Gayle Levy dedicated her life to her family and her community. She was the mother of three young children, an active volunteer in District 30's Willowbrook School, past president of the PTA, a member and past president of the Glenview Women of Today and co-founder of Family Safe Internet (FSInet), a provider like America Online with an important difference. Gayle’s husband Mark designed it to screen out material that might be unsuitable for kids.

Gayle did not smoke, but just over a year ago she learned she had lung cancer. Despite surgery, radiation and months of debilitating chemotherapy, she continued her volunteer work and launched another valuable service. Noting that more people die of lung cancer than any other type of cancer and that no one organization was dedicated to raising money for research, Gayle and several other lung cancer survivors established the Lungevity Foundation – a group committed to making a difference for the 165,000 people who will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year. Joining with family members and other concerned citizens, they would work to reduce the number of deaths resulting from the disease.

Along with a network of friends linked by e-mail, Gayle helped to organize the group’s first major fundraiser to take place in October. Sadly, she will not be there. Gayle died on Friday at the age of 41. Memorial contributions can be made to Lungevity, 2727 Quail, P.O. Box 601, Northbrook, IL 60065. Information about the organization is available at www.lungevity.org.

At this week’s meeting of the Glenview Village Board, President Carlson and three new trustees who campaigned on a promise of avoiding "over regulation, passing reasonable laws only when necessary" will consider allowing Glenview’s Development Director Mary Bak to refer any new construction to the Appearance Commission if she thinks it’s "not compatible" with established residential neighborhoods.

The board will also consider final approval for Glenview State Bank’s building at The Glen and the mixed use retail center (MURC) with its 183 apartments, 162 town homes and a shopping center. The MURC project requires ten variances from our zoning code, two waivers of technical deficiencies, three waivers of the subdivision code and a partridge in a pear tree.

Bredeman Lexus won an important victory in its bid to more than double the size of its current dealership on Waukegan Road while adding 154 parking spaces behind the building for new cars, employees and customers. The firm asked for permission to ignore Glenview’s rule that developers must plant one tree for every seven new parking spots. In making the case, attorney Mike Downing argued this "really isn’t a parking lot. It’s a display area."

Dealer Joe Bredeman argued it would be difficult to plow snow with tree islands dotting the lot and explained that "trees and car finishes don’t go well together. We’ve got trees that drip sap and birds that live in trees and defecate on the vehicles. It’s an acidic problem that eats into the finish on the cars."

Commissioners Gary Wendt and Peter Brinckerhoff countered that Bredeman could create a long, wide strip of land to break up a sea of parking, providing a place where trees could grow and drop sap onto a grass median below.

Commissioner Joe DiMattina didn’t see the point since most people, driving by the site, would not see the trees. Commissioner Jack Bevington pointed out that the village had okayed a car storage lot for Jennings on Johns Drive, "and there isn’t one tree within the parking lot."

"I’m not very proud of the image of that lot," said Commissioner Wendt. "I know that this board – myself included – passed that, but we made a mistake there. . .I don’t think that we should make a similar mistake here."

Bredeman proposed putting trees in places where consumers could see them and bragged about the beauty of existing landscaping in front of the dealership. Wendt said the flowers were attractive, but pointed out that the company had actually planted on the public right of way, not on their own land, since "you have paved all the way up to the property line."

But it was Commissioner Jim Patterson who – in his everyman way – made the defining argument of the day. "Glenview has been very fortunate to have the automobile dealers that we have had here, and there’s a trade-off there from a tax revenue point of view. It contributes greatly to our tax base." Patterson said trees would create a "hardship" for Bredeman and felt it was his job as a Plan Commissioner to assure a "friendly environment" for car dealers.

Wendt and Brinckerhoff voted not to excuse Bredeman from the tree requirement in the new parking lot, but the other three commissioners gave him a green light. All six members of the Plan Commission agreed with Chairman Silver’s idea that Lexus should plant a wall of Arbor Vitae along the south property line to buffer neighbors who had hired a lawyer to make their case. They didn’t want to look at Bredeman, they didn’t want to hear Bredeman, and they didn’t want to breathe the fumes from 400 vehicles that come through each Saturday for a free car wash. They figured the trees would give them some measure of protection on all counts.

