st, 2026. Have a motion. >> I make a motion to approve the minute of October 21st. >> Okay. And we need a second. >> Second. >> Second from Gustin. >> Mr.

Gustin. >> Thank you, Chair. >> Okay. You're welcome. Um, okay. Now, moving on to new business. Our next item is to receive public comment on the calendar year 27 SECA grant fund applications. We

received 78 applications for SECA funding. This year, applications were due on October 2nd. As I'm sure you are all very aware, commissioners received the applications and have been reviewing them

since October 9th. Um, questions that commissioners had for applicants in advance of this meeting were forwarded to individual applicants for a response and thank you to everyone who responded and

your answers were compiled and provided to the commissioners. I think that was just last night because I think you people sent them in by I think uh yesterday afternoon. So at this time each applicant

who has signed up to speak will be called to the podium and given three minutes to speak on their CY27A request. Applicants with more than one application will receive three minutes for each

application. This meeting is being recorded and broadcast. So, please speak clearly and directly into the microphone when it's your turn to speak. So, you have to get fairly close to the microphone.

You can adjust it because of course people are of very different heights. And I hope you can see me over the over this uh right now that the chair doesn't uh the chair's chair doesn't adjust very

much. Um, and uh you can adjust it. And Jake tells me it's better to adjust it using the arm of the microphone uh toward the bottom rather than um at the at the top. Is that correct, Jake? >> Okay. >>

Correct. >> Um and we have a handy countdown clock here so you will know when your time is ending. And at the end of your three minutes, the commission may ask questions. Those responses are not

timed. And if there are no questions, we will move on to the next speaker. Um, so Melanie is going to be handling the uh the the clock. And finally, it's very important to note that the commission

will not be determining any funding recommendations or allocations at this meeting. After this meeting, each commissioner will continue to review the applications on our own. The unified

recommendations meeting will take place on Thursday, December 10th at 6 pm. Unless there are any questions or comments from commissioners before we start, I'll turn it over to Jake to call the first

speaker. Are there any questions for commissioners before we begin? Okay. Uh Jake, if you would please call the first speaker. >> This first The first speaker is Kristen with a pint for Kim,

application 21. The next speaker is Shannon Green Rob with application number eight. Hi, good morning. Thank you for letting us come speak. I'm here with the pint for Kim. >> If I could just stop you

a moment. You're going to need to get a lot closer to that mic. >> Sorry. >> Okay. Is that better? >> Perfect. Okay. Sorry. I speak quietly. All right. So, I'm with the pint for Kim and I have a

little presentation. It's mostly photos because hopefully I included the info in the application, but I feel like seeing the event really gives you a sense of what we do and who we are. But briefly,

we began um it's in memory of my sister Kim, who was a neighborville mom. She had an eight-year cancer battle, needed daily pints of blood. And at that time, we learned that the largest use of donated

blood went to cancer patients. We didn't know that. And so, we thought like, let's use this as a chance to spread that message. So, we planned a blood drive. My sister planned to be there. The bottom

right is that blood drive. Um she passed away five days beforehand, so she asked that the blood drive be instead of awake. and over 500 people showed up to donate blood and it set the state record for

one day blood drive and so we were like okay well I guess we need to keep this going and so we have and where we are now um it was co-ounded by myself and my cousin most of the planning the first year

was done by my cousin because we were in hospice with my sister um since then it's been uh me um my other sister Kathleen um my sister Kim's husband and her boys and my nephews everyone's been very

involved Everything is 100% volunteer. Nobody gets paid for anything. Uh we just became a 501c3 this year, so we're excited about that. Red Cross used to manage the funds for us. Um and these are just

some pictures from the event. The one on the right, uh is her husband is in the middle and my nephews, her sons are between me and her. Um these are some of the sponsors from last year. So it really

is a it takes a lot of people to make this event happen and we're really grateful including SEA. Um, uh, I already said most of this, but like I said, we started in 2020. We spent two years after that

in an airport hanger because it was the only place we could do it safely with COVID. Um, and then when we moved to Napville North in 2023 because her kids went to school there, uh, that's when we

really, um, uped the festival side. So, this was when we were in the airport hanger. And these are just some photos. Um, we let all kinds of community organizations and businesses come up and set

tents out. We don't charge for it. We just ask that they add into the day. It's really important that this is a free day. Families can come out and have fun, save lives. So, these are just some

photos. It's the teens at North get really involved. Businesses get involved. There's a car show. Um we pay for everything like caricature artists so families know they can show up on this day and

like they're never being asked by their kids for money to do all this stuff. Um >> and again, if I could ask you to speak a little bit more loudly because It's not so much for us, but for the

recording, you people won't be able to hear you unless you really project a little. >> Sorry, I was looking at the clock. I'm panicking. Um, so we've saved tens of thousands of lives. Um, I know I'm

about out of time, but so we've also expanded to do food drives, community resource, um, centers. We've just been expanding our mission to be a force for good in Neighborville and the surrounding

area. So, >> thank you. Any questions for the presenter? Oh, you do. Okay. >> You how many uh uh participants last year? 500. >> Um we collected almost 700 pints of blood last year and then at the

event itself over 2,000 people because people bring their families. >> Do you have any idea what percentage of those are Neighborville residents? >> Or how many of the donors of blood that >> I would

say most of them, but that's a great question. We do a a survey every year. So, I can add that question to our survey um just where what city they've come from. But >> that that would be helpful to us

because obviously we allocate funds to city and Neighborville residents and >> we just it's good to know that. Thank you. >> Yeah, I I the best >> I assume most of them were from Neighborville, but I

didn't know if you had that stat. I don't have the stat, but I do have uh the number one reason that people came was that they knew Kim or someone they knew knew Kim. And then the second reason this

year was um through Neighborville North District 203 newsletters. That was our second >> the second way that they found out. So I think it's primarily Neighborville. >> So uh you said you have a

survey. Um but do you have you have people register I assume? >> Um yeah. So you can pre-register. We encourage appointments and so we usually have about 400 appointments and then a few hundred more

walk-ins the day of. >> So you could you could capture that in your registration. >> Yeah, it's through Red Cross. So I don't think they would share that. But um that's why we do our own survey and we

put like a prize attached to encourage people to do it. So >> Okay. All right. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> I have a question. >> Um you had a food cost in your budget. Uh it's my

understanding that is not covered under this uh SECA grant. >> Yes. I I thought I put that not like from the SECA money, just from our money. If I did, it was it was not intentional like because we

get $8,000 from Red Cross. So there and we can buy food with that money. Yeah, food has been um in certain categories acceptable um but it is no longer going to be one of the um acceptable expenses

for SECA funds. >> Okay. >> Um I have a question. Are you going to ask um different hospitals to sponsor you? >> Um we originally did try to work with Edward Hospital um because that was where my

sister was treated and the the way they were resistant because it was during COVID. But um yeah, we could definitely try. It's been on one of the many things on my my to-do list would be to have some

sponsorships from hospitals. I don't know. I think it gets a little tricky. Um but yeah, I can keep trying. Okay. Thank you. Then this was just uh what we found. This is from my sister's journal is on

her first page and that's sort of our been our guiding mission um is to just try to be there for serve others. So >> thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> The next speaker is Shannon Green Rob.

Following that is David Dasto Tin Downville lines application number eight river sounds. >> Good morning. I was born in Alabama. [singing] >> [singing] >> Mama says I want to hear the trumpet. Hi

there. Thank you so much for having me speak today. Um, this is about River Sounds and River Sounds has always been more than just music. It's about creating a place where people can come together,

experience something unexpected, and feel connected to the community. Perhaps what makes River Sound so special is that it's free and open to everyone. Families, older adults, young people, and

visitors from across our community gather together along the Riverwalk to share the experience regardless of age or background. In 2025 and 26, we just saw how meaningful this can be. Week after week,

people came together to enjoy incredible musicians in the setting that is uniquely Neighborville. Our 2027 application builds on that success with plans to expand the series and create even more

opportunities for people to experience live music in downtown. I think this video captures all what River Sounds is really about. Thank you. >> Any questions? >> Okay, questions. >> Hi Shannon. Um so

what's your process of advertising and then also um getting artists I mean or performers to perform to make sure that it's inclusive. >> Um well the in terms of marketing it's with downtown Alliance

and we rely um on their social media on their email blast their text blasts as well as our events we promote it that way as well. Um in regards to our artists um I work with a lot of artists across

the whole Chicago land area. So I work with several that we can we can tap and you know get professional quality musicians of all genres and styles. >> Thank you. >> Hi Shannon. Thank you so much and

I have seen that practically it was amazing and we need to do some little more marketing. People needs to be aware about this event so that we get more people and how can you help us to get more

diverse music for the diverse community of neighbors? One thing that we've we've experienced and learned because I think when you when you start a new event, you always are learning things, right? Um

when they're on the river, sometimes it's difficult for certain sounds to be heard. We've we've had some vocalists out there and they were they were difficult to hear. So, we've learned that we needed

to have a higher tamber of music. So, that kind of narrows our our field of what we can do in different places. But, I think um you know, we we try and and and get as many diverse uh uh applicants as

possible. And it also kind of depends on the musicians uh availability. So I think we're we're you know we're looking to expand to different different cultures, different types of music, different

genres um that we can work with. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Um Greg, >> thank you chair. Sorry for clarification. So the >> application is an increase from last year's requested

funding. >> Correct. >> And there were six performances 2026 this year. >> Correct. And then you're looking to grow it next year. I'm so the request is a little higher than it was last year. This year

$31,000 or so. >> Correct. >> Am I missing? Is there actually a number of additional performances that you're looking to have performed or is it kind of depending on the funding? >> It's it's

depending on the funding. And one thing we actually learned last year um with the cancellation of one of our park after dark uh uh events because of the wildfire uh smoke from Canada, we actually had

um artists uh willingly uh give us some makeup, if you will. Um and we did it where we performed river sounds. And so that that performance had uh speakers and that was you know was a larger kind of

an amplified experience more than river sounds but was more of a kind of more of an intimate experience. We got incredible feedback from that. So in terms of your question, what are we looking to do?

We would love to expand the Tuesday evening series, but also love to incorporate two or three possibly weekend uh evenings that are a little more amplified and a little larger in terms of um uh sound

level if you will. I think you know River sounds to me is like what's happening over there and people come across it with with the Saturday performance was like what's going on over there, right? So

it was a really a different kind of experience. So I think to provide both of those options would be great but it would ultimately depend on funding. Shannon, you could get a little closer to that

mic. That the way that sounded was good. That the last thing you said. Okay. >> Chair, may I may have a follow? >> Yes. >> Thank you, >> sir. >> So, is there a way for you to I mean, the the increase

is significant. Is there a way for you to identify the number of additional performances you're targeting? Are we talking one huge one? >> Sure. I don't want to give an exact number right now because

I'd have to look and see what that budget was for the Saturday evening performance. Um, but I could definitely get back to the commission and say, "Hey, if we were to, you know, include, uh, maybe an

additional five or six performances of the Tuesday, um, with that budget, we can give you that and then the example for the Saturday night." So, I'd be able to get that to you at a later time. >> We

still have time to get additional information, Jay. Yeah, that would be great. >> Okay, we'll do >> because right now I'm just kind of speculating where go. So, thank you. >> Sure. Absolutely. >> Um,

yeah, u, Mr. Myers and then Miss Gurasami. Shannon, I'm unfortunately I can't access my application, your application here, and you may have answered this question, but you rely on SECA dollars. What

other sponsorships and other dollars do you rely on to make this happen? Because it's a big ask >> and we've got lots of organizations that want a little piece of everything. So, who else is helping

you support this? >> Up till now, no one. Uh, but I've actually had several uh sponsors from other events that I have that have approached me and said that they're interested in sponsoring. So I think

that's a testament to SECA and getting organizations off the ground and getting visibility. Um so our hope is yes, we are reaching out to sponsors um to uh support this next coming year. >> So I guess

the question is if you don't receive the full grant from us, will you be able to have the event? >> Um I hope we'll be able to have the event. I think it's still it's it's an unknown, you know, I'm

not sure exactly how many sponsors would come forth and what dollar amount they would have. So if it's if it's with no SECA money, I don't know if we could have the whole event. If it's possibly what

we had last year, I think we could guarantee those, you know, if we if we were given that amount of money, we could have six and then then whatever we could get from the additional sponsorship, then

that's what would happen. But our, you know, our intention is to have as many as possible. >> Great. Thank you. And I think that's kind of a theme throughout that we really want to encourage other

sponsors and not rely just on SECA. uh the original seeker was just supposed to be a shortterm funding and then it would be on the organization to find additional funding. So we aren't employing that

right now but we would encourage organization I'm speaking to everyone to look for other sponsors as well other than just see I think we had over two and a half million dollars in requests and we have

about a million two to give away so obviously there's a lot of need out there. Thank you. >> Thank you Miss Gersami. Yeah, I had the same exact question. You know, are you looking for other uh

sponsors? Have you ever looked at the Illinois Art Council? They give grants for community art events. >> Yes. >> And you should look into that. >> Yes. Thank you. >> If there Thank you very much,

Shannon. If there are no other um questions and and I will uh I actually have one quick question. So, um, the question about if you don't get your full S funding, um, will you still be able to have

it? I think that is part of our application, right? So, and how did you answer that? >> I honestly don't remember. >> Okay. Okay. >> It was a while ago. >> Yes, I'm Yes, it was. Okay. Thank you very

much. >> Thank you. >> The next speaker is David Dasto, NYSO, application number 32. Next up is Taein. Following that is Kimberly and Tony Andrews. >> And again, you're gonna you can adjust that. >>

Yeah. Uh hello. >> Yes, that's very good. I'm I think >> Oh, thank you. Yes, we do have a slideshow here. >> NYSO. >> As he's setting up that slideshow, I'll just let you know this is what we gave to

our parent meeting. So, our our parents for our orientation uh earlier this this season. So, I'm not really going to be referring to the slideshow. It's really just some images and some things for you

to kind of see our organization, but I'm going to provide uh a little bit uh of things that maybe weren't not on the application. So, good morning. Thank you. Uh it's good good to be here. My name is

David Dvasto. I'm the president of the board of directors of the Neapville Youth Symphony Orchestra. Uh we are entering we are have entered our 11th season. This uh season is called Tapestries. So you

can uh consult your application, our application for more information on that. But I'm going to give you five reasons why we are good candidates for the SECA grant going forward here. Um one, we have

been good faithful stewards to monies that were granted to us. Two, we continue to grow in exciting ways. Three, our outcomes are outstanding. Four, we are community focused. And five, we love

Neapville. It's a great community. We're proud to be a part of it. So, let me just go through these a little bit more in detail. So, we have been faithful stewards. Uh we've obviously given full

disclosure of our finances. Um and we are not simply trying to survive. Rather, our aim is to continue to improve our musical instruction, uh our instruction practices, providing meaningful concert

experiences, uh further community engagement, and ensure shared governance is being followed in our administrative practices. >> [clears throat] >> We the board of directors serve as volunteers and

dedicate our time and resources to support the organization. Uh we view our roles as a privilege as we nurture the organization and put it in a strong position to serve the generations to come. Uh

second point, we continue to grow in exciting ways. Our current enrollment of 237 students is back to precoid numbers. Um our we I could break down those numbers, but I'll just go on. We we have uh

six ensembles, two orchestras, really three orchestras, our smallest one being a youth orchestra uh and three chamber ensembles. So, three orchestras, three chamber ensembles. Uh we initiated five new

um we we have five new initiatives we implemented this year. Uh three of them were summer programs, summer and workshops. The Neapville flute academy, the summer brass camp, and a summer conducting

workshop. We also introduced pre-con lectures. a pre-concert lecture series. Um, and we also have a new uh scholarship that we we are offering the students. Um, and we plan to enhance our mission to

serve the Neapville community through additional chamber performances at local health and housing facilities for our mission minded that you can kind of see some of our mission vision and values.

Three, our outcomes are outstanding. I don't know if I'm going to get through this all. Um last year we uh our graduating seniors won awards at the IMEC composition competition, ILMEA district and all

state orchestra performances, achieved membership in numerous honor societies including the Triam Music Honor Society, SBC Conference Honors Band, Percussive Arts Society, Chicago Flute Club Festival.

Uh the list goes on. They've been uh admitted to major universities and um across the country. Um >> I I think is that the time? The time is up. Thanks. >> Okay. Okay. But um we are now here for

questions from the commissioners. Is there are there any questions Mr. Gustin? >> Thank you chair. >> I'm sure it's buried in the materials, but it's easier for me to ask you. >> Yes. >> You you too

get closer to the I'm sorry. Or pull that mic down closer. There you go. >> I don't usually have that problem. Thank you. Um easier for me to ask the question then on board, frankly. Yes, sir. The

increase in requests for the grant is attributed to rising costs. among them uh audio and video recording equipment and things like that. How does that >> not equipment services? >> Okay. How does

that fit within the the mission what what you folks are doing? >> Well, as in terms of our engagement um you know I mean everything is video based. It's kind of interesting like um even within the

audio and musical world, we just find that there's a way that we can enhance the dynamic aspect of the way that our um performances are being recorded. So, um experimenting with multiple camera angles

and things like that is is what we're implementing here. That was just one of the uh issues though um for for the uh increase. But um yeah, I mean it's uh we just want to showcase what the students

are doing. They're just so proud of the students and um showing what these uh what what the youth are doing and and the performing. Um they're professional. Can I just ask how many of you have been to

a Neapville youth Symphony Orchestra concert? You've been awesome. So yeah, it's you know the the good work the students are doing there and we just want to showcase that better. >> Absolutely. Let me

let me clarify my question. Are the are the recordings used for education and training or are they used for sale to >> Oh uh yeah, social media. I mean it's uh >> is it a fundraising attribute? >> I'm

sorry. >> Is it a fundraising attribute as well? >> That's part of it as well. Yeah. I mean marketing above all probably we we make a record of our our performances too. So there's a record that you

can go back to. Every one of them has been recorded es especially since being in Wallal. Um so yes we apply those to our our fundraising uh activities. We do a fundraiser every year um which all the

board myself included we contribute to. Um, and yeah, those those are great selling points. >> Thank you. >> So, I'm Okay, Mr. Myers, and then I have a question. >> I just have a simple question. Yes.

200 plus participants, how many of them are Neighborville residents? Well, um, of the high schools that I'm, and this is based on the, uh, the, um, the seniors that just graduated last year, we had,

uh, multiple members of Neapville Central High School, um, Necco Valley High School, and, um, so, so there are Neapville, but I would say, if I had to put a number on it, I don't have that information

exactly, but I would say the majority are probably the surrounding communities. um you know the the we draw most of our students from surrounding communities to Neighborville. Um and that's kind of a

a unique you know we offer something unique that they can't find in their community. So um we're proud of that fact that we draw people to Neighborville. So um but we do have we definitely have uh

Neapville students involved. >> If you could provide that information. >> Yes, sir. >> Jake, that would be helpful for us as we deliberate on these. >> Sure. >> Obviously back to the point we to

Neapville residents. >> Absolutely. Absolutely. And I know one one of the things in the application is what is the the economic impact that that we provide in Neapville. I mean, every Sunday we have

200 plus families going shopping downtown and and we're proud of that. We we encourage them to do that and we and we do that as well. The administrators do students. So, >> thank you. >> Yep. >> I'm

going to be a little picky. And it's Niqua High School. >> Oh, Na. Yes. Thank you. [laughter] >> Um uh yeah, so I if I'm following up on Mr. Augustine's uh question. I I think what he one of the

things he's getting at is um Sika is interested in the impact that the event has >> um that people can attend. I would say, and let me know if I'm putting words in your mouth, rather than um you know,

a a recording of it that could be sold or used or enjoyed by other people. Is that correct? >> Yeah. Yes. Yes, ma'am. The uh you know, the pre-concert lectures education is really at the forefront of

of our our organization. I mean, we are educating students um and and they're excelling in in amazing, beautiful ways in what they create. And that's kind of what the tapestries season is about. Um

they're they're the students themselves we consider part of this tapestry uh that they're uh creating and the ultimate results. So um this season, if I if you want me to speak a little bit more about

the season, I mean we're celebrating of course the 250th anniversary of the founding of the nation. So there's some American composers involved, but it's very diverse. We have some Stravinsky, some

Russian composers as well. Um, very and as well as a a South Korean composer that's that's performing a new composition. Um, and um, so we we kind of see this multicultural fabric. The students are

very diverse as well. Um, we're educators, we're artists, and um, our our mission is uh, not just social media, not just, you know, these are things we're again, we're just trying to elevate and

showcase what the students are doing, drawing them to Neighborville, and we're we're proud of that. >> Thank you very much. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> Uh, and Miss Gurasami has another question. Are

you working with the uh Neapville high schools like with the music departments to recruit more Neapville students? >> Um not yes and no. I mean our ensemble directors are constantly in touch with with

high schools. So, so yes. Um, um, I'm just thinking of one of them, uh, one of the ensemble directors live is a native of of, uh, Neighborville and he's the the, uh, orchestra director at Willowbrook

High School in Villa Park. So, um, you know, so, so there is a network. I mean, ensemble directors kind of know each other and they're they're constantly recruiting. So, so the answer is yes. >> Thank

you. >> Thank you. Okay, thanks very much. >> Our next speaker is Ta Ne with application number 48. Next following is Kimberly with application number 52, DUP Page Children Museum and Tony Andrews

with art inclusion at 53. >> [clears throat] >> Good morning everyone. My name is >> Excuse me. You're you're going to have to get closer to that. Thanks. >> Good morning everyone. My name is Tyim and

I'm here today as a representative of Aid Muertos, a nonprofit, a local nonprofit in Aurora with experience with community organizing. And today I'm here to present about the Fidalo Festival. So what

is the Freda Festival? The festival celebrates Mexican art, culture, and heritage through activities such as live music, dance, crafts, workshop, and family activities. So, why Neighborville and what

are our values? First is creating a shared culture. This festival is an opportunity to experience Hispanic culture. Through all of the engaging activities, visitors will be able to experience Mexican

traditions and connect across backgrounds. This also serves as a platform to amplify the voices of local artists, performers, and participating businesses. Historically, many of our vendors and

artists not had a platform to share their work and this and this festival aims to give them an opportunity to do so. And finally, there's a youth leadership component which the creative expression and

recognition through the Misbrea program who are here with me today. So, the event welcomes everyone. It's completely free to attend. There'll be bilingual outreach and accessible spaces so that we can

involve as many residents as possible. So, here is just a couple of the events that we have. As I previously mentioned, live traditional Mexican art and dance. There will be the Miss Freda youth

leadership and recognition program. So the Miss Freda program is a youth leadership program in which Miss Freda and many Miss Freda go around the community and share their story and cultural heritage

with the community. There will also be local artists, perform performers and cultural showcases as well as a fashion show which celebrates traditional Mexican dress. And as I previously mentioned,

opportunities for local to share their story. So, a little bit about they're a nonprofit organization with 18 years of experience and they've hosted events centered around Day of the Dead Mertos as

well as other events just centered around emphasizing access to traditional the music, dance, and other artistic workshops. and just through its long-standing cultural programming, a city has helped

coordinate performers, artists, vendors, and volunteers and really just celebrated Hispanic culture. And the reason we want to come to Neighborville is because we're considering locations at Neighbor

Settlement as well as Block 59. We estimate that this will help the festival grow to be the biggest it can be, 200 plus attendees. and we just want to access we just want to target an area that's not

had as much access to these Hispanic celebrations as we've been based in Aurora for a long time and now we want to get into the Neighborville community and promote cultural understanding. Thank you.

