DEVELOPERS STARE – PLAN COMMISSION BLINKS

A developer planning to build at the North Shore Office Park had proposed construction of 220 parking spaces, but the commission goofed, voting to approve 228 spaces. When the builder came back last week for the required second vote, the error was noted, but the developer now wanted to keep the extra asphalt. "I think we're way under parked with the 228," he said.

Chairman Silver preferred that the developer retain more open space and build less parking, but the builder wouldn't budge. Pointing to newly drawn plans, he said: "We tried to do exactly what the motion was. We went with what we thought was the right number."

"You said you would be at 220," said Chairman Howard Silver. "You agreed to be at 220. Will you do that?"

"Well, the board passed the ordinance at 228, and I'd like to stay with 228," said the builder.

Commissioner Linda Witt said she didn't much care. Neither did Commissioner Jack Bevington who moved to okay 228 spaces. Silver joined the majority in voting to approve the developer's plan.

PLAN COMMISSION BEFUDDLED, BEDAZZLED, IGNORED

Nearly five years ago, Glenview told the builder of Monroe Court Townhomes at the eastern entrance to The Glen that they could not create a "gated community" along Chestnut. Instead, the village wanted Monroe Court to be "pedestrian friendly." The builder, a company called IPD, proposed units with their backs to Chestnut, but the village wanted a more "welcoming" look and proposed that sidewalks be built leading from the back doors to a wrought iron fence with three gates opening onto the street. That, planners thought, would make the back of the buildings look more like the front.

Today, the townhomes are built. Folks are ready to move in, but there's no sign of walkways or gates. A spokesman for IPD said the walkways would be difficult because there is a drop of about 18 inches from patios behind the homes to the back yard, and an electrical box was installed at the very point where the main walkway would have joined the public sidewalk.

The spokesman, who repeatedly called the Plan Commission chairman "Howard," could not explain how the green box ended up in the wrong location or why the 18-inch gap was not anticipated.

The commission's newest member, Peter Brinckerhoff, looked over the drawings done in 1998. They showed a series of air conditioning units, tastefully concealed by landscaping. Today, he said, "there's electrical meters, gas meters, there's all kinds of other utilities that have compromised the original idea, and the sidewalks are not going to save it."

"I think we're trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear," said Commissioner Jack Bevington with a sigh. "I don't know that sidewalks are going to do anything for it."

Commissioner Jim Patterson thought maybe a three-foot fence would make the property seem more welcoming, but the developer expressed concerns about security and said a five-foot section of fence had already been erected along the Monroe Street side.

"We've been led down the path here," said Commissioner Joseph DiMattina. "We've been cajoled and befuddled and bedazzled concerning this project. . .We've asked certain things to be done, and they haven't been done."

"I know I could never bedazzle you," said the spokesman. "We think we've put in everything that the plan calls for."

DiMattina suggested staff make a trip to the site to check off which landscaping promises had been met, and Commissioner Linda Witt thought additional landscaping might make the property look better. IPD agreed to present new landscaping plans at the commission's next meeting.

GLEN CLEAN-UP TO COST $1.7 MILLION

Redevelopment Director Owen says the Navy will share in the cost of cleaning up more polluted land at The Glen – property set for use by a regional police training academy. The Pentagon had planned to meet its federally-mandated clean-up obligation by capping the land with a layer of concrete at a cost of $500,000, but village officials wanted to clean the land. If the training academy were to leave, and the property had been cleaned to residential standards, the village could sell the site for multi-family housing. The Navy figured a full clean-up would cost $2.1 million and was willing to contribute $575,000. Don Owen told the trustees (and any contractors who were listening) that the village can probably get the work done for $1.7 million. The project now goes out for "competitive bidding."

Editor's note: Knowing what the village expects to pay, we wonder how low the bidders will go and how "competitive" any of the contractors at The Glen have been.

MORE MEMBERS TO PLAN VILLAGE FUTURE

The Comprehensive Plan Commission, with 18 members, is about to get bigger. Chairman Larry Carlson proposed putting representatives from District 34 and 225 on the team, and Trustee Kent Fuller thought someone from the library board and park district should also be included. Trustee Donna Pappo suggested adding a representative from the League of Women voters – a group that has studied problems related to development for years, but Fuller objected, suggesting that other not-for-profit groups would then have to be included.


