Tuesday, November 19 the public will have a chance to comment on village priorities. That’s when the trustees plan to vote on a tax levy to fund the 2003 budget. If there’s something you think requires funding, show up at 7:30 p.m. and fill out a card so you can share your wishes with the board. If you can’t be there, call your favorite trustee or send an e-mail to the board in care of joannel@glenview.il.us.

In the proposed budget, the overall cost for village personnel is up 17 percent – nearly $605,000. The spending plan says nothing about the value of cars supplied to high level managers, but it does list salaries for 2003:

Village Manager Paul McCarthy - $156,840

Assistant Village Manager Joe Wade - $107,800

Development Director Mary Bak - $107,796

Redevelopment Director Don Owen - $107,796

Public Works Director Bill Porter - $107,796

Assistant Redevelopment Director Amy Ahner - $82,788

Assistant to the Village Manager Janet Mulvey - $61,524

The village has budgeted $8,000 for recognition awards to employees, $5,300 for holiday certificates, $3,000 for holiday parties and $600 for five Glen personnel to have their cars washed on a regular basis.

Former Fire Chief Joe Robberson, who left to become chief in Wilmette, is collecting a $72,555 pension from Glenview, and it looks like the top village planner, Dave Slitkas, is leaving in the midst of a critical time for the village – the ten-year comprehensive planning process. Jeff Brady, a junior member of the planning team, could be in line to collect the $82,788 salary set aside for Slitkas’ replacement.

Jeffrey Randall’s law firm will get a quarter of a million dollars for legal services related to The Glen, and the budget includes $70,000 for an unknown contractor to operate parking garages at The Glen Town Center in the last three months of 2003. The costs to light Gallery Park are expected to rise $30,000, while total expenditures at The Glen will be $45 million.

On the revenue side, the village forecasts $263,000 from fees charged to park at The Glen of North Glenview Metra lot.

Editor's note:  Once again, the public is getting short shrift in this critical democratic process. Anyone who went to the public library to learn what money the village will spend next year found an incomplete budget. A detailed account of spending for public roads, sewers and buildings was not included. What's more, it's been difficult to know if and when citizens might be allowed to speak on this subject. The September issue of the Village Report promised a public hearing on the budget November 19, but the agenda for that night does not list a public hearing.  On November 18, the village manager's office was saying the public hearing would be delayed until December 3 -- after the tax levy to fund the budget had already been approved and the same night the board would vote on the spending plan.  On learning citizens might wish to address the trustees in advance, giving them the opportunity to modify the budget in response to public comment, Village President Larry Carlson said the agenda for November 19 would be amended to allow for a hearing.  Those who can't make it to Village Hall found no e-mail addresses for trustees in the November Village Report and no links to their elected representatives on the village website. 

VILLAGE MANAGER AWAITS NEW DEAL

Glenview's agreement with long-time manager Paul McCarthy is up for renewal.  The current contract is a generous one,  making McCarthy one of the best-paid managers on the North Shore and providing plenty of job security.  In the event McCarthy is terminated or suspended as village manager, the village is obliged to employ him as a special advisor to the board.  He must be available for consultation but is not required to be at Village Hall or even in Illinois.  As a special advisor, he would be entitled to 25 days of vacation and would be free to pursue other employment.  Should he decide to sue the village for any reason, the contract stipulates that Glenview taxpayers would cover his legal costs.  

The political party variously known as Unite Glenview, Glenview United and Village United has announced a search for candidates to fill three seats on the village board next spring. The terms of Rachel Cook, John Crawford and Donna Pappo will expire in April. After nearly four years of frustration and hostility at Village Hall and a bitter election in which Crawford and Cook supported Pappo’s unsuccessful bid for the presidency, observers say all three may retire.

Unite Glenview’s selection committee – former Plan Commission Chairman Tim Doron and GBS teacher Allan Ruter – will interview and choose candidates to be announced January 4. Residents interested in running on the UG ticket can call Doron at 518-9990 or Ruter at 729-2368.

No candidates have emerged from the ashes of Pappo’s party known as Glenview Good Government or G3, and supporters are still upset over campaign tactics used by UG to elect President Larry Carlson, Trustees Mary Beth Denefe, Mike Guinane and Jeff Lerner. UG outspent G3 by more than three to one, hired professional campaign consultant Bill Darr, did extensive telephone polling of voters, then produced slick mass mailings and a series of targeted letters that misinformed voters about Pappo. The party has already held its first fundraiser for the next campaign.