>> Thank you. We have uh questions Mr. Gustin. >> Thank you chair. Good morning. Um is this event in addition to the event that has occurred in Aurora or is this succeeding the one in Aurora? >> So

this event will be so this event is a yearly event and this will I guess take the place of the event that's traditionally in Aurora. >> So the one in Aurora is doesn't exist anymore to your knowledge.

>> Yes. So we're planning to change locations into Neighborville from Aurora. So, previously we've had funding from the city of Aurora. We've had sponsorships with other local Aurora organizations.

But now, we'd like to move into Neighborville and try to engage a new community, engage a different population of residents, which is why we're seeking funding from the city of Neighborville instead.

>> Okay. And then I'm sorry to follow on. I know the city of Aurora has a rather robust arts program. Are they a funer of this proposal as well or or is this solely lookings as though the grant is

solely a seeka grant for the entirety of the proposed performance? Is that right? >> So the city of Aurora Aurora isn't funding it this year because the event won't be based in Aurora this year, but

we also have additional sponsors in addition to the city of Neighborville. For example, for the Miss Freda celebration and the fashion show, Macy's has sponsored some of the costumes as well as we

have partnerships with other local nonprofit organizations to help sponsor the music. So, not all the cost will be subsidized through the SECA grant, but we don't anticipate any funding from the city

of OA this year just because of the location change. >> Okay. Could could you folks provide maybe just a little supplement to the application that addresses it would be helpful for me to know is

succeeding the event in Aurora. You're moving it to Neapville. So it sounds as though it's more Neighborville focused and such. And it sounds as though it's an independent funding conduit, not from

city of Aurora. But if that's whatever the correct correct answer is, I think I found you. It'd be helpful if we could get a little supplement. >> Thank you. >> Yes. >> Thanks. >> Other questions?

Yes. >> I'm sorry. I'm having a hard time accessing my application. Can you remind me when the event is supposed to take place next year? >> Oh, I'm sorry. Could you repeat the question? >> When will

the event take place or what is it? >> Oh, yes. The event will take place on July is anticipated to be around July 10th. >> Okay. So, I I just wanted to to mention um you you know that there is

already a uh Day of the Dead a big Day of the Dead uh event in uh Neighborville that takes place, you know, the 1st or 2nd of November. And um but that organization has not applied for SECA funding

this year, although my understanding is they're still going to um have it um and seek alternative funding. Um but I I think in the same location. So you're not competing with that. It's not you're not

doing it on Day of the Dead. You're doing it in the summertime. >> Yes. So, our events are separate and it's not really designed to be like a competition. I think both of our organizations are trying

to promote that cultural understanding and create experiences where visitors can engage in Hispanic cultural heritage. So, I don't believe that we're, you know, competing for any sources of funding.

The events are distinct and both are celebrating Hispanic culture. >> Okay. >> Thank you. Um and and not that you know they have not applied, you have applied, but you're talking about completely um

different times of the year and locations. And are you did tell us the location again? >> So we're looking at two proposed locations currently. We're either going to plan to host the event at Neighbor

Settlement or Block 59. >> Okay. And have you secured either one of those locations? I believe that we've secured the neighbor settlement location and then I think Block 59's communications is still

in progress. >> Okay. And and I understand how organizations often cannot secure a location until they, you know, have some funding that they could uh rely on. So, okay. Any other questions? >> Okay.

Thank you, >> Judy. I have one question. >> Okay. Um, do you have any anticipated sponsorship? >> Yes. So, this year Macy's is planning to sponsor the costumes again as well as we partner with other

organizations such as Placita Market which is a local area nonprofit. So they're helping support some of the music, some of the vendors. So there'll be some anticipated sponsorship in addition to the

SEC funding that we're requesting. >> Okay. So how much would that be? Do you think anticipated sponsorship amount? >> I don't know off the top of my head. Miss, do you want to talk about that a

little bit? >> I'm not quite sure of that. Good morning, everyone. Um, I'm not quite sure of the funding, but I'm pretty sure we are able to get that um estimated amount. Um, usually I'd say vendor

booths are around like 200. So, when we usually have around like 15 vendors around. So, I'm sure we could get that estimate. >> Okay. I think it will be helpful we get that estimate um because I see

that uh the expenses is 12,500 and then um and then also there's the sponsorship um donation but it seems like in the application you did not subtract that amount. So, in the budget that I'm looking

at currently, it looks like, as you mentioned, the the total budget is $12,500. And it looks like at the time of application, we anticipated $1,000 to be sourced through the private sponsorships and

donations, which would make the total event budget $13,500. And just a little bit of the breakdown as to what the budget seems to be. It seems that the site rental, the equipment, and the

accessibility is approximately $2,000. The cultural programming piece, which is the artist and performers, which is where most of our sponsorships will lie. So, we believe that this estimated number

has changed, is around $8,000. There will be educational and event materials, which are $600, which could be subsidized through sponsorships as well. Finally, the marketing, publicity, and signage

component is $800. And then there's other miscellaneous event expenses. So that could involve things like transportation of the art to and from the venue and that sort of thing. That's $1,00. And it

looks like that's planned to be covered through sponsorship and other sources of funding. If that helps. >> Okay, that's it for >> Oh, sorry, Mr. Say. >> Yeah, thank you. You said that you will be

having 15 vendors. And what do you charge them? You like >> um so that's what we kind of have an estimate of 15 vendors, but we're still looking for a couple more. Um usually around we charge them

like 200 for their space and we give them a platform where they can talk about their small business, promote and do other things so that we can support their small business. >> Okay. Thank you. >>

Thank you. Yes, Miss >> how much is the neighbor settlement charging for that event uh space >> or anticipated when you asked them? >> Um, we'd have to check on that. I'm not sure if they've listed a

specific price yet, >> but we can check on that. Yeah, we and we're we're saying that because we know that's a expensive venue to secure because it, you know, it's fenced in and um it's it's just not

an inexpensive place. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> The next speaker is Kimberly Stall with Dupage Children Museum at location number 52. The next four speakers are Tony Andrews with Art Inclusion,

Christian Alexson with DSO, and Savon with AA. Good morning everyone. I just want to thank uh all of the members of the seek commission for your service and all the thoughtfulness you put into this

every year. Um I think all of us applicants understand how much work this is for all of you and and how much thought you put into it. Um I'm my name is Kimberly Stull. I'm the new president and CEO of

DuPage Children's Museum and I'm here to talk to you about Game On, the art and science of game design. Uh we have an opportunity to bring in um some great experiences from January to May. Uh let me

see if I can do this right. Okay, there we go. Uh the Children's Museum has been um in existence for almost 40 years um serving children and families in Neighborville and in the surrounding

communities. Um we are requesting uh support for uh game on the art and science of game design. This year we are um somehow I'm going to learn how to do this. There we go. Um, Game On will be here

from January through May of 2027. We are making an exhibit swap with the Children's Museum of Minnesota where they're taking one of our traveling exhibits and we're bringing this one in. Um, this is

an opportunity for parents and kids to compete through together in life-siz challenges like candy quests, phase play, uh, 3D twister and alleyball, and toddlers will have an a dedicated top spot that

encourages game play. We are asking SECA for assistance in helping to create some expansion programs to go along with this that will encourage game making um where children and uh adults will work

together to create their own board games uh create their own board pieces um and really get in and be able to experiment, play, problem solve, create all of those great things that we do every day in

the rest of the museum. Um, each activity turns the exhibit's life-siz games into something that families uh can make and keep. Uh, when children design their own games, they see themselves as game

makers and not just players. We're building the problem solvers for today and tomorrow. What builds resilience, creativity, collaboration, and problem solving. The same traits that fuel real

innovation. They may see that big ideas can start right here in Neighborville. Uh, this project builds on the Monopoly board momentum. As many of you may know, we have our own Neapville Monopoly board

that will be coming out this week on November 12th. Um, this project will draw visitors to downtown Neighborville supporting nearby restaurants and businesses. Um, and it will also host uh materials

in both English and Spanish. As many of you know, we have lowcost memberships and admissions that serve families in the surrounding area. We expect that we will have over 137,000 visitors in that time

between January and May. 20% of those over 20% of those from Neapville. And of those 20% from Neapville, over 30% of those low cost. >> Yeah. Yeah. Unfortunately, your time is up, but I'll I'll bet

people have questions. So, do we have any questions? Well, I have a question. Um, so, um, I I know you have, um, lowcost memberships available and I assume that those are um by income or self-reported

or >> Yeah, we have two different types. We have a self-reported. We everything is self-reported. >> Yes. Um, so we do a 20 or $35 membership for families who are receiving assistance. We have a 50%

membership for any student with an IEP. The other things that we do for working families is we host $5 Friday or well, it's $5 Thursday night now. So, we've done that this fall and we're looking at

how we can continue to support that through the year. Um it won't be a regular every month or every day, but we are looking to see how we can help support those families who are kind of pinched in the

middle right now um to be able to still enjoy um our services. >> Yeah. And um you know, I'm saying that because um I have taken my grandson to Dub uh Children's Museum. It's wonderful place. Uh

visited it many times in in years past as it um you know, as it developed over the years. Um but it's it it's uh it's an expensive place to take a family if you're paying the the full price. So, I'm

wondering um if uh you would consider if you get this funding or a portion of this funding of um making sure you have $5 uh nights where people could attend. >> I couldn't assure you of that today. We

we are continuing to find support for that but um it we have a large budget to support in order to do do the work that we do and we are doing the best job of managing being as fiscally responsible as

possible. So we do look for all sources of funding and we continue to look for funding for access so that we can make sure that we can keep those experiences affordable. Memberships are affordable for

a relatively low amount. you can buy a membership that would normally cost you two and a half visits that you can get every visit every day all year long. And so that's one of the ways that we

encourage affordability is by purchasing a membership. >> Okay. Yeah, that that makes sense. I'm just um thinking um you know since you're getting taxpayer money a way of allowing making it a little

easier for our our residents to attend. >> Yeah, we'll be looking at it. I think that all of us have realized right now where there's a you know our families are challenged. We want the we take our

mission of being accessible to all children very seriously. We just have to make sure that we can afford it too. >> Yes, I I understand and I think it's you know a very enriching membership to have.

>> Um my question is in in your application the marketing and uh publicity is you're asking $10,000 That's like 50% of what you're asking for. So could you get into that in a little bit more detail?

>> Yeah, I think one of the I think might pardon me for interrupting. >> One of the things that we've seen over the last year especially is the change in the algorithms on AI have impacted everyone's

websites. And so being able to reach out to our audience who looks at us through social media, sometimes they're not even finding their way to our website. So, we have been experimenting with

different types of advertising and we've realized that this um particular stack adapt program works very well to to actually get the word to the constituents who are looking for our information. And

uh we use our advertising very very sparingly and try to really lean into word of mouth as much as we can. But when we bring in new programs like this, those advertising dollars help us advertise not

only to our folks here in Neapville, but to bring in people from our collar collar communities. Um, and it really does help reach out where we will see increased attendance because of those. It

happened this summer for us this summer. We were able to drive attendance in at a time where other museums across the country saw lower attendance rates. >> Okay. Thanks. Thank you. Any other

question? Mr. Custen, >> thank you, Chair. Um, first of all, I guess it's another grandparent up here. Thank you for the Halloween festivities and the pumpkin drop. Uh, so it's a great day with my

grandkids there. So, my question is this. Um, and follow on to your last response. So, this this request is aimed at game building by little ones who always shock me how intelligent and able they are

to do these things. So I think that's great but it's really it's intended to be a broader solicit right a broader advertising aspect I mean it's focused on this particular event but the intent is to

bring in more folks than just for this event or am I >> well it's a it's a fivemonth time period that the exhibit will be happening and then we'll be doing workshops alongside it and so it's not just

for um yes It will be advertising the exhibit, but it will also be advertising the workshops. And it's one of those things that I think we're learning that um our audience often looks to us for the

general attendance activities that we do or occasionally the special events, but when we want to let people know about very specific classes, camps, activities, we have to advertise in a different

way. >> I follow. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. >> You're welcome. Any other questions? >> Uh, thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Our next speaker is Tony Andrews, art of inclusion at vocation number

53. >> The next four speakers are Christian Elgen with DSO, Siobhan with ANA, and Addison Glick. >> Yeah. >> Followed by Pamel Spencer. >> Thank you. Before we start, could we get someone to close the

doors so we don't get the ambient noise from the lobby? And also, um, if your name is called as a speaker who is coming up, you know, you're on deck, please come sit in the front row so that you are,

uh, are ready. Morning. Morning, ladies and gentlemen. >> Get really close, Mr. Andrews. >> I present to you the mural of the Chinese American journey. Now, this project is designed to depict and

commemorate the Chinese-American community's ancient roots to Neighborville. I am Tony Andrews, the co-chair of Art of Inclusion, proud to apply for this grant, for this project. Art of Inclusion's

been around for six years now, and it is our intent to continue to bring art to this city that reflects the continuing and moving diversity of Neapville and promote unity and inclusion as community.

Art of Inclusion's proud to have presented these projects for you. um just over there over your shoulder, your left shoulder at the Neighborville Township building. The first one was in 20 where we

did the street mural and then last year, two years ago, we did collaborated with and brokered a deal to put the Mandela project up on the same building. And the point of this slide is to demonstrate

that we have a relationship with the Napico Township. um they're going they've accommodated our request to change out that mural um for this project and we'll be working with um Kawa and so Nancy is

going to speak to that chair commissioners uh councilman. Uh thank you very much uh Tony and thank you uh Chinese-American women in Action has promoted civic and community engagement through SC

schools partnerships, cultural programs and our annual art ex youth art exhibits. We're delighted to partner with the art of inclusion on this mural project. In fact, this is the very first time that

Sika comes before you. Uh I'm sorry Kawa comes before you. According to Neapville set neighbor settlement, Chinese immigrants settled in Neapville as early as 1860. When my husband and I moved to

Neapville in 1972, there were fewer than 10 Chinese families in the city. Today, my family is three generations strong, and the Chinese American community has since become an important part of

Neapville's educational, cultural, and economic life. Approximate 8% of Napleville population is Chinese. This mural tells the story of Chinese American journey from ancient roots to Napville and

celebrates our shared experiences. We envision the mural is more than a work of art. It will be a landmark that educates, inspires, and brings people together. The public unveiling is going to be in

May 2027 during AsianAmerican Heritage Month. And we hoped this event will foster greater cultural understanding and strengthen our belonging and community pride along among all Neapville residents.

>> Speaker time is up. >> We beg for 15 seconds to demonstrate the artist that we're going to bring to this project. Um, in the slide we are bringing a professional worldown. >> Yeah, I think I'm

gonna have to ask you to I think I'm gonna have to ask you to stop. We didn't let anybody go go over >> your questions. >> We have the artist here for questions as well. >> Yes. So, we have um any any

questions here. Also, I would um uh I'm hoping Jake that all of these presentations will be um collected and and sent on to the commissioner. So, if you didn't get a chance to get to a slide, um we

certainly will be able to see them. >> We have a question. I will proceed to give you our slides. >> Okay, that's great. Um a question first from Miss and then from Miss So and then from Miss

Gurasami. Thank you. >> Hello. On the budget sheet that you didn't fill out what the SECA allocations are. However, it looks as though >> it would be for the whole budget of 49,000 uh some odd

dollars. Is that correct? >> Yes, that's what we're seeking um for this project. Right. That includes the the artist honorarium for Mr. Rich Low and the site expenses and the other expenses. Yes.

Okay. And um I think we >> um question um if the entire budget is is the entire budget seems to be uh requested of of SEA. So without Sika funding does this mean this event won't happen? >> No. Um

well it depends on how much funding but um we could curtail some of the unveiling festivities. You see there's a line item in there for the dragon dancers, the musicians and the dancers that will be

at the unveiling. Um we could theoretically um work on that. We could theoretically I already negotiated with the carpenter who was originally $9,000 for this project because we realized we could use

not the same wood to repaint which would require two um scaffoldings and removals. We're just going to get new lumber, new new plywood and so there's going to be one scaffold. So we already did that

but um and we could um we would just have to you know and obviously we also have to work with negotiate with artist on his feet. So has to follow up. So is there so it sounds like there's been some

work towards finding alternative sources of funding. Is there any other active work being done to find other sponsorships or other event sponsors? >> Uh yes um we would like this project to go forward

uh you know and we certainly hope that we will give uh receive a substantial funding. However, we have be also begun to talk about raising money from our own community, from businesses. So, we're

hoping that this would be a a project that can go forward with our our vision. >> Um, and I know Mr. Myers and I think Miss So have questions. >> Okay. Um, I do have a question for Rich, uh, the

artist. I remember when you were painting the mural in the children's museum and you were painting it outdoors. So visitors can walk by and see how you paint. Right. That was really helpful, really

great. So I'm wondering if you're going to do the same thing for this mural. >> Um part of this mural is u the construction of panels. Um my plan is uh to do much of the work in the studio and then do

a maybe one or two days outside to let people in like in a weekend or something u so they can see the pro the progress of the mural. But they are uh I think um composed of three panels. >> Okay. Okay.

