More than 300 parents from Glenview and Wilmette packed a meeting of the Avoca Elementary School Board Thursday to discuss the future of Deanna Reed – the principal of Marie Murphy Middle School. Reed underwent a sex change operation over the summer, and parents learned of the transformation three days before school began.

David and Marsha Bradshaw were angry with the way the school board handled the situation. They thought the community deserved more notice – more time to debate whether Reed should stay in her current post. While it was not her preference, Reed said she would accept a different job in the two-school district, and some parents felt she should be reassigned. Others, however, defended Reed who has an outstanding reputation in the educational community.

The issue has been divisive. Dave Bradshaw says "people have been losing friends over this thing," and at Thursday’s meeting, parents appeared evenly divided on what should be done.  The school board seemed determined to keep Reed in the principal’s office and invited a series of experts to try and reassure parents.

The Bradshaws were disappointed, but said they were satisfied with the fairness of Thursday’s meeting, which ended just before midnight. "People were very respectful," said Marsha. "There was no cat calling, howling or hooting, and I applaud the board’s patience and understanding."

She and her husband hope future controversies will be handled with more public consultation and note that the community has already been invited to a discussion of what it wants in a new superintendent when the current head of their district retires at the end of this year. In what could prove a surprising twist, the Bradshaws believe Deanna Reed is the frontrunner for that post.

"He’s been in the district for 12 years, and he’s always done a good job," says Marsha of Donald Reed. "Our argument is not with ‘her,’ our concern is with our children." Dave agrees, noting that a promotion to superintendent would move Reed into the administration building – further away from students, and that could make many parents happy.

Every ten years, Illinois redraws legislative boundaries and with Democrats in charge of the process for this decade, Republicans Beth Coulson and Kathy Parker could face political trouble. The proposed map would put Parker in the same district as Republican Wendell Jones – an area that would stretch west to Palatine and south to Rogers Park. That could force Parker to run in a primary election before seeking another term in the general election. Representative Beth Coulson would be in the same district as liberal Democrat Jeff Schoenberg who, like Coulson, enjoys bi-partisan support. Republicans have filed suit against the process in federal court and could also take their case to the Illinois Supreme Court.

Glenview’s Park Board has chosen Todd Price to direct the development and daily operations of Wagner Farm. Price grew up on a farm in Iowa. He is a former teacher with degrees in history and education. He and others who applied for the job were impressed with the vision that a steering committee of about 40 people had hammered out for the farm. Caretaker Jeff Wienski will remain as the resident farmer, living in the old Wagner house, tending the animals and crops.

– A consultant has been hired to study possible replacement of Roosevelt Pool, built in the1940's, and Flick Pool, built in 1963. "Pools 20-25 years old are considered ancient," says Parks Director Tom Richardson, "and there’s a huge leak in the one at Flick." Richardson admits there is no money in the budget for new pools, but says the board needs to begin planning.

– Board members have been asked to extend resident rates to non-resident employees of School District 225 who want to use Park Center. A similar request from District 34 was rejected, but non-resident village employees do get the discount. Park Commissioners argued the village provides vital services to Glenview parks.

– The Park Board is set to raise taxes by 3.4 percent in 2002 – the maximum amount allowed under Illinois’ tax cap law. A public hearing on the increase will be held December 3.

– The Synnestvedt Arboretum, a collection of trees and bushes cultivated by one of Glenview’s founding families as part of their nursery business, will get some much needed attention soon. Parks’ executive Fred Gullen says his maintenance team didn’t have the expertise in 1987 when the area along the southern boundary of Flick Park was acquired. The property was heavily vandalized over the years, but Gullen says his team is now "ready to get in and restore it." Some bushes with potential to be 30 feet high and 30 feet wide will be moved to give them growing room, and visitors will be able to see a special seedless, thornless tree nurtured and patented by the Synnestvedts – the Green Glory Honey Locust.

With development rampant along Milwaukee Avenue, Wednesday’s rain created huge flooding problems. Erosion was so bad at the new West Park that Executive Director Tom Richardson feared newly-created playing fields might wash away. Abt’s detention pond was filled to capacity. Water rushed onto Zenith Drive and flowed over the curbs.

With about a foot of water standing in Aon’s parking lot, workers were diverted to the nearby Doubletree Suites, where about 300 parked their cars and sipped coffee in the hotel lobby while waiting for a ride to work on one of three Doubletree shuttle buses. Aon offered to compensate the hotel chain, but General Manager Vince Hawkins wouldn’t hear of it. "We’re all in this together," he told his corporate neighbors.

Meanwhile, residents living west of new town home construction on Milwaukee south of Lake were dismayed to see their streets turning to rivers Wednesday. On Linden Avenue, the problem was so serious that one homeowner considered taking a tour by canoe.