No deadline was set for the group to reach some conclusions. Chairman Carlson has said the process will take 18 months, maybe longer, and it won't begin until a consultant is selected. The search got off to a shaky start when a new village planner mailed requests for proposals to planning firms around the nation. He neglected to send one to Thompson Dyke in neighboring Northbrook – a respected company that often bids on local work. In the end, only two companies offered to do the job, so another round of solicitations has been sent, and the commission will wait until February to begin the long-awaited process of planning downtown and other parts of the village.

BOARD TURNS BACK ON NEIGHBORHOOD COMPLAINTS ABOUT NOISE

Residents of Glenridge Meadows, a small subdivision on the south side of Willow at Landwehr noticed their neighbors at Stonegate in Northbrook are being shielded by a brand new noise barrier along the Tri-state Tollway. They asked Board President Firfer to contact the tollway authority and ask for a wall to protect them as well, but when Firfer raised the possibility at the board's meeting on November 7, Trustee Kent Fuller objected strenuously.

"I don't understand why we would take the initiative to ask for sound protection there," he said. "I think we really should look at the sound problems created by the tollway through the whole town and name the areas that are most effected."

"We could do that – have it looked at and come back for some comment. Okay. Very good," said Firfer moving quickly to the next subject.

Editor's note: Fuller's point is well taken. The Grove should be a top priority for noise protection along with the many high density housing developments along Interstate 294. The Watch clock is now ticking. Let's see how fast Fuller or Firfer move to deal with this long standing problem that impacts Glenview's crown jewel and thousands of residents.

MOSQUITO ABATEMENT IS BACK

Mike Luxem will be back with his video camera, taping the Mosquito Abatement Board's annual public budget hearing this Saturday morning. Glenview's merry prankster has been training his lens on the board for a year now, trying to document an alleged waste of taxpayer dollars. The board spends more than $850,000 a year. Its members, who are appointed by Cook County Commissioners, meet monthly and attend an annual convention on insect control in Atlantic City.

Last spring, the Tribune reported that members of the board usually bug out of seminars, spending their time and your money gambling, and when a reporter decided to tag along, many board members cancelled their reservations. One told the Trib he had been ill and decided not to attend the convention on the advice of "my lawyer – I mean my doctor." Those board members who went were barely seen at the official sessions where mosquito abatement was discussed.

Luxem has formed a group of citizens called SWAT to campaign for abolition of the board. He invites other citizens to join him at the 9 a.m. December 2 hearing in Northfield's Village Hall – 117 Northfield Road. A copy of the Abatement Board's budget is available there for public review before the meeting.

PAYING MORE FOR POLITICAL PEACE

For the past five years, contractors have been installing water and sewer lines in Glenview before paving the roads and sidewalks above. Because the underground work is being done in the winter and spring, the village gets a good price from contractors, and there's time for the land to settle before being paved. "Nothing promotes settlement better than time and rain," writes public works chief Bill Porter in a memo to the trustees.

If, on the other hand, both jobs are done at once, settling can cause damage to new sidewalks and roads. "While settlement in a yard can be easily rectified," Porter says, "settlement in a new pavement is more difficult to repair."

Even so, he's recommending that both underground pipes and the pavement above be done at the same time to avoid provoking public anger. The messy look of settling yards and parkways has prompted too many complaints from village residents, and during an election year, Porter doesn't want to risk the wrath of voters.

Unfortunately, this political decision comes at a price. "We will likely have to accept increased costs for both pavement and landscape restoration as a follow-up to the initial work," Porter writes.

Editor's note: With all the complaints they've had and the prospect of saving tax dollars by being patient, the Watch wonders why village officials have not undertaken a public education campaign to explain delays to residents and secure their support for a more cost-effective approach.

NEWS BRIEFS:

– On the morning before Thanksgiving, some homes in the vicinity of Waukegan and Central lost their water supply when a water main broke. Because the pipe was so close to the village's water tower, pressure was high and 100 million gallons were lost before the break could be repaired.

– Crews are replacing the roofs of the barn and machine sheds at Wagner Farm.

– The Park District's new year's eve bash at Park Center is sold out, but memberships are not moving quite so fast. Administrators say the early-bird discount extends through January, so people planning to join may be taking their time.

FINE WINES ON LINE

Two Northfield men have won approval to auction fine wines from offices here. Their company, winebandit.com, will sell bottles and cases over the Internet, charging customers a 7.5 percent fee – well below the price charged by other on-line wine merchants. Each bottle comes with a money-back guarantee. The founders, David Benway and Eric Belcher, plan their first auction in December and are hoping to open offices in London, Bordeaux and Hong Kong. Alas, Glenview will share only minimally in the success of winebandit because sales tax can only be charged to customers from Illinois.

