PARK DISTRICT TO BUY MORE LAND

Glenview's Park District is expected to hold a special meeting at 7 p.m.
Monday, February 11 to vote on the purchase of another 57.5 acres of land
along Milwaukee Avenue adjacent to the new 38-acre West Park set to open late
this summer. The new site, owned by Town and Country Properties, is bounded
on the north by Aon, on the east by Milwaukee Avenue, on the west by I-294
and on the south by Central Road and the Union Pacific railroad tracks.

The Park District will pay $4.75 million for half the land and receive the
other half as a donation. No tax increase will be required. Instead, the
purchase will be made with proceeds from a bond sale. Officials say they may
have to put off some capital improvements for a few years, but there will be
no impact on Wagner Farm, sports fields or other operations.

In a press release, the district described this as "the last undeveloped
parcel of significant size" in Glenview, adding that the price for the land
and low interest rates make the deal especially attractive. Noting that West
Park was also acquired from Town and Country, the park district says this new
purchase will bring the total site to 95 acres at a cost of less than $90,000
per acre. Closing is expected to take place by the end of May. There are no
immediate plans or funds available for development of the parcel.

Public comments on the acquisition will be invited at the February 11 meeting
in Park Center, but don't bother asking if this purchase will make Swenson
Park, at the site of the old Rugen Center, available for a new library. The
Park District says no, in part because it has already received a $400,000
state matching grant for Swenson. Any change in plans might require returning
the money to Springfield.

POLITICAL APPOINTEES APPROVED

Village Board President Larry Carlson finally prevailed in the appointment of
two political pals to serve on the Plan and Appearance Commissions, but not
without a fight from Trustees Rachel Cook and Donna Pappo.

Cook said no nominations should be considered until the board tackled a more
important job the review of all village panels she had requested last June.
"We need to evaluate the continued need for existing boards and commissions."
On the other hand, Cook said, "There may be a need for the creation of new
commissions to address changing regulatory needs in our growing community."
For example, Cook proposed a natural resources commission and a safety
commission be established. She called for term limits and complained that the
board's president had not considered some highly-qualified candidates for
open positions.

While she declined to comment on the specific credentials of high school
teacher Allan Ruter or businessman Steve Bucklin , Trustee Pappo said it was
a matter of "common sense that the qualifications and expertise of a nominee
be somehow relevant to the job we're asking them to do. If you're going to
build a bridge, you don't ask a librarian to draw up the plans. The librarian
may be very capable and a worthwhile member of the community, but he's simply
not the person for the job."

Carlson replied that he wants to be sure there is room on the commissions for
regular citizens not just experts. "I don't really want all bridge builders
on that committee. I want one of the guys who lives down the street where all
the traffic's gonna' go with that new bridge. This is where I started out in
1982, coming on the Appearance Commission, without the experience of being an
engineer or an architect, and I think I did okay."

Trustee Mary Beth Denefe said she would "simply like to state for the record
that although Mr. Ruter does not have any experience for this commission, I
would like to just state that my daughter graduated from GBS last year. She
did not have the privilege of having Mr. Ruter as an English teacher, but she
did have the opportunity to be on a committee that he chaired, and I would
like to say that her experience with him was a terrific experience."

Carlson said his daughter had studied with Ruter, and he was known to be
"strict but fair," a fine temperament for the Appearance Commission.

Editor's note: Maybe Carlson thinks he did "okay," but we don't think
"okay" is good enough. "Okay" has given us Metro Self-Storage on Waukegan
Road, a dismal townhouse development on Chestnut west of the Glenview Car
Wash, Optima West and many more projects with limited architectural appeal.
People with no background in planning or design lack the vision or expertise
to propose something better. The point of advisory committees is to offer the
best possible advice to our village board. There is no need to save seats for
"regular citizens" who bring no special knowledge to the table. Public
hearings allow them a chance to speak, and the village board is elected to
represent them. A good plan commission is staffed by people who understand
planning, and a good appearance commission is made up of people with
backgrounds in architecture and design. There is still no one on Glenview's
Appearance Commission with landscaping expertise, so Carlson has missed an
important opportunity while rewarding two guys who did much to get him
elected.

McMANSION TALK MAKES SPARKS FLY

More than a year after the village board passed a bulk and scale ordinance
that does little to restrict the size of homes replacing teardowns, the
trustees clashed over how to deal with another McMansion.

The owner of a house at 4731 Linden hoped to add a substantial addition.
Glenview's director of building and zoning saw the plans and thought the
change was at odds with the neighborhood, possibly putting property values of
the neighbors at risk.