Editor’s note: Village Hall did not return our calls about this subject, and the Village Board, which has talked about storm water management for years, opted not to meet on September 18 – the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah. Instead, after their meeting on September 4, they decided to take the rest of the month off. We feel sure that developers are hard at work planning their next projects and wish our elected representatives would be equally energetic in dealing with the serious storm water problems those developers create.

Deerfield appears to be moving quickly toward a common sense approach to teardowns. While Glenview wrestled for years with numeric formulas that irked builders, architects and homeowners, Deerfield says it will base decisions less on numbers and more on appearance – whether a proposed building looks appropriate in the neighborhood.

The Deerfield Review quotes task force member Barbara Struthers: "One of the things that people are quite upset about is developing a home with no sensitivity to the neighborhood." She also noted that bigger houses that replace teardowns make it tough for young families to find anything affordable in Deerfield.

Between 1995 and 1999, 25 homes were torn down there, and 31 were built in their place.

When developers proposed to tear down the Dahlquist building on the southeast corner of Glenview and Waukegan roads, local historians gave them a fight. Consultant Susan Benjamin told the Plan Commission the Dahlquist building was the prettiest and most valuable asset downtown and deserved protection, but the commission disagreed, and the building was demolished. The developer – Optima – did save the front doors, and they now serve as the entrance to Caribou Coffee.

Caribou recently asked for permission to put their logo on the doors, but someone at Village Hall told them they couldn’t deface historic property. "Ridiculous," says consultant Benjamin. "Either the whole building was historic or it was not."

The company has made no official comment on the case, but Caribou’s CEO is reported to be concerned. The matter goes before the Appearance Commission on Wednesday.

On September 11, three Glenview firemen stood watching tragedy unfold on the tv set at their station. When the World Trade Center collapsed, they realized at once that many fellow firemen and paramedics had lost their lives. "Nobody said a word, but we knew what it meant," remembers one. "We wanted to do something, but the official word from New York was to stay away."

Frustrated and upset, the men – who asked to remain anonymous -- decided to design and sell memorial t-shirts to benefit the widows and children of their brothers who died in New York. On the front – in red, white and gold on a navy blue background – they wrote: "9-11's Bravest People," a reference not only to the firemen and their emergency number but to the date of the attack. On the back, the shirt says: Always in Our Hearts, City of New York Fire Department, The Bravest at Ground Zero, September 11, 2001.

They sold 40 shirts to Glenview firemen, then hit the road to visit 80 more stations in this area. The business phone at Glenview’s main fire house began ringing steadily and customers lined up outside – especially after a disc jockey from US 99 told listeners about the shirts. Orders came from as far away as Evansville, Indiana and Kenosha, Wisconsin. About 25 firemen, friends and family members have been gathering each night to pack and ship the orders. At last count, more than 10,000 shirts had been sold.

The firemen have now switched their sales to a website: www.911sbravest.com and plan to fill their final orders this Wednesday, although they’re talking with other groups who might take over the sales effort. Shirts can also be purchased for $15 at Park Center.

On September 15, 12-year-old Chase Michalek celebrated his birthday, but in these unsettling times, he didn’t want a party. Instead, the Pleasant Ridge student chose to spend the day with his friend Casey Schirmang, raising money for the victims of New York’s tragedy. "I wanted to help the people in New York, and it was a hot day, so I thought of a lemonade stand," Chase explains.

At the suggestion of his dad, they went to Dominick’s in downtown Glenview and got a substantial donation of lemonade powder. McDonald’s supplied jugs for mixing, and the boys set up shop on a popular bike path at the corner of Glenview and Harms. In exchange for a donation of any size, Chase, his sister Chelsea and Casey gave out glasses of lemonade. "Some people would give us $10, and they didn’t even want lemonade!" Chase recalls.

They told friends about the first day’s take – $60 – and on Sunday, five of their pals showed up to shake, pour and collect contributions. Michael Dobrowski, James, Pat, Delia and Hope Snediker helped bring in about $250, and their dads each made substantial donations. Finally, the kids took their collection to a TCF Bank at Jewel for deposit in a Red Cross account. To their delight, Jewel and the bank matched their donation – bringing the proceeds from their laudable lemonade sale to $3,400.

This past weekend, another group of children gathered in west Glenview with more lemonade. Aaron and Ryan Hindes, Colleen, Brendan and Danny O’Brien, Taylor Vick, Kaitlyn Mansoorieh, Jason Schabinger, and Brian Skeggs worked the corner of Greenwood and Happy Hollow, putting payments and donations into a fireman’s boot. They collected a total of $370 for relief efforts in New York.

And finally, in Golfview Acres – an east side neighborhood of about 120 homes – children and their parents raised $4,400 by making and selling commemorative ribbons.

Northbrook is launching its comprehensive planning process – looking at what it would like to become, and our neighbor to the north has some controversial ideas on the agenda. Planners say it might be wise to widen Pfingsten and Sanders Roads, to build a parking garage and multi-story, mixed use building at the downtown Metra station, and to ask that the Skokie Swift be extended to Northbrook Court.

