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Plans for an expanded library downtown have hit a significant bump. The Glenview Post Office has reportedly decided not to move from its current location to The Glen, raising the very real possibility that the library will. A press release issued by the Library Board follows:
The Glenview Public Library Board of Trustees is deeply disappointed with the sudden news that the Post Office will not move to the Glen. We understand that this decision came solely from the Postal Service and is the result of financial and organizational changes in that institution. Since we can no longer expect to receive the Post Office Property, and since we remain deeply concerned about the urgent space and parking problems facing the library, we will continue to work with the Village of Glenview to seek a site that will meet our requirements and provide the best possible service to the residents of Glenview.
HANGAR ONE CHALLENGER CENTER – FLYING HIGH
Advocates of an air and space center at The Glen are celebrating news the village will give them 44,000 square feet of Hangar One. That clears the way for Glenview's Hangar One Foundation to work with a Virginia-based group established by families of astronauts who died aboard the Challenger space craft. They franchise the Challenger Learning Centers, building customized space education facilities for children.
Kids in grades 4-8 spend six weeks in their classrooms preparing for a mission before going to the Challenger Center, where they use a mock control room and two flight simulators to experience lives as astronauts and NASA ground crews.
The adventure is part of the science curriculum in about 40 cities that have Challenger Learning Centers. While the enterprise is not-for-profit, it is intended to break even, with schools paying $500 per class. At Challenger in northern Indiana, the center is sold out months in advance.
Hangar One also hopes to have a small air museum at the site – a display that would preserve GNAS history and honor the men and women who trained at the base. The foundation must raise about $4 million and hopes to secure a grant of $500,000 from the state. If all goes as planned, the center would open in 2003. For more information, visit the Hangar One website at www.hangarone.org and the Challenger website: www.challenger.org.
PARK CENTER OPENS TO RAVE REVIEWS
A new community recreation center at The Glen is winning praise from residents impressed with the architecture, interior design and facilities provided by Park Center. Anyone who lives in the Glenview Park District can use the indoor track at no charge, and paying members have access to a kids' pool, lap and therapy pools, a weight and exercise room and gym. There are also wings for seniors, pre-schoolers and those who enjoy the cultural arts. The grand opening is set for 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, January 20 and noon-4 p.m. Sunday, January 21. The Park District promises sports contests, a raffle, merchandise giveaways, refreshments, music and entertainment. You can also take a free fitness class or try the pool at no charge. For more information, call 724-5670.
So far, Parks Director Tom Richardson says things are going well, but there have been a few glitches. Of 200 doors in the facility, 67 had locks that didn't work or were installed wrong. The new computer system has, at times, failed to operate properly, and Richardson says residents have flooded the district with suggestions for ways to do things better. On balance, however, he says the public is enthusiastic, and memberships are selling well.
One worrisome footnote: heating the swimming pools and the large building is expensive, and the rising price of natural gas could mean much higher maintenance costs than the Park District anticipated.
NEW PARK PLANNED FOR NORTH GLENVIEW
The Glenview Park District has won a $400,000 grant from the state to develop West Fork Park, a 15-acre site along the west fork of the Chicago River near Heatherfield and Sunset Village. Park District officials plan to meet with the neighbors to discuss plans for a playground, two basketball courts, two baseball diamonds and two tennis courts.
LIBRARY CHOOSES AN ARCHITECT
Glenview's Library Board has chosen a firm to design its new or renovated building. Phillips Swager Associates (PSA) has offices in Naperville, Peoria and Dallas. PSA was one of nine firms that submitted proposals. It has designed libraries in Downer's Grove, Palatine, Mundelein and Schaumburg. The board meets Wednesday, January 17 to decide whether it will go to referendum this spring and how much it will ask voters to pay.
GLENVIEW'S LAST NURSERY TO CLOSE
Glenview once had more than 20 businesses that sold trees and shrubs, serving as the nursery center to the Chicago area. The first nursery was established in the mid-1800's when landscape architect Swain Nelson was commissioned to design and build Lincoln Park in Chicago. He bought land at the current location of Swainwood on which to grow the trees and bushes he needed.
