The cost of a new police station may be paid in part with tax dollars that would otherwise go to public schools, parks and the library. That’s the word from Village Hall where officials say they may use tax increment financing (TIF) dollars to fund construction of the $18 million station.

Under state law, municipalities can designate a TIF district for redevelopment – then siphon tax dollars from that area away from schools and other publicly-funded government services.

Most of Glenview’s TIF property is on land formerly owned by the U.S. Navy, but the future home of the new cop shop – a lot at the corner of Shermer Road and Lake Avenue – was also drawn into the district when it was first established. News that TIF dollars might be used to cover police construction costs caught some park district and school officials by surprise.

Village Hall says the $7.1 million reconstruction of Shermer Road, last resurfaced in 1979, may be delayed for at least a year due to a shortage of cash from Springfield and from Village Hall. The state and village had agreed to undertake the project with the Illinois Department of Transportation paying $2.1 million for the road, curbs and gutters while Glenview provided $5 million for water mains, sanitary sewers, sidewalks and parkway trees. Planners proposed a continuous turn lane from East Lake Avenue to Glenview Road.

Village President Carlson told the Glenview Announcements he had asked Glenview’s elected state officials to lobby decision-makers in Springfield. "We’ve saved up our portion of the money, and we expect the state to come through with what it’s supposed to do," Carlson told reporter Lynne Stiefel.

Editor’s note: In fact, during this year’s budget hearings, village officials said they would be $1.3 million short if the work were done in 2004.

Developers have unveiled plans for a new shopping strip just north of Glen Oak Plaza which is at the corner of Lake Avenue and Waukegan Road. The project would include the existing Osco building, 30,000 square feet of new retail space and a Fifth Third Bank. Glenview’s plan commission generally liked drawings of the proposed center but were revolted by the large square structure Fifth Third proposed to house its drive-thru ATM’s.

"It’s a giant box, probably 10-12 feet long and about seven feet high," said Chairman Howard Silver.

"Eight feet," said a bank spokesman.

"It looks awful," said Silver.

The bank spokesman said Glenview was not the first community to object to the box, but he argued it provided protection from the elements and an extra measure of security. A Brink’s delivery man can actually lock himself inside while filling machines with cash.

"No other banks have a need for such an eyesore," Silver said. "It’s offensive. I don’t want to give you my actual opinion, because we’re on [cable] television," he added. "It’s a giant, ugly box."

"I agree," said Commissioner Joe DiMattina. "The box really cheapens your building. At first I thought it was a used clothing collection center."

"That’s certainly not the look we’re trying to achieve," said the bank spokesman, noting that it is Fifth Third’s standard approach to ATM’s. He wondered if the commission would go for the same structure with a brick facade.

"It’s not negotiable," Silver replied. "Whether you add brick, whether you make it look like Sears Tower, it’s just not allowable. Do what every other bank has done. Put a basic ATM there. I’m sure you can buy one. If Fifth Third wants to do business in Glenview, you’ve gotta’ do it our way."

The panel also told Fifth Third it may not get all five of the drive through lanes it requested and should make its architecture more like what’s proposed for the shopping center.

On a related note, the Carillon Square shopping center on the west side of Waukegan Road has been sold to a company called Oak Meadow for $16.6 million.

– The owner of a local pottery shop has written to Donald Trump, objecting to his quest for trademark rights to the phrase, "You’re fired." Susan Brenner chose that name for her studio in 1997 and hopes to capitalize on the success of Trump’s reality TV Show – The Apprentice – by selling t-shirts and other items that read, "You’re Fired." After standing up to The Donald, Brenner appeared in a Chicago Tribune story and was deluged by calls from other media at her Glenbrook Market shop. Brenner told Northbrook Star reporter Irv Leavitt that she has no hard feelings toward Trump and would like to meet the man. In fact, she suggested putting another You’re Fired store in Trump Tower and staffing it with apprentices.

– Walgreens may be set to save a struggling strip mall at the corner of Waukegan and Lake-Cook roads. After years of financial difficulty, the Pioneer Press reports Walgreens would like to build a 24-hour store with a drive through window at that location.

The Illinois Press Association says Glenview’s library board may have broken the law when it held a private meeting to discuss a new building. The board cited a provision of state law that allows executive sessions for the discussion of the purchase or lease of real estate, but reporter Lynne Stiefel says the trustees actually talked about other things – like their preference for a new library at The Glen. The library board also debated what to do about the architect’s bill for drawings specific to the Dominick’s Finer Food site on Waukegan Road. Members apparently favored that location at one point, but the village board turned it down.