As required by law under such circumstances, he referred the matter to
Glenview's Appearance Commission. The Appearance Commission felt it was not
qualified to determine whether, in fact, property values would decline, so
the matter was sent to the village board. After a presentation by the
architect, Board President Larry Carlson called for a motion, but the
trustees were silent. "Going once, going twice," joked Carlson.

Trustee Donna Pappo thought that if the Appearance Commission felt
ill-qualified to decide, then perhaps another body should be given the job of
saying whether a house that is out of character with its neighbors will, in
fact, damage property values. She pointed out that the ordinance is unclear
about who must make the case and said she didn't think the neighbors should
have to bear that burden.

"Who else would it be on?" asked Village Manager Paul McCarthy.

"It's not placed on anyone. That's the problem," said Pappo.

"No it isn't a problem!" said Trustee Mary Beth Denefe in a rare burst of
passion. "It's not within the purview of the village to have to disprove this
proposition as far as I'm concerned, and with respect to what's before us
tonight, I don't believe that it's within the purview of this board to impose
our judgment on whether we like or don't like this particular architecture."
She thought the board should simply look at what the Appearance Commission
had to say and decide. "I don't think we should be having another discussion
de novo tonight," she concluded.

SEND IN THE LAWYERS

Trustee Cook said the board really should decide who bears the burden of
proof that a new home will financially damage the neighborhood.

"I have to tell you that most residents bring in their attorneys to argue
it," said Bak, "and the attorneys [realize] the burden is on the
complainant."
"Do you think the man next door who's a senior citizen, retired from the post
office you think he can go hire an attorney?" said Trustee Crawford, his
voice rising with indignation. "The assumption that everybody in Glenview is
a lawyer or a stock market entrepreneur who can go out and hire a lawyer to
represent him let's be realistic! I think we ought to have something which
is more homeowner friendly."
"Mr. Crawford," said Village Attorney Jeff Randall, "Ms. Bak did not say
that. What she said is some of those people brought attorneys in with them."

"Mr. President," said Crawford. "There are seven elected board members here.
Since when is a village attorney asked to chime in and give his opinion? Ms.
Bak is very capable of defending herself." Besides, Crawford said, he wasn't
accusing Bak of anything only stating that the assumption residents must
prove damage to their property values is unfair.

Trustee Denefe expressed sympathy for the homeowner whose plans prompted the
debate and called for approval of his home addition. With a second from
Trustee Lerner, the board voted unanimously to allow it, then agreed to
continue its discussion on how best to regulate the look and market impact of
future construction, possibly at its next meeting.

TRUSTEES ATTACK ZONING BOARD CHAIR

In a letter responding to the views of Zoning Board Chairman Ty Laurie,
published in the Glenview Announcements, Trustee John Crawford lashes out at
Laurie and those who recently "emasculated" Glenview's ethics ordinance.

"Ty Laurie believes that the village board and appointed board and commission
members should trust one another," Crawford writes, "but we are not members
of a club, beholden only to one another; we are trustees of the public
interest."

Laurie is a partner in the Chicago law firm Schiff Hardin Waite. Under the
old ethics ordinance, he would have been forced to resign as chairman of the
zoning board when his firm agreed to represent a developer before the village
of Glenview. Instead, Laurie, who was active in the election of Larry
Carlson, Jeff Lerner, Mary Beth Denefe and Mike Guinane, may have persuaded
his political allies to change the law.

Under the new ordinance, Laurie must recuse himself in any case involving a
conflict of interest before the zoning board, but Crawford points out he can
"participate to the fullest with his partners in the preparation of three
cases per year before the village board, plan commission or any other village
panel."

Crawford says the new law may permit such a conflict of interest, but it "is
clearly in violation of the Illinois Supreme Court Rules of Professional
Conduct for Attorneys, ... [and] the Illinois State Bar Association's Canons
of Ethics. . .which counsel that a lawyer should avoid even the appearance of
impropriety."

In a separate letter, Trustee Rachel Cook attacks Laurie for comparing her
situation to his. Cook has recused herself twice on votes involving
communications equipment purchased by Glenview's police department from
Motorola, the company where her husband works. Cook points out that her
spouse earns a fixed salary regardless of whether Motorola makes a sale to
Glenview. On the other hand, because he is a partner in Schiff Harden Waite,
Laurie's compensation rises when the law firm represents clients before the
village.