After the World War II, when GI's returned to claim the American dream and buy homes in the suburbs, nurseries began selling their land to developers. Last week, the last of the nurseries – Moore Landscapes Inc. – announced it would move to a site on Techny Road and would use its current property near the intersection of Landwehr and Lake to build 67 town homes. Plan Commissioner Peter Brinkerhoff warned the proposed development was too dense and too linear – resembling a train. Discussion of the development's size, traffic impact and other issues will be explored further at the next Plan Commission meeting January 23.
PLAN COMMISSION MODIFIES "BULK AND SCALE"
Last year, the Village Board approved new limits on the size of homes built in existing neighborhoods, establishing a "maximum building size" (MBS) tied to the size of the lot. Now, officials are discussing modifications. Members of the Plan Commission and Zoning Board are recommending a separate limit on building size for homes on oversized or assembled lots based on the zoning district – making some effort to assure that new houses are proportional to their neighbors.
The problem, according to critics, is that the proposed limits are very high, so neighbors may still feel overpowered by newly-constructed houses on these extra large lots.
The joint commission is also asking the board to let it flesh out a plan whereby streets or neighborhoods could vote to have separate rules on how large newly-constructed homes could be. Some residents are already objecting to that idea – predicting it will lead to "anarchy, pitting neighbor against neighbor, street against street." They prefer the establishment of an appeals board where prospective home builders and neighbors could present their views and ask for exceptions to current MBS rules.
PARENTS TO FIGHT WIDENING OF WILLOW
Glenview families in District 30 schools are organizing to fight any widening of Willow Road. between Waukegan Road and I-294. Their children attend Maple Middle School in Northbrook, and the prospect of kids crossing a six-lane road has many upset.
A group called Glenview Citizens Against Widening Willow will meet with village Trustees Donna Pappo and Rachel Cook at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, January 18 in Willowbrook School. Last week, the village board presidents from Glenview and Northbrook sent a letter to parents repeating their official opposition to widening and assuring them that the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) won't do anything in the near future:
"IDOT's response has generally been to assure both communities and their residents that there is no money in the capital budget for the next five years or in their current program to undertake such widening," they wrote. "While this is good news in itself, it does not provide the kind of sustained protection which we believe our residents deserve. . .We are working with Secretary of Transportation Kirk Brown and State Senator Kathleen Parker and State Representative Beth Coulson in seeking their cooperation to insure that further widening along this stretch of highway will not be considered by the State."
"We do endorse the concept of intersection improvements as well as traffic signalization interconnections for better traffic flow and safety reasons."
AVOIDING TRAFFIC HOT SPOTS THROUGH E-MAIL
The Chicago Tribune reports the city is expanding a pilot program to provide free e-mail traffic advisories. Alerts will go out when travel times on three or more Chicago expressways exceed an hour or when airport flight delays begin exceeding 30 minutes. To subscribe, send an e-mail note with the subject line "subscribe" to reportinglive@hotmail.com or tjohnson@cityofchicago.org.
PRAIRIE ADVOCATES WIN ROUND TWO
A Cook County Circuit Court judge has refused to dismiss the case brought by the Glenview Prairie Preservation Project and six Glenview residents against the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the village. The plaintiffs say laws designed to protect a rare tallgrass prairie at The Glen are not being properly enforced.
During more than an hour of oral arguments, lawyers from the state and village said they had done everything required, while lawyers representing the prairie group cited specific requirements in statutes passed to protect endangered species and properties on the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory. Their attorney, Jim Vroman, said the state had failed to submit the detailed action report and biological opinions required. Without something in writing, Vroman argued citizens could not tell how well the IDNR was doing its job and what the village must do to assure that rare prairie plants and animals are protected.