Editor’s note: Twice during the debate, Commissioner DiMattina asked who would benefit from the trees since they couldn’t be seen from Waukegan Road. Chairman Silver and dealer Bredeman agreed, but the neighbors certainly understood that trees do more than decorate our planet. They take carbon dioxide (the chief culprit in global warming) out of the environment and contribute oxygen to the air we breathe. They provide shade in summer, diminishing the heat that rises from huge asphalt parking lots, and they provide food and habitat for birds and bugs all year round. We wouldn’t expect Bredeman, who sells gas guzzling, air polluting SUV’s to think about that, but until local leaders do, there is little hope for protecting the environment – a global goal that must be achieved community by community. For more about the benefits of trees, visit www.americanforests.org.

In the course of discussion, Chairman Silver let it slip that he had finally gotten his free feed. At the last meeting, he complained that while Bredeman provided complimentary bagels and lox for his Lexus customers each Saturday, he did nothing for buyers like Silver who owns two Ford Explorers from Bredeman.

"Last Saturday," Silver said, "I took my truck in to Ford for an oil change. . .It was pouring rain, but there were almost 40 people at Lexus for breakfast. By the way, the lox was great," he told Bredeman. "Thank you. The cost of good lox may justify the cost of a Lexus."

Construction crews have begun grading land around Hangar One in preparation for construction of town homes that will flank a new shopping center at The Glen. Residential construction is expected to start in late September with work on the retail areas beginning spring 2002. Developer Oliver McMillan has yet to sign a single store but expects the anchor company – Iowa-based Von Maur – to commit soon. Also, spokesman Paul Buss says leases have been mailed to 15 prospective tenants, and Crown Theaters has agreed to manage the multiplex.

Removal of asbestos and lead at the old hangar has already begun. Additional grading and installation of utilities will take place through the winter, and Buss says the shopping center should be open for business in August 2003.

When Glenview first approved tax increment financing for The Glen, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District got upset. Revenue that would normally flow to the MWRD to help cover the costs of waste water collection and treatment would instead be going to the village of Glenview. Other communities – some of them much poorer than ours – would, in essence, subsidize service to new residents of The Glen – a prosperous area. To make up for the lost loot and then some, the MWRD voted to impose impact and service fees that could have cost Glenview $10 million.

When the village challenged those fees in court, the MWRD counter sued, claiming Glenview’s TIF was illegal and unnecessary. If a judge agreed with the water district’s claim, the complex financing plan for The Glen could have collapsed like a house of cards – a risk village trustees didn’t want to take.

That’s why they’ve agreed to pay the MWRD $225,000 a year – $2.7 million for the expected 12-year life of the TIF. In making the announcement, Village Attorney Jeff Randall called the settlement "good news. We achieved a good settlement that the board believes outweighed the risk of continued litigation. By resolving the challenge to the TIF, we eliminated a $250 million risk to the village, [money] it is utilizing to finance the redevelopment of the former naval air station."

Glenview’s Park District may continue to support free privileges for their family members past commissioners, secretary and attorney, but a court of law might not approve. In 1975, a judge in Lake County Circuit Court was asked to rule on this very question. Four citizens had sued the Waukegan Park District, claiming the freebies were costing the community money.

In Smith vs. The Waukegan Park District, the judge came down squarely against the policy: "It may be that in the carrying out of their duties to supervise the maintenance and operation of a Park Board facility such as a golf course it is advantageous and helpful that a park commissioner actually play the course. . . No such purpose can in any way be ascertained however, in permitting the free use of the golf course by members of the families of park commissioners, by the attorney or the secretary of the Park Board and their immediate families, by past members of the Park Board and their immediate families or by designated individuals and their families whom the Board wishes to honor for past services. The defendant Park Board has no authority to grant preferential treatment to such a group."

The court declared ordinances granting such privileges to be "invalid and void," and ordered the Park Board to "cease and desist in the practice of permitting free use of district golf courses or related facilities by any of the aforementioned group except park commissioners during their term in office."

