Glenview’s park district is tired of the bureaucracy and is asking for relief. Under the environmentally significant areas ordinance (ESA), anything it wants to build at The Grove must be submitted to the plan commission, the environmental review commission and the village board. The district’s lawyer has asked the plan commission to bow out. Sam Witwer said the park board was not trying to get around the ESA but wanted to streamline the process. Members of the plan commission were skeptical.

Chairman Howard Silver thought the park district was upset when commissioners criticized metal huts the park board wanted to install at The Grove. Commissioner Joe DiMattina also thought it "very curious that for 13 years, the village and the Glenview Park District had this set-up with the ESA. Only in the last several months, when we dared question what the park district was doing at The Grove or with the Wagner Farm parking lot [adjacent to the Chicago River] did the park district try to circumvent that."

Several commissioners argued expert help with planning was a good thing for the park district, and DiMattina pointed out that plan commission meetings appear on cable TV, allowing the public to learn more about construction projects. Park district meetings are not routinely cablecast.

Lawyer Witwer replied that the park board had its own area of expertise – caring for nature. "They do it very well," he said, citing The Grove as an example.

The commission voted unanimously to deny the park district’s request, but its vote is only advisory. The village board has the last word and may give the district a more favorable hearing. Village President Larry Carlson has been trying to patch things up with the parks after years of bad feelings between Prairie Street and Village Hall.

Editor’s note: We applaud efforts to improve relations between the village and the park district, but Glenview should not sacrifice good planning or environmental protection to build that bridge.

Rotting boards have been replaced and red primer has dried on Wagner barn, but critics are still crying foul as the park district prepares to paint. In an e-mail to hundreds of people who helped save the farm, Biff Thiele of Citizens Organized for Wagners said the park district did a rotten job of preparing the barn for paint and predicted it will have to be painted again in "a couple of years."

Parks Executive Director Tom Richardson said the district did exactly what the paint maker – Benjamin Moore – requires to extend its 25-year guarantee, and a company representative was on hand to verify that.

Thiele also charged the park district had not accepted the offer of an Evanston store to donate the paint. "We preferred Benjamin Moore’s product," Richardson said, "and a private citizen who wishes to remain anonymous, paid for it." COWS had offered to cover the cost of a clear, protective stain to preserve the rustic appearance of the barn and offered to cover the costs of labor. Richardson said the bill for labor would be less than $7,000.

COWS vice president Norma Morrison repeated her objection to the paint job, saying it amounted to transformation, not preservation. "Doesn’t the park district have any standards?" she wondered.

Mike Luxem, an early member of COWS, videotaped the work at what some critics are calling "Bob’s Barnyard" or "Todd’s Toyland." Bob Quill and Farm Director Todd Price have played key roles in shaping plans for the farm.

"I was shocked to see all the original pump house wood removed and replaced with press board and new milled wood," Luxem wrote. "The park district has no concern for history. It’s Lincoln Park Farm right down to the color – a fake interpretation of tidy new buildings."

Luxem also took his video camera to record the demolition of the missionary sisters’ property at the corner of Waukegan and Willow roads. The yellow brick building is coming down to make way for a large condo and housing complex, but first the developers paid homage to history by removing the cornerstone laid in 1914. Beneath it, they found a copper box containing a letter, hand written in German. The convent hopes to have a complete translation of the document later this week but believes it is an account of this area’s religious history.

Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook is being evicted from the house where it provided services for more than 2,400 needy or troubled kids last year. The village, which owns the property at Shermer and Lake, is taking it back to build a new police station, and is offering land on West Lake Avenue at The Glen for the social service agency. Youth Services will move into some used trailers for a couple of years while raising money for and building a new facility.

"We’ve loved being where we are for 12 years, but now it’s time to move," Executive Director Nancy Bloom told the Glenview Village Board. The state has already sent $500,000 for the new building and promised another $125,000, but Youth Services must still raise at least $3 million.

Village President Larry Carlson, who recently rushed to donate $100,000 in tax dollars for military statues at The Glen, suggested Bloom give an address where residents could send contributions, and Trustee Jeff Lerner, who initially proposed the statue subsidy, implied the village would be paying for the new Youth Services facility. "We’re going to try and give you a building that’s a lot larger so you can provide more services for more youth," he told Bloom.