Five seats will open on the Glenview District 34 School Board this spring. If you’d like to run, contact Babette Sanders at 312-908-9405 or 847-657-6431. Applications will be available November 20 and should be turned in by 4 p.m. November 26.

If you’d like to run for the Glenview Park District Board, now is the time to get started. Three seats will open next year when Commissioners Cathy Crowley, Steve Schulte and Tom Pontarelli retire. Terms run six years. For details on circulating petitions for the April 8 election, call 847-657-3224 and ask for Tom Richardson.

The district is also looking for volunteers to serve on the Independence Day Celebration Commission – a group that helps plan and raise funds for Glenview’s annual fireworks display, parade and other festivities. For details, call Mary Van Arsdale at 847-657-3203.

In a report to the trustees, Redevelopment Director Don Owen says the tax increment financing (TIF) plan that sends all property taxes from the former naval air station to the village will end between 2010 and 2014. As late as 1999, Owen was saying the TIF – used to pay for roads, sewers and other infrastructure, marketing and maintenance at The Glen – might end in 2006.

Owen also predicts that advice from Chicago consultant Mesirow-Stein will no longer be needed after 2004 but says Glenview should prepare for a series of long-term costs. "Lake Glenview will need to be tested to determine the level of soil sedimentation runoff that may have occurred during sitewide construction, and it may be necessary at some point to dredge the lake," he writes. "Also, it is probable that the storm sewers that bring the water to the lake will require cleaning. . .Another likely project will be resurfacing all or a portion of the main stem roadways since they have received a much higher concentration of heavy construction traffic, and if funds are available, it may be prudent to establish a replacement fund for the $20 million parking decks [at The Glen Town Center].

On a related note, the latest bill for electricity supplied to public parts of The Glen exceeds $40,000 even though nearly a third of The Glen’s street lights are out.

As the trustees prepared to adjourn their November 5 meeting, a lone member of the public stood up. Neville Billimoria lives on Chestnut Street where construction workers often park close to streetside mailboxes. Finding access difficult, the postmaster sent a note to some residents informing them that no service would be provided when cars are parked in front of the mail box.

President Carlson began the brush off. "I don’t think we can put that on the agenda tonight," he said. But Village Manager McCarthy was ready with a tough response. "We’re contacting the builders to put them on notice that they have to get the cars off the street. I’ve told the director of development that if we have a persistent problem with particular developers, we’ll do a stop order on their construction site. I’ve asked the chief of police to ticket and tow and suggested that residents talk with the postmaster about moving mailboxes to the alleys."

Billimoria was pleased with the manager’s speedy response. He had just written to McCarthy that morning and received a written response in the afternoon. "I’m a big fan of yours," he told McCarthy, but "I am still concerned that you have not heard the last of this issue. There is not a lot of parking in The Glen. It’s a major issue for residents, and you might end up towing my mother’s car while she’s babysitting for my daughter."

"Thank you," said Carlson, ignoring Billimoria’s warning. "Glad to hear you got such good service."

Editor’s note: The village had apparently written to Chestnut Street residents even before Billimoria sent his letter, so McCarthy’s speedy response was something of a coincidence. Still everyone had a laugh at what appeared to be super service from the manager’s office, and Trustee Donna Pappo joked that McCarthy had wanted to deliver flowers to Billimoria – but his driveway was blocked by parked cars.

As winter approaches, kids who play baseball may be heading inside to use indoor batting cages at a new facility funded by parents. The Glenview Blaze Travel Baseball facility was about to be approved by the village board when Trustee Mike Guinane spoke up. "Are the petitioners satisfied with the conditions?" he asked. Blaze spokesman Jim McMannis said they were not. The Zoning Board of Appeals had said the baseball clinic could operate from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. with no more than six youngsters in the building. It further specified that the kids would wear helmets at all times.

McMannis wanted to open at 8 a.m. on weekends, and said the building could accommodate more than six kids. He added that youngsters watching videos outside the batting cages would certainly not need to wear helmets.

Some trustees thought the matter should go back to the zoning board for another hearing, but Trustee Guinane did not agree, saying this was merely a matter of clarification and flexibility. He also thought final approval could be given without the usual second vote two weeks later.

Trustee Denefe didn’t buy it. She was willing to allow earlier hours but not to raise the maximum occupancy or to eliminate the helmet requirement. "Those, to me, are safety concerns."

McMannis again explained that outside the batting cages, in a video room or while practicing pitches, the children did not need helmets. "We would never let them in a cage to hit without a helmet. Never!" he said.

