Glenview resident Mike Luxem has spent years watching the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District – a government agency that he considers corrupt and wasteful. He attends monthly meetings of the board with his home video camera and records the small group of politically- connected people – three men and one woman – as they approve the payroll for about 25 people charged with keeping mosquitoes at bay each summer. He has watched as they purchased laptop computers and new trucks, then followed those trucks and counted the hours their drivers spent drinking coffee in local restaurants.

His efforts have prompted some negative publicity for the organization, and this year the group’s laboratory director, George Xamplas, quit – leaving the district without a single biologist on staff. (Xamplas will remain as a paid consultant while finishing law school.)

In search of a credible replacement, the Mosquito Abatement District (MAD) called David Lange, a retired high school biology teacher who has worked part-time at the district for nearly 30 years. They invited the 66-year-old scientist to assume the laboratory director’s job this summer.

Lange arrived late for Saturday morning’s meeting at MAD headquarters in Northfield and was invited to introduce himself. The panel’s newest member, Helena Chrones, asked for a current resume. Lange said one was on file, and someone handed her a copy. "That’s the original resume," said Lange. "I’m not even sure some of those references are living."

"Oh," said Chrones. "This resume has been on file for 30 years? When I said current, I meant living references and stuff you’d done for the last 30 years."

"Well what would you like to know?" asked Lange.

The board informed Lange that he would be hired at a salary of $5,500 per month for two months. Lange said he would require Wednesday afternoons off to play golf.

That didn’t sit well with Chrones, so the board moved into executive session to discuss compensation in private – away from Luxem and his camera. When the public meeting resumed Chrones told Lange he did not have to work on Wednesday afternoons but would be paid only $5,000 per month.

Lange was not pleased.

"Well herein lies the situation," said Chrones. "We need someone to come to work on Monday. We need to make a decision so the attorney can draw up the contract and get it over with."

"I think my services are worth more than $5,000," said Lange. "You’re paying $6,000 now."

Chrones explained that Xamplas was an experienced guy, but Lange didn’t buy that. "I taught George everything he knows," said the former Niles Township science teacher. Reaching for his coffee cup and papers, he stood up and prepared to leave.

"So is that a no?" asked Chrones, sounding bewildered.

"That’s a no," said Lange.

"Oh," said Chrones.

"I’m not going to work for that amount of money," said Lange. "I had what I thought was an understanding. Why in the world would I give up my lifestyle which I am living to come in and work for two months?"

The room fell silent as Lange headed for his BMW in the parking lot. The group's attorney kept turning to look into Luxem’s lens, once even slapping the side of his bald head as if to say, "I can’t believe this whole embarrassing episode was caught on tape."

"Is there any old business?" said a stunned district chairman.

No one had any, but citizen Luxem wasn’t finished. He thought the board should know that a North Shore Mosquito Abatement District employee was picked up by Lincolnwood Police last Thursday for allegedly stealing wooden palettes from behind a grocery store and loading them into a district truck.

"Arrested him? Our employee?" said attorney Rosen.

"Was he arrested and charged?" asked superintendent William Henry.

Luxem said the man was not charged but was let off with a warning.

"Then I don’t think it’s any of our business," said Trustee Bill Zimmerman.

Luxem said a similar theft may have occurred last year around 7:30 in the evening along Willow Road.

"We close at 3:30," said Trustee Otto Cesario.

"The trucks are all in the garage at that hour aren’t they?" piped Rosen.

"What did the truck look like?" asked Chrones.

"Where on Willow Road?" demanded Cesario.

When Luxem said it was near The Glen, Cesario replied testily: "Well that’s not our district, Mike! We only go up to Landwehr Road."

"That is our district," said Chrones.

"Whatever," said Luxem. "Thank you."

And with that the meeting adjourned without filling the critical job of laboratory director.

Members of the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District are appointed by Cook County Board Chairman John Stroger, and newly-elected Commissioner Larry Suffredin has begun to provide oversight, although he lacks hiring and firing power.

On Saturday, Suffredin told the board it needed to improve communications with the public and suggested basic things – like putting the names of the board members on the district’s website.

He urged the group to be aggressive in educating the public about ways to keep mosquitoes from breeding and how to protect themselves from bites.

