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The
Glenview Watch November 4, 2001 |
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New tax assessments are out, and Trustee Donna Pappo faces a substantial increase due to some home improvements made years before she was elected to the Glenview Village Board. Pappo thought her contractor had secured a building permit for refinishing the attic of her Baffin Road home, but during last spring's election, her opponents discovered otherwise and made hay.
Board President Larry Carlson, who was running against Pappo on a pledge of restoring civility to local government, didn't say much, but members of his party were quoted extensively in the Glenview Announcements attacking Pappo.
Now, Glenview Watch has learned that Carlson was complicit in the attack. A copy of the first story that appeared in the Glenview Announcements on the subject was faxed to the office of Northfield Township Assessor Patricia Damisch. At the top of that page, where the source of the fax appears, there are two names: "Carlson Heating Cooling and Elec," and "J.W. Smirles." The former is Larry Carlson's company. The latter is Carlson's political ally, former Village President Jim Smirles.
Damisch is also politically friendly with Smirles. When her husband Mark ran for Congress in the 10th Congressional District primary, an endorsement from Smirles was mass mailed to Glenview residents, and the Damisch family attends the same church as the Smirles family.
So when the Smirles/Carlson complaint arrived, Damisch took it very seriously. In a note to the Cook County Assessor, she wrote, "This needs immediate attention! Township Assessor has received numerous inquiries since the attached article appeared in the local Glenview papers. Homeowner admits that the third floor of her home was finished with a bathroom and bedroom put in but no permit was pulled for this work. Please field check and remeasure improvement square footage in time for triennial reassessment."
Then, in a postscript preceded by three stars, Damisch added, "I know it is not standard practice, but I was hoping you would call me, the Northfield Township Assessor (847) 724-8300 after you have completed the inspection and reassessment of this property so I can report back to the citizens of this Township that Cook County has addressed their concerns."
The Watch submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for all correspondence, memos, notes and phone logs referring to any complaints, but Damisch could supply none. Her office handled only three Glenview properties that required reassessment in 2001, yet the assessor could not recall who had complained about the Pappo house, and there was nothing in the file to indicate Damisch had reported back to the citizens of Northfield Township.
Editor's note: At a recent Village Board meeting, President Carlson handed out awards to school kids from Character Counts a program designed to teach the importance of caring, citizenship, respect, responsibility and fairness. Based on his action, we have to wonder if Carlson needs a few lessons himself. The fax to Damisch went out on May 9 after Pappo had secured a building permit which would, eventually, have triggered a re-inspection of her home. The effort to "get" Pappo also took place after she had lost her bid to become Village President. Was Carlson intent on total destruction assuring that Pappo would be ineffective on the board and unable to run for public office again? We think this kind of political vendetta is inconsistent with Character Counts.
And a special note to the Assessor of Northfield Township: Your standard report form was sumbitted [SIC] without amy [SIC] supporting documents. May we suggest that you tell your staff about a wonderful innovation in word processing called Spellcheck.
GLEN WATCHING
Next year's spending plan for The Glen contains some interesting clues to the future and some disturbing news from the past. First, money could be tight as construction proceeds at The Glen. Substantial property tax payments from residents and commercial properties there will not arrive until 2005-2006.
Even so, the village will spend $13 million more next year than projected. The new METRA station will cost $3.1 million to upgrade the building and construct more parking, and the village will spend $14 million on new roadways around The Glen including $9 million for the new Lehigh Road.
It will cost nearly $10.7 million to upgrade our water supply system and connections with Wilmette, and Glenview will spend nearly $2.6 million to tear down remaining Navy buildings and prepare land for development. The budget includes $300,000 for legal services, which will run around $600,000 this year. Planners had originally expected to pay Jeff Randall and his law firm only $270,000.
Another cost involves the Northern Triangle a 40-acre site that open space advocates hoped to save. Instead, the land has been sold to Home Depot and Costco, but before they build, the village must spend another $1.6 million to move storm water off the property.
Prairie restoration and construction of a nature center will total more than $1.5 million, while Gallery Park expenditures will exceed $5.3 million, including $1.5 million for athletic fields, $350,000 for tennis courts, $275,000 to enhance the water quality in Lake Glenview and $250,000 to dredge a portion of the lake that has filled with silt. Another $100,000 will be set aside for additional plantings along the shoreline, and $75,000 is budgeted for signage.