AND THE WINNER IS ...

The Glenview Centennial Commission will report a profit of $25,000 this week from the sale of sportswear, centennial books, the ads in them, donations and interest. No word on whether any money advanced by the village to the Commission will be returned. The official account also shows that Village Planning Director Mary Bak's family won a $1,000 raffle prize.

READERS WRITE

ABOUT CARLSON'S CANDIDACY AND THE ACRONYM FOR HIS NEW PARTY – UNITE GLENVIEW

CW writes: "I love it. UG! I'm still laughing. If he's independent, why is he aligning himself with a party? There's an oxymoron in there somewhere!"

JB says: "There's no question that the Unite Glenview party can and probably will erect a big tent. They will have a grand time doing it. They will hire several of their favorite consultants to design it, discuss secretly where to build it and award no bid contracts to a couple of big developers to erect it. One problem. In the end, there won't be anyone in it."

AB adds: "Carlson never defined what he meant by ‘extremist.' I am sure he means someone who disagrees with what he proposes. I am proud to be an ‘extremist' if an extremist means someone that recognizes the long-term consequences of a plan. Does Carlson really think he can have a party that will make decisions without any opposition?"

Biff Thiele sends an open letter to candidate Carlson:
"I'm very disappointed in your recent speech. Let's be clear from the start. The Unite Glenview Party is not, as you claim, a ‘New Party.' While the name has changed, the faces have not. Your Booster's Club meeting was arranged by Village United Chairman Jim Smirles and the club, itself, which funded the Village United Party in its last bid, will fund your ‘New Party.' The 40 or so individuals that made up the core support team for McLennan, Stickney and Ulstrup two years ago under the Village United banner, are the same folks contributing to your fund raisers, like the golf outing you hosted with Jim Smirles. One of those supporters, Tim Doron - your party chairman, was appointed to the Plan Commission by members of that same clique, and Doron campaigned in the last election for the Village United Party.

"Your supporters are the same individuals who have publicly and privately attacked the Glenview First Party since its inception. How can you expect anyone to believe that you and your supporters now embrace Glenview First, when you invite them ‘to join with (you) also?'

"In the very same paragraph where you announced your candidacy, the first thing you did in your effort to ‘unite' was you began to exclude. Just so there is no confusion, let me quote you: ‘This party will stand for inclusiveness, not exclusiveness, for positivism, not negativism...this new party will be a big tent, with room for all who have Glenview in their heart. ...The only people who are not invited are those who are the extremists, those who put Glenview down, those who lie about what is going on around here, those who are willing to do damage to this village for their own political ends. For them, there is the Sandy Hausman Party, or whatever they're calling it now.'

"What extremists? Would that be those of us who are opposed to over-development? Who puts Glenview down? Would that be those from your party who have historically ignored and demeaned residents that have come before the various Commissions and Boards with legitimate concerns that differ from your own? Who lies? Would that be an old party, claiming to be a new party, open to all, while excluding those whose opinions differ?

"Sandy Hausman is not a member of any party, and she's not running for office. She does, however, have Glenview in her heart, and she was a strong supporter of the Glenview First ticket.
Ms. Hausman also writes the Glenview Watch, a weekly e-news that was born out of inadequacies in the Village Report and the Glenview Announcements. Your party, regardless of its name, openly despises and attacks Ms. Hausman and Glenview First, often linking them together, as if that relationship were a crime. You have attacked the messenger, because it often criticizes the policies and practices that have divided us all and which your friends have supported. Yet, you have the nerve to tell voters you embrace Glenview First, while you exclude a strong supporter, because you don't agree with her opinion.

"Shame on you, Mr. Carlson. Like it or not, Glenview is now a two-party system, where people tend to disagree. Conflicting views inspire public debate and in spite of your supporters opinions, that is not a bad thing. To quote Jim Smirles, as he addressed the Glenview First Party creating controversy, "Nothing but good can come of it." (Glenview Announcements: 1/5/99.)

"Your supporters have not practiced what you are now attempting to preach. While differing opinions will be issues, they are not what the coming election will be about. It will be about arrogance and indifference by members of your clique. The ‘New Party', now claiming to want to bring us together under one big tent, is nothing but the same old wolf. And you, sir, are the new sheep's clothing. To align yourself with the old guard, while claiming to create a ‘New Party,' is the real lie. Such lies do not bring people together. They are, however, at the core of the divisiveness that you purport to want to eliminate. Now, in your effort to ‘unite' us all, you may wish to exclude me, since I clearly do not agree with your position either. But I'm not sure I would care to be under your tent anyway."

