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The Glenview Watch
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SUMMER GREETINGS FROM THE EDITORS
The Watch is planning a short hiatus so we can enjoy the good weather and
all that Glenview has to offer at this time of year. We'll be back
after the first village board meeting in August and look forward to
hearing from you then.
In the mean time, we have taken the liberty of changing e-mail addresses
for subscribers served by AT&T Broadband. We understand you are
now with Comcast, so there's no need to write us about that.
Watch for our next edition on August 10 and have a wonderful summer!
VILLAGE HAS NEW TRAFFIC COMMITTEE
Glenview residents who are frustrated by a traffic-related problem have
long wondered where to take their complaints. Some have called the
police department while others checked in with the village manager's
office, the planning department or public works. Now, village
officials have agreed that a single committee, chaired by a member of the
police department, will hear all public concerns. E-mail can
be sent to him at Sgt. Phil Perlini at pperlini@glenview.il.us or to Al
Stonitsch in the village manager's office astonitsch@glenview.il.us.
Former village trustees Rachel Cook and John Crawford had called for
establishment of a citizens' commission on traffic and pedestrian safety
like one now operating in Northbrook, but the idea of citizens tackling
traffic issues held little appeal for village management. In an
interview with The Watch, Police Chief William Fitzpatrick raised doubts
about citizen credentials, suggesting they might not have the right
background to make recommendations, and Village Manager Paul McCarthy
insisted Glenview already had a traffic committee staffers who met
sporadically to review areas of public concern.
Unlike other commissions in Glenview, the newly-constituted traffic panel
is not made up of residents. Instead, employees from the village
manager's office, police, fire, engineering and public works departments
will serve. Fitzpatrick could not say whether they would meet during
the day or in the evening. He had no objection to residents
attending discussions but said the decision would ultimately be made by
McCarthy.
Among other things, Fitzpatrick said the panel might look at the safety of
right turn on red at busy intersections. He noted the number of
pedestrian injuries in such areas is higher, and there are more
low-speed, rear-end collisions a result of drivers thinking the car in
front of them was about to turn, then moving toward the intersection while
looking to their left. The chief said Glenview might want to
consider banning right turns at some intersections during certain hours.
Deputy Chief of Support Services Mike Redmond also thought intersections
marked "No Right Turn When Pedestrians Are Present," could be
reviewed. "It's confusing," he explained. "What
does it mean? If pedestrians are kitty corner from drivers, does
that count?"
Fitzpatrick added that any changes in traffic signs or signals designed to
improve pedestrian safety must be weighed against the need to keep traffic
moving, and he repeated his plea to drivers that they be patient.
He then related his own recent experience with impatient drivers.
While heading south on Waukegan Road, he had stopped to make a left turn
into the police department's parking lot when the driver of a pick-up
truck raced straight across Waukegan from the Dunkin' Donuts lot into the
driveway of Village Hall, cutting Fitzpatrick off. The chief
activated lights on his unmarked car, pulled the driver over and demanded
an explanation.
"You were just sitting there," said the truck driver.
"You were taking too long."
Fitzpatrick said he was late for a meeting and did not have time to write
a ticket, so he let the man off with a warning and concluded, "People
are in such a hurry! They just don't think. The level of frustration
is up all over, and people are taking chances. That's just not
good."
MOTORCYCLE PATROL TO LAUNCH IN AUGUST
Glenview is on schedule to begin motorcycle patrols with two new Harleys
in the stable and three officers being trained to ride them. The
bikes will be especially helpful when officers need to get through traffic
or construction and will also be assigned to shopping centers and
neighborhood patrols sometime next month.
The police chief says bicycle patrols have worked out well.
"The public response has been great," he reports.
"People really like having them. It's a great tool, bringing
officers into closer contact with residents and giving us better sources
of information."
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BEAT
Preliminary numbers are in from a consultant hired to assess the
police department's need for more space in its new building, and while he
won't say how large that facility might be, Chief Fitzpatrick says it will
be "substantially different" from what we now have. New
laws may require larger areas for storing evidence in criminal cases or
for conducting interrogations. Glenview's population is rising, and the
chief wants to have room for expansion. "We've visited some
communities that have built new facilities that were cheap up front,"
he explains. "They're back before the board every five years to
expand. We want a building that can grow with the community."
The new station will be built on the northwest corner of Lake and Shermer,
where ground could be broken this spring.
Burglaries are up in Glenview, especially from construction sites.
"If you see someone carrying a refrigerator out of that new
site," says Fitzpatrick, "you might want to give us a
call."