While Glenview is contributing land that it got for a song from the feds, Bloom says the village has not contributed any money for the new facility. The agency will move into its double-wides early next year. In the mean time, donations can be sent to Youth Services, 1254 Shermer Road, Glenview, IL 60025. You can also help by hosting a fundraiser or asking if your employer has a matching gift program, and local businesses can inquire about naming rights for rooms (such as the United Center or U.S. Cellular Field) by calling 724-2620.

Residents who patronize the Jewel at Heatherfield or the Home Depot on Willow Road can now check themselves out, scanning and paying for merchandise without speaking to a single employee. New, computerized systems have been installed by retailers intent on cutting labor costs, but Glenview’s public library says that was not the library board’s plan when it installed a self-serve machine in the lobby.

Circulation Chief Mary Ann Bowler says the goal was improved patron service. Glenview was one of the few North Shore libraries without a self-serve check-out station when the Glenview Library Association purchased a check-out machine for about $22,000 last summer. Nearly 1,500 people used the device in its first month on the job. The technology has proven especially popular with children, but it’s simple enough for an adult to use. "You scan your library card, you scan the book," Bowler explains.

Librarians are still keeping busy with those who shun the hi-tech approach, have fines or lost books on their records. "We still have plenty of work, especially with so many new residents from The Glen," Bowler says, "but self-check-out eases the lines, especially on the weekends, and allows librarians to do other jobs."

With Korean-speaking parishioners taking up mornings at the Lakeview Presbyterian Church, the English speakers in the congregation are holding services on Sunday afternoon and looking for a new place that would allow them to worship in the morning. They approached Glenview’s park district, hoping to secure their namesake – the Lakeview Room – for two services each week and offered to pay about $1,200 per week for at least a year.

Director of Leisure Services Bob Quill raised the possibility with park board members but presented a series of practical concerns, noting that as many as 300 people might come to each of two services at 9:30 and 11 a.m.. A caterer who recently agreed to partner with Park Center was counting on Sunday brunches to generate revenue. What’s more, the district might not have enough parking or even enough chairs to accommodate the church.

Attorney Sam Witwer said he thought the district could legally allow Lakeview to hold services, but he warned that a rule now restricting religious groups to no more than six consecutive weeks of renting space would have to be lifted.

The district has turned a number of church groups away when they requested long-term rental agreements. Faced with so many potential problems, the board decided not to consider Lakeview’s request.

The park district will hold another round of discussions about new swimming pools on October 1 when consultants were expected to have new drawings for a smaller facility than the one originally proposed at Flick Park.

No time was set for that meeting, but Commissioner Judy Beck said the group should also address a critical question: Would the tax hike requested to build swimming pools be used to pay back bonds and then go away, or should the district, now serving a much larger community, hang onto the tax? Commissioner Coulson said she would also like to know more about the needs and wishes of teenagers, and proposed that the district sponsor some focus groups at Glenview’s middle and high schools.

Kyle LaCour got a $75 ticket from Glenview police, and he doesn’t even drive a car. The Glenbrook South sophomore was cited for riding his BMX trick bike at the public skate park off Milwaukee Avenue. The park district does not allow bikes there – only skate boards and in-line skates. Officials contend bikes damage the ramps and put skaters at risk, but LaCour and his friend Danny Gedgafov disagree.

They say bikes are routinely allowed in other skate parks, including the one in Park Ridge, and they presented petitions to the park district bearing the signatures of more than 150 area residents who think a policy change is in order.

Parks’ executive Fred Gullin says the bikes were banned on advice from the consortium that insures Glenview, but he promised to ask the group for a review of this issue. Even in California, where bikers and skaters share park facilities, he says some experts believe the combination is dangerous. The park board said it would have a meeting with concerned residents later this fall.

Meanwhile, LaCour says he will appeal his citation and fine in court.

Faced with on-going competition from other health clubs and a growing senior population at The Glen, Park Center’s Health and Fitness Center is making changes to its fee structure and offering a new six-month option for senior citizens who may spend part of the year traveling or living in warmer places. The basic charge for an adult to join the club is $425 per year, but seniors can now pay $210 for a six-month membership or $325 for a full year.