So that's interesting. How are you going to put it up there? >> Right. Right. And uh um getting on a scaffold is never something I want to do especially [laughter] falling off is a possibility. >>

Okay. All right. And then a followup question on the unveiling of the event and celebration. Um do you have any may now plan because you're going to do dragon dance and other performances. >> Yes. Um

I'm glad that you asked the question because you know I I wasn't able to provide more detailed information. Yes. In fact, all the cultural activities we are going to try to engage all our local

Chinese American artists and performers. For example, there is a martial art kung fuade academy. They have a lion dance program and this lion dance is not really just by professionals. These are, you

know, I have seen them with youth, neighborville youth and actually non-Asians too because they are all part of their members. And of course, we're going to have musicians and dancers. We would like

to have the school students to participate. And finally, we also will have interactive activities engaging in for for example Chinese calligraphy. there for people to actually actually have hands-on

experience paper cutting. So the these are the things that we plan and uh really try to carry it out you know once that we we we we know that the funding is secured. >> Mr. Thank you. >> Sorry. >>

First of all, you know, I have attended and participated in some Kawa events over the years and uh they're always professionally done and uh I look forward to that unveiling. Um, I have a question

relative to the mural. Um, looking at the size, I don't know what we paid for the one at the Children's Museum or other murals. I'm not an artist, but 30,000 seemed to be a pretty high number uh based

on the size. Now, maybe it's appropriate, but it just seemed high to me. I don't know what we paid for the children museum, and I know we have other murals and some of the other proposals. uh this

just stuck out as being kind of a high number. >> Yes, Mr. Mars, it is a good question and I I I have that same feeling. As a non-artist, it's hard to understand that. But I will answer your other

question. We did use as a comparable the the DUP page mural and we do I know personally because I was a part of that uh in early stages um that was he was granted $30,000 for that mural. Um so we use

that as a benchmark or as a compare comparable And and frankly, we asked him. Maybe maybe Rich, you want to answer that further or did I cover it? >> Well, yeah. I don't think you have to make Mr. Low

negotiate his fee. >> No, [laughter] in in public. >> I was just bringing out the point as I was reviewing the application. It seemed high to me. >> But the other side of it is I think it's a great

program. I think Cabo will do a great job with the unveiling program. Um, I just wanted to make sure that we have a sharp pencil on that mural. >> Yeah. Very well. >> Um, and I Yes. Go ahead. >>

What's the life? Sure. Uh, what's the life cycle of a mural? Because it looks like it stays up. I know we're talking about $30,000 being quite significant, but it seems like at least the one that we

see, some of the ones we've seen have stayed up for quite a bit of time. So, what is the what's the anticipated life cycle? >> It's a good question. We anticipate and the plan an agreement with the

township is two to three years. It's this because this is a the framing is up there. I mean we paid well Mandela two years ago got a money SEA money and for some of that money they they put the

framing up with the permission of this township and then there was panels that secured to the frame. So the point our plan all along was to change these out the panels out leaving the framing. Now I

don't know how long the framing is going to last forever. It is pressuret treated lumber secured to the brick. The plan as we have done so far is every two to three years we we change it out. And so

this is we now Mr. Low is going to put some marine varnish on it to protect it for two to three years. And he assures us it's it's certainly going to extend that. But um I would anticipate being back

here art of inclusion being back here in two years asking to put a different one up there representing a different cultural community. >> Yeah. So we have a a question from uh Councilman Sed and then

Miss Gorasami. >> Thank you. Part of inclusion and Kawa. I know both the organization amazing organization for Neper. Thank you so much for bringing together all this artwork culture that's what uh

this city is about you know and what is the timeline you're looking for to have this moral and also when is the unveiling it's going to happen? timeline is um fairly simple. Um because we've decided

this year to as as Mr. Low recogniz he's going to paint inside and because we decided to save money on the install, you know, the destruction and install, we're going to have him work on the panels as

frankly as soon as we get some funding and we negotiate the other deals. But we would anticipate he is able to start in February, okay, >> on the new panels in his studio and then in May we take down

the old panels simultaneously with this carpenter and put up his panels just in time for the celebration. Um, and then the Nance and I were talking about the c the unveiling will be in May. So once we

get funding word in January, we're going to start in in February and then allow Mr. Low to work on it for a couple months. >> Thank you. Hope you will invite all the seeker commissioners >> including

councilman say >> because [laughter] >> actually in terms of the participation we certainly would invite all of you and also city officials but most importantly we wanted the communities from all over

to participate neighborhood resident but the other thing that's important and I thought I know that dear to see commission is that we wanted visitors and we think the lion dance going around that area

will attract all the visitors that are already there. But of course, we are also using a lot of promotions among social media, local uh media press and also Chinese media uh to publicize this event

and publicize about the mural as well as the unveiling event. >> My last uh the things recommendation or suggestion is add food, Chinese food to that event. It brings lot of people you know when you

add food. >> Yeah. My question is um it says it's a semi-permanent mural. Is it going to be there all year round? >> Yeah, semi-permanent and our use of the word would be two years. Uh it's not

permanent permanent like engraved in stone permanent. Um it is going to be up all year. We're going to install it once in May. It's going to stay up there until uh the township and I find another

organization to replace it in two to three year cycle. >> Okay. And as far as marketing, you did mention that you want the community residents to participate. What are your marketing plans? Like how

do residents come to know about this mural and uh the unveiling event? I think once we secure the funding, we are going to be start uh publicizing uh perhaps even progress of the mural working with

the artist in our social media first. you know face we we Kawa and RM inclusion both have Facebook Kawwa has a website has Instagram we're going to publicize to to show people the progress but then

when as it comes to the unveiling that we before that we're going to do a media uh blast or you know we we're going to notify NCTV we're going to work with the Napville positive in Neapville we're

going to work with the Chinese American there are many um Chinese American and actually newspapers in Chicago as well the suburb that we're going to use these and of course word of mouth and then we

certainly will be actually one more thing we would include at the unveiling event we would invite community partners to be there actually whether it's about performances or just attendance and we'll

also be setting up tables for display some of the community organized community organization to show what they have. So, so like I said, this is an event to bring people together and uh so I hope I

answer your question. >> Well, I have Mr. Gustin. Oh, did you want to follow up with yours and then Mr. Mr. >> I've heard of a Chinese American organization in Nepville, Shellene Association. They

have a performing arts uh group. Will they be part of this event? Yes, I have already started scout scouting. In fact, right now we have two applicants right here. I just talked to them letting them

know that we will be contacting them because the important thing about this event is not to bring outsiders. We actually want to use our local talents and our local community groups to participate. As

I said, this is an event to bring all people together. And in fact in terms of martial arts or lion dances you know the participant the the ones the performers are not necessarily Chinese Americans.

I've seen non-Ch many nonch Chinese Americans are part of that group too. >> Okay so um Mr. Gustin then councilman say >> thank you chair. Um yeah and I too have gone to Kawa meetings as well and

events uh and and and art of inclusion is a fine effort. Actually a lot of folks in here have do wonderful things for the community and it's really a privilege having you here um and doing your

presentation. It's very helpful for me and it's nice to put faces to names sometimes also. Um, so I think this is a neat idea with the revolving changing the artwork from time to time. Uh, I think

that's really cool. Uh, and I think that aspect of our heritage is important as well. Um, my question is the relationship with the township, and I'm a new kid on the block here on the board, so you

probably went through this before and I apologize. It is it simply the township is giving a license to put the mural on the building. they're not funding or this funding is not going to the township

or there's no crossf funding attributes, right? It's just a donated license to put this artwork on on the township building. >> I heard three questions in there. I think I'll get them all. We have

worked with the township before. We have a very good Art of Inclusion has a great working relationship with them. They're very supportive of of cultural art and it's beautiful. They have a location

right there. Right. Um Eddie Bedford and I have talked we did this on the street mural conversation. We did this on the the our shared home mural. So, I do have an email confirmation of all this with

Eddie Bedford, the supervisor of the township. Um, let's see. He they we would ask them to make a donation. Um, they would consider that if we get funding and we there may donation, they're also

donating a part of the rental fee, right? I mean, they've asked us to pay a rental fee. That's part of our budget um because we're going to use their building for two years. Um, now I don't know if

they would do that in kind, you know, I don't know. We haven't gotten that far, but um, we certainly not giving them money other than the rental fee and then they're would consider giving us a

donation to help us. So I, Mr. Gustin, those are um awkward conversations which we haven't finalized um because we don't know how much money we're going to get here. But those are but they're Did I

answer all your questions? I think there were a couple. >> No, you're you're doing as best you can, I think, at this point. So that's helpful. Yeah. Thank you. >> If I could, Pardon me, Councilman, if

I could just follow up on that. So, >> um, uh, there was a question, I think, to all of the applicants who asked for $25,000 or more if any part of the SECA funding would be paid to another government

entity. or at least I saw that question and I I assume whoever created that question asked it to be applied to, you know, all of the um larger the larger amount um applicants. Um so um let's see, how

do I how do I want to put this? Um, you certainly could pay a rental fee, but perhaps that fee is not I don't know if uh that money should not come out of the SECA funds and should be, you know, come

from come from another source or not. Jake, do we have any um guidance on was that a question asked by anybody here who wants to talk about that or is there is there anything that precludes Sika

funding being paid? In other words, if if say um you're renting a gym at Niqua um and you need funding for that, is it okay for that to come from SECA funds or is that not okay? >> That's a good

question because we do cover facilities like a lot of folks do rent, you know, went to concert hall to college. That would be a Sika reimbursement. >> Yeah. But that's a that's a private >> settle.

Yeah. And of course the settlement. So apparently we do um allow something with government funding to um be paid a fee. But that was a question. So and I'm I'm assuming that was a question from one of

the commissioners, not from the staff. Is that correct? >> It was my question. >> Oh, it was your question. Okay. >> Because I have a federal government background and I tend to keep appropriating

funds separate. So it was from me. Okay. And and I know Jake's probably working with city council, city attorneys, not council. maybe a more definitive answer. Um, yeah, this is kind of a thorny

issue. Maybe. >> I just don't know. >> Yeah, so we do have a history of it. I wasn't even thinking of neighbor settlement, but it's a very typical um uh rental area and and for some events maybe the

only appropriate location. >> I I agree, chair. It's kind of a thorny issue. Uh the settlement has direct affiliations with the city of Neapville and their trust. It's owned by the city, >> but the

township is a different unit. The school board school districts are different units. They're different taxing authorities. So, that's where my question came from. >> Okay. >> All right. >> Well, we

have Mr. Sed and then Miss >> Thank you, Chair. Just wanted to check, you know, whether do you use Sika Commission's logo on all your marketing materials? >> Oh, we will we will certainly do that. I

think that's part of the requirement. >> It's a reminder, you know, because I've seen some of them using it. >> So I urge everybody to please add Sika Commission logo on all your marketing materials

whatever if you are funding that is very important for us also because city is funding that you know. >> Yeah. >> Thank you. And and I would say we would like it to see it more prominently featured in

many areas because if if say you're getting, you know, $20,000, $25,000 from SECA, um we would like to see that not just a little teeny weeny logo at the bottom of a gigantic poster where other um you

know, other groups that have given you a lot less money are are more prominently featured. Just a little. >> Thank Thank you for that reminder. Does it mean that once we secure the funding that was

confirmed that even in our advertisement that we should have everything like social media everything our flyers that we should have the logo right and we'll make sure that it is on a prominent

position. >> Thank you. >> And moreover in this case at the mural site we will have a QR code that has that as well just because people want to understand what does this mean? That's a message that

narrative is in the on the website from the QR code and that also will the logo will also be there. >> Yeah. And we want our our residents to see where their tax dollars are going. >> Can I take a

minute to explain the QR code? We are going to have a QR code as you see that that uh scroll you know another thing for everybody to notice that looks like a Chinese scroll. That's the traditional

style of Chinese grow or long hanging perfectly to fit that narrow wall. But we're going to have a QR code. We are and in our budget request, we do have people will be doing more research, put it in

the QR code through our website to explain Napleville's Chinese American history and then plus the uh more information or certainly we are going to list all our uh sponsors as well as participant and

if we do raise money, we'll also put the name of the donors, you know, the significant donors on on that QR code for people to access. Thank you. And Miss >> Yeah, I just needed clarification. So for

the Napville Township mural, that's this one here, but you're speaking of a three panels. Is that three panels in one in that one piece? >> Yes. These are three almost four foot wide pan. It's three

there's division 4 by eight sheets of plywood. Okay. Stacked >> to get us 18 feet tall. >> So one panel and then is going to obviously make them meet together. >> Perfect. Thank you. >> U Mr. Myers

has a question. >> If currently what are you paying the township for the rental of the existing mural? >> Well, I I concede. I don't know because though I brokered the the location, I didn't take any

Sika money. Art of Inclusion was not an applicant. It was I think a collaborating partner maybe. um Mandela received the funds and paid out everything and and you know did all the the transactions. So

I honestly don't know what Mandela in the end ended up paying the township if anything. I I don't know Mr. Myers. >> Okay. Um thank you. Thanks very much. And I think at this time we're going to take

a uh 10-minut break. >> Thank you very much for your consideration. If I could ask people to uh reassemble here. Um and I know we have a number of presentations also. There are some people here who

are who are not doing a presentation but may be here to answer questions from the commissioners if you have them. So we will ask for that at the end. U but remember you can also send uh information

through Jake that he can pass on to us. Okay, Jake, if you could tell us the next say the next three so they can uh if you're participating in the next three, if you would please come up to the front

and sit in the front rows so you're ready. The next presenter is DSO application 26. That will be followed by AA application number 33 and as Click with Neapville um Nap Settlement. So is DSO ready?

Okay, you may start. Good morning, commissioners. I'm Jane Clark, board president of the Depage Symphony Orchestra. On behalf of the DSO, we'd like to thank you for your continued support. The DSO was

founded back in 1954 and today we have over a hundred volunteer musicians. We're celebrating our 73rd season and this year, like many seasons in the past, we're performing all of our concerts at once

Concert Hall in downtown Neighborville. We've also three times been named community orchestra of the year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras. Our mission is really to bring music to all all parts

of our community. This year also rep um we're celebrating 40 seasons with our meestra Barbara Schubert uh who has been our artistic director the entire uh this entire 40 years. Um this year she has

put together a great uh concert season including six concerts upcoming November 21st Declaration Devorjac and also in December we have our most popular concert which is our holiday concert which we

perform twice. But beyond the concert hall we do many things for the or for the um community including uh many free and open events. Uh we do open rehearsals um including some that are specific for

our sensory friendly audiences. We do classroom visits by our guest artists that go into the local schools and work with students. We have young artist auditions giving a stage to our upand cominging

musicians. Uh we host instrument petting zoos which allow uh kids and families to get hands-on experience with instruments. We prod produce connect with music educational videos and we also partner

with many in the community including North Central College. We're excited that more people continue to choose the DSO. Um we've increased our subscriptions over 45% over the last two years and we've

already surpassed our goal for this season. Um we've also last season we sold out every one of our concerts. Um, so we continue to bring more and more people into downtown Neapville to attend not only

the concerts but also our other free events. So I want to say again, thank you for your ongoing support. Your last year's award helped us um to present our concert season and we respectfully request

your continued support for this coming season. And I'm happy to answer any of your questions. >> Okay, are there any questions? It doesn't seem as though there are. So, thank you so much. >> Thank

you. >> The next speaker is AI NA application number 33 followed by N for settlement which will be applications 28 through 41. Good morning commissioners. Uh quickly I'll introduce uh this is Saki

myself Shivam Vishnatan. We part of Aina. Um ANA is a nonprofit um organization. It's a nonpolitical non-religious organization dedicated to community enrichment. All the programs that we do, we do

many programs throughout the year. All of them are completely free of cost to the residents of Neperville. and we do it for both children and adults. Um we always uh collaborate with like-minded

organization and foster connections, cultural sharing and local impact. And the key um events that we are um involved in is youth chess championship for the for the Neapville residents free of cost,

speech uh speech contest and career expose. Asian heritage fac is one of our most important um events that we do during the year and we do um theatrical workshop stage uh and we also produce plays um

educational seminars on artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies and we do nonpartisan candidate forums and mental health awareness workshops. These are some of the just some of the um

events that we do. And then we also have volunteer program where we provide young individuals to structured pro uh pro uh platforms to volunteer and earn service experience. Encourage youth to take

initiative spread projects and uh drive positive community. Now coming to the event um this is a flyer for our last um uh Asian heritage fit. do it uh during the month of May, the Asian heritage uh

month and then we have multiple countries from Asia participate in this. Um typically we have uh seven to eight countries. We have limited capacity, limited space. We definitely want to expand and

have more u uh countries participate in this. So we have different experience. We have um the country stalls, we have food stalls, we have art and artifacts from the country. We have instruments,

different musical instruments. We have dances and uh little plays and skits from different countries. Uh typically it runs from um 12 to all the way till 6:00 p.m. in the evening. And it's open for

all. It's free of cost. And um we have we promote small businesses. They come and they advertise the products and services to the community. Quickly going through some of the events um uh pictures and

this is typical uh program that we have. As I said, we start at around 12:00 and then we have 1 hour slots and then we let people know what exactly are we're going to do during that 1 hour so that

people can come in and enjoy that particular part of the program. Um also as I said um the rich tradition, culture and flavors of Asia featuring traditional dances, martial arts, demonstrations,

musical performances, ethnic fashion and food, uh country stalls, artificial artifacts, games and authentic attire. Um last year we had China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Russia, South Korea

and Thailand. These are some of the countries. Every year we have different countries participating. Uh we have um >> speaker's time is up. >> Okay. Thank you. Are there any question this group? >>

Yes. So >> yeah, the question I have is about the uh food booth sampling as as we talked about before that food is not going to be covered, >> right? Um we understand that. So we we think that food is

a very integral part of the culture. So that's why we want to provide um but if that is something which cannot be covered um we we'll we'll may not have that. So if that if that is a condition yes >>

uh yes miss Gasami. >> Yeah I've attended your events in the past. I know the mall of India was where you used to have it but now you know that location is changed to a banquet hall. Yes. >> So what

are your plans for this next year? >> Uh as I said the space that we have is very uh restricted. So we always wanted to expand. We want to have more countries uh involved and we want to u broaden our

horizon. So we are looking at a different place the club if possible. So we would like to move to uh a bigger place and a better place if possible. >> M uh councilman say >> thank you chair. I have

also attended this event and you can see the picture where I'm there. >> So >> you have attended all of them and thank you so much. Yeah, I attend this such event you know where diversity is there and

where Sika is funding city is funding and there is a meaningful so this you can show the meaningful what you have done you know so that is good thank you and how many people attended this event do you

have a number >> yes um typically we have had about 2,000 people attend they come in the different as I said we have different segments um and we advertise well in advance what these segments are so

people come in and go based on their interest so we have about 2,000 people cycle through the day. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. And we have a a question from u Miss Prasad. >> Yes. >> Um thank

you. We according to your budget 100% [clears throat] of the funds that you need have to come from SEA and you very clearly said if you don't get the funding from SECA there will be no event. Is that

correct? >> I just want to understand. >> I'm not able to hear you. I'm sorry. >> So I'm sorry. Um according to your budget if you don't get SEA funding you will not be able to afford to have this

event. >> Correct. So one of the purposes of Sika is to help you get started and then hopefully you can be self-reliant moving forward. Yeah. >> What is your plan to do that and what happens if Sika

is not able to give you 100% of the funding that you're requesting? >> Right. Uh we would definitely like to move towards we get do get small funds from different individual people. We don't want to

make it very commercial because whenever people sponsor they want talking time and they want space and all that. So we want we don't want to make it very commercial. We still want to ensure that the

basic aim of this program is uh to promote the culture of Asia. We want to celebrate that. So um we are very careful in where we get the funding from. So individually we have been asking people for

funds and people have been uh very nice and they have been they can see the impact they can see uh the programming they've already seen it. So it's it's growing uh the the team is growing and the team

of people who want to contribute it's definitely growing and we want to continue to grow. Hopefully someday we will be able to um do this completely on our own based on the fundings that we get from

different individuals. >> Are there any other questions? If not oh yes pardon me >> Yes. Um so you have booze and that you don't charge for those booths for the vendors and that that are there. that's

free for anyone that would like to have a booth. >> Uh for food, we don't charge anything. For country booths, we don't charge anything. But if it's a commercial element, if they're providing a

service of some kind, if they're selling some artifacts, we do charge them uh I think $125. >> Okay. Is that that's not listed in the event budget? >> Um >> I think that the only amount you had is

$1,000 from a a fundraiser you have in May. I'm I'm sorry that this is not mentioned in the the report that we charge $1,25. Sorry, $125. >> Well, I'm just looking at the budget sheet in terms of

revenue. >> Okay. Um we don't get too many of those. We just get six or seven of those. >> Oh, okay. >> Yeah. So, the amount of money that we get through that is not really high. >> And then I need to

clarif where where is it going to move to? >> It's going from all of India. We're trying to move it to um uh Aura Club which used to be the metrics club. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Okay. Any other

questions? Um if not, thank you very much. >> Thank you so much. Appreciate it. >> The next speaker is Nap Settlement with applications 38 through 41 and application 43. Following that is Pamela

Spencer and Heather Thomas. [clears throat] Okay. >> And would those people who are on deck please come up to the front and sit in the front row so you're ready? Okay, if you'd like to start. >> Yep.

Hello, my name is Addison Glick and I'm the special events senior team leader one for Neighbor Settlement Neighborville Heritage Society. I want to thank the commission for taking the time this

morning to meet and learn more about Neighbor Settlement special events and why are we why why we are requesting SEA support. I will be speaking on Neighbor Settlement SEA submissions for the museum's

festivals neighbor nights, October Fest, Family Spooktacular, Howling at the Moon, and new for 2027, the Neapville 4th of July. With limited time available, I will briefly describe each event.