Traffic on Lake Avenue has proven a pleasant surprise during
construction. Fitzpatrick says people are being more careful and
more courteous than he expected.
With the retirement of Deputy Chief Brad Weigel, former commander of
the detective bureau, Kirk Filipowski, has been promoted. Glenview
now has 76 sworn officers and 26 civilians on its police force, but the
chief says an assessment of manpower needs is in order.
STEAK N SHAKE, HOME DAYCARE LIMITS ON PLAN CMSN. AGENDA
After it was turned away by the village board for insisting on a drive
thru window, Steak N Shake has been biding its time. Now, with
new trustees in office, the retro restaurant plans to ask again for
permission to build at the Willow Road shopping center anchored by Target
and Kohl's.
Also on the agenda, a plan to change Glenview's law governing home
daycare. The ordinance limits providers to eight children including
their own. Several local daycares have written to say they think 12 is a
more reasonable number.
GOOD VIBES AND GOOFS AT THE FOURTH OF JULY PARADE
This year's Fourth of July parade began with a large crowd of kids on
decorated bikes, led by the police department's bicycle patrol.
About 80 other groups followed, marching under a giant flag hung from two
fire department ladder trucks over Glenview Road. That idea was proposed
by Chief Dan Bonkowski, who led a procession of eight vehicles, including
a mini-fire truck and the underwater rescue/recovery unit. Bonkowski,
who has recovered from two serious illnesses during his first year on the
job, was in high spirits. So, too, was the department's color guard
and fireman Johnny Tourtelot, who cruised the parade route on roller
blades, wearing a large dalmatian head that delighted kids. You might have
thought the heat would be too much for Tourtelot, but he confided there
was a fan inside the head, and he wore shorts under his firefighting togs.
Congressman Mark Kirk marched hand-in-hand with his wife, while State
Senator Jeff Schoenberg strolled alone, carrying a small American flag.
Also on hand, State Senator Barack Obama, who hopes to be Illinois' next
U.S. Senator, and State Representative Beth Coulson, who marched with
several supporters from Glenview. Secretary of State Jesse White did not
appear, but his famous tumblers wowed the crowd with their gymnastic
skills. Alas, every man on the precision team was scowling,
apparently unhappy to be in Glenview on this hot July morning.
In fact, this year's parade could have been given an "A" for
apathy. The feisty folks from Dewes Street didn't bother with their
annual protest float, nor did any other neighborhood show up. Glenbrook
South was the only high school marching band to take part. The
library apparently checked out, the euchre club didn't play and the
Glenview Squares didn't dance. Only Scenic Glenview and COWS expressed an
opinion. The former calling for "Better Village
Architecture" and a ban on neon signs, the latter urging the park
district not to paint Wagner barn.
A colorful troupe of clowns and mimes made a splash, but few recognized
the Redmoon Theater Troupe a Logan Square company. While not intended
to be funny, Glenview's "Building Unity through Diversity"
group sparked smiles. All six marchers were Caucasian. (In fairness,
we're told two were Iranians.) Some parade goers also grinned when
the Rotary Club passed out flag pins and the Immanuel Lutheran Church
offered flag key chains. Both of those patriotic presents were made
in China.
HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT'S LEGAL BILL FOR HAZING BATTLE
The Pioneer Press reports Glenbrook High School District 225 spent
$175,000 in the month of May alone to expel 33 seniors and suspend 20
juniors over a weekend hazing incident that gained worldwide attention.
Superintendent Dave Hales said the unexpected expense could easily be
covered with funds from some other part of a $70 million budget.
Meanwhile, Northbrook's park district has fired six students who were
working as summer camp counselors or in other temporary jobs because they
were involved in the incident at Chipilly Woods. Executive Director
Ed Harvey said the district did its own investigation and concluded the
kids' conduct "was not in keeping with what I expect here."
The father of one girl who got a pink slip said his daughter was actually
a victim of the brutal behavior, not a perpetrator, and the child's mother
complained that students had become scapegoats for a community angry over
damage to its reputation.
THREE MORE SUBURBS TACKLE TEARDOWNS
Evanston has imposed a 90-day moratorium on building single-family houses
bigger than 3,000 square feet on the city's northwest side.
Neighbors say the McMansions already built dwarf other houses in that
area, blocking views and hurting property values. "These new
trophy homes look like the emperor just moved to the block," Alderman
Edmund Moran told the Chicago Tribune. "It's just shocking to
me, and I'm afraid it's getting worse." Evanston's city council
may pass a new law requiring that all development plans be submitted for
approval based on appearance.
