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The
Glenview Watch |
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We've been publishing Glenview Watch for nearly a year now, and there are those in the village who think we're very naughty, but we hope that better information will mean better local government – and that will be nice.
E-mail helps keep our costs down, but we still spend money each week mailing copies to the good girls and boys who have no computers, and this Internet stuff isn't free. We pay to maintain a website and to support the elves at AOL.
We're not a charity, so your contribution won't be tax deductible, but it will help us to deliver detailed local news with humor and perspective in the new year. Join our Publisher's Circle ($150), Editor's Club ($100), Webmaster's Cyber Space ($75), Reporter's Corner ($50) or Citizens'Center ($25). Checks can be sent to Glenview Watch, 3537 Maple Leaf Drive, Glenview, IL 60025. (Please put them in the mailbox, not the chimney.) Thanks and best wishes for a wonderful holiday!
– Sandy Hausman & Dean Schott, Editors of Glenview Watch
DING, DING, DING!
Glen Redevelopment Director Don Owen, who recently described a serious violation of state environmental law as a "ding," was back before the Village Board this week with news of another infraction.
Village contractor DiPaolo allegedly installed a sanitary sewer through Gallery Park without notifying the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District – the agency charged with making sure sewers are built to specification. As a result, the builder will have to dig up the line to show an inspector that the right materials and design were used.
MWRD's Chief Engineer Jack Farnan characterized this breach as "fairly routine," adding the agency issues 25-30 field violations a year. More serious, he said, was a violation that occurred at the Glen Oak Shopping Center at Lake and Waukegan. The center, managed by former Village President Jim Smirles, is in the midst of major construction and renovation. MWRD says the owners did sewer work, then paved over it, without proper notice to district inspectors and perhaps without a permit from the village.
Glenview Watch called Village Hall to find out whether the Smirles group had the proper building permits. We got no response.
Editor's note: Smirles has been active in organizing the new Unite Glenview Party, sponsoring a golfing fundraiser for the group at Kemper Lakes earlier this year and the "coming out" party for presidential candidate Larry Carlson at Hackneys. The alleged failure to secure proper permits puts Glenview in a difficult position since the village is legally responsible for any actions involving its sewers and could now be cited by the MWRD.
CANDIDATE UPDATE
The new UG Party (Unite Glenview) plans to announce its candidates for trustee at 9 a.m. next Saturday in Village Hall.
The G3 Party (Good Glenview Government) will unveil its slate the following week. Trustee Donna Pappo is the odds-on favorite to lead that ticket.
Mike Guinane, who ran for trustee in 1999 and placed last in a field of seven, is said to be shuttling between the two camps, hoping to run with one or the other. His chances with G3 were set back this week when former Plan Commission Chairman Tim Doron said Guinane would handle precinct work for UG. Before moving here, Guinane was active in Chicago ward politics.
HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT TO CAUCUS
As many as four seats may be up for grabs in District 225 this spring, and the School Board Caucus is looking for delegates to endorse candidates. The caucus will hold an organizational meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, December 12 in the southeast cafeteria of Glenbrook South. For more information, call Brian Bulger at 998-5208.
JUST SAY "NO" TO DRUGS
During a joint meeting of Glenview and Northbrook Trustees on December 4, officials from CVS – the nation's largest pharmacy chain with more than 4,000 stores – were told that approval of a store and drive through at the corner of Pfingsten and Willow Roads is unlikely. The two boards agree that wooded land across from a Walgreen's and an Osco would be a good site for homes. Right now, some property on that corner is zoned for business in Glenview while adjacent lots are zoned for residential use in Northbrook.
Northbrook Trustee Jim Karagianis said the obvious. "I don't see what benefit it would bring to our communities. We've got a drug store on almost every corner."
Glenview Trustee Larry Carlson said he would be willing to look further at the proposal, but would oppose allowing traffic access from Willow Road. "You might as well assign an ambulance and a police car to that corner if you're going to do that," he said.
Trustee Donna Pappo agreed "there's just too much traffic there," and Trustee John Crawford warned that if Glenview allowed CVS to have a drive through at the site, Walgreen's would appear within 90 days to request the same thing.
"It's not totally a DOA," Village President Nancy Firfer told three CVS representatives who came to the meeting, "but it's struggling. Think hard before you invest too much in [this project]."
SIX LANE TRAFFIC STALL
The two boards also agreed IDOT should not widen Willow Road to six lanes until other things had been tried – fine-tuning the timing of traffic lights, adding turn lanes and improving intersections from the Edens to I-294. Northbrook's Village President, Mark Damisch proposed a three-part strategy for keeping IDOT at bay. First, continue to work with State Sen. Kathy Parker, who opposes six lanes and is on the Senate Transportation Committee. That body can withhold money for widening, and Parker will hold the post for two more years.