Village President Carlson is now ignoring a consultant’s call to decide quickly on the location of a new library. Carlson says the trustees might need the rest of this year to choose . He recently appointed Trustee Kimball Woodrow to head a new commission on downtown redevelopment, and the village board is expected to wait for recommendations from that panel.

Meanwhile, a volunteer group that raises money to support the library says donations were down again last year. Irene Kreer, who heads the Glenview Library Association, says people are unhappy about the lack of parking, the outdated building and a lack of progress in resolving those problems.

Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook is still appealing for volunteers after a successful weekend move from the house it occupied for 13 years. That structure, at the corner of Lake Avenue and Shermer Road, is set for demolition and replacement by Glenview’s new police station.

Director Nancy Bloom expressed gratitude to residents and police officers who pitched in to pack and move Youth Services to modular buildings on West Lake Avenue in The Glen. She also praised firemen who pulled a deeply planted Youth Services sign from the front lawn. A couple of bulky picnic tables and a video arcade game had to be left behind. Bloom is hopeful someone with a pick-up truck will come forward on Monday to transport them.

Looking ahead, the agency hopes to welcome new volunteers – people who can help children with homework, mentor stressed-out moms, supervise open gym, after-school activities and weekend adventures. Bloom says professionals and craftsmen are also in demand. She appealed to local attorneys, accountants, computer techs, carpenters and others with specialized skills to consider volunteering – even on a one-time basis. Finally, she says, the agency needs more storage and would appreciate donations of used cabinets. For more information, call 724-2620.

LACROSSE ON ICE

Members of Glenbrook South’s lacrosse team are disappointed by a decision to cancel their season after players ignored a district ban on hazing rites and held a traditional paddling party in which seasoned players whacked the bottoms of new team members. Twenty-four students were suspended for 10 days, and police are trying to figure out how the kids got alcoholic beverages for the bash. It took place at the home of one team member while his parents were away. Glenbrook Superintendent Dave Hales said no one loves teenagers more than he does, but their behavior sometimes puzzles him. Referring to the annual paddling rite he concluded, "It’s time for those traditions to stop."

Some residents are grumbling over the charge for Saturday’s Easter Egg hunt at Wagner Farm – $5 per child. Northbrook, Wilmette and other neighboring communities have or will host similar events at no charge to residents, and Wheeling, which will hold three free hunts for kids, is also offering to feed them. Families who have Easter brunch at the Chevy Chase Country Club, a facility owned by the Wheeling Park District, will pay nothing for children under six years of age.

The Executive Director of Glenview’s Park District dismissed complaints. "We don’t usually give things away," he said.

– Glenview Children’s Theater presents The Magical Land of Oz – a seventh grade production at Park Center – on April 17 at 4 p.m. and April 18 at 12:30 p.m. For details, call 724-5670.

– Auditions will be held for the summer production of Hello Dolly. Would-be performers 16 and older can try out at 6 p.m. April 6 or 7 at Park Center. For details, call 604-3411.

– A special promotion will allow golfers to tee-off on tax day -- April 15 for only $5 at the Glenview National 9's course.

– And the annual kids’ garage sale is set for 1-3 p.m. Saturday, April 17 at Park Center. Children 7-12 years of age are invited to sell or buy toys, games, books and sports equipment. For more information, call 724-5670.

Glenview’s car dealers were hit by a rash of thefts last month. Someone took a stereo from a vehicle parked in the lot at Jennings Chevrolet sometime between March 18 and March 29. At Jennings Volkswagen, somebody broke into a customer’s car doing hundreds of dollars worth of damage. Bredemann Lexus had a stereo stolen from one of the vehicles on its lot, and two wheels disappeared from an Infiniti at Fields. Glenview police said they have increased surveillance of the dealerships along Waukegan Road.

– Chicago-based Beltone returns to The Glen Redevelopment Commission Wednesday, April 7 to outline plans for a parking lot next to the Air Station Prairie. The commission was unhappy with the company’s first set of plans, insisting more landscaping be added. The public is welcome to testify or observe that meeting which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Hall board room. It will also be cablecast on channel 17.

– Mark your calendar for May 8 at 9 a.m. That’s when Glenview Friends of Nature plans another river cleanup. Volunteers will meet in the Kohl’s parking lot off Willow Road. Gloves and garbage bags will be provided.