Neighbor Nights is a festival that takes place over two weekends and is designed for everyone with a distinctive music genre each night, including classic rock, pop, country, funk, and soul. In 2027,

on Friday nights, we intend to feature tribute bands brought in from around North America that represent the highest quality tribute to their given artist. And on Saturday evenings, we plan to upgrade

the concert series this season by bringing in two nationally recognized performers, adding to the fun each night. Local music students from School of Rock get to play on the stage as the gates open,

providing an incredible opportunity for the youth. For the kids in the audience, there's a children's area with multiple activities and local restaurants are featured each month, including Billy

Bricks, Ben & Jerry's, and our local Jersey Mike's franchise. Octoberfest is a fall event that highlights the region's historic German influence. The festival is familyfriendly with lively PA and rock

bands as well as lawn games and children's activities. Unlike Oktoberfest events that take place in breweries and restaurants, Neighbor Settlement provides an a special opportunity for the oct for the

community to experience an authentic Oktoberfest like the lively tent, beer garden, genuine cuisine, and music. Family Spooktacular is designed for families with children 3 through 12. And this is a

not so scary celebration. Some of the many event attractions provided include a magical trick-or- treat journey across our 13 acre campus with candy stops at our historic homes as well as a number one

Disney tribute band, The Little Mermaid and Princess Pals. Themed inflatables include a frightfree haunted house and a we have a ghoul school slime making station. Um, Howling at the Moon provides a

totally different experience for the community. Um, Howling at the Moon is a festival for 21 plus attendees only. And the event features original rock bands, fire dancers, a 15 foot werewolf and 10-

foot gargoyle made by local artist Paul a dark art gallery with black light painting by local business Penos pallet and more. The event also showcases local restaurants in our food truck graveyard and

has a very competitive costume contest. The last event I would like to detail is uh our new Neapville Fourth of July celebration. New for 2027, this patriotic three-day festival will feature national

headlining acts each day of the festival with a rock theme on Friday, pop on Saturday, and country on Sunday, the 4th of July. There will be a day for everyone. Accompanying the major artists featured

on the stage. There will be a plethora of activities. Our current plans include a classic car show, a free pinball arcade, red, white, and blue bounce houses, melting pot food court, saloon stage with

local blues and bluegrass artists, and more. to welcome more of the community. In addition to the main stage ticket, a lesser price GA ticket to this event will be sold where attendees can view the

concert from a jumbo screen on the village green and get access to all the other event elements. Because I could talk about neighbor settlements events all day. I want to briefly express why we are uh

asking for SEA support. Neighbor settlement is requesting SEA support to cover the cost of police officers on site, paramedics, and other city services required by the city for our events. As neighbor

settlements events grow, so do the required amount of police officers. The museum welcomes the additional on-site security, and guests feel safer knowing the city ensures proper police coverage,

inspections, and medical response personnel. That said, all this comes with an expensive but necessary bill from the city. I do have good news, though. What I mostly want to convey today is how far

Sika's dollars go when awarded to Neighbor Settlement. To do this, I encourage the commission to analyze the amount of money requested for city services at the event versus how many attendees the

event serves. When you take the 2027 seek a city services request from Naper settlement and divide it by the number of attendees we intend to serve, this is how much you are spending to keep each

attendee safe. At Neapor Nights, it's $5.72. October Fest, $2.67. Family spooktacular, less than a dollar. It's 86 cents per attendee to keep them safe. Howling at the moon $1.99. The Fourth of July

event, although big, is only $3.75 per attendee when broke down. As an event coordinator in Neapville taxpayer, I believe spending less than $6 per attendee to keep them safe at a festival is a

worthwhile investment. And I recognize the new Fourth of July event city service cost is an expensive total, but dissecting it, the price um and seeing that it only costs 375 per attendee, it makes

sense and is a valuable use of funds. To highlight some of the meaningful cultural amenities we are hoping to offer in 2027, I'm particularly excited about Neighbor Settlement's proposed line of

world-class artists. We are still securing 2027 performers. The current Neapor Nights lineup headliners we are trying to secure include a Grammy award winner and an artist with over two billion views

on their YouTube channel. At the Fourth of July festival, we are hoping to feature an artist who won the MTV Music Awards in the late 90s and has sold over 10 million records worldwide as well as

another Grammy award-winning band who has also sold between 10 to 13 million records and a younger country act on that Sunday with two Grammy awards to their name. That said, for our first time, Naper

Settlement is also requesting funds for operational expenses at the Fourth of July festival to support securing the best possible artists to present to the Neapville community. As the museum is in

current discussions with major booking agencies, the significant cost required to bring in artists who are wellknown and liked nationally, is a hurdle, especially for a first year festival. I know the

commission asked if the potential revenue is so high for this event, why are we asking for SECA funds? That is a very fair question and the reason is because the potential revenue shown on our budget

breakdown reflects selling out the festival every single day as well as selling over 7,000 beverages every single day at the festival. While we are hopeful for those figures, they're not guaranteed

for a first year. When you start looking at the possibility of a 60 to 70% sell rate, you can see how narrow the margins actually are. Building off that, I want to express that neighbor settlement

only intends to ask for SECA support for operational expenses in this first year of the festival. Additionally, I want to stress that our SECA request for city services is our top priority and need

ahead of our operational expense request. One of the great aspects of Neaplement's events is that when Neighbor Settlement is successful, the community is successful. At each night of Naper Night's

October Fest, Howling at the Moon, and the new Fourth of July festival, we partner with different local nonprofits to provide tips collected at the bars to their organizations. These groups tend to

raise anywhere between $500 to $1,500 each evening. This year we partnered with Adopt Pet Shelter, Kyle Zulig Foundation, Almas, Neapville American Legion, Post 43, Alive Center, Neapville Junior

Women's Club, the Neapville Education Foundation, the Neapville Women's Club, DuPage in Chicago South Suburbs, Habitat for Humanity, the Exchange Club of Will and DuPage County, Easter Seals, DuPage

and Fox County, uh, Fox Valley, um, were all partners um, and received $500 to $1,500 each night in tips for their organization. I could talk for hours about the numerous ways in which Neper

Settlement promotes our community at events, giving School of Rock students a chance to shine on stage, partnering with local restaurants and business. Whether it's timeless poker music at October

Fest, a magical Disney trick-or- treat experience at Family Spooktacular, or jaw-dropping entertainment and bands at our other events. We take pride in providing these cultural experiences to

Neighborville. Everything said these events would not attract nearly the same amount of people without SEA support. Many of these >> I believe the time is up. Is that right? >> You're doing Oh, yeah.

Yeah. That Sorry, keep going. >> Oh, I'm almost done. I got >> No, no, you're you're >> um many costs. There's no way around like paying for the stage or renting tents. These costs, just as the cost

of city services are inh inherent to building a proper event. Therefore, if Nap settlement were to lose the support of SECA, the difference would be taken out of the available event budgets and would

decrease our entertainment budget significantly, almost to a point where the events would be different and unrecognizable. I encourage the commission to look at the cost of city services required by

the city versus the available artist fees uh budget neighbor settlement has for each event. This will hopefully put into picture the tremendous impact SEA has. Fearing I may run out of time, I want to

thank the SECA commission for listening to me today and for your consideration on our requests. I'm happy to take questions or discuss each event in greater detail. Thank you. >> Thank you. I think we

have some questions to start with. Miss Oh. Um, what is your maximum capacity that you're anticipating for like Fourth of July? What is your limit? You know, >> that's a great question. So, the

capacity for neighbor settlement is 10,000, but for the 4th of July specifically, we're limiting capacity to 7,000. Um, 4,000 of those tickets will be available for the main stage. Um, and then 3,000

of those will be the reduced price ticket that I mentioned where you can still view the concert on the village green with the uh jumbo screen and stuff like that. Seven. Did you say seven? >> 7,000

for each day of the Fourth of July festival. Yes. And then uh as I mentioned, the potential revenue that we put in there uh reflects if we would sell all 7,000 tickets each day as well as 7,000

beverages uh each day of the event as well. >> All right. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Okay. Additional questions. Miss, what is the ticket price? Uh the ticket price right now um although we

haven't um released tickets yet, we're projecting to have a $75 ticket for the main stage with an early bird availability of $65 when we uh launch the tickets for the first like I think it's two

months. And then after that um the the reduced price ticket is $25 and that will include the the village green viewing as well as the car show, the free pinball arcade, the bounce houses and and all

the other attractions. Additional questions. Um, Mr. Gustin, >> thank you, Chair. Um, easy question. Maybe not an easy question. Easy question. On the Fourth of July event, is there some correlation

with the fireworks event that occurs in Southville? >> Yeah. So, uh, that's a great question. We've been uh in communication with city staff to make sure that um we are taking the fireworks into

consideration and that way um the city can cover all the needs, right? Because obviously you'll have the same city services needed at the fireworks that you do at the 4th of July. So we've been in

contact and are in current discussions with city staff to make sure that um all the needs are met safety-wise for both events. but no jumbotron or something to try to mimic the fireworks display. I'm

just I'm just >> No, it's a great question. Um I apologize if I misunderstood originally. Um we're actually going to end the event before the fireworks to allow attendees a chance to get down to the

southside in Nepville to view those fireworks. That's why we're ending at 6 on Sunday tentatively. Um so that way um people can get down there because curfew ends at 8 on Sundays in Neapville, but

we're going to end a little bit before that to that. >> Makes sense. Thank you. >> Pardon me. >> Maybe tougher question. Probably not. Uh you you made reference to the different events helping other

not for profofits fundra. Uh how how does that work? Is there a rental fee that these organizations have to be there or is this a >> Yeah, it's a great question. So, um the event operations are

substantial for all of our festivals and require a lot of volunteers um to help the settlement meet the the volunteer needs. We tap those local nonprofits and say, "Hey, if you can provide us with 15

of your volunteers to come out, support our event operations, mostly like pouring beer, checking IDs, you know, checking bags, that kind of thing, we'll let you keep all of the tips that we generate

in the bars at the festivals each night. So, there's no buyin from those uh organizations other than providing their volunteer hours." >> I got you. So, there's there's no there's no booth, no tent,

no table with No, if they wanted to set up a >> volunteering their time at an exchange kind of like you're too young probably rifest used to be organizations would volunteer and the tip jar would go

to them that kind of thing. >> Exactly. >> Perfect. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Um my other question is um it's 20 are you're asking for just the 4th of July it's 20% of our budget. So given if

you get city services and not the operational 150,000, how would that impact your event? >> We still will be moving forward uh with the 4th of July. The event will still be happening. The operational

expenses is to help us with uh securing those large nationally recognized artists in this first year of the festival. >> All right. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Okay. Other questions? Um I have a

question. So, and it's uh connected to to what uh Miss was asking. So, uh just as she said, you know, when we know what uh you have estimated that you need, but but we look overall and an ask of uh

close to 79,000 for uh city services and 150,000 for operational expenses is a is a huge ask. Um and uh so if you're and if you're looking at that 150,000 ask um how much of it is to secure those

highpriced performers bands. >> Absolutely. So, um I do want to stress that obviously our city services request is our top priority, but to answer your um question, uh council uh council woman

broadhead, um the average um that we're looking to spend for each headliner each night is going to be between 50 to 75K. Um so that 150 would be not even to cover the three headliners over the course

of the three days. >> Yeah. in in addition to the rather hefty ticket fees of u $75 or $65. Um I mean those are those are >> yeah I >> yeah and there's a $25 one but and does that get people access to

>> yes >> concerts in the same way? >> I'd love I'd love to elaborate on that. So, um, bringing in larger artists, if you look at comparable ticket rates for these artists, they're often charging

above or right at $75 to view this kind of artist. So, um, that would be in line with the offerings that we're providing in terms on the stage, but then by having the $25 ticket, we're hoping that

like, hey, I I can afford an artist that I wouldn't normally be able to afford in Chicago, but I'm able to buy this $25 ticket, still get to experience the festival and that artist. So, would you

anticipate that the the large number of uh the or the largest percentage of the people who attend would be buying the $25 ticket? >> Uh, I'm hoping that we have a little bit of both. Um, honestly, I

would hope that um they're equally as popular. >> Okay, fair enough. Any other any other questions? Mr. Mr. Gustin, >> thank you. C can you name drop what when you're talking about performers of

notoriety can you give me some examples because I know from prior experience I've had with JC's glass playing in >> they're not cheap >> so and actually your number sounds low >> so can you can you

give me an idea of what >> so um no artists are secured yet so um these would just be examples that I'm mentioning these aren't commitments or anything like that but um artists such as like Sugar Ray

or Blues Traveler or Ashley McBride or um artists of that caliber is what we're looking at if that helps. >> Yeah. And and frankly, I want to thank the Heritage Society for stepping up the Fourth of

July because it's it's a hole in our community and thank you. I think it's a great proposal. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Um any other Okay. Thanks so much and and thank you for your commitment to

coming here and standing while you're on on crutches. That that is impressive. Thank you. Appreciate everybody's time. >> Our next speaker is Pamela Spencer, Neighbor Voice application number 12,

followed by Heather Thomas and Katherine Clark. Good morning and thank you all for all the good work you do in our community. I'm Philip Spencer, the founding conductor and artistic director of

NeapVoice, the only community philanthropic choir in the Chicago area and one of Neapville's newest performing arts organizations. I'm here with my wife Pam who serves as director of administration

and sings in the choir. Founded in 2022, we are holding our ninth concert, America Sings at 250, at Grace United Methodist Church on Sunday, November the 15th, benefiting the Midwest Shelter for

Homeless Veterans in Wheaton. We're very grateful for the warm reception we've received from the Neighborville community in our first four seasons. Each of our concerts so far has sold out with over

350 people attending and we've been able to give more than $21,000 to eight different local community service organizations. This success is due in large part to the SECA grant we received in each of

our first four years, which went a long way toward helping us achieve our mission to sing well, do good. Our unique model, which combines professional and audition volunteer singers, has worked

extremely well. We have 38 singers in our upcoming concert for more than 20 different communities ranging in age from 19 to 79, including our conducting intern, a student at Elmherst University. We

are also featuring this time a young saxophone player from West Aurora High School. A recent North Central grad is the graphic designer for our printed program for the eighth time. And you may have

noticed in our slides the presence of the large mariachi ensemble from Mattea Valley at our spring concert. We are very committed to encouraging young musicians. We're about to launch our newest

venture, Composer Voice, a composition contest for high school and college students with a $1,000 college scholarship prize. And we've also increased our community outreach by holiday caroling at a

local senior facility. Um, we have applied for and received additional grants, but we very much hope for your continued support. So, thank you for your attention. And if there are any questions, >>

any questions? I I don't think we do. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Our next speaker is Heather Thomas for applications two and three, followed by Katherryn Clark and Sydney Jackson. Good

morning. My name is Heather Thomas and I am presenting for Illinois Conservatory for the Arts. I'm here to share how our continued partnership is cementing Neapville as the premier regional

destination for arts education and cultural experience. As the only institution of its kind within an hour's radius of of Neighborville, a pushes far above its weight. Over the past year, we have

served over 200 unique students, resulting in 900 enrollments across 95 zip codes. Also, over half of our students receive needbased financial assistance to participate in our programming. We have

never turned away any qualified student who wanted to uh enroll in our programs. And when families travel to Neighborville for our programs, they dine in our restaurants and stay in our hotels and

enjoy our beautiful downtown. Our programs demonstrate undeniable momentum with Sika's support. Last year, our after-school program, the studio, expanded dramatically from three students to 30

students. Our impact theater intensive bring working Broadway professionals right to Hotel Arista. Our upcoming annual benefit, A Night of Broadway, on February 20th, feature five Broadway headliners,

including Grammy Award winner Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child, performing alongside a 20piece live orchestra with over 500 expected attendees. Looking ahead, there's lots of potential for growth.

One strategic priority is clear and that is recruiting deeper here within Neighborville public and private schools. While we draw regionally because our unique of our unique caliber, we want to ensure

more local students are participating in our programming and seize the opportunity. By partnering closely with fine arts departments, uh our local universities, and expanding targeted local

scholarships, we can bridge the gap for aspiring young artists right here in Neapville. An investment in ICA is an investment in Neighborville's cultural vitality, youth development, workforce

development, econom and economic growth. We deeply appreciate your past support of Illinois Conservatory for the Arts, and we look forward to partnering with you in the future on even a greater scale.

Thank you. Okay. Do we have any questions? >> Miss >> Yes. Of the 200 students, how many are are from Neighborville? >> That is a great question. Let me refer to my notes. Um, for the programming, we

have about 18%. And we're looking to increase that. >> Okay. And I was wondering too for the um daily sessions that you have, what are the how many hours is that? >> Uh it's a 12week session um and so

it's one hour per week over 12 weeks. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Any other questions? Mr. Myers, >> just an observation. My understanding from the Q&A was that in that session on the daily [clears throat]

sessions, only four of them were from Napville. Am I correct there? might be I'm looking at the same notes that were emailed. Um >> 39 enrolled four of them were >> Yes, that is correct. >> Okay. >>

Any other any other comments? >> If not, thank you so much. >> Thank you very much. Our next speaker is Katherryn Clark with application number 24 followed by Sydney Jackson and Ganishar. Good

morning. My name is Kathy Clarkin and I'm executive director of Accelerate Climate Solutions here to talk about our application for the Changemaker Green Challenge Pitch Night. Thank you for this

opportunity to share a little bit more about this event and our service to the community. Um up here you can see uh photos from previous events that we've received Sika funding for. Uh we used to call

the changemaker green challenge the blast competition. So this is from uh this year's. Um we're proud that the changemaker green challenge because it gives local high school students the chance to

contribute to their communi community, learn, and inspire others to action. On pitch night, we'll bring together students, participants, their families, mentors, judges from our community, local

dignitaries, and the general public public to highlight the students ideas to protect the environment and address climate change. The Changemaker Green Challenge again was formerly called the BLAST

competition. And at those prior events, students told us that one of their favorite parts was hearing from their peers. Just knowing that others are working towards solutions can combat that sense of

eco or climate anxiety that many young people are feeling. Adults in attendance are aed by the creativity and dedication of the students and leave feeling more confident that the future is in good

hands. We are thrilled that once again we will be partnering with DuPage Children's Museum who will host this event. The bulk of our funding request this year focuses on photography and videography.

Um, in the past we've relied on volunteers and that has not worked out so well. Um, having quality photos um provides real benefit to the students. They can refer to them in their um applications to

colleges, their resumes and so forth. Um in addition it can inspire other students to get involved in other events that we have um other programs and then the following year um changemaker green

challenge. So once again thank you for considering supporting the ideas, voices and determination of our local youth um who get involved in the changemaker green challenge with SEC funding. the youth

involved will feel the backing of their community and understand that their contributions are being valued. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any questions? >> Just a short question. >> Oh, hi Kathy. Um, how

many students participated in the previous event and how many do you expect for this event? So um this year uh when we held it in April we had about 60 students and so we're anticipating approximately

the same >> 60 >> 60 yeah 6 >> 6 thank you and uh two more questions Mr. And >> that's my question I've been asking all day. How many of those are from Neighborville? >> So, um I tried to kind of look

that up because I knew that question might come up. Um I do have to go back and do a deeper analysis in that. But I will say that the majority of our students are from district 203 and 204 um with a

handful coming from uh the wider Chicagoland area. So, um I if off the top of my head I would say roughly halfish are from Neighborville. >> Thank you. >> Um thank you. >> Thank you Katy. So even I

had the same question but at least you can highlight what are the schools you have in this group. Who are those people from which school? Yeah. So, um the majority of our students are from uh Central

and North and Matia and Hubansi and um Niqua. Um we have students from IMSA, from Romeoville, and we even had a Chicago public school um student um student group come last year. >> Okay. >> Thank you.

>> The next speaker is Sydney Jackson. location number 57 Chicago safetta followed by Gish Carr and Chris O'Hara. >> So I could ask everybody to come up who is whose name has been called. So you're in

the front row and ready. Good morning. I'm Sydney Jackson, president and CEO Chicago Sympha. I want to first thank you all. Uh oh, I did it wrong. It may play again, but we going to keep rolling. So,

um I want to thank you for past support um and again for your diligence today with everything. For those who don't know us, Chicago Symphonya was founded by a black man, my Paul Freeman, um in uh

1987. We are the resident orchestra for uh North well North Central College soon to have a new name change, I hear too. Um and so we are an orchestra that um I don't think Maestro Freeman thought

about it in this way, but really to democratize music for all. Um, as you saw from the visual and we'll see from the visuals, um, we are, um, a really diverse unionized orchestra, um, we have, uh,

many black and brown musicians who are part of our orchestra, uh, which set us apart. Um, I am new to Chicago. I've been here maybe a year and what I'm really trying to do with this increased funding

this year, not only is to have our MLK concert, but also um and there are people in the room who can attest to this and some of you as well. I've been out here in Neighborville. I live in the West

Loop, but I go to 203's event, 204's event, a live center. So, I'm really looking for new funding to get more in the community because orchestras have asked the community to come to them far too long.

So, that's why we're trying to look at this notes and narrative partnership with the library um to really bring intergenerational support um as well. Um we this past year we partnered um with Loaves

and Fishes. We've now with NU um community. We have a West Suburban Friends group of about 20 Neighborville members as well. Um, and they're really here to help us sell more tickets and to help us do

fundraising um, as well. So, I'll end there and uh, thank you. >> Okay, questions. >> Yes. >> Hi. Um, one of the points of difference that you noted was the diversity within the Symphonetta. Is that

something that you I guess is that a part of what you do as far as recruitment or is that just a happen stance? >> Say that one more time. >> So So sure, absolutely. Um you were you were talking about

the diversity within the Symphonetta and the performers and my question is is that something that you have done as part of your recruitment process where you're looking for diversity or is that just

happens to be >> Oh no, it is a founding principle. Um again, Maestro Freeman was a black man. Um he was what made him fairly rare is the fact that he not only had a US orchestra but he had an

international orchestra. Um and what I failed to mention in my notes I have again um we have had about 12 recordings. So again putting to press black and brown um voices of composers was very

important um as well. And many people don't know this, but um Yoyo Ma had his first international um debut with the Chicago with Chicago Symphonetta as well as the young man in the video Clayton

Stevenson um who are now international stars. So for us, it's it's actually we again that's why I led with I don't think he thought about it that he was looking to democratize music for all, but that

in fact is what this organization has been trying to do. Miss >> sorry. And then Mr. Myers. >> Oh, I apologize. >> No, you're fine. >> For the $60,000 in um artist fees, >> who does that go to? >> Our

musicians. They're union musicians, too. Yeah, these are union musicians. Um uh and so yeah, that that's to them. None of these are to pay me or staff. Yeah. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Um Mr. Then

councilman. >> So the concerts at WZ are local. Are they >> subscription? Do people buy subscriptions? >> Yes, we have subscribers. We have single ticket buyers. >> Again, I asked the question, do you

know how many of those subscriptions? >> Yeah, I would say over half of our attendees are Neighborville because again that we're powering it through West Suburban friends and many are Neighborville

residents. >> So you think about that. Mhm. Yeah. >> Mr. Jackson, I know you. I met you last year at the concert. I have attended the concert. >> Beautiful concert and again they brought communities

together and it was a houseful. So I I have the same question. How many people were from Neper and how many people were from outside? Just wanted to know you know if we invest in this how many from

outside will come and spend their money in Nepal. >> Yeah. Again, I would I would suspect about half again I can always um report back to Jake. Yeah. >> Okay. >> Yeah. And again and and I should say

again what I've been really focused on too is building those partnerships with um the So I'm now a member of the chamber. We weren't before. So I'm like really starting to build those relationships so

that people know um to spend money in Neapville. we we tried to do where people could do a a dinner and um concert um promotion um when our artists come. So we bring uh the artists to stay. They stay

at the hotel around the corner right there I guess it would be. Um so um so yeah and then again we rehearse here as well. So all 60 musicians um and we rehearse three to four times. So again, you're

bringing uh musicians here who are also spending in the local community when we're rehearsing as well. >> Okay. And my follow-up question is, what is the ticket price and what is the ticket how many

tickets you sold last year? >> Yeah. So um our ticket prices start at $38 um and they go up to about um this year we're moving them to about 95 um or and and higher. So, we're changing the ticket um

price a little bit, but we still have accessibility um pricing as well. Um >> yeah. Um I I have a question and um I retired from North Central College and worked on things like MLK week, so I'm I'm

familiar back from my pre-seca days. Um, and I know something that came up uh previously in considering the Sinfignetta was the fact that the name was the Chicago Symphinetta. And I think that

commissioner was looking for u the Neighborville connections that you know why this and my memory is that the Sinfignetta has held the MLK concert or or maybe additional concerts at Wentz at North

Central College right in downtown Neighborville since Wentz was a a new >> Yeah. So we've been here for over 15 years. >> Yeah. So there's >> and again we're the resident orchestra for North Central

College. >> Yes. So we have a formal partnership with North Central College. >> Yes. >> Um I think there was one other thing I was going to ask but I think I think that's uh >> Yeah. And again and

this again why I'm asking for the increase is because I'm looking to take the relationship with the city even further by doing more um outside of just our five concerts. I'm saying we are a Neapville

um organization, right? And we need to um do more in partnership with our partner organizations, too. So, again, I've been here a year, so this is all new. Yeah. >> Yeah. And the the >> the new name

for the college will be North Central University. North Central University, Neighborville. >> Neighborville. Yeah. >> So, Neighborville will be be in its name. Okay. Yes, Miss >> So, does uh North

Central College contribute to this event at all? >> Um, we get a the way they contribute is because our rental rate is less than others and we get some preferential um dates. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Any

other questions? >> Okay. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Ganesh Carr, application number 46, followed by Chris O'Hara and Janet. If somebody could please close that door. There

we go. >> Good morning all. So my name is Ganeskar. I am the chairperson of Seshi Mela and I have my colleague uh Mr. Rahul. He's the executive director. So DT travel foundation is a nonprofit

organization dedicated to promote art, culture, education, small business and community development. Every year we organized the Saudes mea the festival of India and in 20 27 we are preparing for our

fifth edition scheduled for August 27 28 29 in Nepville. Uh Sesame is much more than a culture festival. It is a platform that bring together culture, commerce, education and community engagement. We

showcase India's rich heritage through traditional food, handiccraft, handlooms, clothes, art, music and culture performance. We provide opportunity for more than 100 exhibitors, artician and

restaurant to showcase their product, service and connect with the community and also partially sponsor small businesses to participate include uh include participation from diverse community. Over 50

executive and more than 100 school kids volunteer to manage this event. One of our biggest mission is our next generation. We want children to learn about different cultural through three art classes,

creative workshop, traditional activities and interactive experience. We also organize wellness program, yoga, senior health checkup and family oriented activities. for 2027. Our goal is to welcome

over 30,000 visitors and bring together more than 30 culture and community organization. Sadesa also brings significant value to Nepville by attracting visitors, supporting restaurant and businesses,

promoting tou uh tourism, generating economics activity and the city multicultural activities. We are seeking uh your financial support to expand this program and make them more accessible to family,

children and senior. Our message is simple. We are not just organization organizing a festival. We are investing in children, supporting businesses, preserving culture and building strong communities.

