The skies were clear, the sun shone and the crowds came, but most of the stores at The Glen Town Center were closed as the village, the developer and the anchor tenants for Glenview’s new shopping center hosted a grand opening last weekend. Only 20 of the 50 prospective tenants welcomed customers, and just three eateries were open – Potbelly’s Sandwiches, Gold Coast Dogs and The Red Star Tavern. Waits for food were long at times, and the restaurants ran out of some menu items.

People who arrived by car found plenty of parking, but with Patriot Blvd. reduced to one lane in each direction and no street lights working at night, traffic jams were a common problem during the busiest hours. Still visitors seemed pleased with the free entertainment, admired the elegant interior of Von Maur, and were intrigued by a talking mannequin dressed as a Navy pilot. Like the robotic Mark Twain who entertains at Disney World, this fellow speaks about the glorious history of Glenview’s Naval Air Station, working from a script written in part by Hangar One Foundation President Ace Realie.

Friday’s ceremony to dedicate a small memorial park in front of The Glen Town Center was moving. Men from the Great Lakes Honor Guard fired a seven-gun salute, and four vintage T34 training planes streaked overhead in formation. A Navy band was to perform at the event, but when the military heard they would actually be playing at the opening of a shopping center, orders changed, leaving organizers to play pre-recorded marches.

The civilian ceremony that followed drew many of Glenview’s past and present leaders including Larry Carlson and former Village Presidents Jim Smirles and Nancy Firfer. State Representative Beth Coulson was on hand, but Congressman Mark Kirk couldn’t make it, and many former trustees responsible for planning The Glen, including Bill Stickney, Emil Ulstrup, Joyce Schmidt, John Patton Jr., Rachel Cook and Donna Pappo did not attend.

The celebration was slightly marred by an accident. The man designated to release dozens of helium balloons climbed up a ladder to open the net holding them and fell off. He was not seriously injured.

The developer and anchor tenants had advertised the grand opening heavily through direct mail, newspapers and TV. One colorful ad in the Tribune’s Sunday magazine offered 10 shopping sprees worth $1,000 to winners of a Von Maur contest at The Glen Town Center. The copy made no mention of Glenview and gave no clue as to where the shopping center might be. On the other hand, a small plane flew over the site Sunday towing a banner that read: "The Glen Town Center: Land Here for Fun!"

A team of stunt kite flyers also filled the skies nearby with color, and several spotlights planted in Gallery Park drew attention to the new retail center – the financial heart of redevelopment at the former Naval Air Station. Village officials expect it to produce more than $90 million in property taxes and $280 million in sales tax revenue over the next 20 years.

In the first of three budget hearings, Glenview’s trustees considered special funding requests from five local groups. The Senior Housing Assistance Program provides small grants to as many as 20 low-income seniors who need help paying the rent in Glenview. It’s hoping for about $26,000 in the 2004 budget. Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook wants $94,500 to support general services for poor kids and families along with a juvenile court diversion program. The Glenview Senior Center asked for $4,000 to print a booklet listing area services for the elderly, while the North Shore Senior Center wants $47,500 to pay the salaries of two part-time staffers who coordinate social services in Glenview.

The Glenview Symphony asked for $5,000. Village President Carlson appeared to scold a representative from the group, reminding him that Glenview gave $4,000 in seed money last year, stipulating that it was a one-time donation.

And the Glenview Historical Society didn’t even ask. In a short note to the village manager’s assistant, President Bev Dawson wrote that the society appreciated support from years past but was "made aware we are not meant to make future applications." The group applied for a grant last year but received a stern lecture from Carlson about the need to raise its own money in future.

Like to know more about Glenview’s history? Join a free walking tour that sets off from the main train station on Lehigh Avenue at 11 a.m. Saturday, November 1. Organizers promise participants will learn about commercial and civic buildings, see charming turn of the century homes, hear entertaining tales of ghosts in Glenview and make a brief stop at the Historical Society. For details, call 847-998-6530 or -6510.

Chang Lee recently became an American citizen. His parents had come to this country from South Korea. They ran a dry cleaner and bought a small shopping center on the northeast corner of Glenview and Harms roads. Lee now aspires to run a successful business of his own, but he was not prepared for the way politics and prejudice can conspire to defeat good planning and intentions.

Lee appeared before the Glenview Village Board to ask for a liquor license and explain his plans for a store that would specialize in high-priced wines for the people of East Glenview and West Wilmette. He knew that the term "liquor store" carried negative connotations, but he pledged that his establishment would be different. He described a store modeled after retailers like Bath and Body Works and Crate and Barrel with brightly lit interiors and blond wood floors. He promised to keep signs small and tasteful. He pledged to close at 8 p.m., but his bid was doomed from the start.

