Tim Doron stepped down as president of the Glenview Plan Commission Tuesday, but not before thanking about a dozen people and calling on the staff of Glenview cable television to come out from the control room and take a bow before the cameras.

In his farewell speech, the chairman defended his record on the commission, insisting he is not pro-development. Referring to the Marathon property, the land on which he approved the high-density Heatherfield development, a Target and Kohl’s and the North Shore Corporate Park, Doron said there was no choice. "We decided as a community not to purchase that for open space," he explained, referring to a 1989 referendum to try and preserve the land.

The open space initiative was expected to pass and had strong support from voters in Northbrook and Northfield, but several leaders from Glenview, including former Village Board President Jim Smirles, launched a last-minute drive to block the acquisition – claiming it wasn’t necessary for the public to spend money on open space. Instead, Smirles argued that developers could be made to set aside plenty of open space at no cost to taxpayers. With a strong "no" vote from Glenview, the referendum failed.

Doron took time to thank Smirles during his swan song, calling him "a gentleman and a leader," and noting that "many people in town are using Target and Kohl’s and like them."

The Plan Commission chairman then turned to his political foes. "What I do find offensive," he said "is when our projects, after we’ve spent weeks, days, months and hours laboriously going through the details, get to the Village Board, and it appears to me that some of the new trustees on the Village Board have taken an attitude that we’re going to take apart some of the things that the Plan Commission is doing."

Editor’s note: The new trustees were elected on a pledge to consider development more carefully, to try and protect this community from the problems that development brings. Is there some reason why an intelligent trustee, having done her homework, should routinely vote "yes" on whatever the Plan Commission recommends?

Finally, Doron praised Nancy Firfer as "a person of vision," and wished everyone "good luck and Godspeed." His voice broke, and he reached for a handkerchief, only to hear a fellow commissioner’s parting question: "Mr. Chairman, in your recap, I think there’s only one issue that you did not bring up and that would be dry cleaners."

"I have no thoughts on dry cleaners," Doron replied.

Doron says he has no intention of running for local office or serving on some other commission or board. He will, however, be active in the campaign to build and operate a new school in District 34, and he plans to teach religious education at OLPH.

While the former Plan Commissioner did not mention his hope of opening an Irish Pub at The Glen, it was the subject of gentle kidding when he appeared at a sparsely attended "listening session" with President Firfer Wednesday night in the Roosevelt Park field house.

"Did you hear about the two Irishmen who left the bar?" asked Irish-American Mary Sacoff .

"No," said Doron.

"It could happen," said Sacoff.

To which Doron replied: "Have you heard about the new form of arthritis that’s striking the Irish?"

"No," said Sacoff.

"You get stiff in a different joint every night."

Firfer’s political future was also a topic of discussion at the session. The two-term president of Glenview’s Village Board said she has made her decision on whether to run for re-election, but is not prepared to share it with the public.

She does intend to appoint someone to fill Doron’s seat on the Plan Commission and to replace him as chairman of the Glen Redevelopment Committee in the next few weeks. Firfer said she would promote people already serving on those panels.

President Firfer doesn’t hold news conferences, so the Roosevelt event – attended by Doron, Trustees Cook, Pappo and Carlson, a reporter from the Watch and six area residents, provided a chance to ask about many things.

Does Firfer support the school referenda despite a pledge of "no new taxes from The Glen?" Firfer claimed the promise only applied to village taxes. "It’s a needed building," she said of plans for the new school in District 34. "It’s an excellent school district, and I think you have to protect that."

When will the village hire a new police chief? Firfer said a search is underway. She praised David Kelly, who is serving in the top post despite his announced resignation in August. The president’s kind remarks prompted a joking question from Sacoff: "Did he fix a ticket for you?"

"No," said Firfer with a smile. "I’ve never gotten a ticket – at least not in Glenview. I drive slower here. I don’t want to appear in the police blotter."

"They’d publish your age!" said Swainwood resident Pat Marohn in mock horror.

"It could be worse," added Trustee Donna Pappo. "They could publish your weight."

Mark Damisch, who failed in his bid to replace Congressman John Porter, says he will seek a third term as village president of Northbrook. Back from a piano concert tour in Europe, Damisch proposed the village create a Cultural Arts Commission that would oversee downtown festivals, theatre groups, concerts and a sculpture park.

Damisch also urged his board to consider new regulations for homes that replace teardowns and suggested that a moratorium might be in order.