Meanwhile, William Henry, who has run the district for more than 40 years, says he has the usual complement of "kids" on staff this summer – 18 already on the job and three more expected to join on a part-time basis when they finish school. He said spraying to kill mosquito eggs is underway with special attention to Skokie and Evanston where West Nile virus broke out last year. No airborne spraying will be done until local mosquito traps show a large number of bugs in the area.

In 2000, Glenview traps captured extraordinary numbers of mosquitoes, perhaps because so much construction was going on here. The district’s director of field operations told the Watch construction equipment creates ruts in the landscape which, in turn, hold water that serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Glenview residents witnessed a strange and puzzling proceeding Tuesday, June 2. That’s when, at its regular meeting, the village board heard a case involving Meier’s Tavern – one of the oldest buildings in Glenview. Because it sits on Lake Avenue, which is being widened by the county, Meier’s will lose some space from the northern side of its gravel parking lot and had filed a routine petition, requesting permission from the village to expand the lot to the south. Neighbors objected, saying a larger lot would mean more noise and flooding. They met with village officials and asked for help but got the impression Village Hall sided with tavern owner Gus Pappas, so they hired a lawyer and filed suit against Pappas.

Their attorney, Mark Daniel, is a man with a reputation. He recently won a case before the Illinois Supreme Court in which residents of Lisle sued to overturn a decision by their village board because it didn’t give residents a proper public hearing. Glenview officials weren’t taking any chances.

Board President Larry Carlson, who has conducted many public hearings in the past, turned the gavel over to Trustee and attorney Jeff Lerner for this one. "There are certain legal requirements that have to be met," Carlson explained.

"At this point I would declare the public hearing about to commence," said Lerner. "In terms of the parties that will be appearing before the public hearing, is the petitioner present?"

Steven Messner, an attorney for Meier’s Tavern, came forward.

"Thank you," said Lerner. "There are also a group of interested persons that have counsel."

Lawyer Mark Daniel came forward and said he was representing 10 homeowners whose property adjoins the tavern’s lot.

"In respect to your clients, we will determine them to be interested persons," said Lerner, using legal language that would recur throughout the public hearing.

The lawyer for Meier’s described a 38-page agreement his client had reached with the neighbors. In exchange for a promise to build a larger, paved parking lot no closer than 77 feet from their property, they would not object to the tavern doubling in size and installing a beer garden. Its owner would create a detention pond to prevent flooding, install special lighting, landscaping and fencing to reduce noise and light pollution in the surrounding neighborhood. Meier’s would also move the parking lot entrance and – for the first time – provide proper entrance and exit lanes along with a sidewalk in front of the tavern.

Messner said it was "a great deal" for the village. "I believe it’s going to beautify Glenview," he crowed. "You’re going to see no more dust, no more gravel, but a paved parking lot with shrubbery!" He could not say when Meier’s might expand its building but thought the lot would be paved sometime in the next year, perhaps using the same contractor responsible for widening Lake Avenue to save money.

The attorney said his client had done everything possible to make the neighbors comfortable. He claimed the agreement addressed 100 percent of residents’ concerns and was reached on a very "cordial basis." The neighbors represented by Daniel were asked to publicly state their acceptance of this deal. They did.

But not everyone was happy. Former Trustee John Crawford thought it unfortunate that residents felt it necessary to hire a lawyer in the first place. He said the village should have protected them at no charge and thought Meier’s should be made to pay the neighbors’ substantial legal bill.

The neighbors applauded. The trustees said nothing. A man who was not represented by Mark Daniel then stood up and demanded to know, "What’s happening here?" He expressed fear that flooding in the area would continue and called the plan a "half-assed compromise. We were told we had to reach a compromise because you, the village trustees, were going to go ahead and rezone this. [We were told] we had to do the best we could because the cards were stacked against us. That’s not what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to be protecting us. Why is Meier’s being allowed to expand at all? "

Recalling Trustee Kerry Cummings’ earlier concern about traffic in her Swainwood neighborhood on the Fourth of July he said, "One day of the year something happens that affects your life. This is something that’s going to affect our lives 365 days a year. I don’t understand why you’re not protecting our interests."