"I understand that," said Denefe. "I have two kids who have participated for many years in Glenview Youth Baseball, and I’ve been to batting cages more than I would like to admit to. I’m just not sure trustees should be deciding that kind of issue when we have not had the benefit of discussion and a review by the zoning board."

Eventually, the trustees were persuaded that these were minor matters that could be adjusted by the board, but when Guinane again pressed for a pass on the usual second vote the trustees refused.

Editor’s note: Guinane is one of the parents helping to fund this new facility. Surely he should have recused himself on this vote rather than helping to shepherd it through.

Glenview’s comprehensive planning consultant has issued his report, devoting considerable space to the need for bicycle paths and improvements that would make it safer for those who travel on two wheels. Larry Witzling urges the village to link existing paths and assure that people can easily cycle to popular destinations – train stations, parks, the library, The Glen and shopping. There, he says, bike racks should always be provided. Because traffic moves so fast on our main streets, some special lanes may be needed, and "share the road" signs should be erected to make sure drivers keep an eye out for people on bikes.

Such signs are already up on the streets of Northbrook, a community with a special bicycle commission, and the Evanston City Council recently passed a sweeping measure to make that town more bicycle-friendly. The measure calls for 12 miles of new marked bicycle lanes, improvement of three existing miles and defines 31 miles of streets as shared space for both drivers and cyclists. It will go into effect in 2003, take four years and cost about $1 million.

Glenview has made some tentative efforts to accommodate bikes at The Glen, but some sections of Patriot Blvd. and Chestnut are too narrow for a car and a cycle at the same time. In many places, planners assumed cyclists would simply use sidewalks, but serious cyclists prefer to ride on the road where they don’t have to worry about the safety of pedestrians.

Editor’s note: While the trustees and staff have paid lip service to "bicycle-friendly" planning, Village President Larry Carlson won’t even discuss creation of a bicycle commission, and Development Director Mary Bak says there is no money in the budget to implement the advice of our planning consultant in 2003. Watch editor Dean Schott, who has logged more than 3,700 miles on a bike this year, recently approached Carlson about the need for better bike paths. Carlson made no promises but asked if he would get Schott’s vote in exchange for improvements.

The Watch keeps an eye on those bills being paid by our trustees every two weeks – the ones voted on as a block with no discussion. You’d be surprised what we sometimes find. On November 5, for example, there was a charge of $936 for Fire Truck Trading Cards, a bill for $8,700 for outside legal fees from a firm called Franczek Sullivan and a charge of $30 for membership in Sam’s Club. It turns out all three charges are linked to Glenview’s fire department.

– The trading cards are used for a fire prevention program offered to public schools and during public tours of the fire stations.

– The legal bill was incurred when the village decided to challenge the International Association of Firefighters’ wish to represent commanders and captains as well as rank and file firemen. A hearing on the question will be held before the Illinois Labor Relations Board.

– As for that Sam’s Club bill, it was a renewal of the membership our firemen have used to buy office, cleaning and household supplies for stations. Now that Costco has opened in Glenview, Assistant Village Manager Joe Wade says we will be switching.

Employees of the River Trails Nature Center are worried about their future as Cook County looks for ways to erase an enormous deficit in the Forest Preserves’ budget. Already, the jobs of five naturalists and two groundskeepers have been eliminated, leaving a staff of five to take care of hundreds of acres, three buildings and a small collection of injured forest birds and animals. The interim director of the center at 3120 Milwaukee Ave. in Northbrook says several turtles have been stolen because no one was in the nature center to keep an eye on the exhibits. She warned the Northbrook Star that more serious damage could occur. Cook County Commissioner Gregg Goslin has talked with naturalists at River Trail and did not get the impression there was a problem, but he says there will be no more staff cuts, and the center will remain open. In an effort to reduce costs, the county has privatized its golf courses and plans to farm out snow plowing and lawn mowing. Goslin told The Watch some people displaced by those changes could be reassigned to River Trail. What’s more, the facility is in line for $21 million in state money for improvements to the buildings and grounds.

St. David’s preschool appeared before the Glenview Plan Commission last week, asking to expand its playground, add 450 square feet of pavement for a tricycle track and a large storage shed, but the request ran into a flood of neighborhood opposition from people who claimed the church was already responsible for significant problems with storm water in their yards.