Second, Damisch proposed talking with the Chicago Area Transportation Study – a group that would be willing to look at transit needs in this area and suggest alternatives to widening Willow.
Finally, Damisch said his staff had been instructed to propose additional options for Willow.
Glenview's President Firfer said widening was not imminent and thought IDOT was open to a change of heart on its six-lane proposal. She noted that there is no money in the department's budget for widening from Shermer to Landwehr roads. "The tollway [intersection with Willow] is high on their agenda, and they will do some work in Arlington Heights," she said, "but there's a long way to go until they even look at the six lanes."
Trustee Rachel Cook agreed but was anxious to prepare for battle anyway. "Now is the time – when the lions are sleeping," she said. "Once the bulldozers roll, we won't be able to turn them back."
WILLOW ROAD SIDEWALK OKAYED
Glenview also won an okay from Northbrook to construct a sidewalk on the north side of Willow from the new Patriot Boulevard to Shermer Road. Right now, there is no safe way for pedestrians or cyclists to travel from the Plaza del Prado or Glenbrook Market to The Glen, Target or Kohl's, but the village seems ready to make that a priority.
VILLAGE INSPECTORS ON THE MOVE
Glenview officials appear to be cracking down on neighborhood construction sites. They shut down three jobs last week for violations of village ordinance, including a large tear down site on Pfingsten Road south of Willow. Drivers noticed a significant amount of mud on the street, traceable to the lot where a giant replacement home is going up. Glenview cited the builder for failing to lay down a "gravel mat" that would reduce the amount of mud and dust inflicted on the neighbors. If you see problems related to home building, call Village Hall (724-1700) and connect to Assistant Manager Joe Wade at extension 201.
RIVER WALK PLANNED
After approving Loyola Academy's plan for a sports complex atop the Lutter Dump, adjacent to the Chicago River, Glenview announced plans to build a river walk from Willow Road to downtown Glenview along the banks of the north branch of the big muddy. It's not clear whether private homeowners whose land abuts the river will allow the construction and public access to make this proposal a reality, and no money has been allocated for the project.
Village President Nancy Firfer had asked her political allies, Trustees John Patton, Jr. (a Loyola alum) and Larry Carlson to review the Loyola deal, and Trustee Kent Fuller, who knows something about the property, offered to take the two on a walking tour.
"As long as I've lived in this town, you kind of start to think you know just about everything," said Carlson. "I'd never been back down there. It's like being out in the forest. I'm sure you know the ecologically correct word for that, Kent. It was a very interesting experience, and it's not something most of us would expect to find in Glenview. I've almost got all the mud off my boots."
Patton also joked about mud in describing three acres of wetlands and flood plain the village wants Loyola to maintain. President Firfer thought the wetland would be a valuable educational resource for the Academy, and Loyola's attorney, Mike Downing, agreed. "The science people at Loyola, when we started to discuss the wetland area, were ecstatic."
Editor's note: Teachers in Glenview's public schools have also been excited by the prospect of using a 31-acre prairie preserve at The Glen to help educate students, but the land remains off limits. Trustee Kent Fuller and his friends from the North Branch Restoration Project have had periodic access to the property, but there is still no access for classrooms and scout troops anxious to see the prairie and assist with its restoration.
WHEELING AND DEALING
Also at Monday's board meeting:
– The trustees okayed an increase in sewer and water rates. Asked what the hike would mean for an average household of two or four people, Public Works Director Bill Porter said, "I can tell you with great specificity what a five-person household will pay." Referring to his own family, Porter continued: "We take a reasonable number of showers. The kids like to run through the sprinkler and all that. Our consumption for 1999 was 105,000 gallons. . .so the additional cost, on an annual basis, would be about $38. Obviously, if you use more you'll pay more. If you use less, you'll pay less."
Porter said the increase was in no way linked to development at The Glen, and he said the extra money would be used to double the rate of replacement of water mains in Glenview. "We've already had two breaks this year, and we've just begun our prime season." He also hopes to step up repairs to sanitary sewers – a move he said would reduce the incidence of basement flooding after heavy rains and keep the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District "off our back."
– In approving a new 5 percent tax on telecommunications – local and long distance phone calls and data transmission by fax machines, computers, pagers and the like – village staffers admitted they don't know how much the levy will generate. "It is a difficult tax to anticipate the income on," said Finance Director Dan Wiersma, "because we don't know what we're not taxing – unlike the property taxes where we levy a dollar amount and receive that dollar amount."
Wiersma guessed the tax would generate $350,000 to be used in financing public improvements around the village. Trustee Rachel Cook suggested that if more is collected, the village board could lower the tax next year.
Editor's note: Let's jot that down, and see how quick the board is to surrender any extra cash in 2001.