More than two weeks before Lee appeared, Assistant Village Manager Joe Wade sent a letter to area residents warning that a liquor store planned to locate in the vacant storefront next to White Hen. Some neighbors circulated a petition opposing the idea. They gathered 300 signatures. Many turned out at Village Hall to testify against the proposed business, and Trustee Jim Patterson told Lee he could not support a liquor store in a residential area.

Trustee Jeff Lerner doubted such a store could do well in the proposed location, especially since Lee planned an "unconventional approach" to sales. He worried that Lee had no experience selling liquor.

Trustee Woodrow agreed the location was wrong, and President Carlson said he couldn’t approve selling beer so near the forest preserve. "What is to prevent people on a nice hot summer day from buying beer and going back to the forest preserve with it? I think that’s a real question you’ve got with this location," he said.

Lee pointed out that he could not control what customers did after buying from his store but promised to carefully avoid sales to anyone who might be intoxicated. He said his prices would be too high for the kind of people who routinely get drunk in forest preserves.

"I can’t imagine that someone who has a sudden urge for a beer or six wouldn’t run over to a liquor store, then go back over to the forest preserve," Carlson replied. "People get rowdy when they’ve had a little too much, and I don’t know that we would want to see that." He added that people under the age of 21 might get friends of legal drinking age to buy beer for them.

After the board voted unanimously to reject Lee’s petition for a liquor store, the residents applauded loudly, and Carlson added insult to injury wishing "Mr. Kim" good luck in another location.

Two hours later, without a word of debate, the board unanimously awarded three liquor licenses to businesses at The Glen. Hundreds of people will live above and around those establishments, and Gallery Park sits right across the street, but not one trustee had a problem with liquor sales there, and no neighbors were notified in advance.

Editor’s note: It is not appropriate for trustees like Jeff Lerner to judge whether a business will succeed. This is America, and Lee has the right to try his luck in retailing. A few miles away, in a residential area near Central and Gross Point roads in Evanston, Schaefer’s Wines, Foods & Spirits has prospered for years. Neighbors love the convenience of dropping in for some brie and cabernet. Nobody complains of public intoxication in the cemetery across the street.

There are times when the views of neighbors should be valued above all else. This was not one of them. Residents should have been assured that if public intoxication in the forest preserve or underaged drinking became a problem, Glenview police would step in. Instead, our elected officials found it easier to appease the mob by dashing Mr. Lee’s American dream.

Last week, Glenview Watch wrote about the surprising appearance of a Confederate flag in the Glenbrook South High School homecoming parade. A member of the hockey club, which is not sponsored by the school, waved the banner while sitting atop the cab of a pick-up truck that carried other team members in the back. GBS students once viewed the flag as their emblem because it symbolized The South, distinguishing them from Glenbrook North, but the Stars & Bars were banned by the school district in the 80's because African-Americans considered the flag a symbol of slavery and oppression.

On Tuesday, a story by the Chicago Tribune’s Courtney Flynn appeared on the front page of the Metro section. It began: "Eighteen hockey players from Glenbrook South High School in Glenview will write a letter of apology to the community after a teammate displayed a Confederate flag during a weekend homecoming parade, a team official said Monday. At a meeting late Monday, team officials planned to discuss other ‘rehabilitative’ options with the players, said Jerry Kurz, a team board member and parent of one of the varsity players who attended the parade. The incident upset parents and spectators at Saturday's parade, he said. ‘For this to have happened, this is devastating, All of them feel horrible about this because none of them had an evil or malicious or racist intent.’

The Glenview Announcements also weighed in with an editorial calling for an "emergency lesson. Some students at Glenbrook South High School apparently don’t connect history or current events for that matter, with their lives," wrote the editor. "That’s an educational emergency."

Backer acknowledged that the boy who waved the flag in present day Glenview didn’t think it symbolized "slavery, repression or bigotry. Just geography. Just ‘Good ol’ South.’ Black people in the audience would not have been so clueless," she wrote.

Late this week, co-captains Steve Luft, Matt Kurz, Matt Drew and Pat Higley wrote on behalf of the Glenbrook South Varsity Hockey Team: "We would like to apologize to the community for our horrible misuse of the Confederate flag during last weekend's homecoming parade. To us it meant only ‘South.’ It was not displayed with any racist or malicious intent. We now understand that whatever our intentions, the flag was offensive and hurtful to many people. We are proud of our team, our school and our community, and sincerely regret the embarrassment that this has caused."