Bob Owens, who has lived in the area for 30 years, told the plan commission that flooding first became a problem when St. David’s built a large parking lot. "We installed two sump pumps and built a dry well around our property to try and keep water out," he recalled. As vegetation grew on the church grounds, he said flooding subsided. "I guess the trees took some of that water. We didn’t have a problem."

Then about two years ago, a homeless person took up residence in the wooded area on the grounds of St. David’s at the corner of Shermer and Glenview roads. The church decided to remove the trees, regrade the land and remove a drainage ditch.

"They went in and stripped the land, took all the weeds out and cut down quite a few trees," said Owens. We called the village, and evidently there was not a permit to do that at the time. Still, the whole thing was stripped, and the land didn’t hold water, and right now we’re getting flooded again."

After the job was shut down twice, the church installed a berm and swale – landscaping akin to a ditch and wall – to protect the neighbors, and the village engineer concluded St. David’s would no longer cause flooding. A village engineer also said the planned playground expansion would not create a problem, but the neighbors were not convinced.

Peggy Lamoree worried that grading to create the new play area would mean more water in her yard. Clearly frustrated after installing several flood control devices she told the commission, "I’m running out of places to put drains!" In earlier conversations with the village engineer, she was told that St. David’s should have installed drains when the parking lot was first built. When the woods were cleared and neighbors complained, Lamoree says they were advised to come forward when the church undertook new construction. "We were told very specifically that if and when the expansion of the playground took place, that would be the appropriate time to request that proper drainage be put in."

Chairman Howard Silver didn’t think the church could be made to correct problems with drainage from its parking lot. "That’s not what they’re here for. It’s sort of shaking them down and holding them up for something else." Others on the commission were not convinced the flooding was actually caused by St. David’s. They proposed the village engineer inspect and will put off any vote until he can report back.

Glenview’s police blotter is dominated by people charged with driving on a suspended license or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, but a 22-year-old woman distinguished herself last week when she was charged with drunk driving after nearly striking a police car on Milwaukee Avenue.

In that same part of town, Community Park West continues to suffer at the hands of vandals who, on Halloween night, cut down seven ash trees between the basketball court and the skate park – damage estimated at $1,750. The police department has increased patrols in the area.

It was a tough week for restaurants. Schlotzsky’s Deli at 2300 Waukegan Road and Frankie D’s at 1707 Chestnut were burgled, and Boston Market in the Plaza del Prado was the victim of a common scam when a customer paid with a $50 bill, then claimed he didn’t get change. An employee gave him about $40, but a review of the store’s security tape showed the man had, in fact, received change in the first place.

An alert clerk at Abt foiled a woman who tried to pay for more than $7,000 worth of merchandise with a fraudulent credit card. The sale was authorized, but the employee was puzzled by the lack of a hologram on the plastic and phoned Master Card. The company informed her that the number was non-existent. While inquiries were underway, the would-be thief disappeared.

So did the guy who waltzed into Jewel and left without paying for two bottles of champagne. He was last seen heading southbound on Waukegan Road – on foot. The loss was estimated at $102.

The take would have been much greater at Dominick’s on Patriot Boulevard where a patron attempted to leave without paying for a cart full of groceries. Police put its value at $1,178.

Commander Scott Stewart explains that, "professional shoplifters steal items that are easily pawned, sold on the street or in taverns. Among other things, the offender is alleged to have taken 20 Mach 3 razor cartridges valued at more than $287 and 37 packages of over-the-counter medication worth $640.

Residential burglaries remain a problem, with one homeowner on Indian Road in far east Glenview reporting the loss of $15,000 worth of jewelry, and a general contractor working on a new house on Burton Terrace claiming two Jacuzzi tubs were stolen from the site. There were three car burglaries in Indian Ridge, and there have been two thefts from cars at the Mobil station, 9701 Milwaukee Avenue, in the past two weeks when customers went inside to pay and left their vehicles unlocked. Stewart says there have been similar incidents at other filling stations and businesses along Milwaukee.

A Northfield resident reported the attempted theft of his Chevy suburban while it was parked at The Glen of North Glenview Metra station, the North Shore Country Club’s caddy shack safe was robbed of $600, and nearly $3,000 worth of golf clubs, bags and shoes were stolen from the storage locker of a resident on Castillian Court.

A guest at the Motel 6 on Milwaukee complained that he was punched in the mouth by a cab driver who dropped him off and was outraged when he did not receive a tip, and a Wheeling man complained of being battered by an employee of Glenview House at 1843 Glenview Road. "The investigation revealed the battery was justified," according to the police report. Stewart explains that if you strike someone because you believed he or she was about to harm you or another person, the attack is "justified."