In Deerfield, opponents of restrictions on teardown replacements are
gearing up for a public fight after an eight-person task force agreed the
community should limit the size and bulk of such homes. The group
said Deerfield should consider adopting a floor-area ratio that would
limit the size of a house based on the size of its lot. Structures
on 5,000 square feet could be no larger than 2,000 square feet, and homes
built on 10,000 square feet could not be bigger than 4,000 square feet.
In Glencoe, home to 26 historic homes designed by a pair of Chicago
architects known as the Keck brothers, citizens are talking about having
their neighborhood declared an historic district. They fear buyers
coming in, tearing down the houses valued at $400,000-$600,00 and
replacing them with mansions. The Kecks, who built the House of
Tomorrow at the 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair, were pioneers in
passive solar architecture, taking advantage of the sun to warm houses and
planting tall shade trees to keep them cool.
Owners in Glencoe hope designation of the neighborhood would deter
teardowns. Glenview's Solar Park, on the east side of town, was also
built by the Kecks and has been a target for developers who demolish
smaller homes and build large ones.
MORE NEWS FROM THE NEIGHBORS
Riverwoods is offering homeowners up to $1,000 per year to remove
buckthorn trees and garlic mustard invasive plants that take over a
landscape, driving out native trees, grasses and wildflowers. The
community has set aside $50,000 money to match what residents spend
getting rid of the unwanted species and adding native plants.
Riverwoods may be the first in the state to offer a program of this kind,
and experts say the community's support for prairie species will mean less
demand for irrigation, fewer weed and bug-killing chemicals in the years
to come.
Northbrook is preparing to tighten its belt as sales tax revenues
fall. Officials blame construction on Lake-Cook Road for a drop of
up to 20 percent in sales at Northbrook Court, the community's largest
source of sales tax dollars. Road work is expected to continue
through November.
A new trustee for Niles Township High School is in the hot seat after
what some considered a sexist remark. As chairman of the school
board's finance committee, Tim Knudsen compared the ideal session to a
woman's skirt. A meeting should be long enough to provide cover, but
short enough "to keep my interest," he said. Two females
on the board complained, one saying she felt "degraded, humiliated
and embarrassed." Knudsen apologized "to anyone who might
have been offended."
Wheeling police Detective Jim Plovanich plans to take part in a
400-mile walk across Wyoming this week to raise money for his favorite
charity, the Children's Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook
County. So far, his efforts have generated $8,300. Plovanich has
been training since January. He expects the trip to take about two
weeks.
PATRIOTISM OR PARANOIA?
The League of Women Voters hosts a panel discussion on the Patriot Act
from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, July 13 in the auditorium at Glenbrook South.
The panel consists of Patrick Fitzgerald of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Ed
Yohnka of the ACLU, Carolyn Anthony of the Skokie Public Library, Maria
Valdez of the Mexican American Legal Defense & Education Fund, David
Sweeney of the North Shore Community Bank and Trust, and Frank Hoover, a
citizen and former Evanston alderman.
READERS WRITE
Tom J. writes about Fourth of July festivities: "What a great day the
Fourth of July was in Glenview. The parade was fun for the whole
village, and once again the fireworks were fantastic. Now I'm sure
that you are not going to write on those positive notes. You will
once again point out the negative. Glenview State Bank donated a generous
amount of money to a community cause. That's right a community
function, something to be enjoyed by all of Glenview. Ms Hausman, I
have noted that on too many occasions you make positive things that people
have done for this community into negatives. So often you make it
seem as if the sky is falling in Glenview when in reality this town is one
of the finest places in Illinois to live. No we don't live in Utopia and
never will. We all live in a village that has its ups and downs, but
in general is a great place to raise our families. There are many
functions that go on in Glenview with business and individual supporters,
and other than your few cronies, you don't thank them. Let me be the
one to do so: From the positive people in Glenview who enjoyed the day and
evening on the Fourth of July, thank you to all of the supporters,
volunteers, and workers. You make us proud to live in Glenview, and we
appreciate it. Ms. Hausman, maybe you should move to Utopia."
DR is concerned about a busy intersection for bikes in Glenview: "I
reached the corner of Glenview Road and Harms this weekend in time to see
an ambulance pulling away. From the bike left by the side of the road and
the people talking to police, it seems there may have been another cyclist
injured in Glenview. The intersection in questions can be very
dangerous for people on two wheels. Traffic heading east on Glenview and
turning south onto Harms has a green arrow, while the rest of the
eastbound traffic is stopped at a red light. Bikers come out of the forest
preserve and think that all the traffic is stopped. Then someone is hit by
a right-turning car. Drivers who wish to slow down before making that
right turn face being hit from behind by someone who is not expecting the
car in front of them to slow down due to the right turn arrow. There
really should be no right turn on red at that intersection due to the
large amount of pedestrian traffic."