After reviewing the proposed policy, park board members wondered if the district might offer even more flexibility for snow birds, but staffer Mary Van Arsdale said adjustments to membership terms can create an administrative nightmare. Wilmette, for example, will suspend and extend memberships on demand, but Van Arsdale says the park district there is sorry it agreed to that option and advises Glenview against it.

Glenview will suspend and extend memberships if people have medical problems that make it impossible for them to exercise for an extended period of time. Lifetime Fitness, a private club in Skokie, offers month-to-month memberships with the right to cancel at any time.

– COWS Vice President Norma Morrison is home from the hospital, making a good recovery after a bad bout with viral bronchitis.

– Midge Dochterman, the administrative assistant to Parks’ Director Tom Richardson, is recovering from six hours of back surgery.

– The park district has raised $3,300 to assist the families of employees killed or injured in a crash on the Dan Ryan Expressway on August 27. Tax deductible contributions can be sent to the employee family fund with checks payable to the Glenview Park District, 1930 Prairie Street, Glenview, IL 60025.

– Glenview’s National 9 says teachers at Attea Middle School will use the course for an intramural golf program and Regina Dominican has declared it their home course.

Alex Bolton hoped to build three houses, each 3,000-3,500 square feet, in Countryside, a neighborhood east of Milwaukee Avenue in southern Glenview. He would occupy one of the homes, his parents would take the second and his aunt and uncle wanted the third. Bolton appeared before the plan commission Tuesday asking to put all three structures on a single, deep lot off Countryside Lane.

The developer had engaged the politically-connected law firm of Miller, Forest and Downing to make his case. An attorney argued that the lot was nearly 475 feet deep and that two of the houses would actually be located next to a self-storage facility to the west. He complained that his client had spent more than $500,000 for the lot and had been trying to win village approval since November. There really wouldn’t be room for a pond, and the lawyer said his client couldn’t afford expensive underground tanks, so he was also asking the village to excuse Bolton from the requirement to provide storm water detention.

Finally, the attorney presented a petition with 11 signatures from residents who said they didn’t mind plans for three homes on the lot. Chairman Silver pointed out that all but two lived in a different block of Countryside than the proposed development, and one of the signatories lived on Harlem Avenue.

Before making the case against Bolton’s plan, neighbor Patricia Carlson (no relation to Village President Larry Carlson) said the Harlem resident owned a truck, which had frequently been ticketed for parking illegally in the neighborhood. Now, she said, the truck’s owner appeared to have struck a deal to park on Bolton’s property.

Noting that there had been many tear down replacements built in the area, Carlson told the commission, "It feels like we are besieged by entrepreneurs’ needs to destroy the community’s last vestiges of space by building property line to property line monoliths."

She pointed out that two other neighbors might consider selling their large lots to developers of three houses if this subdivision were allowed, and she said development of two homes on the site would be acceptable.

Other neighbors complained about increased traffic and flooding problems in the area, and one predicted further loss of trees and wildlife habitat if the Bolton project were approved.

Alex Bolton’s mother also took a turn at the microphone, hoping to deflect some of the community’s anger. "Do I look like a bank robber?" she asked in heavily accented English. "My daughter went to Glenbrook South High School," she continued. "I paid taxes for it – not a little taxes, a lot taxes. That’s who you have your salary from, right?" she asked the plan commissioners, who actually serve without pay. "I like to live in Countryside too, like all of you," she said to her prospective neighbors. "I don’t feel like it’s fair for you to live in Countryside and for me not to live in Countryside."

Her eloquence aside, several of the commissioners felt three houses was too much for the site, and Bolton’s attorney asked that discussions continue at the next plan commission meeting when his client might present plans for just two houses. 

The plan commission approved plans for a new gas station at the corner of Waukegan Road and Pleasant. The parent company, Marathon, is based in Wisconsin, so when the petitioner appeared last week, Chairman Howard Silver announced: "Live from Milwaukee, it’s case P2003035, 1841 Waukegan Road." Later, as the panel debated the size of Marathon’s sign, Silver joked that the commission should regulate the prices on that sign.