Glenview’s Village Board will debate a long-awaited ordinance to regulate teardown replacements Tuesday. The Plan Commission came up with a detailed proposal intended to keep builders from erecting giant houses that overwhelm their neighborhoods.

Once again, the panel struggled to keep things simple. They had agreed on a formula to prevent new houses on narrow lots from stretching far into their back yards. For lots that are at least three times longer than they are wide, village planners would multiply "the width times three" times "the width" to calculate maximum building size.

Trustee Donna Pappo, who is not on the panel, heard that and suggested a simpler formula to Development Director Mary Bak. You could reach the same end by squaring the lot width, then multiplying times three.

"I tried it out," said Bak, "and sure enough you can. I think it is a little bit simpler."

"So it’s 3-W parenthesis squared," said Chairman Doron.

"That would be your basic algebra," said Bak.

"Is it three times the lot width squared – the width squared – or three times the lot width squared?" asked Commissioner Joseph DiMattina.

"Width squared," said Bak.

"That’s different than what you just said," DiMattina replied.

"Oh," said Bak.

"No, no, no. Three times the lot width squared," said another member of the panel.

"Width squared times three," said a chorus of commissioners.

"Oh, here we go," said Doron. "This will make a good article in the Watch."

After another minute of discussion, the group agreed that Pappo’s formula was no easier than their own and decided to stick with the original wording.

Whatever their numbers, many members of Citizens’ Action for Proportionality, a group that favored stronger limits on the bulk of new homes in existing neighborhoods, felt the commission wasn’t going far enough. They decided to skip the Plan Commission’s meeting and will probably take their case directly to the Village Board.

Also on the agenda for Tuesday night’s meeting – an ordinance to protect trees. A proposal drafted by Trustee Kent Fuller proved too sweeping for the other board members. John Crawford and Larry Carlson said they thought the village should keep hands off trees on private property. Rachel Cook, Donna Pappo and John Patton proposed a middle ground to protect large, valuable trees, and Fuller urged protection for trees at construction sites.

Referring to those trees and the heavy construction equipment driving around them Fuller said, "The people who are going to buy that house think they’re buying a house with a wonderful tree in the front yard. It’s a dead tree. With all the equipment pounding the soil around the roots, it’s going to be very, very sick within the year and probably die."

A flyer detailing costs and benefits of joining Glenview’s new fitness center and swimming pool complex at The Glen went out Friday. If yours has not materialized in the mail box, call 657-3215 to request the brochure. Membership sales begin October 10 at Rugen Center. Park Center opens on January 5, 2001.

Note that use of the one-eighth mile indoor track is free for any Glenview resident, and that those who pony up the initiation fee of $50 and pay to join the fitness center ($375 less early bird or senior discounts) will get a health assessment by Evanston Northwestern Healthcare. The hospital will have a clinic on site and is paying $1.5 million toward construction of its part of the building plus half the cost of the warm water therapy pool. ENH will also pay annual rent for its space.

Park Center is still under construction, so no tours are being offered, but employees have begun moving things to the new building. Meanwhile, administrators who work at the old building on Prairie Street plan to stay put. They’re paying the village $1 a year for that space until 2079, and Executive Director Tom Richardson thinks it’s good to keep some distance between the bosses and those who handle day-to-day activities.

Golfers report a victory in their talks with the Park District. Officials say they will continue to offer a season pass to those who enjoy playing frequently and want to save money. The Park District is still considering an increase in fees and charging weekend rates from noon Friday through Sunday. They’ll announce proposals to increase golf course revenue and will hold one final meeting with the golfing public at 7 p.m. October 17 in the golf course club house.

The steering committee for Wagner Farm held its second meeting last week and all eight subcommittees are also at work planning the farm’s future. They toured the property on Saturday, then helped harvest pumpkins for the annual sale, Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Also available – organic fertilizer, better known as cow manure. Bring your own container for a supply of Wagner’s own. Proceeds support farm operations.

District 34 Schools’ Superintendent Dot Weber wants to quell a rumor that the foundation for a new school at The Glen has already been poured. While there is a flurry of construction around the site, no school work can or will be done until the voters agree to pay for it. Folks driving by may have mistaken these other projects for school work -- construction of a play lot for pre-schoolers, stage and stonework for the amphitheater, parking lots for both and the South Pavilion that will house restrooms, storage space, vending and lighting controls.