While the kids and school officials were denying any racist intent in the Confederate flag flap, Glenview police issued a disturbing weekly crime report listing the discovery of vandalism at Henking School on Linneman Street. On October 8, an employee reported damage to "a rooftop air conditioner. Several names, racial slurs, ‘KKK’ and a swastika were engraved in the cooling fins of the unit," an officer wrote.

And, from the other side of the political spectrum came what may have been an environmental protest over the gas hogs some people drive. A resident of Northbrook reported damage to her Hummer H2 while parked in the Willow Creek shopping center. The word ‘OINK’ was scratched into the paint of the driver’s side door and mirror.

Charging Glenview School District 34 overestimated new enrollment for this school year by 350 students, opponents of a referendum to raise taxes say the new Attea Middle School created excess capacity for more than 400 students. "Their numbers were bad and it has cost us a bundle," said John Ranz in a press release.

"The district is hugely overbuilt," added Larry Miller, Ranz partner in founding Citizens Associated for Responsible Education or CARE. Because sixth graders were moved to the middle schools, he and Ranz contend the extra seats are in primary schools – especially Westbrook. "Sooner or later the district is going to have to think about closing a school and consolidating," wrote Miller. "If they don’t, operating expenses per pupil will go right through the roof."

In its own written statement, the district said it expects enrollment to grow in the years to come and notes that, "We are educating more students with special needs. Many of these students require more classroom space to accommodate their needs through special equipment and extra staff."

For that reason, 11 classrooms across the district have only 10-12 students. "These rooms are not available for a typical class of 25 students," the district explains, adding that enrollment will be discussed in detail at the next school board meeting, 7:45 p.m. Monday, October 20 at the administration building, 1401 Greenwood Road.

The Northbrook Star reports that trustees are not likely to approve the Society of the Divine Word’s plan to rezone 41 acres of land at Techny for 164 more homes. The site was originally designated for office space.

Trustee A.C. Buehler III argued against the idea: "The more people who live in Techny, the more it costs the village for fire, police and other services, and the more it costs Northbrook/Glenview School District 30 and Glenbrook North to educate children," he said.

The society’s land planner Zalman Alper said he would prove the case for more housing to Northbrook’s Plan Commission, which might then refer it back to the village board. He contends there is no market for office space in Northbrook, and the community will be better off having some kind of development there than none. Alper said the land has been on the market for office development for 15 years. He argues the Society’s latest proposal for a gated community dubbed Meadow Ridge would be a good fiscal deal for the village and the schools.

Alper said the society would work with the village to analyze the real costs and benefits of the development. Like Glenview at The Glen, Northbrook is counting on other kinds of development to generate tax revenue to cover the cost of services for new residents. So far, Techny has welcomed Crate & Barrel’s headquarters and the Five Seasons Country Club. A shopping center called North Shore Village could open next fall at the corner of Willow and Waukegan roads.

For the first time since it launched more than a year ago, the Glenview Journal is showing signs of interest in real journalism. To date, the publication had been a collection of softball features, old news and ads, but the October 12 edition tells readers that the Glenview State Bank is in danger of losing accounts held by a large local synagogue because of remarks a bank official made in praise of Nazi economic policies.

The Journal also reports that work on Lake Avenue has been delayed by a series of utility conflicts. "These happen when electric, gas, telephone and/or sewer lines are discovered in unexpected places," writes reporter Robin Finesmith. "Electric lines, for example, may be found where sewers are supposed to go, forcing relocation of one of the utilities."

In another story, Finesmith says, "The Glenview Public School’s Board of Education has hired a law firm to represent the district, in hopes of slowing the hemorrhaging of funds from the school system caused by property tax refunds." The district apparently stands to lose $100,000 or more if appeals for the 2001 tax year are successful.

Glenview has finally recognized the importance of professional communication with the public, hiring a director of communications. Janet Spector Bishop will start work on November 3 after serving as manager of marketing and communications for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Chicago. The Northbrook resident graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, has a master’s degree in English literature from Northwestern University and a master’s in public affairs from the University of Minnesota.

The public can comment on revised plans for two new swimming pools at 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 12 or at 10 a.m. Saturday, November 15 at the Schram Museum – corner of Patriot and Chestnut at The Glen. The Flick Park site has seen substantial changes with the aquatic complex taking up 3.8 acres – down from 5 acres – and costing an estimated $2 million less. The Roosevelt Park plan was revised only a little to increase the amount of green space and to eliminate expansion of parking that neighbors felt was unnecessary.

The park district also plans to send a new survey to every household in the district in an effort to assure maximum public input. The park board is expected to vote on plans November 20 and will decide in December whether to go forward with a referendum to pay for the pools in March.