Reading the exact language of one law, an attorney for the IDNR said "shall" is "not mandatory," so the department doesn't have to do these things.
"I'm uncomfortable granting a motion to dismiss," said the judge in asking the parties to return on February 15, when she will schedule a hearing to decide what the law actually requires and whether the state and village have met the requirements.
Last spring, the court ruled against prairie advocates when they tried to stop construction of a water main and road along the northern boundary of the prairie. Home Depot, which was planning to build on land north of Willow Road, claimed it needed the water main to get started and would lose big bucks if the work were delayed. The judge asked the plaintiffs to post a $400,000 bond to protect Home Depot. The plaintiffs said they couldn't afford that. Village Attorney Jeff Randall suggested they mortgage their homes. When the plaintiffs refused, the court ruled that their case for a restraining order could not be heard.
For reasons unrelated to the suit, Home Depot has yet to break ground for its new store.
MOSQUITO BOARD STINGS CITIZEN WATCHDOG
Community activist Mike Luxem, who has been watching the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District for years, was verbally assaulted by one NSMAD board member Saturday. When Luxem arrived, just before 10 a.m., he says two board members were on hand: Don Israel and Otto Cesario. "Look who's here," Israel reportedly said. "Where's your camera?"
Luxem has previously videotaped meetings of the abatement board to document what he believes to be a waste of tax dollars.
Lacking a quorum, the two men telephoned a third board member and completed their business in about six minutes, paying bills for more than $40,000 and approving December's payroll of more than $20,000.
As he was leaving, Luxem said: "Great job, men. Keep up the good work," to which one board member reportedly responded with an obscenity.
Luxem has formed a group called Stop Wasteful Abatement Taxes or SWAT with a plan to ask the voters whether they want to support the Mosquito Abatement District and its $900,000 annual budget. If you'd like to help, e-mail americanlegion@onebox.com.
BOARD PREVIEW
On Tuesday, January 16, watch for new appointments to The Glen Redevelopment Commission and the Comprehensive Planning Committee and a final report from the Centennial Commission. Cable coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. on channel 17.
A CORRECTION
In last week's Watch, we mentioned that Gail Anderson, a candidate for village trustee, is a member of the Rotary Club's "Sunrise chapter." JM wrote to set us straight, pointing out that the correct name for the group is "Rotary Club of Glenview-Sunrise."
AND A WORD OF THANKS
Muchas gracias to all who attended Saturday's fundraiser for the Glenview Prairie Preservation Project at the new Chipotle Grill on Willow Road near Target. The group raised about $1300 – money it will use to finish a video about Ev Tyner, one of Glenview's first prairie advocates. We also want to thank Chipotle. The Denver-based company approached GPPP with the offer of a fundraiser, provided electronic and snail mail invitations with postage, and delivered dinner for about 300 people without a hitch.
READERS WRITE
Terry Wodder wonders, do we really need a bigger library? "It should be apparent to even the most casual observer that we are witnessing the dawn of the greatest revolution in the field of communication in the history of mankind. In terms of the information super highway we are still on the ramp. The Glenview Public Library has an extraordinary opportunity to chart a new course in library services for the new millennium by thinking outside the box.
"I urge members to postpone a referendum for one year in order to lead the community on a voyage of discovery. There would be no appreciable harm in delay – only a chance to explore the world of information technology and to consider the space needs and services that the library of the future will have.
"I'll get the ball rolling with a few suggestions of my own: Reference transactions increased a modest 3.49 percent from 1993-1997 or less than 8/10ths of 1 percent per year. I have not seen statistics for Glenview, but circulation of non-fiction books and periodicals declined in each of the five years preceding Northbrook's referendum. Patrons appear to be finding their information on the Internet. It might, therefore, make sense to eliminate 80 percent of printed material in these departments and concentrate on providing the same resources via computer.
"Instead of putting all of their eggs in one basket, the library might want to partner with schools around Glenview to make additional computers available during peak evening hours when students are not in classrooms or multi-media centers. Duplicate technology costs taxpayers money. Why not make the most of what we already have.