While some Glenview seniors have complained about the lack of a discount at Park Center, the Wall Street Journal suggests our Park District is in the vanguard of a new trend. Many companies that once gave price breaks to seniors are eliminating them or scaling back. "Some businesses are questioning whether the price breaks make sense," the paper explains. "Today’s seniors not only have more money than ever, they live longer, too. As the size of the elderly population grows, the discounts are becoming more expensive than providers ever imagined." Among those cutting out price breaks for seniors, Vail Resorts and Aspen Skiing – firms that once offered free lift tickets to consumers over 70!

Editor’s note: While blanket discounts for seniors may be unwise in the private sector, we think a public sector operation like Park Center ought to offer discounts to low-income people of all ages. With the help of Glenview State Bank, our Park District routinely pays for kids whose parents can’t afford the full price. Why not extend the laudable "leisureship" program to adults?

David Roeder is a real estate columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. His remarks appear on the business pages of Wednesday’s paper – nowhere near the sports stories – but last week he took a swing at Glenview. Writing about a report on affordable housing, Roeder remarked, "Too bad [it] won’t take a crack at Glenview, where the approach to affordable housing is to blithely ignore it, especially in the high-end redevelopment of the old Glenview Naval Air Station. It was an opportunity lost, a point driven home by the latest announcement of a commercial tenant on the property – a 10-screen multiplex, as if we need more of those."

Meanwhile, Northbrook’s trustees say they’re anxious to work with Red Seal Homes on a project that could bring more affordable housing to that suburb. The developer hopes to build 272 town houses, condos and assisted living units that would sell for $225,000 up. The firm said it would be open to public subsidies that would allow construction of even cheaper units for senior citizens.

The new development is planned for a 14-acre site on Shermer Road. It includes the former General Fire Extinguisher property, a vacant lot next door, and could expand to include the 5.5 acre parcel owned by Serfilco.

When Trustee Mike Guinane returned from a family vacation, he got a tape of the Village Board meeting he missed, and in comparing that meeting with the usual minutes taken, he was surprised by the lack of detail.

Village Manager Paul McCarthy defended the relative brevity of the official notes. "The only items that are required to be included is the motion, a brief summary of the subject and a recording of the vote. . .The last elected village clerk actually took a position that the expansion of minutes was increasing the potential for liability down the road because people might sue us if they saw something they didn’t like."

"What was that – 25 years ago?" asked Guinane.

"No, that was about 15 years ago," said McCarthy. He noted that the minutes were fairly constant in length "up until we had a seriously contested election two and a half years ago, and then the complexity of the debate increased and the board wanted the minutes to reflect the competition of ideas and personalities, and so we’ve gone to minutes that have exceeded 50 pages which – for a town of 40,000 people – I find stunning just from my own experience."

Editor’s note: Was the real spark for increased discussion a contested local election or the development of 1,100 acres of prime suburban real estate by a local government. Given the amount of money involved at The Glen, we’re not surprised by the length of board meeting minutes. We’re not just a "town of 40,000 people," we’re major league developers.

McCarthy said the village could do verbatim transcripts that might produce minutes of more than 100 pages per meeting, but he suggested that board members who want that much detail are driven by ego. "Everybody looks at minutes, and they want to see what their arguments were – that those arguments are enshrined." McCarthy said trustees were free to amend minutes as needed, or they could direct him to provide more detailed accounts on a regular basis. President Carlson said he didn’t think verbatim minutes were necessary, and the other trustees agreed.

During a discussion of the new Harley Davidson dealership planned for the northernmost section of The Glen, Trustee Guinane raised fears that hordes of bikers would be headed for Glenview – destroying the family feel of businesses on Glenview Road. "Right now we have a problem with all these motorcycles parked out in front of Glenview House," he said, "And I envision, with this Harley dealership opening, Glenview is going to be the new hot spot with fifty or a hundred Harley bikes parked on Glenview Road on weekends."

Recognizing that the cost of a Harley can easily exceed $25,000, President Carlson disagreed. "This isn’t going to be a Hell’s Angels kind of thing," he said. "This is going to be stock brokers, doctors."