POWER OUTAGE LEAVES THE PUBLIC AND OFFICIALS IN THE DARK

A fire in an electrical transformer and a major power outage along Waukegan
Road snarled traffic and cut service to 1,500 customers in Glenview Friday
night. It also left most residents in the dark about what had happened.

Many got a busy signal when they attempted to call police. The Watch managed
to get through but was told the department had no information. A call to the
fire department was returned quickly, an officer indicating that the problem
stemmed from a blaze in the 600-block of Waukegan Road. He referred us to
the police department for additional information.

Calls to both departments on Saturday yielded no further details. Personnel
on duty were not even aware there had been a serious incident in the village,
and neither fire nor police prepared a press release or statement for the
public.

Editor's note: While Glenview seems to have excellent firefighters and
policemen, neither department is well-equipped or prepared to communicate
with the public. This is an important function, especially in times of
emergency, and deserves immediate attention. The village has grown too big
to pretend that word of mouth can adequately serve our information needs, and
it is chancy to rely on Chicago's media to make the trip north. In the event
of breaking news, someone at Village Hall should be charged with contacting
all broadcast outlets in the area to inform them of traffic or public safety
problems and to request special announcements on radio and tv. We also hope
local officials will call the Watch. We are, after all, the only local media
outlet capable of providing immediate news coverage to residents of the
village.

OF STOP SIGNS AND SPEED TRAPS

Glenview's police department has assigned a squad car to keep an eye on the
intersection of Prairie and Lehigh near the post office and train station
weekdays from 7:05 to 8 a.m. after Watch readers complained that drivers
frequently ignore stop signs in the area.

Commander Scott Stewart had not be informed of problems at the intersection
but said he was very concerned about any situation involving pedestrian
safety. Stewart said seven or eight motorists had been ticketed for failing
to stop at the corner since February 3. He asks residents who see other
traffic-related problems to call 847-729-5000, hit zero and ask for him.

Meanwhile, the village board has voted to change speed limits on two main
streets in The Glen. Drivers can now do 30 on Patriot and Chestnut, up from
the original limit of 25 miles per hour.

NATURAL AREAS WON'T COST MUCH GREEN

Last year, village staffers proposed hiring a consultant to make the case
that Woodworth Prairie, owned by the University of Illinois, and the Techny
Basin a large preserve along the Chicago River near Heatherfield are
environmentally significant. If Glenview's Environmental Review Commission
agreed, those properties would receive additional protection from the impact
of development around them.

Conservation Design Forum said it would do the job for about $19,000, but the
Glenview Prairie Preservation Project (a group headed by Watch Editor Sandy
Hausman) suggested the University of Illinois could make the case for
Woodworth Prairie at no charge and a newly-hired village naturalist might be
able to assess the biological value of Techny. Trustee Rachel Cook wondered
why the village had failed to bid the job, and the board agreed to ask for
bids from other companies.

Last week, Development Director Mary Bak returned with a handful of bids
including one from Donald Hey Associates, a respected environmental
management company willing to do the job for $13,000. Bak said she would
still recommend that the board go with Conservation Design Forum, but the
trustees might also opt to have naturalist Robyn Flakne do the job. Since
she's already on the village payroll, that option would cost nothing.

The trustees agreed to keep the job in-house and save the money for a land
management plan that might require outside consultation in the future.

PRAIRIE PROVES A WIN-WIN PROPOSITION

The Chicago Audubon Society will give this year's Protector of the
Environment award to Jim Vroman and Steve Siros, attorneys from the law firm
of Jenner and Block. The two men provided pro bono legal services to the
Glenview Prairie Preservation Project and six village residents who sued to
ensure maximum protection for a rare tallgrass prairie at The Glen.

Meanwhile, a regional group invited to help maintain and restore the prairie
has given its annual award to the Village of Glenview. John Balaban of the
North Branch Restoration Project said the honor is usually reserved for
individuals or groups, but this year's recognition is going for the first
time to a municipality. He praised Glenview for good planning and
complimented the board for hiring a natural resource manager to keep an eye
on the prairie.

Trustee Jeff Lerner said the honor really belonged to his political friend
and former board member Kent Fuller. In fact, considerable credit was also
due to current Trustee Rachel Cook who received no special recognition. Cook
and Fuller shared the burden of negotiating strict guidelines for neighboring
developers and helped persuade other board members to set aside an additional
8 acres adjacent to the high-quality preserve.