"The library could also put computers at various locations around Glenview so busy residents could order books in advance. Once they've checked the catalogue and sent their electronic request from the grocery store or the bank, they could drive through a dedicated pick-up lane at the library. I don't know how many patrons drop-in to pick-up a book, but this would be a great way to minimize the need for parking.
"Now to the controversial subject of videos. If you take total operating costs divided by total circulation, you discover that it costs approximately $5 every time an item in the collection circulates. It would be cheaper to give a patron a $3 voucher which they could use at Blockbuster than to be in the video rental business. We should, of course, make an exception for educational videos.
"One last aspect to my challenge: Every effort should be made to enter into a partnership with a company like Microsoft or Apple to make this vision of a 21st century library a reality. Many companies would be thrilled to get their foot in the door, both for the public relations value and for future profit."
Mary Sacoff disagrees: "Terry Wodder has some good ideas but he misses one important point. Our public library is a place for the intellectual life of the community – providing space for private study and reflection while offering opportunities for people with similar interests and passions to share and learn together.
"Wodder says there is no harm in waiting a year, but as things now stand, we could not have a new library until 2003. The need is now, and any delay deprives Glenview of an important public amenity.
"Some of Wodder's ideas may be viable in the future, but we need to address the need for more space inside the library and more parking outside as soon as possible."
And Richard Feit writes: "Last week's Watch reported results of a telephone survey showing more than 65 percent of patrons prefer that Glenview's library remain where it stands today rather than moving to The Glen. As a 34-year resident, I can only recall such a mandate for one other action – the 1967 referendum to condemn Wagner Farm for a new park.
"A study by the consulting firm FGM suggested a need for 50,000 additional square feet added to the existing 53,000-square-foot library. This would nearly double the size of our library. Considering Glenview's current population at 38,000, a 103,000-square-foot structure seems overly ambitious.
"Arlington Heights has 95,000 people – more than double Glenview's population – and a library of 135,000 square feet – slightly larger than what our consultant has proposed. Naperville has a population of 125,000 and 95,000-square-foot library, and Northbrook overbuilt when it expanded its library to 84,000 square feet.
"If, in fact, expansion here is justified, Glenview could gain a good deal of space by building up and into the existing building. We would get an additional 3,500 square feet by filling in the second floor atrium. Another 5,000 square feet could be added with a two-story addition on open land around the current library, and 2,500 square feet more could come with a second floor over the reference area.
"As for the problem of parking, the site of the Epco paint store could provide the space we need. It would seem both the Library Board and Village Board should be working to obtain this space, especially since the poll of local residents gave an unequivocal ‘no' to relocation to The Glen."
Kathy Schulte is mad about the MAD: "If the Mosquito Abatement District fielded 61 calls from Glenview residents last year, 5 percent of those calls were from me. I repeatedly asked for a crew to spray in my area. Each time I called, they confirmed a crew had not been to my house. They were very pleasant and accommodating on the phone, but to my knowledge, nothing was done.
"I love watching those guys drive slowly by looking for mosquitoes in the middle of the day, or early in the morning. Prime mosquito time, right? What a great job! Don't change a thing. I'm applying for a part-time position. I have a lifetime of experience. I can spot a mosquito from at least five feet away!
"For the suggestion box: A doorknob note would let residents know if a crew had been through the area while the resident requesting service was away from home."
AB adds: "We should ABATE the Mosquito Abatement Authority. Most people I know would consider it a waste of money and object to the spraying of insecticides. It is unhealthy for people with asthma and other respiratory problems as well as the general public."
The Watch replies: While the Mosquito Abatement District (MAD) says spraying is generally safe, it can be dangerous to people with respiratory illness. MAD has shifted its focus to prevention or "larviciding" – putting pellets of bug-killing chemicals into standing water where they're gobbled up by infant mosquitoes. Misting is saved for specific problem areas, and the MAD encourages folks with asthma and other breathing problems to call 446-9434 and request that no spraying be done near their homes.