"I don’t think you’re going to find a hundred Harley owners at The Glenview House," said Trustee Lerner. "You’re going to find them here [at the Willow Road store], buying leathers, buying chrome. . .spending their money. This is going to become their hang out. Trust me."

"I know the old perceptions die hard," said a company spokesman, "but things are different now." He pointed out that Harley has a store at the Nordstrom’s on Michigan Avenue and added, "My friends who have Harley Davidson's don’t hang out at The Glenview House."

On the heels of news that Starbucks will close at the downtown Dominick’s comes word of another coffee shop to open next to the Glenview Historical Society on the east side of Waukegan Road. Two architects from Kurtz Associates in Des Plaines described a small, one-story building to house a café and bakery along with space for two other retailers at the site.

The developers say they will use stone similar to what’s been used at the Cloisters or Optima east building on the southeast corner of Glenview and Waukegan roads. The Plan Commission has asked the coffee shop architects to include more landscaping and awnings in the front.

This week’s collection of bills for the Board begs questions. We’re not complaining – just wondering:

– Who is Cath Associates and why did we pay them $960 for design construction consulting?

– Ditto for Communications Direct – a company that has billed the village for $43,555.

– Covers Unlimited sent an invoice for $6,571. What are we covering up and why?

– Daystar Franchise will get about $884 for "temporary help." How much would they charge for permanent assistance?

– Deloitte and Touche has billed $1,200 for a report assuring Glenview that our latest deal with OliverMcMillan is a good one. Will anyone remember if, at $600 a page, their counsel is incorrect?

– Why are we paying Barbara Durment $129.97 for a toaster oven replacement and $104.35 for coffee service?

– Do Mike Mazurkiewicz and Daniel Marsh have similar taste? Each put in for meals valued at exactly $364.

– Bond consultant Ron Norene is getting $61,536.41 for advice. How much does he make in commissions?

– Who stayed at the Wyndham Hotel where the tab ran to $1316.22?

– And does this final purchase come with a guarantee? We’ve paid the University of Illinois $5,000 for another batch of weed-eating beetles expected to consume purple loosestrife at The Glen. If left unchecked, the plant known as "the beautiful killer" could destroy the Air Station Prairie.

Glenview’s last working farm will again be open for food and fun – tours, hay rides, the chance to visit with Bart the Bull, his harem and a flock of chickens. Dates for autumn open houses at Wagner Farm, at the corner of Lake and Wagner, are Saturday, September 15 and October 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, September 16 and October 14 from 1 to 5 p.m. Free parking is available in the church lot across the street. If you can volunteer to help on any of those days, call 998-0312 or e-mail gtouspl@aol.com.

Do you think District 34 has sound financial policies and practices? Are there changes that would make the schools more efficient without sacrificing services? How does 34 compare with other school districts feeding into High School District 225? That’s what the Citizens’ Finance Review Task Force wants to know. The group will hold a public hearing from 7 - 9 p.m. September 13 at 1401 Greenwood Road. Your remarks or written comments are welcome. For details, contact Paul Detlefs (724-2637) or Randy Tiller (657-4578).

FREE LIBRARY CARDS AND PRIZES

September is National Library Card Sign-up Month, and the Glenview Public Library will be offering new or replacement cards on demand. Just bring two forms of ID to verify your address. Kids who request a card from the Youth Desk will need a parent’s permission. In addition to their first library card, they’ll get a special prize.

The Watch recently got a note from Phil Simmons, artistic director of American Music Festivals, a not-for-profit organization committed to cultural exchange and promoting American music. The group is trying to organize a community orchestra in Glenview and has established the Glenview Symphony Society to raise money and recruit volunteers.

"We plan to present a six or seven concert chamber series which will include performances at the library, senior center, and several area churches," says Simmons. "My vision is for a full professional symphony orchestra to be in residence at Glenbrook South in the fall of 2002."

Simmons will address the Glenview Village Board Tuesday night, asking for the trustees’ support, and he’s looking for help from residents. If you’d like to see a symphony in Glenview and are willing to give some time to this effort, you can call him at 475-4819 or e-mail amusicfest@aol.com.