VILLAGE SPINS RESALE OF BONDS

In proposing the village refinance $6,885,000 in general obligation bonds,
Glenview consultant Ron Noreen stressed again that the village has a AAA
rating from Moody's Investor Services. Of 3,000 municipalities rated by
Moody's, he said only 67 get the top mark. Noreen stressed the AAA
assessment was not just a reflection of wealth in the community but of
excellent fiscal management at Village Hall. He added that richer
communities, like Kenilworth, had lower ratings, suggesting perhaps that
Glenview is better managed than our neighbor to the east. Noreen did not
mention that Kenilworth is a tiny residential community with no industrial
tax base and very limited revenue from retail.

The resale of bonds to Bank One is expected to save the village $278,000.
Trustee Mike Guinane, still on the lookout for funds to fix roads and control
flooding in his neighborhood, Glen Oak Acres, immediately made inquiries but
was told to forget about it. "We don't actually have the money," said
Trustee Lerner. "We're just not going to be spending it."

E-BULLETIN BOARD

Voter registration - The Glenview League of Women Voters will offer one
last chance to register for the March primary from 4-6 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. on
Tuesday, February 19 at the Glenview Public Library. You must be 18 years
old, a U.S. citizen and have two pieces of identification one with a current
address.

Kicking the habit - Want to quit smoking? At 6 p.m. February 19,
Northfield Township and the Cook County Department of Public Health will
start a free program to help you kick the cigarette habit. Classes will be
held at the township offices 3801 W. Lake Avenue just south of Glenbrook
South High School. To register, call Michelle Wilson at 847-724-8300.

Getting hitched globally - If you'd like to learn more about how the
world's religions celebrate marriage, join the interfaith committees of B'nai
Jehoshua Beth Elohim and the Glenview Community Church for a series of
discussions at The Chapel at The Glen corner of Patriot and Chestnut from
7-9 p.m. February 17 will feature Muslim customs, February 21, Christian
customs and March 3, Sikh customs.

READERS WRITE

BJ honks his horn at pedestrians angered by area drivers: "To FP, ERL and
the rest of the whining pedestrians, first and foremost, as pedestrians, it
is your responsibility to cross at marked crosswalks, not in the middle of a
block because its convenient. And if you do cross in those aesthetically
pleasing nouveau paver crosswalks, it is your responsibility to wait for
traffic, not to just continue at your brisk pace without stopping because the
train is approaching. This isn't California folks. Vehicles on the roadways
have the right-of-way, unless the pedestrian is in the crosswalk with the
light.

"By the way, I don't hear anyone complaining about the pedestrians who
violate the law by crossing railroad tracks while the gates or signals have
been activated. Once those lights, bells, gates activate, pedestrians and
vehicles are prohibited from crossing. Maybe the Glenview police department
should become more in-step with other suburban towns and have policeman at
the train depots citing those violators who will probably miss their train. I
wonder how long that would last until the whiners cried foul. Oh yeah, and
you joggers, haven't you been reading about all those magnificent elaborate
parks in Glenview? Jog there. Stay off the road! Thanks again for the
opportunity to re-adjust (if only in words) some self serving, pompous,
elitists who think they live in Oz. "

Glenview Watch replies: Hey BJ, you left out motorcyclists, bicyclists,
in-line skaters, skateboarders, mothers pushing strollers, people on crutches
and Boy Scouts helping little old ladies across the street. Laws are laws,
no quibble with that. But we should all consider courtesy whether we're
sitting behind the wheel of a 4,000-pound SUV rushing to the mall or
mindlessly jogging in our Reeboks. Simple acts of courtesy go further in
making us all more civilized toward our neighbors, and it means so much. Try
it. It will make you feel better.

And confidential to Chief Fitzpatrick: We were pleased to see that a squad
car was actually stationed near the intersection of Prairie and Lehigh where
drivers often blow through the stop signs. We counted at least a dozen
motorists making Hollywood stops. Not a single one was ticketed by the
officer on hand, and on Monday FP claims a sheriff's police car rolled
through the stop sign after leaving Glenview's post office.

TR's frosted by village's plowing efforts: "January 31, 2002 was a complete
disaster for residents of Glenview in terms of snow plowing. Despite a
two-day warning of a major storm, none of the commuter parking lots were
plowed, side streets were a mess, having barely been touched by village
trucks. It was quite a trip to watch frustrated commuters get stuck and try
to park by the Metra station. Where were the village's Ford Expeditions,
Explorers, Chevrolet Suburbans and green pickups with plows?"