HUG THE BEAR

Amy Brossard writes: "Does anyone remember our slogan: Hug the bear? Well, I do, and I say it every time I go out to do business with my favorite Glenview shop owners. Let's celebrate the wonderful businesses we have in Glenview and talk about what new businesses we'd like to attract. My family likes Sun Cleaners, The Noodle, Dragon Inn North, King Maa, Gusto Italiano, Renneckar's Snack Shop (where you can still get cherry phosphates!), the old Dominick's on Waukegan Road, the new Jewel, Panera Bread and Ace Hardware. We would like a coffee house, bookstore, year-round ice cream place, bakery, more handmade craft stores, a mini Carrot Top (with salad bar and hot entree takeout) and the reopening of the North Branch Restaurant. What would everyone else like to see?"

DOWNTOWN AND DOMINICK'S

MLH writes: "Hooray for North Shore Realty! I know they are in violation of the recent enactment, but my vote goes for any business that is willing to stay in downtown Glenview (with the exception of another dry cleaner, but that is also a service industry in my mind). If North Shore vacates, as they most likely will do given the violation, we will have yet again one more empty storefront in that area. Kudos also to Dominick's for thinking about keeping their downtown store. It's in a good location; you can run in quickly for something and be on your way. Those superstores are good if you really want 21 choices of ketchup or need to kill a few hours wandering the aisles. Personally, I'd rather have a Whole Foods or Sunset Foods in Glenview, but I will gladly accept the downtown Dominick's."

A VILLAGE DINNER AT THE CLUB:

Kathy Schulte weighs in: "It seems to me that having a wonderful meal in a lovely setting is small compensation for the Village Board, who volunteer their time gratuitously. What has been asked of them in the last few years has been truly gargantuan. The Board doesn't want to join North Shore Country Club, they just want to eat dinner there once in a while. If I were to choose my restaurants based upon my approval or disapproval of the political platforms of the governments associated with their owners, I'd have to cook dinner every night! For Pete's sake, let them have a nice dinner."

AB writes: "I take great exception to Phil Montross, who says there are other exclusive clubs, like the NAACP and NOW. Does he realize that whites and men could join those clubs? Just because an organization is formed to fight for certain rights, such as NOW or the NAACP, does NOT mean that people other than women or blacks can't join those clubs. And I want JR to get me the name of even one Jewish Country Club that has a policy of refusing admission to non-Jews."

And PG wonders: "Since North Shore Country Club members have monthly or annual "minimums" (meals they must buy or else be stuck with a bill for the amount not spent), I am curious if the Village's payment counts toward any member's minimum. I also wonder what's wrong with The Noodle or Gusto. I guarantee the freight would be less. The "privileged" message this sort of thing sends is disturbing but oh so typical. I'd feel better if Bob Abt were paying for it."

WIDEN GOLF, NOT WILLOW

Alexis Reynolds says: "Perhaps widening Golf rather than Willow would be more productive and less invasive. At the east, Golf intersects with the Edens/I-94, convenient to Old Orchard and Skokie Courthouse, and at the west, with I-294 convenient to Northwest Hwy and Rand Road, both leading to I-90. Golf is primarily strip malls, forest preserve and cul-de-sac streets. Ramps could be built with little impact to the intersecting areas."

Also, on the traffic safety front she wonders, "would ‘right turns only' at intersections from 3:30-5:30 p.m. help protect school kids, keep out some ‘short cutters' and reduce congestion?"

The Watch replies: Sounds good, except that the Edens does not have on and off-ramps at Golf Road, which passes underneath the Edens. As for right turn restrictions, we suggest you drop a note to the traffic committee at the village manager's office to get the ball rolling on a study of that idea. Send your note to Janet Mulvey, 1225 Waukegan Rd., Glenview 60025.

END NOT IN SIGHT
Z Kitty Kat's note refers to the title we affixed to part three of last week's Watch, she writes: "Don't scare me like that! 'The Thrilling Conclusion of Glenview Watch' conjured up the thought of you two giving up your weekly newsletter. Yikes. I was almost afraid to read that e-mail. We are thankful for your diligence as you keep all that want to know ‘in the know"



Your Turn. What's on your mind? Send us an e-mail. We are Sandy Hausman and Dean Schott – GlenviewWatch@aol.com.

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