We believe Sika Partnership can help us create a la lasting impact in Neapville and beyond. Thanks you for all your consideration support. >> Thank you. Questions. >> Um Miss Ursami. >> Yeah. >> Yes.

You [clears throat] have uh you know had 100 vendors and I believe you charge for those uh vendor booths. How much is that? >> Yeah. So we have 100 booth. So be almost like 10 uh booth be sponsor. We

give them the free and uh our rate is $1,600 for 3 days. So we provide canopy. We provide light and everything. So it's $1,600 for the retail booth. If it is nonprofit, we sponsor, we give the

discount as well. >> Okay. And then you bring artist from India to perform. Do you pay them? >> Yes. Yes. We we bring the artist from the India and also we uh we bring artists from the US both we we

make the payment to them. Yes. >> Okay. Um question for u from Councilman Sed and then Mr. Myers. >> Ganesh. Thank you so much for coming and speaking today. I have attended your events and I have

seen again you know great turnout great uh event and uh bringing food culture everything together. So that is great thing. Uh how much you charge for the ticket for the community. So uh we distributed

5,000 ticket to the community free of cost and in our ticket cost uh per day multiple entry $5. Kids are free under 16 adult are free above 65. So it's a $5 for multiple entry. >> So you have you have

something like 30,000 people attending this event. >> Yes. Yes. So head count is a 30,000 including kids everything. It's a multiple entries. So people they come they come at the evening for the

concert morning they come for the culture performance shopping and to learn the artwork and the evening they come for the concert. >> So apart from the see funding what are the other options you have

for your sponsorships such a large event you know. Yeah, we depend on like all these sponsor and like uh few are our uh grand sponsor, platinum sponsor, silver sponsor, they see the benefit to perform

and participate in our event that is the reason they are sponsoring our event. But yes, we are uh looking support from the Sika because last year we have not received uh much support and it was last

was it was very challenging for us to raise the fund because we are spending almost like 300k US dollar to make this event grand success for city of the neighborville and without having the support

from the Sika uh it's like you you know like there are a lot of challenges the global and inflation is already you know everyone know about that so again going back to the same response are asking for

money. We don't we really don't know how much support we are going to get this time. So that is the reason like we really need support uh from the Sika and also like you know uh we will reach out to

uh new businesses who are here in the Neapville city because uh nowadays like a lot of new business are coming which is good for the neighborville city and we will reach out to them if they can

participate to promote their business because 30,000 people are coming it is the good opportunity for them to you know interact with the community uh showcase their product showcase their business

talk about their business what they offer offering. So it's good for the neighbor city and the all the small businesses. >> Um yes um Mr. Myers and then Mr. Fad. >> Uh you know for years we had India

day and they've chosen not to continue that festival. How does this compared to India Day? And again remind me where the location of the event is. Thank you. Yeah, our event is the parking lot of mall

of India. So that is what we are doing last four years. This year also we are planning to do same location [clears throat] and uh answer to your question like how we are different than the India day

parade. So that's India day parade is totally different concept. It is the one day our is basically is a festival of India where we are promoting the small business and also celebrating the uh Indian

culture and heritage. uh those the India day festival is different they have different vision and vision than us but ultimately we are celebrating the festival of India >> question right ahead yes my

question is um looks like your budget $100,000 is for the live entertainment and then another 42,000 for sound and light so that's 142,000 of your 340,000 that's quite a chunk how explain to me why

what role that entertainment plays in drawing crowds versus everything else that you're doing because that's a pretty good chunk of your money and why is it so high >> but okay so uh we all the

executive I I'll just give you like all the executive or working class we we are like we are doing this voluntary what we what we believe if you're spending time do uh bring the uh do the spend the

time to bring the change so our vision to do the sesame festival India to make the neighbor sign everywhere in the globe and also in the US and we want to make sure that our quality of event should

public should recognize and you know the quality should talk about the event talk about the neighbor city so uh now answer to your question yes uh it's basically uh when you do the three-day event you

have all the LED cost sound cost it's like triple the cost it's not like one day event so uh the and the overhead also you have to have four five technician to manage your light sound and LED and it

stays cost three days so that is all the cost including the artist artist musician cost is like one 140k US. Did I answer your question? >> Yes. But I I do um I guess my question is how critical is

that to have $33,000 per night just for the entertainment and then the 42,000 for the rest of it. How um critical is it for your audience to have artists coming? You I think you said they come from

abroad. they have to be put up and all those other costs. How critical is that for your audience to invest that kind of money in that kind of entertainment? >> Thank you very much uh Commissioner

Prasad. So having this entertainment every evening, it brings the synergies to the exhibitors and it also brings the crowd to the festival because we don't charge any ticket for uh watching the

concert. So that's why we want to bring the good artist artisans and good artists uh to the concert and when we try to bring the good artists they also demand that they want this kind of a sound

system. So that's why we end up paying so much money for this sound system and the stage over three days. So it's a kind of a positive relationship like when we bring the good artists, good sound

system, good stage, it helps uh bringing more interest from the exhibitors and also from the people to come and see and join the Sweshi Mila and we are able to charge very minimal amount like under

five like $5 for entry whole day multiple entry and then last year uh this year roughly 50% of our visitors uh they were free because above 65 or under 16. So lot of people who are coming we give them

free entry but because of this positive synergy we are able to bring them. So that's why it is important to have that good concerts there. >> And just just to add to Mr. Rahul we have like India we

have like almost like 30 different type of language and culture. So last year what we did like we had different different type of uh m musician come and represent the different part of the India and

also we have given the opportunity to seven heaven which is local to Chicago. So we are trying to bring all different type of flavor to the India to the community here in the neighborhood. >> Okay so

Mr. And then so >> thank you chair. >> Sorry. >> Um gentlemen in in response to one of the questions about a contingency plan of uh grant funding isn't provided in total. The response was abbreviating

it doing away with complimentary booths for community organizations and government. What are those and how do you choose which government units attend and who gets it for free and what community

organizations do you solicit every organization in neighborville how does that work? >> Yeah. So uh we don't risk against like government organization. So let's say neighborville city want to

participate have the booth to promote the neighborville city we will allow them to participate without uh without charging anything. Last year we had the unemployment uh government department they

came and they participated and we did not charge anything to them. So those are the complimentary and for the community uh the community who are doing like good work for the community nonprofit 501c3

if if they reach out to us uh that you know they want to do some uh promotion activity like fundra activity so we allow them to participate here. So some yoga yoga yoga yoga booth was there and also

some like you know uh education booth like a small like uh they were uh they were doing the charity in the India for the tribal area. So they asked us to if they can come and do the you know promotion

they were not selling anything so we just give them the free of cost. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Um Miss um it says an attendance of 30,000. So given the size of that parking lot there and there's several

other businesses um in that area, how does that impact the businesses during the days of the festival? >> Yeah, thank you very much uh Commissioner Kun. Uh great question. So this 30,000 is a total

headcount estimate over three days. So at any point uh our maximum uh presence uh five 6,000 that's typically during the concert hours that is the kind of a like headcount we have and so we have a

like a large parking lot with uh shared with Mall of India and this is like authorized event from Mall of India. So they let us use that parking lot. We are also planning to have a contingency uh

parking in the Fox Valley Mall and and plan to run the shuttle buses from that um from that that area h as a backup plan. If mall of India has another event indoor event going on at the same time then

we will have this contingency plan so that nobody is inconvenienced. >> All right. So for example like pickler's there and um Galleria lighting. So is there an area roped off >> so that they um don't

lose business? >> Yes. So typically not in the pickler and the roads lighting area there. That area we don't encourage people to park only the in front of the mall of India and the Ara club area.

That's the area that people park typically. Uh but this year we are going to have this additional parking planned in the Fox Valley Mall. And we have already we are in the negotiations with the Fox

Valley management. uh that how this logistics will work out. >> Oh, so you'll have shuttles. >> Yes. >> And my second question is if you aren't you know if you grant the city services however not the

operational how does that impact your event? It's going to be kind of a challenging because the part the money we which we charge to our vendors for booth uh and the vendor which uh charges us for

setting up the booth and the tent. So it barely covers that and then also our ticketing fee is very small. So in a large part we are dependent on sponsors. So these platinum businesses sponsors or the

individuals who can donate money because it's again our organization is doing this for good of the community. So we are dependent in large part for the generosity of the businesses and the people. So

we'll have to go and approach more if city or if we are not able to get more then we'll have to see how we can shrink our expenses. Okay >> in order to stay afloat. >> Okay. Miss uh Miss So >> Oh, I

just have a follow-up question on the live performances the three nights. I mean it's very expensive to hire someone from overseas from India. Um I was wondering uh is there any plan to hiring local

performers to you know to promote them and also reduce the cost? >> Yeah. Uh so uh definitely like uh last year what we happened like we just bring the singer and all the musician uh nine musician

from the local from the Neperville city only. So we are always work with the musician how to how we can reduce the cost and also like you know uh all the three days is not only all the three days the

artist from the India will come here only one day it will come or two day it will come and one day we will look for the local artists. We had like a band called Seventh Heaven which was local and

prior to that we had a masala coffee band that was also New Jersey based or something. Yeah. So US- based. So we we're trying to bring a diversity of the music options and also trying to see if we can

get some local options which helps us in reducing the cost. >> And if I could just ask anybody who's leaving if you please make sure the door shuts behind you. Thank you very much. Or if somebody

leaves and comes back in if you would please do that. If I'm doing the math correctly, um, did you say you sold 5,000 tickets or you gave away 5,000 tickets? >> Gave away 5,000 to the community. >>

So, how many tickets did you sell? >> We sold almost 10,000. >> Okay. So, that would be $50,000. Yes. >> Um, so >> and remaining like for the kids under 16 and above 65 plus are free. So we don't do

not have count like you know how many they came >> right I understand that but um if you could go back to the slide with your overall costs >> and the yeah there you go okay so um your your revenue uh

exhibits sponsors and entry fee is 2 uh 31,000 but only um a you know a fraction of that was from ticket sales. So, have you considered raising your ticket prices? >> No, right now we are if we get

this support from the Sika, we will not raise the ticket price. We'll keep we want to keep the $5 so that uh our community uh all the diverse communities would come and enjoy the festival. >> Okay. As

somebody over 65, I I might suggest you don't need to have people free who are over 65. I don't I don't think that I mean that I think that would be a way to bring more revenue um in a in a pretty

painless >> I I'll consider that I will discuss with the team but yeah but uh people they expect like we should give some respect and give the complimentary entry if they are 65 plus that is the

reason we are we are doing this one >> I understand thank you okay if there no more more questions we can move on to the next uh >> thank you so much >> thank The next speaker is Chris O'Hara with the

applications 72 and 74 followed by Janet Somerville, Robert Coats, and Trudy Ransen. >> And if ever all those people would please move up to the front row so that you're ready when you're called. Good

morning. Uh my name is Chris O'Hara. Uh I'm a board member of the West Suburban Irish and co-chairman of the Neighborville Irish Fest. I'll be speaking uh this morning on behalf of the Neighborville

Irish Fest as well as the St. Patrick's Day uh parade. So, if I could please have six minutes of your time. First, thank you to the SE Commission for your continued support. Simply put, we could not

host the fest or the parade without SQA funding. I don't want to spend a lot of time on our organization. Uh you can see here our mission and motto, but I do want to point out um that we are a

charitable organization. And here's a list of the many charities that uh we give to. Uh and I do want to make sure you recognize that a vast majority of those charities are Neighborville based. The

first event I want to talk about is the Neighborville Irish Fest, which is a two-day family-friendly uh celebration of Irish culture and heritage through music, dance, sports, artisian goods, history,

and activities for children's and and adults. We celebrate all things Irish while bringing people together in downtown Neapville. Our two 2020 our 2026 event was our sixth annual Irish fest in our

fourth year in Central Park. The location is ideal for the fest. The paid playground complements our children's area which we called Leprechaun's Landing and the concert center features Irish music

and dance. We bring musicians from across the country to Neighborville, from young performers to established artists along with several Irish dance schools. Despite a little rain in 2026, we welcomed

about 2,000 attendees from 60 communities. In 20 uh in 2027, we expect between 2500 and 3,000 attendees over the two days. Sika funding does remain essential to making the Irishfest possible. It helps

cover city services costs that uh keep the event safe and provides operational support for the musicians, dancers, and the infrastructure needed uh to create a quality experience. The fest also brings

people into downtown Neighborville, supporting local businesses and reinforcing Neighborville's reputation as a great pace place to live, visit, and spend time with the family. We of course prioritize

Neighborville based vendors and services whenever possible. We are working hard to become more financially sustainable. We increased our sponsorship uh funding by 40% this year. That was after a 63%

last year. Um but at this point sponsorships still do not fully cover the cost of producing the fest. We are particularly proud of the fact that the vast majority of our sponsors are Neighborville

Based small businesses. So we are truly supported by the Neapville community. Our goal is to reach about 4,000 attendees, which we believe would allow us uh to become operationally self- sustaining.

Um through stronger marketing and entertainment, we hope to reach this goal over the next couple of years. Until then, SECA's support is crit critical to helping us continue grow the to grow the

Irishfest and give people another reason to come to Neighborville. So, thank you for your continued uh support of the Neighborville Irish Fest. Uh, moving on to the St. Patrick's Day parade. As you

are probably aware, the St. Patrick's Day parade has been a beloved Neighborville tradition for over 30 years. It's a large familyfriendly and festive parade that draws thousands of families into the

city, many of which stay the whole day, bringing a large influx of businesses into downtown. Fortunately, SECA has been a long-term supporter of the parade. As in the past, we are only requesting

funding for city services, which have been going up dramatically in the past few years. WSI organizes and covers all operational costs involved in the parade, which is no small feat given the amount

of time planning uh the event and the large number of volunteers. I also wanted to point out that the parade is a community event. It is not a fundraiser for us. Other community parades have been

cancelled uh for financial re re reasons. Parades are simply not profitable profitable profitable events and ours is no exception. We typically operate close to break even. So I do want to emphasize

emphasize the fact that full funding of city services is critical to continuing the parade in Neighborville. We would like to respectfully request that the uh that you fully fund this event so that it

can continue to be a strong Neighborville tradition. And with that, I will take any questions. >> Okay, questions. We have uh Mr. Myers right here. >> I I just want to commend you. I I haven't heard a

lot this morning about how we're going to be able to get off the seeker role and start doing sustaining on your own. Not about the parade. I'm talking about the fest. >> Y. So, I wanted to commend you

for moving the dial, moving it more to sponsorships and less rellying on SECA. >> Absolutely. We we're trying hard to do that. So, >> and that was the original intent with SECA. >> Yeah. >> Um well, I

I have a a comment and and a I probably more than a question. Um, you know, I remember when the parade was a brand new thing and um, uh, grew in over the years and became something that people really

really looked forward to. Um, and I know that doing any outdoor event is such um, you know, you're always taking a chance. There is no rain, right? You can't say, "Oh, we're going to redo this parade.

That's that's it." the um you know the permits have been given, the roads are closed and um short of uh terrible heat, which we had once with the Labor Day parade, or um an an incoming thunderstorm

with thunder and lightning, which has happened as well with other parades. um you know, you're you're just going to move forward whatever the weather is. But you you >> um and attendance is at that

doesn't impact your your cost as as much except for it's um projected attendance, right? You get ready for but attendance at your um Irish fest is very like any outdoor event very very weather

dependent and you just >> um it's it's it's just a luck, right? whether it's going to be nice or not. And you this year you did not have >> um great luck for that. So I uh commend you on um >> you

know getting Irishfest going. I know you've changed uh locations. I would have loved to see it as a south southside neighbor. Um I would have loved to see it stay there, but I understand why you um

why you moved it. Um and uh um I would I guess I would say thank you. And I think one of the most fun things about this parade and a few other parades um is seeing all the attendees dress up as well

and that's um super fun. >> Yeah. Yeah. It's a great event. So we hope to continue it. >> Thank you so much. >> Um Councilman, >> thank you chair. Thank you so much for coming and speaking today and I

have attended your par. Amazing. Very colorful. And just wanted to know, you know, what is the fee you charge to the participants and how many participants attends? >> Yep. So, we have about a hundred

or so participants. We're probably limited to a limited to 110 given the length of the parade route. Uh the fees are differ uh whether or not you're a political candidate uh or a community um uh

event. So, they're relatively low and in line with other events. and and I don't know off the top of my head. I believe there are 125 or so for a nonprofit organization and then maybe 250 for

politicals, but I'm not in charge of the parade so I don't I don't know that for sure. Um but it is, you know, relatively low and we've looked at raising fees. Um but we are on par with other parades.

So it's not like we are we have we don't have a lot of wiggle room there. >> Okay. So my >> and and we do do better in political years because we get more participation. >> Okay. Thank you. And my

follow-up question is how many people attend this event coming >> the the parade? >> Yeah, >> it's probably around 10,000. I mean, it's it's a very large event. Obviously, it runs the whole length

every all along the route of the parade is very crowded. >> Do you have any data how many people uh use small businesses locally in downtown on that particular day? So, we don't have that kind of data

for sure, but if you've ever been in downtown Neapville on parade day, >> it's pretty much busy the entire day. You'll you know, long lines everywhere to get in anywhere to eat. Um, so it it does

bring a lot of people who come and stay and spend the entire day here. >> Okay. Great. Thank you. >> Everybody's hungry by the end of that parade. Exactly. They all go to >> Neighborville or they want

to get someplace warm or dry or cool. >> Done all of those. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Uh, thank you very much. It looks as though we don't have any more questions. So, thank you so much. >> Okay. Thank you.

>> Next speaker is Janet Somerville, application number 59, followed by Barbara Coats, Judy Ransen, and Chris D. Good morning, SEA Commission. My name is Tian Yim. I'm a senior at Napville Central,

and I'm also part of the Teen Philanthropy Initiative, or TPI. TPI is a two-year program that teaches students not only how to volunteer, but give back strategically, analyze community needs, evaluate

nonprofit organizations, and make decisions that can ultimately have a real impact. As juniors, we evaluate we evaluated grant applications from 15 local nonprofits and allocated $10,000 in funding to

support them. As seniors, we experienced the other side of philanthropy, grant writing and fundraising. Last year, a se last year, the senior cohort raised $20,000 that's used to support the TPI

program and the grant allocation that we give out to local nonprofits. And this year, we hope to raise 25,000 for the same goal. Together, these experiences create a cycle of good. Students raise

funds, local organizations receive support, and the organiza and the resources flow back to the community. But more importantly, students develop a lifelong commitment to giving back. Today, we're

requesting seeker support for a TPI capstone ceremony, which brings together students, mentors, and local nonprofits to celebrate a grant recipients and the hard work of both our juniors and seniors.