Two patrons of Glenview’s post office report checks they mailed in the box outside that Prairie Street facility were apparently stolen, washed and cashed. A Lakewood Court resident also traced washed checks to bill payments taken from her rural style mailbox, and a Briarford Road resident got a suspicious letter from Spain indicating she had won a lottery there. The letter requested personal and bank information so the winnings could be sent. The recipient called Glenview police.

The Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota is the poorest county in the nation – a place of high unemployment and bitter winter weather. Glenview resident Alyce Barry hopes to help the people of that native American community by collecting blankets and bedding, coats, gloves, hats and other used clothing, hand tools, canned or packaged food and donations to pay utility bills. A truck will leave this area on November 29 to deliver those items. For details, visit http://www.pineridgerez.net/. To donate, call Barry at 847-486-0450.

– As reported in Glenview Watch, Shell Oil is consolidating its retail operations – closing about 6,000 of its small, less-profitable stations. This week, without warning, the company told employees of its operation at Willow and Shermer to pack their bags. Shell had once proposed to expand that facility, but when neighbors and the plan commission balked, it backed down. Today, the station is closed – surrounded by chain link fence, and is expected to be sold or leased to a car rental company.

– After a report on their plight in last week’s Glenview Watch, residents of the Prairie Lawn neighborhood between Lake Avenue and The Glen finally have a safer way to enter and exit their subdivision. The village has opened a gate so they can drive through The Glen rather than tangling with traffic-laden Lake Avenue.

– About 440 customers in and around downtown Glenview lost power Wednesday afternoon between 12:30 and 2:00 p.m. when a contractor working at Lake and Harms dug into a cable. Some but not all residents and businesses in an area bounded by Lake and Glenview roads, the Wilmette line and Pine Street were affected.

– Pfingsten Road was closed between Crestwood and Willow for nearly two hours Tuesday afternoon after a contractor working in that area broke a gas line.

– 34 Connect, a citizens’ task force that spent a year studying Glenview School District 34, will share its finding and recommendations with the board of education on November 18.

– Trace your family’s history with help from Glenview’s public library. Librarian Mike Mulholland will explain how to use vital records, passenger lists and census records to draw a family tree at 7 p.m. Tuesday, November 19.

– Also at the library, learn more about online investment, company profiles, business descriptions and annual reports from professional investment trainer Paul Hazlette at 7 p.m. Thursday, November 21.

– Professional career counseling is available every first and third Friday. Get help with resumes and other keys to a successful job search. Stop by or call the information desk to register for any of these free library programs.

– Just show up for Romp & Rhyme Baby Time. It meets at the library from 11 a.m. - noon November 20. Infants and toddlers, parents and caregivers are invited to join in this celebration of song and poetry.

Enjoy traditional holiday music performed by the Glenview Concert and Marching Bands, a visit from Santa, a community sing-a-long and a gift drawing at 3 p.m. Sunday, December 1. The "Holiday Salute to America," is a benefit sponsored by Rotary of Glenview – Sunrise. Call the Holiday Concert Hotline at 847-374-0660 for details.

Maysie Snowdon is saddened by the troubles she sees: "I am no longer a resident of Glenview but still work in the area. I can't believe how many complaints you get about The Glen, and it seems to me that most of the complaints are from current Glen residents! What about all of the people who used to live in this village and have seen it go to pot since the Glen? It's certainly a shame to see the forgotten downtown, crowded streets, and short tempers that have arisen since this ‘community’ has been built. One can only hope that Glenview will get a handle on itself!"

Mr. W. writes about soundwalls and drive-thrus: "It appears that all is a go for a sound barrier on parts of Willow Road from the tollway to Landwehr with the expansion to six lanes. Glenview notified the residents of The Villa's of Indian Ridge that the state will not offer them the barrier. Krispy Kreme has warned the Northbrook Village Manager that if they don't receive a drive-thru permit, they will not be coming to Northbrook. Since the board has refused to give any drive-thru permits to restaurants, it will probably reject the request and purchase the donuts at Sunset!"

YOUR TURN: Write to glenviewwatch@aol.com or 3537 Maple Leaf Drive, Glenview, IL 60025. If you haven’t already done so, please consider making a contribution to support The Watch. Non-deductible checks should be payable to Glenview Watch. Thanks for your support and for reading. Dean Schott and Sandy Hausman, Co-Editors.

To read past issues of Glenview Watch, Click Here