– Moody's investment service has affirmed Glenview's triple-A rating for bonds. Eleven bids came in on our latest issue of nearly $5 million. They were purchased by Bank One which will charge 4.5387 percent to sell the bonds. That's $4.30 per thousand dollars – something less than the average of $7-$8. "They really wanted the bonds," said consultant Ron Noreen. "They had a very sharp pencil."
– The village renewed its insurance through a local agency owned by Pat Gallagher with a 15 percent decrease in its premium and a guarantee of no increase through 2002. The consultant on that matter cited Glenview's excellent safety record. He said many other communities are seeing an increase of 10-15 percent this year.
PLAN COMMISSION TO REVISIT BULK
AND SCALE
The Plan Commission takes up three hot topics involving new home
construction and additions this week. First,
it will reconsider the maximum building size limits for tear down
replacement homes set in a controversial ordinance approved this fall.
Then, the commission hopes to decide what new developments
should be exempt from the rules, and finally, the commissioners will
consider requirements for storm water detention on individual properties.
The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 12 at
Village Hall and will be on cable channel 17.
PARK DISTRICT TO DECIDE PEPSI/COKE CONTEST
The Park Board meets at 7 p.m. Thursday, December 14 to discuss its soft
drink contract for concession stands. Exclusive
agreements to sell Coke or Pepsi products mean a bigger share of the
profits for parks, so Glenview will make a choice. Pepsi
is expected to get the nod, in part because its newly acquired sports
drink, Gatorade, is preferred by savvy park district staffers.
Also on the agenda, a special honor for retiring police chief Dave Kelly.
Like others who have served the community, Kelly will be
invited to choose a tree and a park where he'd like it planted.
Former District 34 Superintendent Bill Attea requested an
oak at The Grove while former GBS principal Bill Schriner, a graduate of
Ohio State University, had a buckeye planted at Roosevelt Park.
Kelly first met Glenview's Park District Executive Director Tom Richardson
when the two worked in Glencoe. They were at a
banquet honoring the retiring police chief there. He
was asked to pick a tree to be planted in his honor, and Kelly remarked to
Richardson that it was a very nice idea.
READERS WRITE:
LAKE AVENUE TRAFFIC WOES
Gerald White writes: "Enjoy your newsletter very much and am grateful
for your perspicacious efforts on behalf of all Glenview residents. I look
forward to each update. I live in Tall Trees and, through the years, have
noted the steady increase in traffic on Lake Avenue between Pfingsten and
the Edens Expressway. As you know, rush hours
can be a nightmare on Lake Avenue. With all of the development at The
Glen, traffic congestion will only worsen. Of particular concern to me is
the fact that Lake Avenue does not have left-turn lanes in either
direction between Waukegan Road and Harms Road.
"In 1995, shortly after the GNAS closure announcement, I wrote
letters to the Village and to the Glenview Announcements offering the
following suggestion to improve traffic flow on Lake Avenue, but have
never received a reply: Since it's undoubtedly
too costly, impractical or illegal to widen specific intersections, why
not install protected left turn traffic signals at Sunset Ridge, Wagner
Road, and Harms Road. They wouldn't eliminate
all back ups and congestion, but allowing left turners to make a protected
turn for the first 10-15 seconds of the signal would, in my opinion,
certainly help. Could you advise me as to whom
I might make this suggestion? The village? IDOT?
Cook County?"
The Watch replies: Cook County will be working on Lake between Milwaukee
and Waukegan in 2002. Improvement of the
Milwaukee Road intersection is a priority, but other changes may be
considered. You can share your ideas with Ted
Georges, chief engineer of design, by calling 312-603-1700 or faxing him
at 312-603-9957.
PL WANTS THE ACTION DOWNTOWN
"I agree that a bookstore/coffeehouse, North Branch Grill would be
great downtown. Where is Homer's going to go
now that it's space is renovated at Lake and Waukegan? Something
like Panera would be great also, and I think the library should stay put.
It is a major anchor for downtown. STOP
moving everything to The GLEN!"
The Watch replies: Homer's continues to do
business on Green Bay Road in Wilmette and may open a shop at The Glen
once retail space is available there.
AND KP ASKS ABOUT COST SAVINGS AT THE GLEN
"My husband and were talking the other night about the concrete at
The Glen. Does anyone remember when the village stated that they would
make a fortune in re-selling all the concrete they were going to get when
they tore up the runways?"
The Watch replies: We placed a call to The Glen's redevelopment office to
ask about this matter, but being residents rather than developers, we
never got a call back. Some savings realized
in runway removal were attributed to the recycling of building materials.