Editor's note: In the early days of planning, some folks who favored preservation of more natural open space at The Glen argued it would be cheaper, in the long run, than development. As the costs of Gallery Park mount, that becomes abundantly clear. Even with an unnecessary visitors center on the prairie, that property will cost far less to develop and maintain than the manicured park that former Village President Firfer repeatedly described as the jewel of the new development. Gallery Park remains closed to the public, and Glenview's Park District is still unwilling to take control of the property recognizing that it will be a major expense to maintain.
NEW SCHOOL COULD OPEN WITHOUT TAX HIKE
The superintendent of Glenview's main school district surprised staffers on Halloween when she arrived in the guise of Harry Potter. Dot Weber wore round spectacles, a tie and cardigan while carrying a stuffed owl through the corridors of District 34 headquarters. Weber might need some magic after efforts to pass a school referendum failed twice, but a team of financial wizards appointed to consult the school board says maybe not.
Last summer, Weber assembled the group mostly corporate CPA's and financial experts. They began work in September analyzing the schools' fiscal policies and practices, comparing District 34 to others that feed into Glenbrook High School District 225 and to several more suburban school systems. In a 35-page report, the team concluded:
District 34 could open the new Attea Middle School without new taxes, if it can hold down costs. "There is some overhead linked to opening a new school utilities, janitorial services, administration," said Paul Detlefs, co-chair of the Citizens' Finance Review Task Force, "but much of what you're doing is moving people from other parts of the system."
Limit growth of expenses systemwide. One key here, Detlefs says, is the teachers' contract. Glenview provides a substantial pay hike to teachers who get their Master's degree within five years of coming on board. As a result, 76 percent of our teachers have a Master's more than any other district studied by the task force, and our Master's salary schedule is the highest of all seven comparison districts.
Look for new sources of revenue from the state and federal governments and private corporations.
Consider charging more for books, supplies and fees with special provisions for low-income families. District 34 charges less than a number of districts for which fee information was available.
Detlefs was quick to say that the task force was composed mostly of financial people, who could not determine the value of certain expenses to a good school system. Weber said the Task Force provided some good food for thought, that the Board of Education would chew on it and discuss the recommendations on December 4.
Four other conclusions are worth mentioning. First, the task force said District 34's expenditures per pupil are higher than in some comparable districts, about the same as Wilmette District 39, but lower than the three districts feeding into 225 when adjusted for class size.
Second, the average teacher salary is about 3 percent lower than all four of the schools feeding into District 225 when adjusted for experience levels and the length of a school year. District 34's teachers work the longest year of any comparable district 191 days.
Third, district reserves are higher than necessary, and some of those funds can be spent to cover short-term expenses or to provide breathing room while 34 searches for new sources of revenue.
And, finally, tax increment financing is a good deal for District 34, providing the full cost of educating each additional student coming from The Glen. One board member pointed out that TIF funding is risky, since the village is only obliged to pay for those children if and when other debts are paid and sufficient revenue remains.
The task force suggested appointment of an on-going group of financial experts to advise the board on a voluntary basis.
CONSTRUCTION DUST CLOUDS MURC'S FUTURE
Local residents may soon file suit against the village for failing to uphold an agreement between the Navy and the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office to preserve Hangar One at The Glen. The village inherited that covenant when it got the property, but signed a separate agreement with the state's preservation officer allowing Glenview to change or demolish the building if the state approves and "there is no reuse alternative that is feasible from an architectural or economic perspective which would permit retention of the Historic Property as it exists."
The developer selected by Glenview for the site wants to tear down a part of the hangar to make way for a Von Maur department store and to replace the first-story windows of Hangar One with larger ones better suited to its planned shopping center. The original preservation agreement specifically protects the facade of the building and its windows.
In a letter to Don Owen, The Glen's development director, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Ann Hacker warns her agency's permission is needed to make any changes to the building: "The project as proposed. . . would include the demolition of existing historical elements of Hangar One and would construct unsympathetic new additions to the building greatly diminishing its historical integrity," she wrote. "We are unwilling to accept partial demolition of the building to accommodate the Von Maur footprint."