The Watch replies: We couldn't agree more and urge you to take this
concern to the chairman of Glenview's traffic committee Sgt. Phil
Perlini. He can be reached by calling 847-729-5000, then hitting
zero or by e-mail: pperlini@glenview.il.us.
Some local librarians were upset by our attack on what we called
"obscure databases" that patrons can access only by using
computers at the library. They say many people use these costly but
rich resources. Among them are ReferenceUSA, Litfinder,
CollegeSource, WilsonWeb's Biography Reference Bank and AncestryPlus.
To access other databases from home, visit the library's website:
http://www.glenview.lib.il.us.electronic3sub.html.
AB is concerned about landscaping at The Glen: "I ride my bike
through The Glen four or five days a week. I have noticed that
landscapers just got done laying sod on the north side near the Metra
station. This was a huge mistake. Why couldn't we make this
land into a beautiful prairie by planting native grasses and wildflowers?
It would have required far less watering and fertilizing. It would
have been prettier and more wildlife friendly especially to rare
grassland birds. Don't we have enough sod in Glenview? Don't
people understand that the chemicals needed for this sod may increase
health risks to humans? It makes no sense to me."
KB writes about enforcement of Glenview's tree ordinance: "My
neighbors to the north put up one of those behemoth houses. There
were three gorgeous, large trees in the front yard which were totally
healthy. They have now been taken down, much to my chagrin. I guess
they got permission from the village to do so, as the village said they
were unhealthy. My own guess is that these trees were injured during
construction of the home. Is there anything that can be done to
circumvent the damage of trees during construction? It is so sad.
What used to be tree city is now becoming asphalt city."
The Watch replies: Contractors are required by ordinance to protect
certain large trees from possible damage, and some have been fined for
failing to do so. The job of enforcement, however, falls on citizens
who should report the use of heavy equipment in the immediate vicinity of
trees not surrounded by protective fencing. If you see a possible
problem, call 847-724-1700, hit zero and ask for the building department.
Lynn G. asks about the site of a former Shell service station on Willow
Road: "Any idea if the empty lot on the northwest corner of Willow
and Shermer has any interest to other businesses or investors at this
point? I thought Family Video was interested, but you have reported
that they will open their first store on Glenview and Greenwood
roads."
The Watch replies: That property is still owned by Shell, but the company
says it has a buyer and will probably release the name of the new owner by
year's end.
KM is tired of waiting for improvements in her neighborhood:
"Residents of this area are eagerly waiting to see when the village
will begin demolition of the abandoned houses located on Monroe,
Jefferson, and Rogers. Are we going to have a park or more
condos? We have been living with these eyesores for the last three
years. If they were in any other part of town, this would not be
tolerated, but since we are a small area with a small voice, I guess
[Village President Larry] Carlson is not concerned about us. What
does a mom of two kids do to get this area cleaned up? If these
houses were gone, at least our children could have an area to play in.
I also wonder when Bredemann is going to be done with the construction on
its property? The trailer park is currently driving through our
neighborhood to reach theirs. They seem not to understand what the
yield signs mean at the corner of Jefferson and Monroe. If this area
is going to stay open permanently, perhaps we need a stop sign at the
intersection so people slow down."
The Watch replies: The unoccupied homes in your area have been properly
fenced and secured under local ordinance, so Development Director Mary Bak
says nothing more can be done. The lots are apparently for sale, but
Glenview's plan commission has rejected several preliminary proposals for
redevelopment town homes opposed by many neighbors who thought so many
units would mean too much new traffic and a risk of more flooding in the
area. Even if the houses were razed, your kids would not have access
unless the cash-strapped park district were to purchase the property. As
for Bredemann, the dealership predicts construction will finish by early
September. Why not call your situation to the attention of
Glenview's traffic committee? Phone 847-729-5000, hit zero and ask
for Sgt. Perlini, or e-mail him at pperlini@glenview.il.us.
LK is puzzled by a missing summer landmark: "What happened to the
Farmers' Market? This is the second week we have gone there and found the
lot empty. Have they moved to The Glen too?"
The Watch replies: The Farmers' Market will open for business from 8 a.m.-
noon Saturday, July 12. Because it specializes in regional
produce, there isn't much to sell before mid-July. As always, you'll
find fruit, vegetables, flowers, bread, homemade jellies and jam in the
parking lot next to Jackman Park.
YOUR TURN: Write to glenviewwatch@aol.com or 3537 Maple Leaf Drive, Glenview, IL 60025. If you havent 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.