The politically-ambitious Commissioner Ted Przybylo volunteered to form an exploratory committee to involve citizens in a campaign to pass the referendum.

Editor’s note: Now that you’ve got the governor’s name down, it’s time to tackle pronunciation of Park District Commissioner Ted Przybylo. He was easy about that issue when he first began serving on the park board, joking there were about six different ways to say it. Przybylo answered, willingly, when he was called PRIH-below. Recently, however, park board members noticed Ted was introducing himself as shuh-BILL-owe, and when the roll is called now, Shuh-BILL-owe he is.

– More than 5,000 people came out for Grove Fest, the annual celebration of rural life, food, folk music and crafts.

– About 800 people turned out for the corn harvest at Wagner Farm.

– Planning has begun for a visitors’ center at Wagner Farm. The Glenview Parks Foundation has offered $100,000 to match money raised by a newly formed group called the Friends of Wagner Farm. The park district hopes to come up with $2 million for the building.

– The district expects as many as 1,500 kids for its annual Halloween celebration – Spooktacular. The event is set for 6-8:30 p.m. Saturday, October 24 at Park Center.

– At the end of the 2003 season, parks’ officials say interest in golf is flagging. Rounds at Glenview’s main course were down by 2,000. One expert blames saturation of the golf market, a slow economy and too many rainy days.

– The Senior Center wowed its members when it celebrated its 45^th anniversary with a Hawaiian party. Director Joyce Pottinger says more than 200 guests came to see a Polynesian trio – "two lovely hula dancers and the most handsome and talented Samoan hunk who had our ladies mesmerized."

Barb Cordell loves kids. She also likes a good scare, and each Halloween for the last 13 years the mother of seven has combined those passions by turning her home on Revere Road into a free haunted house for the community. Hundreds of children wander through her front yard, filled with giant spiders and webs. A 17_foot arachnid sits on the roof, watching as the children peer through fog spread by Barb's husband Keith. On the back porch, youngsters find another frightful scene. The Cordells line it with black, then install a smoke machine, strobe lights, black lights, thousands of spider webs, a guillotine, an electric chair, and several ghoulish scenes and a sound system that plays haunting music. "We have a blast!" says Cordell, who plans to greet the kids dressed as a skeleton. Her celebration lasts from 3_9 p.m. Halloween night at 619 Revere Road between Milwaukee and Greenwood, Glenview and Central roads.

SK was upset when some readers complained about holiday lights at village expense at The Glen: "My irritation level is being tested each week by the small-minded people who constantly complain in one way or another about The Glen. They sound almost as if they'd like to see it all fail. Can't these people see what a wonderful thing is taking place at The Glen? Glenview is no longer a sleepy little farming community. Modern suburbs of large cities must compete to stay viable. That means spending money (to make money) in order to modernize, beautify, expand, and attract visitors and shoppers. The Glen, with its mixture of park land, recreational, shopping and living areas is an almost perfect example of what can be done to revitalize a nearly dead community. And yes, Glenview was dying! I have been a resident and homeowner for the past 37 years. My children went to school and grew up here. I had an office on Glenview Road for many of those years. I saw the store and office vacancies spread all over downtown (and just where exactly is downtown?), while the library and post office still have difficulty functioning because they are too small and outdated. In just the past couple of years, because of the pressure created by The Glen development have these areas started to come around again. Come on people! Don't be so bitter! Wake up to the new reality. The facilities at The Glen are for all of us. Enjoy them and stop complaining!"

Mr. T thinks the new police station in Glenview is another example of excess public spending: "I broke out laughing when I read the story about the proposed police station for Glenview. I'm willing to bet that behind the scenes there was a deal made with Sente told, ‘You design a Taj Mahal with all the bells and whistles, and we’ll award you the design contract no questions asked.’ This was the formula another company used so well. Northbrook awarded them the design contract despite a warning from the head of the development department that their 9 percent fee was far higher than the 6 percent the village paid when a new village hall was built. The Evanston Public Library did it right. They held a national design competition. The winner, who held an MA in architecture, was unemployed at the time. It’s hard to believe Glenview would award a contract without competitive bidding, but heck, it's not their money so why worry. I just don't get it. How can a board be so irresponsible? I think some board members must really wish their mailing address was Winnetka, Kenilworth or Lake Forest, but since it isn't the next best thing is to spend whatever is necessary to have the biggest library, the most expensive police station, etc. My concern has always been that higher property taxes inevitably lead to the loss of affordable housing and that someday very few children growing up in Glenview and Northbrook today (who all of this great stuff is supposedly for) will ever be able to afford to raise their own children in these very same communities."