And PM writes: "I agree with your suggestion that the NSMAD be investigated, not only as to its budgeting and expenditures, but as to its reason for existence. To what super agency does it report? To whom do you direct queries? Do all the North Shore communities belong to the same NSMAD?"
The Watch replies: Mike Luxem, Glenview's resident expert on this subject, says the Mosquito Abatement District answers to the Cook County Board. (Greg Goslin and Cal Sutker represent Glenview on that board.) There are 13 communities which are taxed by MAD: Glenview,
Northbrook, Skokie, Wilmette, Glencoe, Golf, Lincolnwood, Kenilworth, Northfield, Winnetka, Niles, Morton Grove, and the City of Evanston.
Alan Butman sounds off about snow and lawsuits: "How could anyone sue someone else and win if the plaintiff cannot prove that the person shoveling his or her walk did so recklessly or negligently? If that is true, can I sue the city of Glenview when they shovel the main walks? Can I sue the village if my car skids on the ice on a street that they plowed? Why is it that Glenview plans to build sidewalks on Willow to make it safer for pedestrians when the village doesn't shovel its walks? I have to walk my dogs down the middle of my street hoping that the cars see me as I walk. Is this safe?"
The Watch replies: In fact, many communities require residents to shovel sidewalks, and the law protects you from suits unless someone can prove that you were "willful or wanton" in the way you shoveled – that you deliberately did a bad job, hoping that your least favorite neighbor might slip.
Assistant Village Manager Joe Wade says there are 152 miles of sidewalks in the village, and with three pieces of equipment assigned to the job, 58 miles are plowed. The decision on which walks to clear is based on pedestrian activity and child safety. That means schools, areas around downtown and our train stations and sidewalks along major roads are a priority.
But GTM says the village has done a poor job in some places: "During the snowy weeks, people walking to and from the Glenview train station could barely traverse the Glenview Road sidewalk at Waukegan. You had to walk in the street, placing your life in the hands of the drivers converging on the intersection.
"If we are trying to make our downtown pedestrian friendly, why can't the village do a better job clearing the snowy sidewalks feeding into perhaps the central intersection of our town? They plowed too little and too late, if at all."
Slippin' and Slidin' has another snow-related gripe: "I know we were deluged with snow this year, but where I live it looks like the whole point of plowing was to cover our sewers. In anticipation of a thaw and some snow melt, I dug two of them out, but a plow came by and covered them again!"
PM comments on election issues and candidates: "I continue to be amazed at School District 34's lack of realism or arrogance about the disaffection of Glenview residents with the district's plans. Perhaps the superintendent's statement, as quoted by the Watch, was incomplete, but it reads as though she doesn't understand or doesn't care about the message that was sent in the last election.
"The slate of candidates put forth by G3 sounds exciting. Maybe their first official action, if they're elected, should be to establish term limits so we can keep new blood flowing into village government."
The Watch replies: We're not keen on term limits since experience sometimes makes public officials more effective in their work. On the other hand, new blood can be a very good thing, and voters already have the opportunity to elect some when the need arises.
Bob Walker urges Watch readers to click for charity in the new year: "I've just learned about a website, www.thehungersite.com, that provides free food for the world's hungry people. Each time you click on "Donate Free Food," the corporate sponsors give 0.8 cups of food. Doesn't sound like much, but if each one of us agreed to click daily, it could amount to a substantial donation. I've book-marked the site and plan to visit once a day from home and work. I hope Watch readers will do so too."
JR regrets the loss of Renneckar's: "Renneckar's Pharmacy will be missed. We now have no diner for morning and afternoon workers in town, no pharmacy where people know your name. I just hope Optima or their likes don't get a hold on it. We need to maintain what is left of the original downtown. Who will lead the campaign?"
The Watch adds: Renneckar's was purchased by Dominick's and could become the first free-standing Dominick's pharmacy.