He also scolded Trustee Lerner. "I saw you smirking during the presentation Mr. Crawford was making, and you should be ashamed of yourself." Again, the neighbors cheered. 

Ignoring the political attack, Lerner shot back with a barrage of legal language: "This board hasn’t forced anybody in the village to do anything. We’ll begin consideration of this for the first time after the public hearing is closed. The only meeting that has taken place with respect to this was a pre-hearing conference that was called by the hearing officer so that the parties who had filed appearances and intended to provide witnesses and evidence could frame issues and frame stipulations in order to allow the hearing to proceed. That is allowable under the law of the state of Illinois."

Trustee Jim Patterson "thought it was refreshing that the neighbors tried to work something out with the adjacent business. I thought it was great that you guys worked this thing out together. I applaud your efforts. Good for you!" he said.

When one angry neighbor attempted to refute his cheery perception, Patterson replied, "Sir, if you’d like to come up here you may." But President Carlson moved quickly to keep a lid on further dissent. "I’m sorry," he said. "The public hearing is closed."

The board voted unanimously to rezone Meier’s, making future building expansion possible and allowing a larger parking lot.

Editor’s note: Long-time board observers remain puzzled by the proceedings. Normally, a matter like this would have gone before the plan commission first. It did not. Assistant Village Manager Joe Wade says there was concern that the dispute could hold up Lake Avenue construction, but critics say Cook County, which is responsible for the work, would have ample power to proceed.

Both of Glenview’s outdoor pools will open on schedule Saturday, June 14 at 11 a.m. after extensive repair of cracks at Roosevelt and Flick. The deadline for a $10 early bird discount on season passes has been extended by one week to June 21. Passes can be purchased at Park Center on weekdays from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. When outdoor pools are closed by bad weather, pass holders will be able to swim indoors at Park Center at no additional charge.

– Teachers in Northbrook-Glenview School District 30 will get an average pay hike of nearly 5 percent next year and will see hikes of at least 3.5 percent through the 2008-2009 school year.

– Soccer field construction at the new Attea Middle School is behind schedule. Officials at the park district and AYSO say they’ll have to scramble to find new places for kids to play this fall.

– The Attea dedication ceremony is set for the evening of October 2. The public is invited to attended that celebration and take tours of the new middle school at The Glen.

THE GREEN SCENE

– Nature walks are set for 9 - 11 a.m. July 19, August 10 and September 20 at the Air Station Prairie. For details, call The Glen redevelopment office at 847-998-9500 or steward Kent Fuller at 847-729-4642. You can also visit the Woodworth Prairie, located on east side of Milwaukee Avenue just north of Greenwood, any day of the week from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

– Recycle old household electronics through the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County. Bring them to Motorola’s Arlington Heights facility on Kennicott Drive, South of Dundee from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 14.

"When the library did the original survey about location in 2000, it was assumed that the Post Office was moving to The Glen and that their parcel of land could be acquired by the library. However, in January 2001, the Post Office announced that it would not be moving. There is a federal cap on spending and there is no money for improvement of postal facilities. This has not changed. When it became apparent that the Post Office property was no longer available, the Library Board hired a team of consultants to identify properties that would meet the criteria set forth in the Building Program.

"The Board of Trustees engaged the services of an architect and space planning consultants to determine the requirements for our new library. Indeed it has been determined that the present building is not structurally sound enough to support the addition of a third floor. It has been suggested that a side addition with multi-level parking might be a solution, but the property directly to the East of the library would not provide enough space for expansion or sufficient parking. While underground parking sounds like a simple solution, it has been proven to be considerably more expensive to build, and also more costly to maintain.

"There are many basic needs essential to maintaining the quality of library service that residents have come to expect, in addition to the obvious need for more parking, i.e. room for more computer workstations and a Technology Training Area, more meeting rooms and space for library programs, and adequate office space, just to name a few. Residents expressed a strong interest in having a separate area for children’s programs, which will be addressed by the expansion program.