HS SAYS SPEAK UP ABOUT WILLOW ROAD
"I hope that more Glenview residents will speak out regarding the
widening of Willow Road. In the past, Glenview
residents have not been outspoken enough. Glenview
is a large village with a variety of different interests. The
people on the south end have their concerns, and the people on the north
end have different concerns. Since the
trustees are not always aware of problems at different points of the
village it is important that each resident communicates to the board.
"Glenview appears to have the weakest stand against the widening of
Willow Road. Certainly the other villages
along the corrider are more committed to stopping IDOT from simply
building more roads without looking at local scenes.
"I am hopeful that through this publication the residents of Glenview
will learn how to voice their opinions to the Village Board. Would
it be possible for you to publish the names of the appropriate village
officials along with telephone numbers, addresses and/or email?
"I believe if enough residents voice their opinions then the trustees
will have to listen. Afterall, we do elect
these people. I am not necessarily looking for
a confrontation. I am hopeful that our
officials are open to common sense and will be responsive to the needs of
the residents of Glenview."
The Watch replies: You can write to trustees at Village Hall, 1225
Waukegan Road, or call them at numbers listed in the Glenview directory:
Larry Carlson
832-0051
Rachel Cook
729-2665
John Crawford
291-6941
Nancy Firfer
498-5554
Kent Fuller
729-4642
Donna Pappo
657-7126
John Patton Jr.
998-1466
AB adds: "I live in Glenview and
have to agree with the woman from Northfield. If
the situation were the opposite with Northfield residents asking Glenview
to widen its lanes, I would be against it too. I
applaud the residents of Northfield for standing up against widening
Willow Road. P.S. Why
doesn't IDOT change its name to the Illinois
Department of Industry, Operations and
Transportation – IDIOT?"
ALEXIS REYNOLDS SAYS GOLF IS THE WAY TO GO
"Golf should be widened, not Willow! If
we build ramps from the Edens to Golf it would give commuters a direct
route to 294 and beyond. Drive along Golf and
Willow and it's an easy choice – Forest
Preserve instead of Northfield, and there would be a benefit from
increased business to Glenview retailers on Golf."
PLR ON ZCLOSER'S ATTACK ON THIELE'S CRITIQUE OF CARLSON
"Larry Carlson, who's running for the presidency of Glenview's
Village Board, says the only people who are not invited [into HIS tent]
are those who are the extremists, those who put Glenview down. (He does an
amazingly good job of putting Glenview down by constantly putting down
its' citizens who care about their community!), those
who lie about what is going on around here (What lies?. . .Oh, he must
mean in regard to ‘Muddying the Muddy Mess,' Village attorney Randall's
saying the EPA accepted our ‘plan' when indeed they had rejected it),
those who are willing to do damage to this village for their own political
ends (I think he just perfectly described himself!). For
them, there is the Sandy Hausman Party, or whatever they're calling it
now." (He's a wee-bit touchy, isn't he?).
"Zcloser ended his letter by saying, ‘I hope you're proud of the
example you continue to set, Mr. Thiele, namely a poor one.' I would say
it is Mr. Carlson who is setting a poor
example by verbally and defensively attacking people who disagree with him
and his followers, among whom are the developers and builders who are here
to make money off of Glenview no matter what and how they decide to build.
Your supposition is that only ONE group of believers is
‘right' and should have exclusive voicing and decision-making, and that
only THEY have Glenview's best interests at heart. How arrogant!
How political! I haven't heard
Sandy Hausman or Biff Thiele declare they are running for office.
I find it interesting that the people already holding
political posts are the ones trying to discredit citizens who have no gain
other than to have their opinions heard regarding the future of this
lovely community known as Glenview."
The Watch replies: Larry Carlson had his own
response to Thiele in this week's issue of the Announcements.
We make no comment on that letter but were tickled by the
typo that appeared in the headline and in Carlson's note. While
the women of Glenview may consider Mr. Thiele an attractive man, his first
name is "Biff," not "Buff."
AOPENER RECALLS A LETTER IN WHICH ZCLOSER QUOTED MR. SPOCK
"ZCloser is back! Oh fun and intellectual
stimuli! Now I can abandon my quest for deep thought truths and verities
from Great Books thinkers and just read ZCloser in The Watch.
"Z" will give me guidance on forthcoming Glenview
trustee candidates based on what those intellectual giants of the Starship
Enterprise would do. Like Larry ‘The
Independent' Carlson, pet trainee of Nancy ‘Builders are a girl's best
friend' Firfer and John ‘I never saw open space that was not buildable'
Patton Jr., the sure thing candidate of ZCloser and his out-of-this-world
role model, Mr. Spock. Are we at warp speed yet, ‘Z?'
Your Turn. What's on your mind? Send us an e-mail. We are Sandy Hausman and Dean Schott – GlenviewWatch@aol.com.