– A local landscaper is sounding the alarm after finding about 70 gypsy moth egg masses on trees in Northbrook. Curt Vogt of Grayslake Landscape Concepts has been removing the eggs from Somme Woods, hoping to prevent the spread of leaf-eating caterpillars to the trees of his clients on neighboring lots. Cook County and the Village of Northbrook are both short on cash for insect control this year. Vogt urges homeowners to inspect their own trees, home siding and outdoor furniture for moth eggs and to get rid of any they find. For a detailed description of how to do that, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/mod02/01500593.html , and to see pictures of moth eggs, go to http://www.gypsymoth.ento.vt.edu/vagm/carousel.html . Volunteers who’d like to help with insect control in the forest preserve should call 847-514-4249.

– A majority of Wilmette trustees refused to impose a moratorium on teardowns, saying the village has done enough to limit replacement of small houses with McMansions, but Trustee Jim Griffith isn’t convinced. Sixty-two teardown permits were issued in 2003, and he says 18 have already gone out this year. "If that rate continues, 2004 will see 79 teardowns," he told Wilmette Life. Griffith says the loss of smaller homes could make it impossible for "the postman and fireman" to live in that community.

– Elmhurst has increased the charge for a teardown permit to $1,000 – up from $200, and raised the charge for a building permit from $5,000 to $6,000. Teardowns are on the increase in Elmhurst, rising from 24 in 1994 to 244 last year. A similar rate this year would net the community an extra $160,000.

– A traffic consultant will propose ways to improve traffic flow on Green Bay Road at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 13 in Wilmette. He proposes adding turn lanes and changing the timing of traffic signals at Lake, Central, Wilmette and Linden Avenues. For more information, call 847-853-7660.

If you’ve followed development of The Glen, you probably know that village trustees imposed tax increment financing (TIF) to pay for roads, sewers, utilities, street lights, parks and other perks. The TIF sends all new taxes – including those that would normally go to our schools, park district and library – to Village Hall. It’s a sore spot for some residents who think kids are being robbed to pay for a wealthy new neighborhood in Glenview. Adding insult to perceived injury, a military association website authored by former Navy Public Affairs Officer Jug Varner (http://www. keepingapace.com/ blogarchives/armed_forces/ dod_nas_ glenview_conversion.php) claims, "Voters approved a bond [issue] to pay for development of infrastructure such as sewer lines, gas mains and roads."

Glenview has had more than three years to correct that claim, since the information was posted in September 2001. Anticipating completion of construction, Varner also writes, "Navy old-timers will be hard pressed to find any trace of the Air Station they once knew. Only two former Navy structures will still stand – the Chapel and Hangar One, and by then the hangar will have been converted into an entertainment mall."

On its website, the Glenview Hangar One Foundation claims establishment of a small museum and construction of a memorial park have "been accomplished at no cost to taxpayers." While it’s true that Oliver-McMillan donated space for the museum, the assertion ignores millions of dollars that Glenview paid the developer as an incentive to build the mall and millions more provided by taxpayers to construct streets and parking garages at The Glen Town Center.

On the same website, Village President Larry Carlson boasts of buying three bricks to help fund the memorial park. "Cudos [SIC] to whoever [SIC] thought of this idea," he wrote.

In our post-election report on passage of a referendum to fund new swimming pools in Glenview, we reported that calls by supporters of the initiative had been made to prospective voters using park district telephones. We made this claim after noting that our caller i.d. listed a Glenview Park District phone number at about the time we received a call from someone urging us to support the referendum. We also noted a call from the Glenview Insurance Agency but did not associate that with the Yes for Pools effort. In fact, Glenview Insurance donated its phone bank, and the park district call – not related to the referendum -- came from someone taking an exercise break at Park Center. We regret the error and apologize for any embarrassment this may have caused.

We also suggested a resident of unincorporated Glenview contact Northfield Township Supervisor Jill Brickman to discuss construction of sidewalks. Terri Graham, community coordinator for Northfield Township, wrote: "Actually, the appropriate contact is Peter Amarantos, Northfield Township Highway Commissioner, 847-724-7055. The Road & Bridge Department has responsibility for anything having to do with road/sidewalk maintenance. It can be frustrating to people to call and be shuttled someplace else, so providing the correct person to contact is helpful."

Dave Carr: By my house this weekend I found two dead birds and a very badly-injured squirrel that eventually died in my yard. Maybe it’s a coincidence, but I was angered by the site of two young boys yesterday in Countryside Park shooting at birds with an Air Soft bb handgun. I asked if they were shooting birds, and they said they were. I told them to give me the gun because I wanted to see it operate. With a name like Air Soft, I thought I might be overreacting. To my horror, this little handgun replica was a fully automatic bb gun. I told the kids what they were doing was illegal and that I would call the police the next time I saw them. After that incident all sorts of questions and scary future scenarios ran through my mind. What the hell are parents thinking?"