"The Glenview Library should not be compared to Wilmette, Niles or Mt. Prospect as each library is unique. If Glenview had adequate parking and land to expand on, the Board would be delighted with that option. But that is not the case in Glenview. Our original building opened in 1958 when Glenview was a very small town. Population has expanded and continues to expand almost daily right now. The original land cannot accommodate the size library this community needs and deserves.

"For a complete status report on the expansion program, please read the latest issue of LINES from the Glenview Public Library. Besides descriptions of all the summer programs, activities, and services that the library offers, read the letter from former Board President Gail Anderson which details what has consumed the Library Board’s time and determination for several years. Maybe then you’ll understand. If not, come in and see us, call us, drop in a "Speak Up" comment, or write to us online at info@glenview.lib.il.us. You can also read LINES online by going to our homepage at www.glenview.lib.il.us and clicking on the link to LINES at the top part of the page.

"To any patron of the Glenview Public Library who has an interest – we invite you to come in for a ‘behind-the-scenes’ tour of the woefully inadequate library facilities, including office areas and computer spaces, to become better educated in the library’s space needs. The staff would welcome the opportunity to do a "walk through" with anyone who questions the library’s need for additional space."

Editor’s note: While we applaud the board’s desire to promote public dialogue on this subject, we are puzzled by the trustees’ refusal to debate key issues raised by opponents of a large new library. First and foremost, it appears no credible survey of occupied seats has been done. In other words, the board cannot say how many seats it might need to provide in a new library. Based on the recommendations of at least one national library expert and on what other communities have done, Glenview’s library board plans more than what residents require. The Watch does not oppose expansion or construction of a new library but feels the board has done a pitiful job of explaining and defending its plans, and given the likely need for a tax hike to accomplish its ambitions, the trustees must make a compelling case.

Rick Nasello writes about possible construction of a mosque on nine acres of land just north of Shermer and Golf: "Since Nicor left the Shermer Road location, the buzz around here is that a mosque is going to be built there. Supposedly money is now being raised for construction. There is a small no trespassing sign on the property. I'm sure that if a developer was going to build homes there we would have seen construction a long time ago. The village would love to be collecting their taxes. As a retired government employee, I can assure you that when any governing body, whether it be state, county, federal or local, wants to keep the lid on something they will do it. They’ll play as dumb as the lovable Vinnie Barbarino from the old TV sitcom Welcome Back Kotter. Confronted with dicey questions, he would answer: "Who? What? Where?" My question is whether Nicor still owns the site. If not, who does? If there is nothing to hide, why can't we know what the plans are for the property. Simply stating that there are no permits currently issued for any building there does not answer the residents’ concern – especially those whose properties back up to this location. Come clean Glenview! What is it that you don't want us to know about the old Nicor site?"

The Watch replies: Nicor no longer owns the property. It was sold to a couple of men -- Malek Abdul and Meherally Nasseridein for $3.9 million on September 25, 2001. Calls to Islamic congregations in Morton Grove and Northbrook to inquire about possible construction of a mosque were not returned.

BH responds to a letter JS wrote about the hiring of four new firemen: "These are not additional personnel but rather replacements for four firemen who retired. The total number of firemen has not increased. Construction of two new fire stations does not mean existing stations will close. Right now there are two companies at Station Six downtown and Station Eight on Landwehr Road. When the new stations are complete, one company from each of these stations will be transferred to the new facilities."

Dave Carr is concerned about West Nile virus: "We have a lot of standing water from all the rain earlier this spring. I really hope people are minding their properties for standing water. A little prevention can go a long way in stopping the spread of West Nile virus. People have to be aware of where water collects and pools on their property in order to eliminate breeding areas for mosquitoes. It sounds like the Mosquito Abatement District is way understaffed and the practice of driving around spraying an aerosol insecticide is like sticking your finger into the dyke to keep the dam from breaking. For areas you can't really expect to drain or eliminate, there are products like Pre-Strike (S-Methoprene, that regulates the growth of insects, preventing them from reaching adulthood) and Mosquito Dunks which contains a naturally occurring bacteria that kills mosquito larvae. Both items are touted as non-toxic and safe for the environment when applied as directed. I may be a bit of a fanatic about the whole West Nile thing, but it really has devastated much of the bird population on the North Shore. I have also heard about people getting very sick from the disease. With all the outdoor activities with children (soccer, softball, little league), I would be especially concerned about kids."