In July, Owen had written, "The building pad for Von Maur must be completed in an August/September time frame in order for them to construct the building and meet the scheduled opening of February 2003. This date is critical as all leasing terms with other tenants are contingent upon this time frame."
Despite that claim, the village is moving full steam ahead on the project. On Saturday morning, seven pieces of construction equipment were moving around the site, and a colorful sign had been planted in front of the hangar announcing the coming of the "North Shore's most elegant shopping, dining and entertainment."
The sign mentions Von Maur, and Owen recently told Trustee Mary Beth Denefe that a contract had been signed with the department store. Later, another source close to the development said Von Maur had not yet signed. Owen also claimed a women's boutique called Ann Taylor Loft had inked a contract while Borders and Talbots were very close.
BUILDERS' MUD MAKES NEIGHBORS MAD
Life with construction in the neighborhood can be a misery, and no one seems to know it better than resident activist Dick Feit, who appeared before the Village Board last month with a plan to improve the plight of long-suffering neighbors. "I know none of you on this board have had the experience of living [next to] a teardown/replacement construction project," he told the trustees, "but believe me they can be a nightmare, and they endure, on and on. . .We have hordes of large trucks parking on the streets, blocking our way, spreading mud and dirt, spilling concrete all over the streets and sidewalks."
On his own street in east Glenview, Feit said a home had been under construction for 22 months. "We survived through two falls, two winters, two springs, two summers with all this mess, noise, dust, pools of water with mosquitoes breeding, mud and dirt."
Feit proposed that a nine-month limit be placed on construction from demolition to completion. "Anybody in the construction business will tell you that's a perfectly reasonable time frame for a single-family home," he said, adding that violators should be fined $5,000 a week for failure to finish.
The long-time village resident also asked Glenview to make builders lay down a bed of gravel around their construction sites to keep trucks and cars from picking up and spreading dirt and mud onto neighborhood streets. One Christmas he recalled an inch of mud coating his street. The problem was so bad that neighbors couldn't walk to their annual holiday party.
Finally, Feit said, the village should enforce a provision requiring construction crews to clean adjoining streets and sidewalks on every day that work is done. He complained that builders don't now follow that provision: "It's a joke. They couldn't care less. . .Three of my neighbors and I went to project managers and told them about this ordinance," Feit recalled. "They were told, It's none of your GD business."
Feit offered to answer questions about his plan. There were none. President Carlson thanked him, and the board moved on to other business.
Editor's note: It's great to see citizens offering proposals that could improve the quality of life for residents filling the leadership void that exists on our current Village Board. Sadly, our trustees seem incapable of proposing such thoughtful, workable legislation and, we fear, incapable of approving such regulations even when provided to them by members of the public. Mark the date. Let's see how quickly anything is done with Richard Feit's simple and reasonable ideas.
NEW
COP SHOP ON TRACK
The Village of Glenview is hoping to build a new police station at the
corner of Lake Avenue and Shermer Road on the 12-acre site where Youth
Services now sits. The social service agency would be moved to
trailers at the west end of The Glen.
Village officials told the Pioneer Press they hoped ground could be broken
for the station in 2003 with a grand opening one year later. The
current police headquarters on Waukegan Road next to Village Hall was
built in 1973 for 38 officers. The force has grown to 75.
GLENVIEW LEADERS PASS ON REGIONAL PLANNING SESSION
The Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission held a major powwow in
Rosemont last month to discuss the future of this region. More than
800 people were on hand allowed to take part in instant polling on the
issues of greatest importance to them. The results of that
electronic survey suggest that suburbs were poorly represented.
Affordable housing ranked first on the list of priorities, while traffic
and transit concerns didn't even make the top ten.
In a news report, the Pioneer Press quoted Northbrook's Village President
who did not attend: "If you're just interested in what's going
on in your town it's not relevant to you."
Glenview's Park Commissioner Judy Beck, and former Village President Nancy
Firfer were there, but Village President Larry Carlson said he and the
trustees were tied up in an all-day hearing on next year's budget. "
I do believe that many of the problems that the suburbs face are regional
in nature and must be addressed as such," he added.
In its editorial, the Glenview Announcements scolded local officials for
failing to show up. The paper said regional planning is important to all
communities, and they should be at the table when the plans are made.