But to me, the ceremony is more than just a graduation. It celebrates the impact that young people can have when given the opportunity to lead while inspiring future gener students to continue to the

cycle of giving. By investing in our capstone ceremony, SECA is helping celebrate not just what we've accomplished, but what future generations can contribute to Neighborville. Thank you for your time

and consideration. >> Thank you. Are there any questions, Mr. Myers? Oh, I thought you had a question. No, I' I've heard great things about this um secondhand. I know somebody whose uh child attended

and thought it was really a wonderful uh initiative. >> I I just wanted to commend you for your presentation. Uh I have been a mentor and been involved with three pillars from the beginning and uh

part of the learning is for you to be here to present to us. I know it can be intimidating but you did a great job and I commend you. >> [applause] >> Not to mention knowing what it's like to go to

threehour plus meetings. So, thank you. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Um Jake, how many more presentations do we have? about 20 left. >> Okay. Um All right. We I think we'll take a a break

in 15 minutes. Is that okay? >> Okay. >> Hello everyone. I'm Barbara Coats. I'm a volunteer with the Opus Organization of Neighborville. I'm here on behalf of Dr. Linda Linu who's unable to be present

today. Um I'm don't have a presentation but I'm here to answer a question that um the SEA committee had about the scope of the project. So I just want to try to clarify that um 25 for 25 is a larger

initiative that is tied to Opus' 25th year anniversary. Um the time period for that initiative is a little bit longer than the SECA period, the SECA funding period. >> [snorts] >> So, how the how the

math works out is that 20 concerts out of the 25 will be held in Neapville specifically. And the budget requested from SEA um covers those 20 concerts only. It does not cover any other community

concerts or activities. So, um I welcome any follow-up questions to that. Um I believe is your is the number 22 for this one? >> Yeah. So, it's orchestra parents patrons united support opus. >> Yes.

Opus is the abbreviation. >> Any questions? Okay, I don't think we have any questions. Thank you so much. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you for filling in. >> Our next speaker is Trudy Ransen,

application 45, followed by Chris Don, Mandy Theater, and Mandela Arts. space. Okay. Good morning. Um, my name is Dr. Dr. Trudy Ransen and I am the executive director for the Indian Prairie

Educational Foundation and I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of our grant request for the 2027 Fine Arts Festival. Uh for more than 38 years, IPF, an independent 501c3

organization, has partnered with the Indian Prairie School District to support our students, engage our community, and enrich education. The Fine Arts Festival is one of the most meaningful examples

and my personal favorite um of that mission in action. Each year, this event brings together more than 18,000 student artists and musicians from across our district. On the third Saturday in May, our

three high schools are transformed into a communitywide celebration of the arts with walls filled with student artwork and with hallways alive with music. More than 35,000 parents, families, and

community members come together to experience the creativity and talent of our students. For many students, it's their first opportunity to perform alongside older, more experienced musicians and

imagine what they might be playing in a few more years. And for others, it's the first time seeing their artwork displayed for for for public viewing. For our graduating seniors, it is one last

opportunity to perform with their peers before they pass the baton on to the next generation of student artists and musicians. One of my favorite parts of the festival is seeing the delight and the

pride on the faces of our students as they share their work with friends, neighbors, community members, and grandparents. It's that moment when they realize that their creativity and their talents

matter and that we here in Neighborville celebrate that. SECA's support is essential to making this event possible and for keeping it free for all of our community. Grant funding helps us cover the

display materials, sheet music, sound and lighting equipment, and other um services needed to showcase student talent and create a high quality experience for our entire community. The Fine Arts

Festival is more than simply a school event. It is a community celebration that brings Neighborville families together through creativity, culture, and shared experiences. It showcases the talents of

our students. It helps us strengthen my apologies. >> All right, so um your time is up, but um do we have any questions? >> I just want to make a comment. I was on the uh founding board for the

foundation when we approved doing the fine arts festival back how many years ago? >> 1988. So yes, >> dating me. It blows me away how how you how that initiative back then is turned into what you're

doing today. >> Congratulations. >> Yes, it has certainly grown from that little >> 200 uh people event to the scale it is now. Miss Yeah, I was just wondering how much the district 204 contributes to

this. >> Our goal is to make sure that the district does not have to kick in for this, although they do donate the spaces and uh those sorts of services. So, we never have to pay any rental fees or

anything like that. Um, so unfortunately since COVID, that hasn't been true. With grant funding shrinking and with uh public donations becoming harder to gain, the district has had to kick in about

$17,000 a year to help keep this longunning and very beloved event running. >> And we are trying to make sure that they don't need to do that anymore. >> Okay. Um, >> yes, Miss Prasad. >> Yes. Uh, one

of the very first questions we ask in the application is, is the event taking place in Neighborville? And I think you answered this last night, but I think some of us didn't get a chance to read it.

Two out of the three locations are not in Neighborville. How do you I guess explain not explain that but justify our neighborville city funds that are meant to attract people into our city and to

spend their money and resources. Two of the three locations are not in our town. >> Thank you for asking that. That is really a a good point and I would like to just inform everybody because I I feel

like I do this often in my role that 60% of Indian Prairie students live in Neapville. That translates out to in a real number over 15,000 students. of the participants in the fine arts festival. It

varies from year to year, but we run between 10,500 and 11,000 Neapville students that participate in the fine arts festival every year, regardless of where their high school is because every every

student ends up performing or displaying at their feeder high schools. Um, my own I am a prime example of this. I have lived in Neapville for over 25 years. I moved here for the schools. Both of my

sons graduated from Matia Valley and that high school was built there because that's where the land was available, right? But we still live here, work here, pay taxes here, shop here, right? So, we

think it's extremely important to look at Indian Prairie as part of the Neapville community as it often is for anything that we celebrate that we do wonderfully. Um, and we want to make sure that all

of the Neapville students that attend Indian Prairie, regardless of where they go to high school, uh, or regardless of where their high school is loca located, are supported. >> Mr. Cen, >> thank you,

Chair, and thank you for coming in. Part of this dialogue with everybody is for me to learn, too. And you said >> we try very hard not to have the school district have to provide funds for this event.

>> Why why should it be SIA and not part of the school funding? >> Because this is a Saturday event. It is outside of school hours. And although the school district does not charge us for the

location, this is a communitywide event. This is a this is our gift to the community. We get, as I said, over 35,000 people coming a year. And that is not just um that is not just a school district

thing. And this is not like a curricular event. This is an outside event that the students, the teachers, the staff, everyone participates in every year. And so we try to keep that off of fine arts,

honestly. is seen as an extra in every school district. We don't want to see our fine arts go away. And so if we are not a burden on the school district, we don't have to have that conversation every

year of should we do this again. >> And that's a good response. Help me out then because you said some important stuff there. So who's the how broad is the scope of of talent that you're soliciting?

So it's not just 204 school district kids. >> Yeah. Oh, it is. It is all 204. Yeah. 18,000 kids. Yeah. We we pull in. It is all 204 kids. >> Okay. >> Kinderg uh prek through high school and our steps

program as well. >> And is the school district opposed to co-unding? Do you know? If you know, >> I can't speak for the school district obviously, >> but I do know that as budgets tighten and tighten

and tighten, >> things like this are a lower priority than fulfilling their academic and um educational requirements that are required by the state and federal government. >> Sure. Good answer. Thank

you. So the the 203 equivalent of IPF is is what >> is NEF 203? >> Yeah, NEF 203. So those are um organizations that are um are help the school district by providing the kinds of things that the

school districts cannot provide by themselves. >> Yes. And I would like to point out that uh both NEF and IPF neither one of us receive taxpayer funding in any way, shape or form, right? Like we don't

receive tax dollars. So we have to go out and seek grants like these in order to provide those educational extras um like fine arts support, like business programs, like robotics, things that are

extra and would not be provided if we did not uh provide the funding for them. >> Yeah. And it's it's um you know where it's located. I I know there are some um have been some objections in the past

to something funding something that is actually taking place at Matia or Wubanzi. Um but as a 204 parent um I don't think they ever said no to something at 203 that might take place in one of their

non neighborville locations. I don't know that for certain because that, you know, 203 also has people coming from um additional communities in a few schools in uh additional communities than than

than Neapville. Um and I know the school districts um try very hard not to separate out you're the Aurora kids, you're the Neighborville kids, you're the Bowling Brook kids um because that goes very

much against their mission, right? But we are asking it just because it's, you know, Neighborville taxpayer money. Um, and I think the fact that it, um, you know, 204 has many, many more Neighborville

students than 203 does these days. >> We do. Yes. >> Um, and you know, we can probably easily get those numbers. So, this this does serve an awful lot of Neighborville students. And I would hope we

would, you know, feel the same way if if um NEF made a request as well, which which they have in the past. >> Yes. And I I did include in the slide, we hope you will join us for the fine arts festival

on the 15th of May. I promise you, you will leave smiling. >> Thank you. Um Miss uh one last question. So does um the city of Do you look to the city of Aurora for any funding for this? The city of

Aurora does not have an arts commission or an arts grant like this. We have pursued grants from private corporations and also sponsorships obviously from uh various businesses. In fact, I just secured

a $10,000 sponsorship from George Quinland from of Quinland and Fabish. We are working very hard to find alternative sources of funding because this is such a fantastic program. Um, and I want to make

sure that it continues for another 38 years. >> Oh, thank you. >> Yeah. >> Thank you. >> All right. >> Okay. Um, we're going to take a we'll try to make it a little bit shorter break. Let's let's try

to do like seven minute break um and and come back in seven minutes. Also, I want to let you know if there there are fewer people here now, but there are ladies rooms and men's rooms, two on each

floor. So there's really no need to stand in too much of a line. One on this side, one on this side. And that's true on all three floors. Thank you. Okay, I'd like to uh begin again. >> So, if we had

could have the first three people who are next to please all come up to the front and the first one um Jake if you could list those. The next speaker is Chris Distland, application 51, followed by

Alashari Percy Das and Ellen Low. >> And what what are those two numbers? >> For Neapville, Young Neighborville Singers application 51. >> No, but after after that 51 then >> Randy Theater is 35.

Okay. Mandela Arts is 20. >> Okay. >> And then Sister Cities foundation is 2730. >> Okay. Thank you. All right. You may begin. your your mic is not on and get really close. >> Good afternoon and thank

you for the opportunity to speak today on behalf of Young Neighborville Singers. My name is Chris Dizzlin and I am the administrative director of YNS which is now in its third 43rd year of providing

exceptional coral music and performance opportunities to young people in Neighborville and the surrounding communities. We are proud to be an integral part of the cultural fabric of Neighborville.

Today we are requesting seeka support for two major events in calendar year 2027. Becoming you, a special festival event at Wentz Concert Hall and Roots and Wings, our annual spring concert series

presented at Wentz and Nua Valley High School. Our request will help offset the costs of professional guest artists, venue rental, and production. The combined expense of these two events exceeds six

$60,000. While ticket sales and participation fees provide important revenue, they do not cover the costs of bringing professional musicians into our performances, securing outstanding venues and

producing concerts at the artistic level our audiences have come to expect. We work hard to keep ticket prices accessible for families and arts. patrons. So support from organizations like SECA is

essential. The impact of YNS extends beyond the rehearsal room and concert stage. Each week, our singers from more than 30 communities come to downtown Neighborville for YNS rehearsals. Our families

frequently support local restaurants and businesses, and our concerts bring hundreds of guests into Neapville's performing arts facilities, where they also shop and dine. With more than 400 families

involved in our organization, we believe YNS makes a meaningful contribution to the local economy as well as the cultural life of the community. At its heart, YNS is about giving young people

extraordinary opportunities to sing, grow, and lead. Sika's support helps us bring professional artists, exceptional music, and meaningful shared experiences to Neapville. Thank you for your continued

investment in in YNS and for considering our request. >> Thank you. Any questions, >> Mr. Gustin? >> No question. I just want to thank YNS. You folks are everywhere in the city. Different events,

different organiz, you name it, you're there. You step up for our community. So, I just want to say thank you. >> Thank you very much. We love to sing. >> Okay. Thank you very much. Okay. Okay. And

the next >> next speaker is Alakas Sharma application number 35 Andy theater followed by History Das Mandala Arts application 20 followed by Alen Low Cities 27 and 30 >> are any of them here? >> Okay.

Is 35 here? No. Okay. We can move on to is 20 here. Um, >> yeah. Uh, number 20. This is Mandala. >> Yep. Correct. This is Mandela application 20. >> Okay. Good afternoon. I'm Hitesh Shridas with

Mandala Arts. I'm the associate executive director at Mandala and thank you for the opportunity to speak with you and present two of our projects that we've proposed for the SECA grant. The first is

Echoes and Beats. Um the first is Echoes and Beats the modern experience and the second is Spice Box a participatory community garden. Um just to backtrack and share a little bit about Mandala Arts.

Uh we're an NEA and MacArthur award-winning Chicago based nonprofit that through the years has had long ties with Neapville. Um and thanks to the trust that Sika has put in us by bringing several

years of programming into the city of Neapville. Um we were founded in 2014 uh with the commitment to preserve, present and reimagine South Asian performing arts within contemporary American civic and

cultural life. Uh the first project that we've proposed is echoes and beats the modern experience uh which is a music dance theater storytelling and visual exhibition rooted in South Asian suburban

experience that includes family migration gener intergenerational exchange and ideas of belonging. Uh we expect local youth, family members of all age groups, artists to perform three different sub um

projects within this broader project. First being Suitcase and Suburbs. Second being Carpools and Chronicles and third the Common Ground which would be a grand finale. We're expecting about 500

participants and attendees across these three with 20 local Naplebased performers, six community volunteers and retaining 75% of the expenditure within the community which is the goal. Um our local

partners include Nata Aperna School of Dance, Tal Dance Academy. Um and then Neapville residents Elli Johi to uh bring in community members as well as present at Niku Valley High School. Uh we expect

to bring uh Shri restaurant as caterers that would of course be um sponsored by Mandala donations and support that we uh that we would bring in. um and then highlight event rental would support

operations for the project. Moving to the second project um this one is called spice box which is a particip participatory community garden named for the south Asian uh spice box a container of

everyday spices passed down through families and is also common across Asia parts of Europe. Um and the idea is for residents to come together, plant herbs, spices, flaws tied to their cultural and

culinary traditions that assembles a large scale sensorial spice box of sorts within the community gardens at the raw or community gardens. We're expecting about 150 participants for this project and

it would be um carried through three major phases. first being designed which would be community workshops at the Neapville public library indoors which would be u led by uh Rodrigo Martell who's a

community engagement designer along with Mandala team and then a landscape architect to translate some of those visions into planting plans by Ela Zumuda and then a growing phase between May through

October and then a collective harvest which would be a shared f communal meal that would incorporate the harvest um grown across uh this span along with all the community members. We hope that every

participant at the end of this entire process can take back home a little spice box that's been collected from the garden. Thank you and I welcome any questions. >> We have any questions? >> I do.

Okay. Um Miss Prasad and then Miss uh versami. >> So I just I love out of the box thinking so. So I just love the creativity around this. Uh my questions are a little bit more towards being able to

explain this and translate this into the community so you can have the participants that you want and I know you're hiring a professional to help with that. But that does seem like a like a because

it's so unusual I think that might be a hurdle. So what's understand that a little bit more how that's going to be communicated out and and then the second part is um you mentioned a harvest meal.

What are the logistics and the planning and how is that going to happen? >> Thank you for asking. Uh to answer your first question, um the entire process would be built around of course engaging a

resident community member, a long-term supporter, Seli Jooshi, to bring in community members to sign up for this collective uh community garden planting process. Once the members have signed up, we

expect to lead a month-long workshop process which could be about three workshops or four depending on the time commitment uh that participants are able to give in the months of March and April. Um

we're planning to hire Rodrigo Martell specifically because he's um of Peruvian origin but has worked across communities across the globe and is continuously working with a design firm that

specializes in community engagement to do this work. And is uh currently building a similar project in St. Louis. So is very familiar with working with different communities uh on bringing together

ideas on outdoor um public and civic spaces. Um, so the I so just to sort of visualize what the workshops would look like, we're expecting Rojito Rodrigo to come in with large drawings of uh the plant

beds, bring crayons, bring stationary materials, invite the participants to pen down their ideas of, you know, what plants, what flowers, what fragrances, what spice, what herbs they might envision

coming together. And once those have been refined over two phases, we bring in the landscape architect who can then think about, you know, which plants work together uh based on the season that we're

expecting to grow and then translate that into a very um executable plan so that the hottie culturist who we aim to hire uh can support the community in um planting this entire phase. What I missed

out as part of my presentation and I do want to answer as part of the second question is uh we're also hoping to bring on a local horiculturist who would along the resident alongside the residents

take responsibility for making sure the plants are doing okay on a day-to-day basis uh and is able to support uh the entire planting growing and harvesting process >> the me I'm sorry the the harvest

meal at the end I wasn't sure if I sorry I didn't answer that correctly Uh because these are just going to be spices and herbs, we're hoping to um bring in caterers that would uh bring in food that

could be sprinkled or uh that could become that that could have a more flavor once you know the spices and herbs once they've been harvested uh are added into the food. So instead of cooking together,

I think we're trying to take a little bit of a shorter approach by bringing in food that would just taste better with each of these ingredients. >> Okay. Um, Miss Gurasami and then Mr. Myers. >> My

question is about the U initiative. Um, you're talking about getting Neighborville artists. Have you identified them and how many of them? That's my first question. I have a second question for you.

>> Um, is this for the Echoes and Beats? >> Pardon? >> Is this for the Echoes and Beats project? >> Yeah, exactly. >> Yeah. So members of the Nata Aperna School of Dance and Tal Academy are the

artists that we're hoping to be part of this project who are local Neapville based artists because both of thesemies uh and dance schools are local to Neapville. Um and we're hoping that about 20

performers from between these two are able to join us in this project to lead uh each of the sub sessions of the overall project. >> Okay. So these two are napable based dance schools. >> I believe

so. Yes. Not heard of them. Okay. Uh the second question is you mentioned about a community engagement consultant. uh who would that be and what is their role? >> Yes, SI Jooshi has been our long-

standing partner for community relations, community development and engagement and we're hoping to hire SI again to support us with both of these projects. Uh and that would include um sharing what

the projects are, the intentions of them and uh inviting community members, neighborhood uh residents of Neapville to join us in both of the projects. >> Okay. So you're not going to do any marketing

advertisement uh for outreach. >> I didn't get into the specifics. Part of that role of inviting, of bringing and drawing attention is marketing, is outreach and that happens through our website

presence and social media. And uh in the past, Seli has been very active in supporting us and guiding us on um how to handle the social media and tailor it specifically to the audience in Neapville

and has also at times handled it herself. So we hope to continue that process very much. >> And if you can get me these two dance schools their information and give it to Jake. >> Absolutely. I will

follow up with Jake on this. >> Other other questions? >> I just had a comment. Uh the conservation foundation which is located in South Neighborville uh could be a great resource for you relative to

growing and cultivating. >> Thank you. We do appreciate suggestions. Absolutely. >> Just a thought. Absolutely. Thank you. >> And and you do know that the SECA funds can't be used for the food. >> No,

>> the catered food. Okay. >> All right. Thank you so much. Um could we have the next Thank you for your time. >> And if you would read the next three. >> The next speaker is Alan Low, Napville Sister

Cities Foundation, applications 27 and 30, followed by Yang Fang, solo artist, application 84. followed by Detroit Arts Foundation application 69. Following that will be American Multithnic Commission

which is application 31. >> Okay. And is it is it correct that the Mandi Theater um did not attend? Yeah. Madam Chair, I have to recuse myself with the Sister City Foundation. I have a conflict of

interest. >> Okay. And are are you going to leave the room? >> Okay. >> Yeah. Um I'm not sure that's necessary for this this part of it. I think when we are voting >> I but I don't think you need to

leave during this. Yeah, I think you're fine. >> Yeah, I know. >> You can send us telepathic messages. >> Okay. >> Good afternoon. I'm Alan Low. I'm a Neapville Sister Cities Foundation board member

and uh talking to you today about the International Festival and uh new project we would like to uh pursue called the international convention. Uh the international festival again want to thank you

for your support. Uh I believe the international festival has been a great avenue to show the diversity and inclusion of Neapville uh with our Hispanic community and now we're kind of branching out

with uh uh you know the rest of our community um and of course you know our Indian community anybody who'd like to join into the uh uh festival uh and Irish uh Irish group also joined this year um on

the stage. So we had a lot of different people come and join. Uh we're kind of branching out to make sure uh you we can spread that information with the city of Neapville, bring performances and food

and sharing that culture uh with the city. So this year we had about 800 uh attendees come. Uh we do our target is really to keep uh uh we're not charging entry fee. We want people to be a lowcost

avenue to come and then the vendors that come to our are our sharing uh providing food. Uh they are paid um you know they they pay $50 for u a spot in the uh festival. Uh we try to keep that low just

because uh there's a lot of vendors we want to come. They can uh you know exercise and bring their um their food and and culture and um to the to the city and low cost avenue. They bring their prices

lower and so people can really share in that type of interaction with the food and the arts and the music. So, this is a quick look at uh what we did for this year. Uh we had a lot of different uh

with the Central Park. It's a fantastic avenue, you know, right off the you know, right across the street from here. So, we can build with uh people in downtown Neighborville coming to the park and

back and forth. So, u but you know, we had a lot of uh with the band cell is a great avenue to uh have a um you know mariachi bands, we have the folk singers, we had the Napville um young Napole

singers as well. So we had a lot of people come to that and it was great avenue to you know exhibit that. We also had a group from uh the Chinese dancers come younger group and so it was really great

to see that. We had the Irish dancers as well you know at our festival even though we have an Irish festival in as well but it's good to see that and people coming in. Um, you know, I think, uh, one

thing we want to kind of build for next year is maybe a little higher, um, uh, you know, level entertainment, you know, something a little bit larger name to come in to really draw more people in. We

did have a lot of people kind of come and go with different, uh, groups. So, we want to make sure people stay a longer time and really um, you know, see the different cultures of the arts and then go

and, you know, talk with those vendors and buy our food and kind of keep that festival atmosphere going. Hey, thank you. Um, questions. >> The applicant has another three minutes. You talk about two

applications. >> Pardon me. >> Yes. So, the other project want to do is a international convention. We had talked about this uh previously a long time ago, but uh we would like to look at seeing u

doing like something like Neapville uh central college the recreational center there having that then and booths have uh uh businesses come to those booths and have representatives from uh Cancun from