Two new buildings are planned for the North Shore Corporate Park – one to provide office space for businesses, the other for professionals. When V-3 Realty showed colorful architectural drawings of the first, Plan Commission Howard Silver took a close look and wasn’t happy with what he saw.

"The rendering is generally supposed to match fairly closely what’s presented to us. I see a large front lawn with a lot of trees, and I see a parkway out to the street and your BMW there, but I don’t see it on the plan. Can you show me where that is on the plan?"

"You should look at the rendering as a reflection of what the building is going to look like, but not the landscaping," said a hesitant developer.

Silver thought V-3 was taking "artistic license" too far, but he joined the other commissioners in voting to approve both office parks. Their plans, with or without parkways and BMW’s, will now go to the Village Board for review.

In the spring of 1999, more than 50 senior citizens took part in a 10-week study by Northwestern University to determine whether eating foods made with soy could lower cholesterol. Each week, volunteers took a shopping bag full of soy powder home from Glenview’s Senior Center.

"That is tasteless stuff!" says one woman who took part in the study.

Now, however, she’s concerned about more than flavor. A report in the Health and Nutrition Newsletter published by Tufts University (May 2000) suggests women may actually be at increased risk for breast cancer if they consume soy foods, and folks who eat the stuff in middle-age may find their brain function impaired in later life, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (June 28, 2000).

Alarmed, the research participant called Senior Center Chief Joyce Pottinger to see if she would call Northwestern and get some expert opinion on whether local seniors had risked their health by ingesting all that soy powder. Pottinger told the caller she was on her own.

Glenview Watch called the senior center to try and track down scientists who had done the study and were told they couldn’t possibly remember something that happened so long ago. "You’re really pushing our memory here," said Pottinger. "That was a long time ago. The paperwork is long gone."

Calls to Northwestern were equally unproductive. We were informed that at any given time the university had hundreds of studies underway, and no one seemed to recall this particular research. Our own research (at the library) suggests it’s premature to cut soy from your diet if you happen to like the stuff. Some experts, however, think women at high risk for breast cancer should give tofu, soy milk and soy supplements a pass.

The United Way of Glenview/Golf is soliciting the community’s views on whether to fund the Boy Scouts next year. The United Way of Evanston voted to drop the scouts after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the youth group could continue to bar homosexuals from serving as scoutmasters.

Editor’s note: While we are normally big on community input, we question whether it’s appropriate in this case. We think the United Way’s management and its donors should make the decision without polling the general public.

The U.S. Supreme Court said, in essence, the Boy Scouts discriminate, but because they’re a private group, the law allows them to do so. The United Way is also a private group and should decide how it feels about discrimination without the shield of popular opinion.

Village President Nancy Firfer is calling on anyone who might like to serve on the Plan Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals or the Appearance Commission to submit a resume. Mail her at Glenview Village Hall, 1225 Waukegan Rd. and send a copy to your favorite trustee.

District 31 has a new superintendent of schools. She is Debra Hill, a former assistant superintendent from Evanston-Skokie District 65. Hill, who is African-American, told the Glenview Announcements she would try to improve relations between Korean-American and Caucasian kids in the district.

District 34 schools and Glenview’s public library now have a video you can check out explaining ballot issues to build and operate a new school. There’s also a position paper on file in the reference room detailing the arguments against those referenda. Supporters will hold informational meetings at 7 p.m. October 3 and October 12 and at 1 p.m. October 28 in the library. Superintendent Dot Weber will be at Springman School at 7 p.m. October 26 to speak and answer questions.

Lauren Beth Gash and Mark Kirk – the candidates hoping to succeed John Porter as 10^th District congressman – will debate from 7-8 p.m. October 4 at the Christian Heritage Academy, 315 Waukegan Rd., Northfield.

WK: "I have been a Glenview resident for 28 years and want to congratulate you on putting out this paper. We mere residents of this community have no knowledge of what is actually going on. Your publication has brought many of the puzzling issues to the forefront, but I have several questions:

"Dominick’s is supposed to move to The Glen. Why are they remodeling their store on Waukegan Road? Will we have a food store here when Dominick’s moves? Why isn’t the village manager or mayor doing anything to get some new shops into the town?

"Compared to Highland Park, Deerfield, Wilmette or even Northfield, we are a "junky" town. Waukegan Road is beginning to look like the car lots on Cicero Avenue in Chicago. There is nothing interesting or inviting in our downtown section. Will it become a "ghost town" when The Glen opens?