On a related note, Glenview's Comprehensive Plan Commission holds a public
hearing on Milwaukee Avenue from 6-8 p.m. November 15 in the Board
Room of Village Hall. At the same time and place, planners will
discuss downtown Glenview on December 13.
TRIBUNE GIVES GLENVIEW A SCARE
The headline read: "State Aims to Build Anti-Terror School," and
told of plans to construct an anti-terrorism training center at The Glen
complete with a model city where emergency workers can practice
dealing with an attack.
In fact, plans are proceeding for the Northeastern Illinois Public Safety
Training Academy (NIPSTA) an educational center where firemen, police
and paramedics can learn basic, intermediate and advanced techniques for
dealing with emergencies of all kinds.
"To a fireman, it doesn't matter whether a hazardous material spill
was caused by a terrorist or a truck accident," said NIPSTA planner
Ralph Czerwinski. "The only difference is that we may have to treat
the area as a crime scene," if someone deliberately causes a problem.
NIPSTA's new chairman, Arlington Heights Assistant Village Manager Greg
Ford agreed, saying the mission of NIPSTA remains the same.
Seventeen communities have signed on as partners in the formation of a
safety training school. A pad where drivers of squad cars,
ambulances and fire trucks can practice should be complete next summer and
a full schedule of classes could be underway by fall.
Ford wants to assure Glenview residents that commandos will not be
storming the Dairy Bar and clouds of toxic chemicals will not be drifting
through town. Trainees will learn in classrooms and on simulated
building and railroad models at The Glen. NIPSTA is still searching
for funds to make it happen. To that end planners don't argue with the
fact that skills learned here could be used to fight terrorism.
As part of an anti-terror request, Governor George Ryan has asked for
$100,000 million from the federal government $22 million earmarked for
the "anti-terror school" in Glenview.
BOARD PREVIEW BARS, GUNS AND GOLF
This week's meeting of the Glenview Village Board will feature requests
for liquor licenses at two new restaurants in town. It looks like a
Chinese place will replace Carson's on Waukegan Road, and Viccino's Pizza
will offer sit down service at its new Plaza del Prado location.
Also on the agenda, the Overtime Sports Bar on Milwaukee at Sanders is
applying for permission to build a new, larger building and parking lot.
Glenview is poised to sign with Enron Energy Services to supply
electricity for municipal operations. Under Illinois'
newly-deregulated system, large customers like Glenview can choose from a
number of suppliers. The village predicts it will save 6 percent
with the Enron deal.
The police department will ask for more than $23,000 to buy 51 Beretta
model 96D pistols, and the fire department wants $11,500 for a thermal
imaging camera that would make it possible to locate people trapped in
dense smoke.
And golfers will be happy to hear there's plenty of free tee time at The
Glen Club. Kemper Sports Management originally agreed to cap
corporate memberships at 150 to see if that left enough time for locals to
play on the privately-owned, designer course. In fact, Kemper says
corporate golfers are taking up just 15 percent of available tee times
while Glenview residents use 4 per cent. That's "below what we
may have expected prior to opening," says Executive Vice President
Steve Skinner. Kemper will ask the village to permit sale of another
50 corporate memberships to the club.
BILL WATCHING
The trustees are also expected to sign off on more than $5.2 million in
bills. As usual, some of those invoices make us wonder:
Why is the village paying nearly $5,400 for holiday gift certificates
at Jewel?
Who's been sleeping in our bed? The village must pay American
Hotel Register $1,485 for a mattress pad, mattress, box springs and
outdoor cigarette urns.
How many prayers will be said for Glenview once the village sends the
Society of the Divine Word $5,000?
Mesirow Stein will collect $2.5 million a sum labeled
"incentive fee closings." Former Village President Nancy
Firfer was fond of telling the public that our marketing consultant at The
Glen was getting no "commission." What is the difference between
an incentive fee and a commission?
Village attorney Jeff Randall billed more than $3,000 for work tied to
a suit by the Glenview Prairie Preservation Project. That matter
could have been settled long ago by simply writing a report on what
Glenview was doing to protect the prairie. Now, Randall says
Glenview will cut and paste something together. Why didn't he
recommend that in the first place and save us a bundle? Did he and
his political pals at Village Hall hope to win so they could punish the
plaintiffs by suing them for legal fees?
