CITIZENS SEE RED OVER PROPOSED FIRE STATION AT WAGNER FARM

Village officials are quietly planning to build a new fire station on Wagner Farm.  Citing slow response times to emergency calls from east Glenview, the Village Manager has been talking with the Park District about building on one acre of the 18.8 acre farm.

Judy Beck, a member of the park district board, suggested that a small farm museum and public restrooms could be part of the fire station – available for use by visitors to the farm, and one member of COWs – the citizens group that spent years campaigning to save the farm – said it wouldn't be a bad idea to have fire protection nearby.  In the 1930's, the Wagner barn burned down after being hit by lightning.

But the COW's board thinks a fire station on the farm would be too close for comfort.  They point out that citizens voted to preserve Wagner Farm, not to begin subdividing it in the name of public safety.

One interesting alternative has been proposed by members of the public.  The Greek Orthodox Church on the corner of Lake and Wagner, across from the farm, purchased a two-acre lot next door – hoping to create additional parking.  The church reportedly paid $650,000 for the land and may now be short on cash to pave it.  Some citizens have proposed that Glenview buy the land, use one acre for the fire station,  pave the second acre for parking and allow the church to use the lot.
 
Advocates say it's a win/win situation, but Village Manager Paul McCarthy is said to be seething over public "interference."   The subject may come-up at tonight's meeting of the Park District Board.  The time is 7 p.m., the place 1930 Prairie near the post office.  Be there or be square.

BEETLE MANIA

Is the Village of Glenview throwing good beetles after bad?  Late last summer, environmental consultant John Chitty released $10,000 worth of European beetles called galerucella onto the Air Station Prairie and the Northern Triangle.  Village officials had hoped those bugs would eliminate an invasive weed that chokes-out native prairie plants and clogs wetlands.

This spring, Chitty and a state scientist surveyed the site and didn't find many bugs or their eggs!  Experts aren't sure what happened.  The galerucella may have been released too late in the season, at a time when their food supply didn't provide sufficient nutrition for their long winter hibernation, or they might have been eaten by other bugs during a particularly mild and dry autumn. 

Whatever the fate of the old bugs, Glenview isn't giving-up on this novel approach to weed control.  The state sent another 10,000 beetles at no charge – bugs that should be released today, and the Glen redevelopment authority will ask the Village to spring for  $10,000 next month so we can put 10,000 additional beetles to work in July.

Ironically, state officials say Glenview is one of only two sites in the state where galerucellas did not thrive.  The other – in DuPage County – was hit by mosquito fogging that probably wiped out the bugs.  Glenview Watch has left several messages for the Cook County Mosquito Abatement Board to see whether that might also have been the case here.  The elusive Abatement Board has not called back.

At about 120 other sites, the bugs are said to be doing very well.  After inspecting one location a scientist said the field that was once filled with purple loosestrife "looked like it had been hit by napalm." 

CALLING ALL GARDENERS

If you'd like to help maintain Glenview's newest prairie, join a work party on July 1 from 9 am to noon.  Your mission – to remove invasive white sweet clover plants that are crowding-out the prairie species.  To get there, take Willow Road to Lehigh southbound.  The road is closed, but not before that point – just south of Willow – where northbound Lehigh intersects with westbound Lehigh.  The fence is down, and volunteers will be going in!

By the way, if you're interested in rare prairie plants, ask leaders of the work team to show you the state endangered Sun Drops and Blue Eyed Mountain Grass – species recently transplanted to the site from North Branch Preservation Project gardens.

GLENVIEW PARK DISTRICT SEEKS A FEW GOOD "FARMERS"

The Park District hopes to close on Wagner Farm by the end of July and will then begin an ambitious planning process for the property.  Some members of the Park Board, selected members of the public and an expert on agriculture could form a steering committee that would, in turn, decide what subcommittees should be established.  If you have ideas for Wagner Farm and would like to be part of planning, send a letter outlining your interests and any special qualifications to Bob Quill, Glenview Park District, 1930 Prairie, Glenview, IL, 60025.   No milking experience required.

WHITHER WILLOW

A community group concerned about the future of Willow Road will meet at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 21 at the MacArther School Auditorium (southwest corner of Palatine and Schoenbeck Roads in Prospect Heights.)  They'll be talking about congestion, safety and road conditions and sharing the results of an eight-community survey on how we use Willow and whether the road should be widened.

TALKING TRASH

Hazardous waste drop-off has been rescheduled for Glenview.  On June 24, you can take your old cans of paint, kerosene and the like to the Wheeling Township Transfer Station at 3 Providence Drive.

NO CABLE COMPETITION HERE

Remember when there was talk of cable tv competition in Glenview?  Well, forget it, at least for the time being. Ameritech had expressed interest in offering service here, but once it was subsumed by Texas-based SBC, the Glenview cable plan was disconnected.
   
Competition surely could have shaken AT&T Cable, formerly TCI of Illinois, out of its doldrums and mismanagement.  The Watch knows of one household where AT&T Cable servicemen have been four times, and the problem still has not been corrected.
   