The trustees will begin discussing these and other proposals later this fall, and Northbrook’s Planning Director Tom Poupard says the community could seek bids for the building downtown just to see if it’s feasible. "This may be a really bad idea that crashes and burns," he told the Northbrook Star.

Planners have suggested the road widening projects before, but the public has generally opposed making Sanders and Pfingsten four lanes through Northbrook. As for the Skokie Swift, Northbrook Village President Mark Damisch opposes its coming to Northbrook, and he says it’s not a priority for regional traffic planners who might support its extension to Old Orchard.

A 31-year-old Chicago woman was arrested on September 9 after she allegedly walked out of Carson’s with seven jackets priced at $138 apiece. Wilmette police found her with a pair of wire cutters that could be used to remove security tags, but before they could take her to jail, Lakisha Williams developed breathing problems. Officers took her to Evanston Hospital where she was admitted, but the following morning the suspect disappeared – taking an $1,800 heart monitor with her.

Glenview’s public library will host an open house from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 25 to introduce its new ADA Computer Workstation designed to help people with a variety of disabilities use a computer. The equipment was purchased and installed with the help of a grant from the Glenview Library Association. For more information, call Kim Comerford at 729_7500.

The library also presents "Van Gogh & Gauguin" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 25. Art historian Claire Cross will show slides and discuss the lives of two of the world's most popular artists featured at the Art Institute of Chicago's exhibit. You can register at the Information Desk or call 729_7500 ext. 112.

Mike and Carol Klemke have been complaining since Dominick’s turned on their neon sign last year. They live across Lake Street from the store and are disgusted by the red light that invades their home each night. In November, they used Christmas lights mounted on their back yard fence to send a message: ‘Dominick’s Go Home.’ A company executive was soon at their door, promising to turn the lights down at 10 p.m. each night, but the Klemkes are still disturbed by the red light facing Lake Avenue. They don’t think it’s necessary since a larger light shines from the main entrance, and they want the smaller light removed. That’s why their own sign is up again – this time reading: ‘Shop at Jewel.’

FP wondered if the recent reassessment of property in Glenview might be good news for District 34: "I read that our real estate taxes will be going up 15_50 percent, so even without a tax rate increase our schools should have lots of additional cash. What have they got to say about that? Will there still be cuts in District 34?"

The Watch replies: The schools will not benefit from rising property values for one simple reason according to Finance Director Pat Siegel. District 34's revenues are not calculated using the equalized assessed value of homes in Glenview. Instead, under the tax cap law passed by Springfield, they get what they got last year plus a 5 percent increase or a hike based on the cost of living – whichever figure is less. For that reason, the administration says budget cuts will still be needed.

JAS is puzzled by policies at the fire department where Lt. Steve Hartnett, allegedly assaulted by Deputy Chief Michael Sawicki, still works for the man, despite a request to be transferred: "I would have to question why Fire Chief Joe Robberson wants to hold Lt. Hartnett back from a transfer? Which fireman is he trying to get rid of? My bet would be it isn't his friend Sawicki. It is such a secure feeling to know of the camaraderie that exists at our local fire department."

And BH says: "I question Chief Robberson’s refusal to transfer Lt. Steve Hartnett. This would never happen in the private sector. These guys have to live and work together 24 hours a day. Why not let Hartnett move to another station? I always liked Joe Robberson. I thought he was a good chief, but I’m seeing him in a different light now."

Another resident objects to the sale of cigarettes in south Glenview: "At Golf Road and Washington, there is a cigarette selling business across the street from the Washington grade school – less than 100 yards from the main entrance, and I wondered if that’s proper or legal."

The Watch replies: Since the area is unincorporated, it falls under county rules. We placed a call to the office of Cal Sutker, the commissioner who represents south Glenview. A member of his staff could not think of any county laws that would prohibit the sale of smokes so close to a school. If you’d like to see something on the books, you can contact Mr. Sutker at 673-1219 or e-mail sutker@wwa.com.

The vice president of the Glenridge Meadows Homeowners Association writes: "Our neighborhood, located near the intersection of Willow and Landwehr, has been very concerned with Willow Road expansion plans. The official position of Glenview is that they are against the widening of Willow in our area, but I understand our trustees agreed to sell just under half an acre of village property at Willow and Landwehr to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Which trustees voted for this? Are there any stipulations on how this land can be used? Has the village said one thing and done another? Why hasn't the public been better notified about this?"

The Watch replies: According to a memo from Glenview’s Director of Development, this land will be used by IDOT to "relieve congestion at Milwaukee, Sanders and the I-294 interchange," and widening of Willow east of Landwehr is not part of the picture. The state apparently plans to create turn lanes at Landwehr and Willow in 2003. All of the trustees voted for the sale except Donna Pappo, who was absent on August 7 when the matter was considered.

GC read our latest edition while on vacation, then wrote: "Just wanted to let you know that your readership area now extends as far as Bangkok, Thailand."

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