Slovakia uh from uh India uh those type of countries to see what we can do for international business development within the city of Neapville uh businesses here and internationally. So that's the

that's the premise of the convention. Uh this will be a brand new part and we're looking for kind of an initial money to get that project going. Um we would uh you know the larger expense is really a

large venue for that site. Uh and then getting people in to come. It would require a lot of uh u money for uh doing advertisements and a connection with uh with the city and be working with the uh you

know the commission uh Cities Commission, you know, with their outreach for those communities for that interaction. So, it be a way to kind of build the international part for neighborville businesses

and connecting those uh with international pieces and and international buildings businesses back to Neighborville. So, help to you know expand our economic uh umbrella. Just just couple couple of

quick pictures. So part of the uh uh foundation group we do awards. So uh this was a service awards to loaves and fishes. You might recognize the person on the left side there or mayor. Uh this is

also we were uh April Stage Foundation was recognized as a um you know for the for their work with doing the international festival. Uh this was award given to us by the IL Illinois Sister Cities

Association. And lastly, uh, got to end with the good mariachi band, which we've been doing with the festival. So, uh, it's a great avenue, but you know, good mariachi bands and all these things do

take some money and so we, uh, you know, really, uh, have great appreciation for Sika providing our funds to us and making these things possible. >> Thank you. >> Okay, thank you. our questions. It

looks as though we have no questions. So, thank you very much. >> The next speaker speaker is Yangfang, Solo Artist application 84, followed by Triad Arts Foundation application 69 and the American

Multithnic Commission application 31. Hello, good afternoon. My name is Xangfang. I'm a professional violinist. Um, currently I'm a doctoral candidate from Indiana University, Bloomington. Um, and

this three months ago, my husband Jerry and I, we just moved to Neighborville and we got this beautiful house which has a beautiful dome hall. Actually this is one of the historical building in the

city of the Nipperville and so uh we plan to launch a concert series um for the free community concert uh in the nep so um I'll just simply introduce why I launched this who am I so um I performed in

the international stage I began to have the professional music uh education since I was 10 in Beijing one of the uh most famous conservatory in China and then I got the full ride uh scholarship uh

study at Obling College Melon and Inan University. Um so and I also have a very busy performance schedule. I very often uh perform in China um in the most biggest uh musical hall uh in Beijing and

give master classes in the um universities in China. So um this photo was taken uh last month and I performed at the Bugarian Embassy in Washington DC. I gave the world uh premium to a Chinese

contemporary piece. Um so um so this music hall is a uh 50 seat concert space is all of the space and the equipment are ready to use. And uh we got some uh we just got new piano yesterday and uh uh

very professional um and the whole uh professional recording system. Um so the all of the equipment are ready to use. So um how I keep this concert series running because um firstly I have very um

good connections with the professional musicians uh with uh musicians from the civic orchestra and uh yeah uh Chicago symphony orchestra and all of my professor are very supportive for this project

and so the all of the recital are uh very low cost. So we uh usually do like two dress rehearsals before uh the former concerts and then we uh when we uh before we play in like a big cause we really

prefer to have a space to have a dress rehearsal. That's why I launched this space and so for the uh performance schedule in this 20 uh 27. So uh I I will launch like the monthly uh free concert

series but uh featuring four concerts the special one is in the February for the uh Chinese New Year. I invite one of my friend she's a soloist uh and currently she teaches in the Bart cosmatory and

she's a soloist played with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and uh also she's a member in the U Mass uh the Silk Road ensemble um yeah so you will see other pictures and I got some reviews on the New

York weekly for the concert in my house >> speaker time is up >> yes >> okay I think you're you're probably going to get some questions. Um, if I could ask you to start. >> Okay. I'm just curious, uh,

where is the Sky Sky Dome Concert Hall? >> Yeah. Uh, the location is very near to the Ash Mart. That's just 8 minutes driving from the high school. >> And uh, are you going to perform four concerts in

the same hall? >> Yes. Uh, no. Uh actually we will perform uh this concert will be a private concert based on registration and for each concert will be hold uh host like 40 between 40 and 50 people.

Um but after this uh homebased concert we will also perform in bigger hall like the we have a um another uh formal concert in the gens hall of the loose university in the coming March. So you

mentioned it's private. So how do people get invited or take? >> Yes. And we will um put the poster in all the business like the restaurant and uh um like schools and so they can just scan the QR code

and register online. >> Um uh Mr. Myers, >> I'm assuming you're a nonforprofit registered organization. Um I have I haven't applied for the organization yet. I'm just applying as a solo artist. >>

Yeah. I don't think our artists have to be a 501c3. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Individualiz every day. >> So I am wondering so by private but but anyone could buy a ticket who chooses to. Correct. >>

Yeah. As long as they reg register online. >> Yes. So it's not you're not selecting the audience and saying only you can come or you can come. So um >> uh I'm assuming you're going to use some kind of

platform to sell tickets and then stop. >> No tickets, no selling tickets. It's just register on the Google form so they can leave the email confirmation. >> Okay. So and and how are you going to

handle parking? >> Yes. So we have a very long driveway that could park like seven I mean six seven cars and uh it could park uh in the law and we also have street parking. Okay. Um and um sounds

sounds very interesting. Um and I don't think we've had a an artist apply for music performance uh singly before if I recall properly. Um, so, uh, you're you're looking for a relatively small amount

of support. You're looking for $1,500. Is that right? >> Yes. That's basically as for artist fee. >> Yes. No, I I I understand. Um, any other questions? >> Okay. Thank you so much. >> Thank you for

support. The next speaker is the Trivia Arts Foundation application 69 followed by American Multithnic Commission application 31 followed by Max's mission application 64. >> Um good afternoon my name

is Shivya Ranganatan. You can call me Shri. I'm representing Thani Arts Foundation. Um thank you Sika for giving me an opportunity to talk about my organization and what I'm asking for. Um we are a

nonprofit theater group focusing on Indian theater. We um we have presented small productions um that have musicals that entertain and educate and often work with well-known artists from India. One of

the unique concept about this is we just don't have people I mean artists from India. We actually collaborate with them in our productions. We actually co-act with them. Um they are here like two

weeks prior. Um we have rehearsals over Zoom and then in person they actually work with us in uh in a professional in in training us in a professional way in the acting. Um what we want to do in the

upcoming um year is we are looking for two full theater productions in Nepal. Um where both visiting artist will be from India and we'll be collaborating with them. In spring we have a musical with uh

live Indian music, classical music and classical dance. This will provide an opportunity to work with Neapville music schools and dance schools in the collaboration. That's the plan. And in fall we

are planning to do an Indo US family and a social theme play. Again we'll be collaborating with local artists who are from Neapol. We have some people in in our theater group who are resident of

Neapville um area. Why does it matter to Neapville? It has a large and growing Indianamerican community and we have ne rarely seen like a full-scale Indian um theater staged. These shows are for

everyone not just one community. um they are in Indian language but we plan to um you know we do give out uh English synopsis handouts so they can relate to it and we're also exploring captioning too

so audiences can connect to what's happening um it is a real cultural exchange artists from India and uh you know neighbor based artists creating something together right here what are we asking for

total project cost is about 50,000 between the two productions. Um we are asking SECA for less than half about 22,000. Uh SECA found uh funds will go against the production cost, the auditorium,

rehearsal space, sound, costumes, printout, handouts, and uh honorarium. Our donors will play uh pay for the food, travel, visiting artist. Without CIA, it is going to be challenging to keep our

tickets affordable um you know with students and uh senior discounts. Um how it gives back locally. We will rent from Neapville Park District and you know bring uh uh print materials and costumes

renting everything from the local Neapville vendors. uh the visiting artists, we plan to have them hosted in Neapville hotels so that they can get a feel of the Neapville um downtown. They'll be

eating at the restaurants exploring some of the newer I mean some of the newer places here. We are partnering partnering with some of the local Indian associations to reach out new audiences and Sika

will be credited for every poster program and social media post. We aim to no longer need SECA funding hopefully by 2030 by growing like a good neighborville audience building multi-year business

sponsors and expanding our donor base and uh probably reusing some of our costumes and sets over our you know years of productions. So we will ask SEA for a small share this year to support such a

small initiative. I'm a first-time applicant so hoping you know um we'll have some sponsorship from you guys. I mean from support from you guys. Um so we will be grateful for your support. Thank you.

>> Thank you. Questions. >> I don't think we have any questions. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> The next speaker is the American Multithnic Commission application 31 followed by Max's mission

application 64 and Neapville neighbors United which is application 66. Good afternoon commissioners for staying so long and patiently listening to all of us. I appreciate your time. I'm Ranga and this

is Kathy Torat. We represent American multithnic commission. We are a notfor-profit organization. We are bipartisan grassroots organization and we focus on the welfare of multithnic communities and

helping them preserve and celebrate their heritage through public programs. Imagine about 14 dance and music ensembles ranging from Tanzania, Congo, Nigeria to Thailand, Pakistan and Nepal sharing one

stage in Neapville on one single summer evening that's going to be around the world in Neapville. Our multithnic cultural showcase that we plan to do um next summer. This is not only about multithnic

communities. We are very inclusive in the sense we are going to have teams uh that has artists who are uh differently aabled. So we have autistic performers in the past. We have also collaborated with

prosthetic society to bring in artists who otherwise would not get a showcase in the neighborville stage. And um we are requesting for uh money to cover the artists and performance cost and also our

rentals which are very expensive. We are planning to do it in Box Mapleville. And this is an event that's not simply restricting to a particular community, but it's going to be much much more open.

It's going to be about multithnic communities who usually don't get heard otherwise. Okay, thank you. >> Any questions? Okay, if if not, thank you very much. >> The next speaker is Max's mission,

application 64, followed by Neapville Neighbors United, application 66, Mandy Theater, and the Neapville JC's, which is application 70. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I thought this was withdrawn. No,

>> I just hit the space bar. >> Sure. Sure, that's a good question. We actually had two wind phone initiatives submitted. Um the solo initiative was withdrawn. Max's submission is what we're going to

hear today. Okay. >> Thank you. >> Hello everyone. >> Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today. My name is Joenko and I am the executive director and co-founder of Max's Mission, a

nonprofit established here in Neighborville by my husband Ray and I to honor the life and legacy of our son Max who died by suicide. Our mission is to provide support, education, and resources to

those affected by suicide loss. Through our work, we've witnessed firsthand the need for welcoming spaces where people can grieve, reflect, and feel connected. A windphone is an unconnected telephone

where visitors can speak to someone they have lost. The first wind phone was created in Japan by Aturo Sasaki after losing his cousin and later open to the public following the devastating 2011

earthquake and tsunami. [snorts] Today, windphones can be found in hundreds of communities worldwide, offering a meaningful outlet for grief. In June 2026, the Neighborville Park District Board

approved our windphone project at Pioneer Park. We chose an A-frame design inspired by one of architecture's oldest forms of shelter. Its triangular shape complements the natural landscape, creating a

peaceful space for reflection and connection. Unlike traditional public art, the windphone invites visitors to interact with it, making their own memories and experiences part of the installation. The

structure will be wheelchair accessible with a connecting sidewalk. Its three-sided design offers privacy while maintaining visibility for safety. The park district selected this peaceful location

overlooking the DuPage River, conveniently situated near an existing pathway. The location and structure are designed to provide privacy while remaining invisible from the surrounding path parkways.

Max's mission partnered with the Neighborville Park District and MM Peters Construction on Afterglow for public murals at the Rothermill Family Skate Facility completed in 2025. We're continuing those

partnerships for the windphone and plan to establish an agreement outlining its lifespan and ongoing maintenance similar to what we did with the murals. Our mural partnership recently received the

Illinois Association of Park District's best of the best partnership award. This is us at the event. Our total project cost is $42,500. More than 12,000 people visited Pioneer Park in 2025 with 94%

being from Neapville. The windphone will be a permanent accessible piece of public art available to everyone at no cost. Our hope is that someone walking through Pioneer Park 5, 10, or 20 years from

now will discover it on a day when they need it most. They'll pick up the receiver, say what's on their heart, and perhaps leave feeling just a little less alone. Thank you for considering our

project. >> Thank you. Do we have questions? >> I have a comment. >> Yes. >> Thank you. Thank you for doing this. I was there. at at the inauguration last year. I have attended I've seen so many

people coming together on that day and I'm so sorry about the max you know. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. And definitely this will definitely this is something unique which I'm seeing right now. I think

this will again give an opportunity for some of them to come and speak through the heart you know. So thank you so much for doing that. >> Thank you. So, um, could you explain this has not yet been

built? Is that correct? >> Correct. >> Okay. So, the this structure has not yet been built. >> It has not been built. It has been approved by the Neighborville Park District and they have picked out

the location. >> I see. So, the this All right. So, you have everything you need from the park district when it comes to um their permissions in the site. >> And are they contributing to it as well?

>> Not yet. We're gonna wait and see what we can get for grants first. We're in that process right now. >> Thank you. >> Yes. >> Um, beautiful design. I just absolutely love it. Given our weather and

other conditions, what kind of I guess protections are there? I know it's three-sided as well as the telephone. It's like there's a bench. I'm just wondering what the thoughts are as far as it being

able to be maintained and kept whole without damage from the weather or people especially the phone. >> Well, the phone's the cheapest part of the whole project. It's we're estimating $100 because

we'll probably just buy an old phone, right? Um, we're probably going to estimate initially at least that this would be 10 years, which is what we did with the murals with after the 10 years. We

revisit if we want to keep it longer than that. Um, in terms of weather, there's nothing more we can do to protect it from the front because we have to have one side open. So, it's not, you know, an

enclosed structure. So, sorry, I don't know if that answered your question. >> It does. It does. I know just with the weather we have and it will be lit up it looks like. So it's >> we would like to

do some sort of solar lighting inside. Yeah. Um but that those will be like the details at the end. That'll be the fun stuff. >> Thank you. Um Mr. Myers. >> Yeah. I just you know this is a interesting

concept for the challenges we have with mental health today. >> Yes. Can you point me to any articles, research paper, anything that would support this form of um resource for people and how it's been

effective? >> How it can actually help them? You mean if there's >> articles written on it? Is there something that I could read? Is there >> I don't know about any articles, but I do know of a

therapist that I've worked with who she wrote out. This was a couple of years ago for me. It was like about two pages long. The benefits that she saw from wind phones and I could get that to you if

you want that. >> No, I was just curious. I mean, it's an interesting concept. >> It is. And I think it can serve a lot of different people. Not just people even with loss. It could be as in loss of a

person. It could be a loss of a job, a loss of a relationship. I have visited a couple of wind phones around the country. Um, and one that I visited in Florida, got to know the the lady who started

it. She shared some stories with me. She met a mom there one day who was with her her little son and she had taken her son there so he could talk to his dog who had passed. >> So, it can be for lots

of lots of different reasons. >> We can sidebar. I've got a couple other thoughts for you. >> Yeah. >> Thank you. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Share a quick question. >> Sure. late hitting my

button. >> Are the materials the construction materials >> like durable materials like TX or who who is the >> composite? I I do not believe that it's going to be composite. I think it would be

exponentially more if it was composite, which yeah, that composite does last forever, right? Um I don't see this not being able to last at least 10 years. The the company that we're going to be

partnering with is MM Peters. They're the ones I I know you've seen the murals, but they're the ones who built the um the concrete murals down by the skate park. And the park district uses them for a

lot of projects. Knock nullles, you know, that whole big um shelter area they had built a couple years ago. Mm did did that as well. >> So, the park district has agreed to maintain this structure.

Going forward, >> we will um get some sort of maintenance agreement with them with the park district similar to what we did with the murals where we are partially responsible for maintenance. We have

a 10-year um maintenance agreement with the park district that we signed for the murals and we'll plan to do something similar for this windphone. >> Okay. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Much pardon

me. >> Yeah. last year for the mural project. I know the mental health board um you know did uh support you guys. Are you planning to apply again to cover part of this? >> We did apply for a grant

from 708 but it was for something different. It wasn't for this. >> Not for this. Okay. >> Correct. >> Thank you so much. >> You're welcome. Is that it? >> I think that's it. Okay. Thank you. Thank

you for being so patient. everybody who's still here. >> The next speaker is Kim White, Neighborville Neighbors United, application 66, followed by Mandy Theater, Neighborville JC's, application 70.

All right, good afternoon everyone. I didn't realize when I signed up at 8:30 it would be five hours, but it's been great hearing about all of these amazing organizations. many that I knew about, but

some that I learned about today that do wonderful um put on what great events here in our community. So, that's been great. Um I just really signed up for if there were any questions, but I just want

to be really brief um especially to the new um folks that are here just to say um Neighborville Neighbors United was the first organization to put on the Junth celebration here in our community. Junth

became a federal holiday in 2021. um comi com commemorating the end of slavery in the US. That same year, Neighborville Neighbors United held our first Junth celebration, bringing our community

together through history, education, music, food, and cultural experiences. And I just wanted to say sincerely thank you to Sika for continuing to fund um NNU and this wonderful event that we bring to

our community. If you have any questions, I'm here to answer. Thank you. Any any any questions? >> Yeah. >> Mr. Say, >> hi Kim, thank you so much for coming and speaking today. I have attended all the

events you have hosted. Wonderful events, you know. >> So, how many people attend this events? >> So, over the years, over the five years that we've done this, we've had thousands of people that have

attended the event. Typically, um, we have about six or 700 people that that we kind of eyeball and we kind of just see see that attends our events, but there's been thousands of of folks that have

attended over the years. >> Okay. And do you charge for this? >> We do not. It is a free event. Um, we bring in a ton of vendors that are able to share information with our community and it will

continue to be a free event. >> And how do you market this event? We um do a lot of marketing on our social media pages. We do some paid ads, things like that. >> Okay. Thank you so much. >> Thank

you, >> Mr. Myers. Uh >> Kim, um a great event and I wanted to know about the city services. A little less than a thousand. Is that mainly security? >> It is for for police. Yeah. >> Okay, that's all

I need to know. >> Yeah. And we'd love for you all to come and join us on June 19th. >> Yep. >> All right. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. All right. And where are we now? The next speaker is Mandy

Theater. The next speaker is Rick with Neapville JC's application 70 followed by Chungho Tom application 56. Then SE Seven Davies application number nine. >> Thank you Jake. Good afternoon everybody.

>> No for us. [laughter] My name is Rick Hurt Mode and I am here representing the Neapville JC's last fling as the 2026 executive director and expected 2027 executive director assuming I don't mess

this presentation up too much. So [snorts] um hopefully I don't need to go into details about what Last Fling is. It's a legacy event here in town that uh many community members have been attending

their entire life. But I would like to take a couple moments to explain why we've got an increased ask for assistance for operational expenses for our event. Several years ago, the decision was made

to drastically change what the last fling looks like. And that reason simply being our expenses had grown to the point where they had become too much. Utilizing Rotary Hill with nationally known music

acts um had just gotten too expensive to get off the ground. artist fees, lots of rented infrastructure, a huge sponsor tent. All of those things were challenging, but the upside of that format was we

could charge admission fees so that uh for the national acts, we had large sponsorship packages that attracted corporate sponsors and the attendance of thousands of patrons on Rotary Hill, all of whom

are eating and drinking, which is a significant revenue generator for an event such as ours. But after a a very thorough financial analysis, the decision was made to do everything we could to minimize

our expenses. A lesser footprint meant le meant less fencing, a smaller stage, more regionally known bands, which means lesser entertainment fees, fewer and smaller tents, and fewer generators. But

with a lessened financial risk to our organization, it also meant a ceiling for our revenues as well. And while we've always seen our operational costs to just be part of the deal, unfortunately, some

of our expenses have continued to grow in a new smaller footprint, much of that driven by increased security needs and recommendations by our police force. We need and value the support of our police

force, the fire department, and the public works department, and our partnership with the park district. But last year, the gap between our city services bill and our grant was roughly $65,000. We

were fortunate enough to get a a a grant uh for operational expenses, but even if you allocated that money and somehow put it in the city services back bucket, we'd still be facing a shortfall of over

$15,000. The truth is is we've been very very lucky over the last five years as it relates to weather for our event over Labor Day weekend. One day of rain can be devastating to our donations budget

for the following year. My ego can handle the potential of a last fling, which is financially unsuccessful. That's just part of the risk with being willing to lead an event like this. I'm not putting

the P&L of the last fling on my resume or anything like that. But two days of rain on a Saturday and Sunday over Labor Day weekend would put the financial existence of the Neapville JC's absolutely in

jeopardy. What I'm not willing to do is be a poor steward of the legacy and hard work of 70 years of JC's and put the organization's existence in jeopardy just because I was unwilling to ask the city

to partner with us a little more than they have in the past. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you. Um, any questions? >> Mr. Gustin looks like he has a question. >> I do. You have to dummy it

down for me. It looked as though you're looking for funding. Maybe I'm misreading it for prospect of multiple years with the possibility of weather issues. I must be reading this incorrectly because

it's a big big change in the operational funding. Am I reading that? >> It it is. So here is here's how I can most easily describe what we're trying to accomplish with this is the JC's have a a

reserve fund that we've always used and we call it the rainy day fund and it really means the rainy weekend fund. >> Um and what we've since we no longer use the hill our capacity to have an event

that brings home multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars is gone. like if everything goes perfect, we might be able to have a a positive number, you know, a $100,000 or something like that. Um, for

instance, when we the JC Smart Park that's out there, we made a $200,000 donation for that that was was accelerated in 2021 because we knew that we were no longer going to have the ability to bring in

the amount of revenues that we have in the past in the last during the last flame. So um I just again a lot of people have worked a long time to make the JC's a viable organization for many many

years. During my watch as the head of the last fling though I don't want us to put the organization in jeopardy just because one weekend can completely wipe us out from a financial perspective. >> Let

me I'll rephrase my question. Sure. And by the way, I miss lobster day and I know that's another financial [laughter] challenge, but I miss it. >> I do too. >> Um, so the bud the request the grant

request this year is stay with it stays within the confines of needs for this year. It's not to replenish the reserve fund from a prior period. >> Correct. And in full disclosure, I have no

expectations that our request is going to be fully funded. I mean, the tr the truth is is that if we could get our city services bill completely, you know, completely funded, and I know that the park

district isn't necessarily technically part of that. The park district gives us a healthy bill at the at the conclusion of every event as well. Um, if we could get those aspects funded, it would just

put us in a in a much more stable financial position for years moving forward and not put us in such a risky position in current years if weather occurred. Weather is always the variable that that

that happens every year. >> No, I got you. Thank you. And and thank you to the JC's. You guys have been a >> amazing contributor to the city for >> literally decades, right? >> Yeah. >> So, thank you.