If you have had similar cable problems, let the Watch know.  We'll be sure to share the problems with the Glenview Village Manager and AT&T.

TRYING AGAIN ON TEARDOWNS

The Plan Commission, under "orders" from Village Trustees to come up with a new ordinance governing teardowns, held its first of three sessions on the topic Tuesday night at Village Hall.  The Zoning Board of Appeals was invited to join in discussions, perhaps to mask the fact that two key players from the Plan Commission were not on hand.

Linda Witt, the Commission's only lawyer, was absent. She often misses meetings or leaves early, and at a time when the Village is struggling with some extraordinarily difficult issues, her presence is sorely missed. 

Howard Silver, the sharp-minded real estate accountant, was – again – forced to recuse himself from discussion.  One of Silver's clients, builder Bernie Schmitt, is a vocal player in the public debate on teardowns and an opponent of any further regulation.  Silver's expertise is a real plus for the Plan Commission, but with all of his business dealings in Glenview  he can't serve fully.

In addition to the MIA's, there's  Jim Patterson, Nancy Firfer's recent appointee to the Plan Commission.  He has no background in planning, real estate, architecture or the law.   Patterson clearly wants to make a contribution, but he lacks a basic understanding of the issues and has, so far, been asking elementary questions or raising non-issues.  Planning chief Mary Bak is forced to provide remedial lessons for Patterson, taking valuable time away from the tasks at hand. 

Meanwhile, Chairman Tim Doron, who understands the issues very well, admits that architect Tom Lindsay privately lobbied him at Grandpa's – the bar and restaurant in downtown Glenview.  Lindsay complained about overly restrictive construction rules.  Must advocates for stricter controls start hanging around Grandpa's for a chance to discuss their perspectives with the Chairman?

Tuesday's meeting ran until midnight.  The public is invited to the next meeting – a special session on  Saturday morning, June 24, in the Board room of Village Hall from 8:30 to 11:00.  Debate is expected to focus on  four key ways in which new homes and additions can be regulated.   

– F.A.R. (Floor Area Ratio) is used to restrict the amount of floor area in a structure relative to the size of its lot.  Today in Glenview those apply only in areas zoned for 8 homes or 18 homes per acre.  Northbrook, Park Ridge, Deerfield, Winnetka, Lake Bluff, Hinsdale and many other communities use this measure to prevent monster teardowns, but generous bonuses given to developers for various design features liked porches or detached garages can defeat the purpose.

– Daylight Plane Controls regulate the pitch of a roof based on height and lot width.  Also known as Setback Plane or Sky exposure, this measure can be used to ensure that when new homes or additions are built, they don't block the neighbors' light.

– Residential Guidelines are used by some communities to force architectural review of properties during the building permit process.  This tool is used to control size and other characteristics of new homes and additions.

– Bulk Averaging involves calculating the square footage of all homes on a block or in a given area, then averaging to determine suitable limits on new properties or additions.

These tools, and others, can be used singly or in combination to regulate construction. 

Citizens should also know that communities often add incentives to encourage certain design features.  In exchange, builders are able to evade some restrictions and construct larger homes.

What's more, developers find loopholes.  In Glenview, for example, we have attempted to control the size of homes by limiting the "impervious lot coverage" – that part of the lot which is covered by a building or paving material.  Builders have been known to use gravel instead of paving driveways so they can build a bigger house, and they may build higher houses to compensate for limits on the "footprint" or base of a structure.

One other tidbit that emerges from background materials provided by staff: Developers choose to do teardowns when they can recoup 2.5 to 3 times the purchase price for a home they buy, tear down and replace.  That formula pushes them to build bigger houses in order to get a higher price.

If this subject intrigues you, there's more to read at Glenview's Public Library.  Visit the reference room and ask for the packet on teardowns. 

READERS WRITE:

In a note titled "Straddling the Fence," Mr. & Mrs. Walking write about the Village Board President's clear confusion over the issue of fencing big construction sites in Glenview: "Nancy Firfer's stance on fencing of large subdivisions and smaller sites made a mountain out of a mole hill.  Leave it to her to make something simple complicated."
   
SB, who lives near the Glen, would like to see a fence around construction to keep dust in.  "I've already washed my blinds twice since early May and should vacuum my window sills every week.  My windows are dirtier than usual, and I can't imagine what my carpeting and furniture will look like come September.  Will the developers pay to clean them?"
   
If a protective fence is erected, SB adds that it should come down as soon as construction is complete.  "From the outset, the Glen has set itself apart from the rest of Glenview with its name.  It should begin incorporating itself into the rest of Glenview." 


YOUR TURN

What's on your mind? Drop us a line by e-mail at GlenviewWatch@aol.com or the old-fashioned way. We're at 3537 Maple Leaf Drive, Glenview, IL 60025. Thanks for reading. Dean Schott and Sandy Hausman, Co-Editors of The Watch.

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