In other action, the commission approved the operation of Internet cafes in the commercial districts of Glenview and okayed plans for National City Bank at the corner of Willow and Shermer roads. During public hearings, commissioners persuaded the developer to cut back on drive through lanes and add trees to its parking lot. The bank plans to open in May 2004. "You participate in community fundraisers?" Silver asked as a bank spokesman prepared to leave. When the petitioner answered in the affirmative, Silver, race director for Rotary’s recent run, turned to the meeting’s secretary and joked, "Marta, make a note that they’ve committed $10,000 to local charities."

The panel turned thumbs down on several requests for changes to a planned development near the new Swenson Park. The commissioners did not like Brian Sullivan’s suggestion that larger porches and bigger additions be allowed. Homeowners could still make those changes if the zoning board approves. The commission said it might allow an 8-foot stone wall along Shermer Road for the Bedford Green development once detailed plans are submitted.

Henking and Lyon schools have been given the "No Child Left Behind" Blue Ribbon award by the U.S. Department of Education. The federal award has been in existence since 1982. Henking and Lyon were among 214 schools in the country to be selected, and two of just 12 schools in Illinois to earn the honor. They were nominated by the state based on student scores as well as school performance on statewide math and reading tests over the past three years. The principal and a teacher representative from each school will accept the award in Washington, D.C., at the end of October.

– A task force to improve safety for pedestrians is holding public hearings in Deerfield. "We want to make it easier to walk from your home to downtown, the train stations, parks and schools," said the group’s co-chairman Doug Grant. The group will issue pedestrian design guidelines for use by the village.

– Evanston residents are demanding a stop sign or overhead traffic light on Central Street at Prairie after an elderly couple was struck and killed by a car at that busy commercial intersection. Eight-six-year-old Merle Kingman and his 85-year-old wife Melva were headed for Tag’s Bakery to buy a birthday cake.

– Morton Grove has voted to raise its sales takes by one-quarter of a percent to help fill a project budget gap of $1 million. The increase pushes Morton Grove’s total sales tax to 8.75 percent. It will not apply to cars, groceries or prescription drugs.

– Morton Grove is working with the FBI to find the person who wrote a letter threatening to shoot four village officials and a leader in the lawsuit to keep that community’s Muslim Center from expanding. Making such a threat is a felony under federal law.

– The Holocaust Memorial Foundation has dedicated its site for a 46,000-square-foot building north of Golf Road and just east of the Forest Preserve. The V-shaped structure, designed by architect Stanley Tigerman, will house a museum, foundation offices, study areas, a library, 295-seat auditorium and cafeteria. To date, the group has raised $8 million of the $15 million it needs.

– Northbrook is replacing its Village Green playground and sending the old equipment to Armenia. The donation, spearheaded by Winnetka’s Bible Church, faced two significant obstacles: writing legal documents that would protect Northbrook from a lawsuit in the event an Armenian child is injured and putting the sets together. An instruction manual for the 12-year-old playground was long gone, so a member of the church color-coded every part of the apparatus and logged each piece. Then, students at Gordon Tech entered the parts into a computer-aided drafting system and created a new set of instructions.

– Wilmette has purchased its first piece of public art – a 12-foot steel ring with leaf-shaped cut-outs – that sits just east of the downtown area. It took six years to plan and raise money for the work titled "Forest Canopy." Produced by DeKalb artist Bruce White, the 1,000-pound sculpture cost $50,000.

– The Chicago Botanic Garden may begin charging for admission to fill a giant hole in its budget. Officials say they’re $25 million short for maintenance and capital improvements.

Terry Wodder is convinced the library board has made up its mind to build new at The Glen: "A recent issue of the Glenview Announcements quoted library officials on plans for a new facility: ‘Building a new library in The Glen, on 4.9 acres donated by the village, could begin almost immediately and would cost about $23 million.’ Have plans already been drawn-up but not revealed to the public? Orland Park expects to spend $24.5 million on its new 85,000-square-foot library. Has our library board low-balled their estimate for a much bigger building at The Glen to skew the results of their survey? That projection allows them to claim a downtown site would cost $13 million more than a building at The Glen."