>> Yeah. We we we see um how difficult first of all, putting on an outside on an outside event is always difficult. You you don't know what the weather's going to be and there's no real backup for it.

You can't say, "Oh, we're going to do next weekend." Because something else is there next weekend. and um maintaining uh a legacy event like this which is a big big operation requiring hundreds of

volunteer uh hours is is also uh a challenge. So we do we do appreciate your your efforts. >> Thank you >> and you know hanging in there with this. Thank you so much. >> All right. Thank you guys. >>

Thank you. The next speaker is application number 56, Chung Ho, followed by November application nine and theater for charity application 73. >> [snorts] >> testing. Hello. Yeah. Good afternoon,

commanders. Um, my name is Chono Tam. I'm from Hong Kong. Uh, I'm a conductor and pianist. Um I am playing as individual artist for a home project an original theotical music production. So home begin

with a question what makes a place home. For some it is where we grow up. For others this is somewhere we have lived behind or a sense of belonging we are still building. Through this work, I want to

explore how we carry home with us in memory, in relationship, and in sound. Home brings together coral music, chamber music, future vocalist, and the storytelling within a continuous dramatic journey.

I will compose a whole original music and create a new arrangement uh spec specifically for this production. So we are also collaborate with famous Hong Kong po uh composer professor Chiang Kayang. He

uh has committed to writing at least one new work for this project. Alongside this new composition, we plan to incor cooperating familiar songs that invoke share memories and culture connect. So for

Napville audience, I want this project to be both a personal and share experience rather someone has lived there in their entire life or arrived from somewhere else. The idea of memory, family and

belonging can connect us acrossing generation and backgrounds. So home is playing planning as like a 75 to 90 minutes production in um meow hall. So we visited that place in September and discussed

the production with this rep representative and developed uh preliminary stage plan. So I will lead the art artist and musical development bring these different performance and musical elements

together into one cohesive theatical experience. So seeker support will help to make these projects possible by supporting new musical creation professional artists and the value and production

resources need to bringing home to the stage. So my hope is that the audience will live not only remembering the music but also reflecting on the people, places and memories that make them feel at

home. Thank you for your consider this home project and I will look forward to share this work with Nepville community. Thank you. >> Thank you. Do we have any questions? >> I sent some questions in

which I got answered. So thank you very much. >> Thank you so much. >> The next speaker is Sven Davies application number nine followed by theater for charity application 73. The author speaker is

Sandy with Mucent. Thank you, Jake. My name is Sven Davies. I'm a Neighborville resident and volunteer organizer of the Neapville Distinguished Gentleman's Ride. This is an organization that whose

parent organization is Movember. uh it has the intent uh and the and the mission to bring awareness to prostate cancer research and men's mental health issues. For eight years, myself and friend Mark

Jacko have been organizing this event in Neapville. And uh I want to just say first um this is one of the thank yous from the one of the participants, but I want to thank this organization for the

support that we had for the first time last year. It's really taking this fledgling organization and this fledgling event uh to another level. And having seen what is involved in that service uh

today, I want to thank you very humbly humbly for all of your support in the organization and also for the staff who uh who make it all happen. Just to give you an idea for those of you who haven't

seen this was last year's event. Uh the event is basically a motorcycle ride where people dress up in dapper clothes again to raise awareness for men's health and prostate cancer research. We

organized the event to end on Water Street where we've had the street blocked off. Uh it is an open event for everyone in the community uh children, men, women, couples to come down and enjoy a uh

Sunday morning uh together. We had 959 the river come out. That was part of our marketing budget for last year. That's something we'd like to continue. And we uh with an interest in being independent

from SECA. Uh we've started looking at vendors and uh we started off this this year with five vendors and we and from all of them they felt like they had a good enough experience. This year we're

going to start looking at what how we monetize that. And uh the other target that we're taking is to grow uh the uh the people who attend. Uh this is just a breakdown quickly. You can see 2025 where

we didn't get any Sika support last year where we did uh and then this next year we're anticipating 125 entrance and then totally uh 750 roughly uh uh attendees. And I think that's the other side

where we get more attendees. We have the opportunity to put sponsorship banners up. Uh, one other area that's going to be new I want to talk about in just a second is that we want to add a more

prominent area to have a band. And this is the band that we had last year, Tinking the Bees, a very fun folk band. Uh, and this is a rendering of where we'd like to place them. Um, I call it kind of

the porch of the municipal center. But the idea is is that they would play up there and we'd invite people to dress dapper and go to the local restaurants to have a kind of a lunch and have maybe a

picnic in the park kind of concept. Uh this is the breakdown of the funds. So the increase is that last year we didn't pay for the ban. They were kind enough to uh do that for free, but we just don't

really feel that is fair. Um and so we're asking a little bit more money there and for police services. >> Okay. Um any questions? Um Mr. So son David thank you so much. I have attended their event

that was again an amazing and very unique event. I have never seen that. So that was a great experience where people were on the bikes wearing suits, ties and everything with caps with families and

joining that uh bike ride and I was amazed to see that and that downtown was filled with great people there. I spoke to some of the restaurants there. I spoke to some of the coffee shops. They were so

happy, excited that you know you brought so much business to them. So, thank you so much for doing that. I'm looking forward for my recommendation which I said block 59 think over in next two years

you can do something there also that will really bring community together you know. And second is marketing again the key you know to get more people. Maybe next year you should do more marketing so

that we can get more community members come and see this place. Otherwise, great event for the community. >> Yeah, we've added we've added a little money for advertising to try to do that. Marketing

is a tricky thing to get real traction and so we've started off with a small amount to do some grassroots stuff to just start building it up. But I think we're we're aligned. Dasha, >> thank you. Uh

we have one another question. >> Yeah, quick question. Uh, first of all, my husband was so inspired, he bought a vintage motorcycle, >> which that's his winter project. >> I'm sorry for that. >> He

[laughter] keeps him busy all winter. Uh, what do you charge your attendees? I mean, the participants. I think you you're anticipating 750 or um more attendees. I'm sorry, the participants in the the

writers. Do you charge them or is this um free to anybody? >> This is a little bit of a a dual event. The organization Movember and the distinguished gentleman's right is a global event that takes

place on this day around the world and their intent is to raise money for prostate cancer research. Now we recognize that we cannot actively raise money in this event and get Sika money. So it is

about the awareness side of it. So for the motorcyclists who want to participate, they pay they they pay $25. That is a contribution to the event, but then everything else is free and we don't promote

and ask for money during the event. It's more about raising awareness for prostate cancer research. >> Okay, I think that's it. You're good. >> Thank you all. The next speaker is Mike Norris with

Theater for Charity, application 73, followed by Muen, application 85, Kids Matter, application 60, and North Central College, the Lantern Initiative, application 77. >> And if people who are on deck

could come up to the front row, please. We don't have it. It was part It was part of the first like big set, but we don't have it. That is okay. >> Yeah, that's okay. And honestly, like the one I gave

you was prem numbers anyway, so I can get you one that actually has postp prom numbers. That'll work even better. >> All set? >> Can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Excellent. Right. Theatrical projection.

Let's go for it. My name is Mike Norcas. I'm on the board for Theater for Charity. The goal of TFC is to do good theater for good. On behalf of the organization, I would like to say thank you for the

support the SECA committee provided us last year. Last year was the first time that we had requested SECA funding and that support helped us navigate a uniquely challenging period and come out

stronger. We were really excited to continue our relationship with the Matrix Club and were already financially committed to using their venue in 2026 prior to their announcement of their bankruptcy.

Um, thanks to Center Stage in Neighborville, a wonderful uh performance venue, your support, an incredible network of community partners, we were able to maintain a path forward in 2026 as we work to

recover some of those expenses. Um, our 2026 production was The Prom, and it featured 35 cast and crew, ages ranging from teenagers to retirees. Some of those cast members had never been on a stage

before, and many made their community theater debut with us. Um, our production of The Prom crossed 500 tickets sold, an increase from last year. And that allowed us to provide our charity, Youth

Outlook, with $4,000 to continue their support of LGBTQ plus youth and parents throughout the region, including their drop-in center in Neighborville. Members of the cast also presented a history of

queer theater at one of the drop-in centers. We promoted them heavily on social media during our advertising and connect them with groups outside of this area to allow them to continue their mission

and discover more fundraising opportunities. Um, our promcast had the privilege of performing at Neapville's last fling and we got to participate in Neapville's Labor Day parade as well. Uh, for 2027,

our selections for the charity and musical production have been finalized and we are excited to announce them at our November 19th trivia night fundraiser. It was one of your questions who that

charity was. It is Young Neighborville Singers. Um, so you'll get the the cat out of the bag a little sooner. Um, but our secret request on that focus primarily on the expenses related to that

mainstage production as well as some durable goods purchases that will allow us to improve our performance capabilities, particularly in the outside venue that we have been able to perform at

routinely at that last thing, that beautiful outdoor uh like little amphitheater type space. um and improve our storage capabilities. As we learned through the generosity of community, we got a ton of

prom outfits last year and we weren't able to maybe keep them wellmaintained through the entirety. We need a lot more racks to make that work, but it was a wonderful generous thing that the

neighborhood and the community gave us. We continue to see opportunities to maximize our smaller events. our trivia night and our cabaret event oversold last year and we want to be able to continue to

grow those to comfortably welcome more people to this on the path for us to get to more of a self- sustaining model as has been requested by the SECA group during your questionnaire this year. Um we

also want to begin planting the seeds of an additional small event so we can get to a place where we have one event per quarter. That is not something we're asking money for you guys from today. We

are focusing on the main stage production, but just want to give you ideas of what does our path look like over the next couple of years. Thank you so much. >> Okay, any questions? >> Doesn't look as

though we have any questions. So, thank you. >> Appreciate you all. Thank you so much. >> Thank you for hanging in there. >> Of course. >> The next speaker is S Mandy with Musen application 85

followed by Nino with Kids Manor application 60 and the North Central Lantern application application 77. Yes. >> 85 now. >> No. 85 I think. No. Muse. It's in the new initiatives column. How are you

guys? Everybody awake? Nobody's leg is numb? Okay, mine almost did. Um, all right. Well, I'm going to start off first with a question and that question is oftentimes we usually ask who is going to the

event. Um, but the real question is who can actively participate in events and this is where Mosen comes in. My name is Salma Madi and I'm the institutional giving manager at Mosen which is a

nonprofit that provides programs and services to individuals and families with disabilities. Um the event that we are doing is an inclusive multicultural baking competition. This is the first time

ever that we are doing this type of event. So this is more than just a baking competition. We have a lot of our participants, they have engaged in different types of culinary experiences, but we've

never done it in this particular style. So our goal is to basically provide an inclusive community experience built around participation, creativity, as well as belonging. All right. Um, in terms of

the budget, what we are seeking is $10,000 um, out of the 19,600 total proposed project. Um, this particular funding will we are anticipating about 200 attendees. Um, but the key three key components

to it is accessibility. We want to make sure that we do have sensory supports, interpretation as well as accommodations present. um participation, baking equipments, materials, and an inclusive

experience, as well as looking at our local impact, community engagement, and a sustainable annual tradition. Um we did receive Sikka funding last year, um sorry, this year for this 2026 cycle, but we

did it actually for a art gallery. And I just wanted to show you guys a glimpse in terms of how did that implementation look like and how we are proposing a new initiative to kind of continue that

journey. Hold on. How do I There we go. At Men, our adult day program creates opportunities for adults with special needs to learn, express themselves, and [music] connect with their community. Our

multicultural art gallery brought that work to life, celebrating our participants creativity, cultures, [music] and unique talents through their original artwork. Each piece was an opportunity to

share a perspective, spark a conversation, and build connections. Thank you to the city of Neighborville, Sika Commission, and Da Coffee for helping create a space where people of all abilities feel

welcomed and celebrated. All right. And then let me just close out of this before it plays another video. >> Your poop isn't stuck because you need more fiber. Is stuck because the [laughter] muscles

that move it. >> I'm here to entertain you guys. Um but that concludes basically our um that concludes our presentation where our goal is to empower every ability. >> Okay, thank you so much. Any

questions? >> Just a comment statement. Thank you so much for coming today. I have attended your event recently and this is something first time I have attended such event. I was so touched with the

kids you know with the artwork they were doing it. excitement. I saw those features and uh thank you so much for doing that. Bring that such events to the community. It really helps and there was a

diversity. I saw people meeting and all those things and parents were so happy to see the kids enjoying those artwork you know and for the the other new event which you are bringing. Please invite all

of us so that you know some of us can come and see those things also. Thank you. Thank you. Any other >> Thank you. >> I I teach film and the most inappropriate ads always pop up after some clip I'm

I'm showing. [laughter] >> It'll help you remember it, right? >> Yes. >> The next speaker is Kids Matter application 60 followed by Jins Sun application 77. >> Well, hi, good afternoon everyone. I uh

have to start by saying thank you. This has been such an interesting process for me. Uh we have uh 20 young people downstairs getting trained to serve on boards and commissions uh for the city of

Neapville and I know we have one wonderful young lady on your commission today. Uh we're really excited about that. But I do want to thank you for your time and dedication to provide these amazing,

wonderful experiences for people in our community. Um, I want to My name is Nina Menace and I'm CEO and executive director of Kids Matter. And my role today is to talk about games around the world.

Um, many of you probably know about Kids Matter. We started out of Edward Hospital in 1995 when they saw a uptick in young people coming into the emergency room and wanted to get ahead of that. Uh so

they formed a group of a lot of leaders in the community including the city, the park district, the school districts um and the police department and many community leaders to think about proactive

things that we can do to support young people and families. So, Kids Matter became a separate nonprofit in 2001 and we continue to act as an intermediary, a collective impact organization and this is

really what games around the world is all about. So, games around the world is uh started with an idea from the state of the city address when they played a wonderful video some of you probably have

seen called I belong and it had many families and individuals in Neapville talking about how they felt like they belonged. So we worked with the park district on an activity during the kitefly

festival to create and help to enhance to continue to enhance the feeling of belonging in our community. So games around the world is a wonderful activity that happens during the kitefly festival

every year in June. um at uh and the premise is we have all these different organizations come and share their country as well as what the kids play in that country. So every young person when they

come by they pick up a passport and they go through about 14 to 15 different booths and they find out the games young people play in that country. They play the game. They get a flag sticker and they

move on to the next country. In the middle there's a big map of the world and they have an opportunity to put a sticker on with what they've seen or where they've been. And there's just so much pride

uh that day. It's just a wonderful day. I wanted to share some of the partners that are involved outside of the wonderful Neapville Park District. Uh we've had the DUP page Hispanic Alliance, Indian

Community Outreach, Institute for Diplomacy and Cultural um exchange. Uh the Kids Matter Senior High Board, they they operate the MAPS uh neighbor settlement als and and many more. And I'll just close

by telling a story. After the young people have an opportunity with their families to go through and fill up their passport, they get a a special gift at the end. We've done a couple things, but many

years we do um these blowup beach balls. And there was a little boy. He had to have been three or four. And we asked them what their favorite country was that they visited. And this little boy looked

up to me. He had these big eyes that he said Guatemala and it was such a big word for him. So, it was really great and I just want to thank you for the support over the years of games around the world

and we hope to continue to partner with you again this coming year in 2027. >> Any any questions? I don't think we do. Okay. Thanks so much. >> Okay. Thank you. I hope you have a great afternoon. >>

The final speaker for today is Jin Sun, application 77. North Central College. >> Oh, no. I'm sorry. >> Oh. Oh, he's giving me a hard time. >> Okay. Good afternoon. This is Jin Sun, professor of

Chinese at North Central College. Well soon we're going to be North Central University Neighborville from department for world language and culture. So today I'm going to represent our team to seek

for seek a grant for lanterns across time. a free a few uh a free public London festival celebration on March 7, 2027 and once concert hall in downtown April. The London festival celebrations reunion

the hopes and our program bring two uh experiences. Before the show, the lobby will host a lantern making fair for all ages. Families send the friends and can make a lantern together, decorate them

with brush paintings and calligraphy and write wishes for the years ahead. Guests can also learn machang and other interactive board games and simple festive foods. On the stage you can see um the

artists bring traditional uh form and different cultures and the generation together. Uh we are aiming 600 to 800 visitors with 30 plus young volunteers and the six artistic teams. Uh 2024 when I

serve for Ray Chinese school principal. I led a spring festival fair uh that welcome hundreds families and students. Our proposed partner Chile has produced a Lenton festivals since 2006 and worked

with North Central before. This festival builds on those experiences and give more Neapville families a chance to celebrate together. Okay, here are some examples of Lenton families can make. local

artist and the instructors will guide them as they create their own designs. On the stage there are four acts. Explore, memory, journey, encounter, and belonging. Where do we come from? What stays

with us? What can we create when cultures meet? And how do we mu build a community together when we call home? Traditional music meets contemporary songs and Tai Chi meets K-pop. For the final,

college students will sing you and me as everyone let's up their own lanterns together in celebration. So, North Central is going to is providing the venues. North Central will provide the venues and

uh equipments and we plan to seek sponsorships too. Sika grant will help pay the artist and cover the productions cost so we can keep the festival free for everyone and bring the whole community

together. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Okay, do we have any questions? Going once, going twice. I think I think we have no questions. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Thank you for staying so

long. Um so that's our last presentation. >> That concludes public comment. If there's questions from the commission, you guys. >> Yeah. Any >> call anyone up? >> We have a meeting on the 19th 18th,

which is a Wednesday. >> 18th is correct. >> What's the format of that meeting? >> We're going to have a a dialogue kind of a breakdown review of what kind of occurred here today, a further filter out

of of applications on the 18th. And just one point of clarification, if you recuse, which I will be on a number of them, I don't allocate that money anywhere else. Right. >> Correct. >> To zero. >> So

I'm not >> But you But you don't put a zero in. You just leave it blank. >> But I don't have to increase others to make up the difference. Right. >> Correct. >> Okay. any question is you don't have to

but can you >> we can discuss that more on the 18th meeting that's a good setting for that particular meeting there's also some other practices that we can discuss and kind of dive into on the 18th >>

so I just have a few um announcements to read and I don't think um is there anybody out here who came to do questions um for other organizations Okay. So, and yeah, and you were one of the larger

applicants. So, you are here. Does anybody have a question for Bright Side Theater? It looks as though we do not. Anybody else who came? And you came for >> Okay. Um if you if you since you won't be

heard if everybody who just said something come up to the come up to the microphone quickly. Um and bright side could you come sorry I'm calling you by bright side just just say it here so people can

hear you. >> No at the microphone >> because this is being recorded. >> Okay Bright Side. >> I'm Julie Carneack. I'm executive director and founding member with Bright Side Theater. Um, we've been

around for 15 years and so yes, we do have a large ask. You had questions that I specifically answered and I wanted to respect your time, but I was here to ask answer any questions that you had, but

it seems like you didn't. So, thank you so much for your time and and your support for Bright Side. Thank you. >> Thank you. And um, anybody else who was here to answer questions and tell us what

organization you're with? >> Yes, I'm Jan Schrader, membership director for Neapville Art League. uh here to answer any questions in regard to either well specifically the River Walk Fine Arts Fair.

>> Any questions for Riverwalk Fine Arts Fair? Seems as though we do not. >> Okay. Well, thank you so much for your continued support. It's uh really important to us and we appreciate it. Thank you.

>> Yes. And thank you so much for hanging in there so so many hours. >> Might as well get acknowledged for being here, however. Yes. >> Hi, good afternoon. My name is Sha Ka Mala. I'm the co-founder

and vice president of Dupati Hispanic Alliance and I'm here to answer any questions about the Latin Art Walk in July 18th. >> Okay. Anybody have any questions about the art walk? Okay. Thank you. >>

Thank you so much for your for being here and then for doing this for the community. Thank you. >> Thank you. Anybody else? And I think this might be this is our last person. >> Hello, I'm Kim Coin.

I'm a board member with Neighborville Sunrise Rotary. I'm standing in for Ryan Sabbert who got called out to for his expertise with neighbor lights. Um I'm just here in case there were any questions

for the St. Patty's 5K. >> Thank you. Okay. Thank you for your partnership. >> Okay. I guess we don't. Thank you so much. >> Thanks a lot. Okay. And I think Okay. Our regular scheduled SECA meeting

will be Wednesday, November 18th at 6 PM. The unified recommendations meeting will take place on Thursday, December 10th at 6 PM. Again, in this room, commission members will discuss their individual

funding recommendations at that meeting and together determine our unified funding recommendation to present to city council. The recommendation will go to city council for final approval after the

new year. You can refer to the city of Neapville's website for any updates and information on the SECA grant fund. And thank you all again for attending. And if there are any uh if there are no more

questions or other new business, I will entertain a motion to adjurnn. >> So move. >> Moved by Mr. uh Mr. Myers. Do we have a second? >> Second. Gustin. >> A second from Mr. Gustin. All in favor? >>

I. We are adjourned. Thank you.