The Watch replies: Your instincts were correct. Kids walking around with an Air Soft gun, which looks identical to the real thing, could find themselves in danger. January’s edition of the village newsletter warned that kids "should never use [an Air Soft gun] on public property. Such use often results in a 911 call. Officers will treat it as an emergency and respond accordingly." In other words, parents who see fit to buy bb guns for children should supervise their use in fenced private yards, making sure children do not fire at live targets. Concerns for wildlife aside, individuals who kill endangered birds are subject to substantial state fines.

JAS was angered by village efforts to prevent construction of new housing for servicemen at The Glen for fear of overcrowding public schools: "They are good enough to go to war and fight for out country but not good enough to live on Carlson's Glen? The kids could go to Attea Middle School. I understand that is practically empty."

Jack Neymark wonders: "When will there be another cleanup of the river? The Techny Basin (between Heatherfield and Kohl’s) looks good, but the river is a mess."

The Watch replies: Mark your calendar for May 8 with May 9 as a rain date. Volunteers will assemble in the Kohl’s lot at 9 a.m. and work until 11 a.m.

And Phyllis Thomas writes: "I am a fan and daily visitor to the open space around the Techny Basin and West Fork Park. I so appreciate the efforts at prairie restoration and the wildlife attracted to it. It’s a great asset to have it so close to our homes. This morning the path near Peninsula Park was littered with a lot of broken glass from beer bottles. This is the first time I have seen this and hope it doesn't signal the start of a new trend. I did clean it up today. It took a full hour, but I wanted to save dogs and people from cuts. (My dog did slit her paw). Also, I see the pile of winter trash along the North branch of the Chicago River (east of the parking lot at Kohl's, Target et al.). Every spring the melting snow exposes all the plastic bags, bottles and papers that blow over from the parking lot. Once again, a group of us will get out there for a cleanup -- to remove this unsightly mess and to save the wildlife from hazards. This would not be necessary if people were more careful. Also, it seems that the retailers close to this property could be held responsible for cleanup."

The Watch replies: It’s a pity the trustees saw fit to declare this an environmentally-significant area but can’t be bothered keeping it clean.

Chuck Baran of Homosassa, Florida, doesn’t always agree with the editors but writes to "thank you for providing a detailed view of the happenings that take place in the Glenview community. I am a retired fire department lieutenant now living in Florida's Nature Coast and appreciate the chance to look back over my shoulder at the growth of the village that I served for over 20 years."

Joe Williams thinks "Glenview School District 34 can take a lesson from the park district on how to run a very effective marketing campaign when asking voters to spend money. The park district provided the public with a lot of information on what they intend to do with the $15 million for new pools. The next time District 34 wants voters to approve a tax increase they need to be very specific and clear with the details. The attitude that schools are entitled to tax increases just doesn't fly any more. In my opinion, District 34 has done a terrible job marketing itself in the past. So next time you want to ask the voters for money remember, it's an election -- a popularity contest."

Marcia is Glen watching. She writes: "There seems to be a building going up north of Creme de la Creme at the corner of Patriot and Lehigh. Construction is also underway west of the Glenview Bank on Chestnut. Can you please inform me what is being built?"

The Watch replies: The project north of Creme de la Creme will be corporate headquarters for the Chicago-based manufacturer of Beltone hearings aids. West of the Glenview State Bank is the site for a mixed use development that will include condos and shops.

And LW asks: "Will the north end of Lehigh ever reopen? For the local residents and people using that Metra station it is incredibly frustrating. What's going on? Do you know?"

The Watch replies: Work on the final section of Lehigh is expected to be complete in mid-May. Other projections for Glenview road work can be found on the village website, www.glenview.il.us

And downtown landlord Pete Corasis writes: "I have owned commercial property in the 1800 block of Glenview Road for 29 years. During a recent public meeting, Plan Commissioner Steve Bucklin referred to a program to improve downtown building facades with low-cost loans. He said there were many meetings on the subject, and he accused landlords of not wanting to spend money on their buildings. I know of no such meetings and was never notified about the program. Mr. Bucklin said the plan failed because it did not have committed property owners and tenants. A similar statement was made by Village President Larry Carlson at a recent Chamber of Commerce meeting. I am committed to more attractive buildings downtown and would like to see the facade improvement program renewed. I also feel that a group of downtown business owners and landlords – The Strategic Plan Coalition – should be part of Trustee Kimball Woodrow’s Downtown Plan Committee."

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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