The Watch replies: When Dominick’s won approval to build at The Glen, it had to promise a presence at the Waukegan Road site for at least five years. When that agreement expires, the company will decide whether the store is still profitable. If so, they’ll stay. If not, they’ll go.

The new Dominick’s, which is rising rapidly at the corner of Lake and Patriot Boulevard, is expected to open by Thanksgiving. It will be the largest store in the chain and will feature a "store within a store" – an area devoted to fresh, whole foods.

The question of new business development downtown has vexed the village for years. The trustees tried creating a special zoning category called D-1 to encourage construction of high density housing. Planners argued that more people living in the downtown area would draw more restaurants and shops. Instead, it appears to have drawn more traffic and dry cleaning establishments.

The Comprehensive Planning Committee was recently appointed to study this and other problems. They’ll be hiring a consultant and will hold public hearings. The chairman, Trustee Larry Carlson, predicts a report will be ready in about 18 months.

Meanwhile, Glenview seems to be devoting its marketing energies to The Glen where a new downtown is planned near Hangar One. This mixed use retail center, known by insiders as "The MURC," was supposed to feature a large book store, several restaurants, condominiums and a movie theater. So far, three companies have been hired to help market the property. It’s been for sale for years, but no announcements have been made about businesses moving in.

The costs of the Air Station Prairie are tiny compared to those of the Great Park. The idea of keeping the cost of a proposed nature center low by locating it in Hanger One is interesting. Students could eat lunch at the hanger, get an orientation to the prairie first, then walk over to the prairie itself. A simple park shelter could be added to provide cover in the event of rain. Why spend $2 million for a nature center and take field trip time away from actual exploration in a real prairie? I have worked at several nature centers in Wisconsin, and we tried to use the inside space as little as possible.

Why isn’t the village considering cheaper design options for the Air Station Prairie? Does Trustee John Patton want to inflate the price of natural open space in order to discredit it?

As for Glenview's role in the lawsuit over a new landfill, maybe SWANCC (Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County), of which Glenview is a member, should look to expand their recycling efforts to apartments, condos and multi-family developments. Right now Glenview and Skokie's curbside programs do not include these sources of garbage. Residents in these developments have to find their own contractors and do recycling on their own with no support from SWANCC or Glenview.

A PRAIRIE NOTE: Maintenance costs for the prairie can be minimized with help from volunteers. Adults and kids are invited to a seed gathering on October 15 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. and November 12 from 9 a.m. to noon. Take Lehigh Road north from Glenview Road or Chestnut to just before Willow. For more information, call Rob at 729-3487.

Schoolook is a publication of School District 34 prepared, published and mailed to every home in the district using public funds. In the May issue, "We're Having Growing Pains" presents a picture at odds with the facts.

The newsletter clearly suggests that an additional school is needed because of increasing enrollment and a lack of capacity for additional kids. That's not true.

The article misstates the number of new students projected for the next five years as "300-500." On September 30, 1999, enrollment was 3,719. Total enrollment in District 34 will climb to 3,832 students in 2004_05, according to the Kasarda report, a 1999 demographic study prepared for High School District 225.

An upper limit projection of 3,994 students in 2004-05 will not be reached according to the same report. Kasarda’s projected increase is 113-275 students, not "300-500."

Schoolook states that in the future, there will not be enough rooms in the schools "unlesswe make a change." This misrepresents the capacity of the schools. In an October 1998 memo, the Superintendent of District 34 stated that 1,100 students could be housed in each of three clusters (3,300 students) and 1,025 students could be taught at Springman Middle school for a total capacity of 4,325 students. This capacity is well in excess of the 3,832 students expected in 2004-05.

The district has presented a distorted, one-sided view to sway voters. Independent

demographic projections contradictory to the district's numbers are not mentioned. The district has misled citizens. The Schoolook is propaganda at the taxpayers’ expense.

And Lenoir Carry asks: How can the village allow the defunct EZ-GO gas station on Waukegan Rd. to continue to be such an eyesore? It is a disgrace.

The Watch replies: The owner of the property would like to sell it, but first it must get an okay from the village to operate a new gas station at the site. Glenview’s trustees are refusing to give that permission until the current owner cleans up toxic waste underground.

To read past isssues of Glenview Watch, Click Here