MB is puzzled by concern over commerce in downtown Glenview: "Does anyone really think downtown Glenview will not be in The Glen? You can't put up a 10-screen theater, shopping center, restaurants, and parking and expect people to still use Glenview Road as a destination for shopping. The library should also be moved to The Glen. Try crossing Glenview Road at the library during rush hour. Glenview Road should be condominiums with boutiques on the first level."

AH worries about pedestrian safety on Lake Avenue: "There is a stretch of 100 feet on the south side of Lake Avenue, between Scott Foresman Dr. and Tall Trees Rd, where impatient motorists drive on the shoulder. This is to avoid eastbound cars turning into those streets. What makes this so dangerous is that anyone using the safety of the Scott Foresman light to cross Lake Ave. could be hit by those cars. Though unplanned, someone moved a four- foot safety cone onto the shoulder. An entire string of those cones would prevent cars from riding on the shoulder and hitting any pedestrians. I called the police who told me to call Building and Zoning who told me to call the construction office. No one is able to take any responsibility for ensuring some barrier on that stretch. Will it take the first person hit for someone to take action?"

The Watch replied: Since Cook County is responsible for the road construction underway along Lake Avenue, we suggest a call to the man in charge of its highways – Wally Kos. He can be reached at 312-603-1600. 

One day later, AH wrote: "Thank you for recommending I speak to Wally Kos. His office put me in touch with John Beinsel who said he knows the exact 100 feet of pavement I am concerned about. He promised to discuss the problem with his team of engineers the following day and to see what could be done to ensure the safety of pedestrians walking or biking along the shoulder of the road at that point. Once the traffic is transferred to the north side of Lake, the problem will no longer exist."

Karrie LaMay is concerned about invasive plants: "As I walk my dog every morning in my neighborhood in east Glenview, I can't help but notice that almost everyone has an invasive weed growing in their yard. Garlic mustard is taking over forest preserves, crowding out many wildflowers, other native plants and some butterflies. Unfortunately, most people see it and don't realize it is a weed because it gets pretty little white flowers on a tall stalk with rosette shaped leaves. It is a fast-growing, seed-spreading weed! I encourage everyone in my neighborhood to get out into their yards and look for this annoying plant. It grows in sun and shade and can be seen in abundance along the edges of the forest preserves. People should look under their evergreen trees, in their flower beds, alongside their houses, and in any area of their yard that doesn't get routine care. These plants are easy to pull up and should be eliminated as much as possible. If anyone is interested in reading more about this invasive weed, they can go to www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/alpe1.htm."

And Library Lover is back on the attack: "Residents and taxpayers beware! The Glenview Public Library Board is manipulating the public trust. In this week's Glenview Announcements, they admitted their new survey of library location preferences will only offer taxpayers two choices: The Glen or an unnamed downtown site. They will not include the current location on Glenview Road, preferred by over The Glen by two-thirds of those previously surveyed.

"The trustees are myopically fixated on building a new and oversized 110,00-square-foot library, equal to the new Evanston Library, despite the obvious fact that Glenview is only about half the population of Evanston. They also ignore the fact that Glenview library attendance has fallen annually since 1997 while Internet use has risen steadily. They refuse to consider an addition of 200 parking spaces plus 27,000 square feet of building for a total 80,000-square-foot library -- a much cheaper option. The library board prefers to manipulate survey choices so they will get what they want -- a Taj Mahal at The Glen. (They know full well costs of a new downtown site will always be much higher.) For shame."

Robert Newton writes in defense of the library trustees: "The elected members of the library board have earned and deserve our support. As clearly stated by Gail Anderson, outgoing library trustee and former board president in the library's summer issue of Lines, ‘The overriding principle must be how best to provide what the residents need and want from the Library, now and into the future, and the Board of Trustees, after considering the input of the community and its advisers and gaining approval of the Village Board, must make its decisions in that spirit.’ Glenview citizens have always had the opportunity to let the board know what they want and expect from the library board. These expressions should be made with courtesy to the Executive Librarian Vickie L. Novak as suggested in the June 1 issue of Glenview Watch."

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.

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