Prairie State Wire

Illinois Medical District Commission Met Jan. 19.

Here is the minutes provided by the commission:

Commissioners present: Neville Reid, John Cooke, Jr., Alejandra Garza, and Peter O’Brien

Others present: Dr. Suzet McKinney, Chris Fahey, Ryan Gage, Gina Oka, Kate Schellinger, Tom Strachan, Jeanne Cotini, Judy Salgado, Nicole Vahl, Craig Jeffrey, Mike Nardini, Jean Young, Sean Hickey, Gabriel Magana

Approval of Minutes

President Reid called the meeting to order and took the roll call of Commissioners. Commissioner O’Brien moved and Commissioner Garza seconded that the minutes from the last meeting be approved. The motion carried by roll call vote.

Executive Director Report

Dr. McKinney provided a review of 2020:

January/February – Planning stage for the execution of an Investment Prospectus. The goal of the Investment Prospectus was to identify the best way to expand economic opportunities for people and places that have historically been left behind in the sense of investment and development. With the assistance of the Metropolitan Planning Council and the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Policy, the Investment Prospectus was completed in March 2020.

March/April – Pandemic began. The March 2020 Commission Meeting was cancelled due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. Staff began to work remotely and continues to do so, with just the persons who handle certain functions that must be done in the office going in periodically to complete that work.

May/June – Completed the purchase of the 2250 Campbell Park building, for which we are working to find tenants. We donated exterior walls of some of our buildings for murals honoring healthcare heroes on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis. Also, a lease was executed in the IMD’s Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ), the first life sciences development.

July/August – The District began to see the financial impact of COVID-19. We received requests from several our tenants requesting rent relief as a result of financial hardships brought on by the pandemic. Construction work began at our 2100 Harrison building to build a telehealth workspace for the VA.

September/October – Lease negotiations were completed for the second development in the IMD’s QOZ. This development and the previous one represent the first developments in the southern part of the district in years.

November/December – Acquired a new vehicle to assist the operations team in handling their responsibilities safer. The old Segways were donated.

Dr. McKinney stated that this is her last executive report, as she will be leaving the IMD as of February 12, 2021. She mentioned that she is having weekly conference calls with staff and our hospital partners to help with the transition. She thanked staff and the commissioners for all their support during challenging times.

Each of the commissioners thanked Dr. McKinney for her service.

Financial Report

Mr. Strachan provided a financial report and noted the following:

• Cash is lower than last year.
• Liabilities are up.
• Revenues are down.
• Operating expenses larger than last year
• Budget comparative very close to last year’s budget

There was no old business to discuss.

Old Business Executive Session 

Upon motion by Commissioner Cooke, seconded by Commissioner O’Brien, and carried by roll call vote, the Commission went into executive session pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2 (c) (3) and (11). Commissioner Cooke left the meeting at 9:12 a.m.

Open Session (Resumed)

The Commission returned to open session.

New Business

President Reid noted that the following resolutions required a vote:

Appointment of Interim CEO/Executive Director – Ms. Oka summarized the resolution appointing Kate Schellinger as interim CEO/Executive Director. Commissioner Garza moved that the resolution be approved, Commissioner O’Brien seconded, and the resolution was approved by roll call vote.

Signature Authority of Interim CEO/Executive Director - Ms. Oka summarized the resolution designating and approving Interim CEO/Executive Director, Kate Schellinger, as a signatory and authorized officer and signer on all agreements, contracts, deeds, certificates, notices, documents and legal instruments on behalf of the Commission. Commissioner O’Brien moved that the resolution be approved, Commissioner Garza seconded, and the resolution was approved by roll call vote.

Approval of Kate Schellinger and Thomas Strachan as Signatories and Authorized Officers/Signers on All Commission Bank Accounts - Ms. Oka summarized the resolution approving Kate Schellinger and Thomas Strachan and removing Dr. McKinney as signatories and authorized officers/signers on all Commission bank accounts. Commissioner O’Brien moved that the resolution be approved, Commissioner Garza seconded, and the resolution was approved by roll call vote.

Approval of Search Process for a CEO/Executive Director – Ms. Oka summarized the resolution to assemble a search committee, directing the search committee to use an outside search firm to identify candidates for the position of CEO/Executive Director, and directing the committee to take measures to ensure integrity of the search process. Commissioner O’Brien moved that the resolution be approved, Commissioner Garza seconded, and the resolution was approved by roll call vote.

President Reid departed the meeting at 9:50 a.m. Upon President Reid’s departure, Vice-President O’Brien began presiding over the meeting and stated that the remainder of the meeting was informational only.

Audit Report – Mr . Strachan introduced Ms. Y oung and Mr . Hickey from Plante Moran. Ms. Young and Mr. Hickey provided a summary of the audit report. Ms. Young stated that the report was clean and there were no issues.

Vertiport – Ms. Oka stated that Vertiport is considering Greyhound as a tenant. The use would be for bus storage, maintenance, and repair. Vertiport sent a letter proposing the use on January 18, 2021. The commissioners had no further comments on the matter.

Vice-President O’Brien stated the 2021 commission meeting schedule.

Commissioner Garza moved and Commissioner O’Brien seconded that the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried by roll call vote.

https://medicaldistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/open-session-minutes-january-19-2021.pdf