READERS WRITE:

Larry Eugene, who lived in Glenview for 17 years before moving to Lincolnshire, still likes to read about village affairs and had this reaction to our coverage of storm water management discussions: "Why should residents pay for storm water improvements? If the village cannot afford them, then there is something wrong in their planning, budgeting and execution. Recently, our village replaced sanitary sewers, storm sewers and re-paved the entire street (about one mile), at a cost of approximately $2.5 million -- and the residents paid zero percent! Question: Where is the money going?

"The man who opposes the "country-style system" of handling storm water [Trustee Jeff Lerner] is correct. It will result in continuous re-do, repair, and flooding. Do it right and relax!

"In the '50s, Glenview installed a storm sewer system on the southwest side of town, and the residents bore very little of the cost. Today’s village board does not impress me with their knowledge, competence, or decisiveness. They should tour the areas that have problems, hire an outside engineering firm to render its opinions, and then find a way to pay for the solutions without socking it to the residents!"

A reader who works for a large corporation in this area writes about assault charges filed against Glenview’s Deputy Fire Chief Michael Sawicki: "How does the Deputy Chief who physically threatened his employee get a punishment of only a five-day suspension? Had he committed a battery where I work he wouldn't have a job!

"At the very least, he should be removed from his management position, go through anger management, substance abuse testing, learn some basic management skills and be transferred to a job where he does not supervise the employee he threatened.

"The village Human Resources department should act as an advocate for all employees no matter their rank or position. Suspending the Deputy Chief and then reinstating him in his previous role sends a message that this type of behavior can be tolerated in the village."

"Are criminal/civil charges pending in this case? If so, I would like to see the village get in front of the issue and not just be reactive to future judgments."

A "fed-up fireman" sent this note: "I just had to write you folks after reading your current issue. A woman accused you of slamming the firemen. I just wanted to tell you, no insult taken. Your story was pretty close to on the money."

And BH comments on our publication of the hostile letter from a fireman’s wife: "One of the hallmarks of responsible reporting is to print the brickbats, not just the bouquets. I also think the lady protests too much. Is HER husband one of those who has received extra perks for staying in line? While she’s railing about unnamed sources, why does she not sign HER name. . .and while she’s talking about courage, does she have any conception of the courage it has taken for you to stick to your convictions and carry on in the face of hostility and criticism?. . .That’s what investigative journalism is all about – uncovering the truth in the hope that change for the better will come of it. . .The time is past due that your critics understand that you are both experienced and responsible journalists, not hacks printing an underground rag."

On the other hand, SJ applauds the fireman’s wife: "Bravo! I finally read something worth reading in your rag. Yes, fireman's wife, I couldn't agree with you more. Journalistic integrity Hausman and Schott do not have. Also, when they happen to be out of town and another person writes the rag for the week, they don't bother to put in his name."

The Watch replies: We never delegate the job of writing the weekly Glenview Watch to someone else, although we once encountered a breaking story -- a serious traffic accident on Lake Avenue. We called our computer-savvy friend Biff Thiele on a cell phone and asked him to alert our readers.

Sue Ellen Bohac Galligan, a member of the District 34 board, sends this correction to our story about a survey to find out how residents want to cope with a cash shortfall: "The cost of the survey is $16,500 – not the $21,000 cited in the current newsletter. The above covers a sample size of 500 completed interviews, the interviews being 20 minutes in length."

The Watch replies: District 34 will, in fact, spend $16,500 for a community survey, but the board also agreed to spend up to $4,500 for someone to study the survey results and help the board with its long-range planning based on community wishes.

And Trustee Rachel Cook provides this clarification on our list of free services provided to members of various boards and commissions: "Regarding benefits received by village trustees: We do get $900/year (before taxes), and fax machines and phone lines are provided for those who did not previously have them. Since the village is the primary source of incoming and out-going faxes, they also supply fax paper and toner cartridges."

YOUR TURN: Share your views on local issues and news. E-mail to glenviewwatch@aol.com or snail mail to 3537 Maple Leaf Dr., Glenview, IL 60025.  We look forward to hearing from you and consider readers' remarks an essential part of our newsletter. Thanks for reading!  – Sandy Hausman and Dean Schott

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