As always, we're sure village management has good answers to our
questions. We look forward to sharing them with you in our next
edition.
COWS LEADER HOSPITALIZED AFTER HEART ATTACK
Norma Morrison, best known for her decade-long fight to save Wagner Farm,
is recovering at Glenbrook Hospital after suffering a heart attack
Thursday morning. The 85-year-old community leader is in good
condition, but no date has been set for her release. Get well wishes
can be sent in care of husband Bill Morrison, 822 Lenox Road, Glenview, IL
60025.
READERS WRITE
Steve Glenn thinks the Moore brothers, who are experts on landscaping,
may soon be learning some lessons about real estate: "The
developer who stated that one has a right to a return on their
investment' had better reread his copy of Adam Smith. There is no
such thing, of course. These guys decided to develop at the very top
of an overheated real estate market expecting to sell to a greater
fool. They will end up eating their loss, all the while blaming
others. They should've started a dot.com business."
LP doubts the need for a new fire station and worries about the
expense: "For several years, the Village of Glenview has been
contemplating a new fire station. Though there have been other properties
more suitable for this purpose, such as the property upon which the Willow
Inn sits and which the owners were more than willing to sell to the
village, the trustees have decided to build a fire station on the
southeast corner of Lake and Wagner one of the most dangerous corners
in Glenview. They said this property had been vacant and no one was
interested in buying it. I happen to know that is not true.
"The fire department met with residents of the East Wagner Road
Homeowners Association. During this meeting, they told area residents that
over the past 10 years there have been about five fires -- only one of
them serious. They claim response times were higher than average, and
response time is crucial, we were told, because of the aging population in
the area. Almost all of the elderly people in this area have moved
out over the past 10 years because of excessive taxation, illness, death
or an inability to manage such large properties in their advanced years.
"We were then told that it was due to the aging of the homes, but
almost every house in this area has either been completely gutted and
rehabbed or torn down and a new one built in its place. The fire chief
produced a map of the area to be served by the new station. Over 60
percent was east of Wagner Road in the Village of Wilmette and the forest
preserve. When we asked about this, we were told that the village already
services these areas and that the new station will also serve the
highway!
"We were informed that a public meeting would be held to address area
residents' concerns during the re-zoning hearing of the property and that
we would be notified. We were never informed of the meeting despite
repeated calls to Village Hall and Manager McCarthy's office. Apparently
the village went behind the backs of its residents and had it re-zoned
anyway over the protests of area residents. So much for character counting
in Glenview."
Trustee John Crawford has been active in planning the new station.
He replies: "The Village Board will have a public hearing for
residents of the area as soon as conceptual drawings for the firehouse are
completed. After that public meeting and any modifications on the
basis of public comment, the petition for re-zoning will be submitted to
the Plan Commission. The property has not yet been re-zoned, nor was
the site selected because of age of residents or housing. We need a
station in that area because of the distance from other stations."
And the Watch adds: This is classic. The village will be talking to
the public, but only after the fire station is literally on the drawing
boards. Several substantial questions remain about the need for this
fire station and the cost effectiveness of building it. Officials probably
have answers, but they're not sharing them, and this failure to thoroughly
explore alternatives with the public before proceeding may lend credence
to the perception that our public officials don't really care what we
think or what we spend.
PT has solved her flooding problems but worries about the neighbors: "Today
I signed a contract for $6000 plus with a Skokie sewer company used
successfully by my neighbors. I was one of many unhappy Flick Park area
residents drowned in rainwater two weekends ago. We actually had a
Trevi Fountain of sewage spewing up from the basement floor.
"I contacted Glenview and Northfield Township. Neither agency would
remove our sewage-soaked furniture, carpet and paneling. Northfield passed
the buck for any problems saying even if the sewer pipes were bigger,
our sewage goes to Chicago, and if it's full, it's full. When I asked what
to do to avoid a basement full of sewage in the future, I was told to put
in a system that would block sewage. I will be working forever to
pay for it, but at least I'll be protected. What can be done for
those who will be hit next?"
YOUR TURN
What's on your mind? Drop us a line by e-mail or the old-fashioned way. We're at 3537 Maple Leaf Drive, Glenview, IL 60025. Thanks for reading. Dean Schott and Sandy Hausman, Co-Editors of The Watch.