ALF is fed up with geese at The Glen and everywhere else: "Can we do anything about the Canadian geese problem in Glenview? Gallery Park is infested with at least 500 birds who consider it fair game (no pun intended) to take over parks and any open area in Glenview. The mess they leave is atrocious. I have called the park district, but was told the birds are protected. I

wonder if there is any talk on what can be done."

The Watch replies: Glenview and other communities have tried using dogs or swans to chase the geese away, but they’re persistent and prevalent birds that do, indeed, enjoy protection from hunters. That may soon change according to a report in USA today: "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to give state wildlife agencies broad authority to reduce flocks that nest and live in the lower 48 states year-round. That means it would be easier for states and local communities to destroy eggs and nests, trap and kill birds or expand hunting." Read more at http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002/04/05/usat_geese.htm

CC wants better traffic control on Chestnut between Waukegan and the tracks: "When driving west on Chestnut from Waukegan Road to Lehigh, traffic is often backed-up to Valley Lo around 5 p.m.. There are many cars turning left onto Lehigh from Chestnut, and the left-turn signal functions only when there is a train approaching to make sure the cars near the tracks get safely across. The powers that be tell me their traffic studies don’t support the need for a left-turn signal at other times. They need to come by at 5 o’clock! I can tell you it sometimes takes 20 minutes to make that left turn, and many people decide to cut through The Glen instead. I'm sure residents there don't appreciate that! What can we do to get the left-turn signal activated on a full-time basis or at least during rush hours?

The Watch replies: Call your neighbors, talk to people who live on Chestnut at The Glen, and tell everyone to contact their trustees. That’s how a representative democracy sometimes works. There are, of course, no guarantees, but you should be able to get a second traffic study during the evening rush hour to verify the problem you describe. Mike Guinane does not publicly list an e-mail address but can be reached at 724-1732. You can e-mail the rest:

Larry Carlson - LarryVillage@aol.com, Kerry Cummings - Cummingsclan@ameritech.net, Mary Beth Denefe - MBDenefeTrustee@aol.com, Jeff Lerner - JLE5715104@aol.com, Jim Patterson - JimPattersonJr@pattersoncompany.com, Kim Woodrow - TrusteeWoodrow@aol.com.

KH is frustrated over parking in train station lots: "Who owns the train parking spots? Is it Metra or Glenview? I recently moved to Glenview and began commuting to the Loop. Four months prior to my move, I contacted the village to inquire about parking permits. I was told that there was a wait list for both the Glenview and the Glen depots and asked to be placed on both. The village said my name would not come up until January at the earliest. They also told me that although there are 500 parking spots at The Glen, Metra only allows them to sell 100! After experiencing extreme frustration locating the pre_8:30 slot parking (a decent walk from the station), finding the machine to put my money in, and missing a train while 'de-creasing' my dollar bills to go in the machine, I called Metra to see if I could get a parking pass directly through them. Metra claims that it does not own the parking spots. When I asked about installing a machine that takes debit cards, they had no idea what I was referring to. What is going on? I feel as though I am being given the run around."

The Watch replies: The Metropolitan Transit Authority does own the lots. Glenview administers them under Metra’s rules, selling permits and collecting money from pay stations at each location. Metra prefers that 80 percent of spaces at The Glen not be reserved for residents. They’re a regional agency, and they want people from Northbrook or Wheeling or Northfield to have a shot. That’s why it’s tough to get a permit. Village officials say they’ve asked for a change in the rules, but Metra won’t budge. The good news is that there are plenty of open spaces at The Glen, and you can get a debit card from Village Hall that makes paying much easier. Call 724-1700, hit zero and ask for the finance department. They’ll mail the card out, and you can decide how much value to put on it using one of the machines at the station lot. If you think the Metra limit is dumb, it wouldn’t hurt to send your State Representative (Beth Coulson or Elaine Nekritz) an e-mail, and you should definitely contact a trustee or two. (See the addresses listed above.)

SH was alarmed to read that Glenview is subsidizing Anixter’s move to The Glen: "I just read that our village is paying Anixter Corporation $2 million for moving to Glenview. In fact, the village just wrote out a check comprising the first installment of $250,000. Is this the Mad Hatter's tea party? Why is the public underwriting a corporation’s desire to move somewhere? How many homeowners’ real estate taxes will be needed to give welfare to Anixter? At an average of $6,000 in real estate taxes per home, Anixter will consume the equivalent of 333 years worth of taxes on one average Glenview home! How disgusting that our village board just kicked the Youth Services group out of its free space onto the street and told them to sell cookies for a new building while giving Anixter a check for $250,000! Boy, I wonder if Anixter's executives will buy some of those cookies with the corporate welfare check?"

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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