The Watch replies: Glenview's director of public works says he sympathizes
with people who missed trains or got stuck in METRA parking lots on January
31 after a major winter storm dumped nearly a foot of snow on the Chicago
area. Bill Porter says crews were called around midnight and began plowing
the lots around 3 a.m.. Shortly afterward, as some 50 units fanned out to
cover the major routes of Glenview, the storm intensified, causing white-out
conditions in some areas and dumping 3-4 inches of snow per hour on the
village. By the time plows returned to the parking areas, they were occupied
by commuters' cars, making another round of plowing difficult.

FS asks: "Why are the Cook County Sheriff's buses from the Skokie Court
House allowed to park in the middle of Glenview Rd. at Harms while the
drivers run into White Hen to purchase lottery tickets or coffee? I'll bet
you and I could not do that."

The Watch replies: Police Commander Scott Stewart says parking in that area
is certainly illegal and poses a hazard to other drivers. He assured us that
bus drivers or any other motorists caught in the act would be ticketed.

Fritz has no sympathy for people living near a gun club in Golf: "That club
has been there longer than the woman who wrote to the Watch, and contrary to
her complaint, there are not thousands of people that can hear the shot. I
would also challenge her to prove that any shells get into the river, and ask
if they use steel or lead shot before you get all carried away."

WG writes to defend the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District: "I live on
Glenview Road in the 1100 block. My neighbors and I don't have a clue what
we would do if we didn't have mosquito abatement. They have been the most
professional group coming out every couple of weeks so that we can enjoy our
patio and gardens. The treatment does work. We call and they come. They
are worth every tax dollar we pay for them."

The Watch replies: There are, no doubt, some very good people working for
the mosquito abatement district. The problem some critics have is at the
top. While the guy who visits your house is earning his daily wage, there
might be a few politically-connected folks who don't even show up for work.
That's what the feds are looking at.

JG sounds off on Bart, downtown redevelopment and Glenview's general state
of affairs: "I am almost embarrassed to say that I live in Glenview anymore!
What a joke. I have been here my entire life and grew up playing at the
farm. I can assure you that Pete is probably rolling in his grave. The idea
of finding a home for Bart is ridiculous. If we are not going to run the
farm as a farm, then we might as well have built a large diorama of a farm to
use as a teaching tool for the kids. (This would have been better anyway
since Pete and Rosie did not want the farm to go to the park district or the
village! I, for one, certainly hope that I am allowed to distribute my
property as I wish when I pass on.) What ever happened to good old common
sense? Not only does it seem to be missing with regard to the farm but just
about everything else that is going on in Glenview.

"We the people need to remember that this country is not set up to be run by
the few. We all have a say, and I am sick and tired of hearing people
complain, and then when I ask about who they voted for I hear that they
didn't bother because they didn't really think it was important. You all
seem to know how you would like Glenview to be and many are not satisfied
with what is going on. Well, I say it is time to put up or shut up."

"By the way, has Glenview's consultant had any luck finding people to rent
all of the vacant storefronts and offices that are all over town? What on
earth makes them think that it will be so easy to find a developer for the
library space when they can't seem to get it together with anything else.
Sometimes it almost seems as if we live in a ghost town, and I certainly am
not happy about moving things to The Glen, especially not the library. The
only children who could safely get themselves to the library if it moves to
The Glen are those who live in The Glen. I have ridden my bike over there
and could barely get across Lake at the light. Our downtown area could be
great and our kids can get there safely from many different neighborhoods,
but then I guess that probably won't happen since it makes sense. My final
comment involves the ethics ordinance. That we should even need one is
upsetting. That we can't agree on one since those in charge seem to be
lacking ethics is appalling."

AJZ says fly the flag, but don't neglect it: "It was great to see our
American flag flying in front of businesses, homes, public and private
vehicles after 9/11. I am hopeful Glenview residents are no less patriotic
today. However, I am puzzled at the flags I see around town that show
considerable neglect. Some are tangled in an bunch, almost denying the
resemblance to Old Glory. Many give the appearance of being left unattended
and exposed to all sorts of time and weather. While the citizen who is
responsible for displaying the flag may in every respect be a real patriot,
it is puzzling to me that the sense of patriotism is not coupled with a
measure of pride in it's condition. It is the same flag which is being
honored with the lives of our young military in foreign lands and deserves
more."

YOUR TURN: What’s on your mind? Drop us a line by e-mail or snail mail (3537 Maple Leaf Drive, Glenview, IL 60025). If you haven’t already done so, please consider making a contribution to support hard copy distribution and website charges for The Watch. Non-deductible checks should be payable to Glenview Watch. We thank you for your support and for reading. . – Sandy Hausman and Dean Schott, Co-Editors of The Watch.

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