The Watch replies: Library Board President Mark Grant says there are no plans yet. "You can’t do drawings until you control the dirt," he explained. "That would be putting the cart before the horse." Grant concedes estimates on the cost of a new building may be off "by a million or two. Until we get a building designed, we can’t say," but he denies the board’s real estate consultant provided a low estimate to influence Glenview’s decision on the library’s location. "The people that elected me don’t care what it costs, and they want it downtown," says Swainwood resident Grant. "I don’t think money is an issue. I was elected on a platform that it should be downtown." Grant admits money could be a problem for the village. By law, the library board cannot sell bonds, so funding for a new building will come through the village. "They’re building fire stations, they’re building police stations, I just hope they don’t run out of bonding authority," he told The Watch. Grant added that the library board hopes to meet with the village board by the end of October, and he’s optimistic a decision on location will be made soon.

Kathryn Hall writes about a new library: "My work involves a lot of writing. I frequently do it in the library, where it is quiet and I can think. I'd like Terry Wodder to know that I am not in one of the seats he is counting. I'm at the Northbrook Library, where it is easy to park, I can find a place to sit that is isolated enough for me to concentrate, and I can go get a cup of coffee when I start falling asleep. I would like them to do something with our library--downtown, hopefully -- before I am old enough to retire, so that I can come back and use the facilities my taxes are paying for."

The Watch replies: Not to speak for Mr. Wodder, but to our knowledge he has never argued against an improved library with more parking. His proposal is to build a post office away from the downtown area, then expand our existing library to the post office site. Wodder believes this option would better serve Glenview and cost the community less than building new at The Glen or at some other downtown location."

EB was surprised to read Larry Carlson’s letter to The Glen, telling residents not to worry about extra costs to redo the roads. Carlson falsely claimed taxpayers were not footing that bill since money would come from tax increment financing: "I read with interest Mr. Carlson’s review of Glen finances. Several years ago a citizen dared question these finances at a village board meeting. A trustee advised the questioner that people in Glenview just didn't understand the high finance being used for The Glen. My thought, at that time, was that there are people in Glenview who have forgotten more about finances than some of the board members will ever know. Looks like the trustees should have listened to those who dared question the bad decisions being made in haste to develop The Glen. Do we get a rebate from the planners who are responsible for a goof that has made us tear up the once completed Lehigh Ave. between Chestnut and Fielding? Seems to me they should have known that those pipes needed to be replaced before that section of Lehigh was re-paved."

Mr. M. wrote in response to our story about local elections being cancelled in California, because no one wants to run: "I think there is a fourth reason why people don't run for local offices: a low threshold of intellectual pain. Capable people who are interested in getting things done tend to have little tolerance for people who are more interested in ego than in taking care of business. Every issue of Glenview Watch has at least one item that reflects the incompetence of one board or another, so why would anyone subject himself/herself to trying to accomplish meaningful things while surrounded by people whose agenda is so clearly one of self-interest? Glenview is not alone. When was the last time you saw a politician anywhere about whom you could say, ‘There's an honest, bright, capable person who gets things done in the best interests of the governed?’"

The Watch replies: We are impressed with the performance of Glenview’s delegation to Springfield – State Senator Susan Garrett, State Representative Elaine Nekritz and State Representative Beth Coulson are all doing a solid job on behalf of their constituents. We also see Mark Damisch providing thoughtful leadership to the people of Northbrook, Howard Silver doing an earnest job on Glenview’s plan commission, and all members of that board taking their responsibilities to the public seriously. Kim Woodrow, one of Glenview’s new trustees, showed real leadership in directing discussion of a sign ordinance, and Trustee Mike Guinane has common sense that often prompts him to fight the good fight. That said, we share your hope that more people of intelligence and ability will consider running for office in 2005.

DR was glad to read our story about protecting toads from traffic: "Please tell your readers who may be terrified that some amphibious creature is going to pee on them that a staple carried by those of us in animal rescue is a bottle of antibacterial hand gel."

Been There, Done That responds to news of errors on local tax bills: "I got a big shock when I opened my tax bill. No senior benefits were deducted, so I joined the many at the assessor's office for a good two hours and finally got it straightened out. While there, I found out that some of the recording work is farmed out and the company doing the work went out of business but kept the forms we had sent in to claim our senior deductions! As you can imagine, this was most distressing to our senior citizens -- many of whom were there with canes, walkers or in wheelchairs!"

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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