TRUSTEES TANGLE OVER SAFETY OF RAILROAD CROSSING

With a local election less than a year away and Trustee Mike Guinane expected by some to challenge President Larry Carlson for the top elective office in Glenview, the two tangled over tragedy on the railroad tracks last week. An 11-year-old boy had been struck and killed by a train, and Guinane wanted action.

Carlson told local trustees he had written to Metra asking the railroad to review the crossing for any possible safety improvements, including installation of a pedestrian gate. Carlson wasn’t sure that was the way to go.

"If you put pedestrian gates down there, and those gates stay down the whole time a train is loading and unloading, which could be five minutes, people are going to walk around those gates," he said. "If, however, those gates are only down while the train is moving past that intersection, and they come back up when the train is motionless, I think people will not tend to walk around the gates."

"At times when a train is unloading, you might have an express train coming through," warned Guinane. "That’s the purpose of having those gates down the whole time." Noting that the village had paid for pedestrian gates at Lehigh and Chestnut Avenue, Guinane wondered why the village would not install them downtown.

"That whole [Chestnut Avenue] crossing had to be redone," said Carlson. "We have existing vehicle gates at Glenview Road, but you can’t just hang a pedestrian gate on there. You have to take the whole thing out, [add] new controllers, new parts, the whole bit."

Guinane asked for information on the costs of installing pedestrian gates downtown, but Trustee and attorney Jeff Lerner objected. "Isn’t the first issue whether or not we have any legal ability to control the intersection?" he asked. "Isn’t it controlled by the railroad? I think we ought to ask the railroad to sit down with us, but this is controlled by the Federal Railroad Act."

"What warranted the installation of pedestrian gates at Lehigh and Chestnut?" Guinane countered.

"I think what President Carlson is saying is the railroad made that decision," said Lerner. "They own the right-of-way, and I think what he is saying – and I don’t want to put words in his mouth – is we’ve requested that the railroad help us solve this problem. We don’t run the railroads."

"We have a grade school there. We have a library there," Guinane began.

"We all recognize this is a tragedy," Lerner replied. "But this isn’t about making soundbites."

As Guinane attempted to continue, Carlson stepped in.

"Trustee Lerner, Trustee Guinane," he said.

"Can I finish please?" said Lerner.

"Trustee Lerner has the floor," said Carlson.

"This isn’t about creating soundbites," Lerner repeated. "This is a serious problem that we need to solve, and I think what President Carlson has said is that the village, through him, has put in a request for us to determine how we go about solving this. To sit here and talk about, ‘Why don’t we do this, why don’t we do that?’ I think the simple answer is we don’t have the legal ability to do that."

After spending $21,000 on architectural drawings for a new building at The Glen, Glenview’s library board voted 4-3 to commission a new design for its current location. The decision acknowledges Village Hall’s preference for the downtown site.

Despite a claim by the library board that the present site could not accommodate a large enough library, architect Phillips Swager Associates has indicated it could design a two-story, 92,700-square-foot structure for that location, using property now occupied by Epco Paint. The village has announced plans to take that business through condemnation.

The library board had contended building on a five-acre site on Patriot Boulevard at The Glen would be far less expensive and much easier since the library could continue to do business at its present location until a new building was complete. That scenario assumed Village Hall would supply the land to the library at no charge. Now, sources say the property on Patriot is too valuable to be given away, and Village President Carlson told the Pioneer Press that he had engaged a financial consultant to demonstrate that The Glen would not be a cheaper site for library construction.

Meanwhile, the Glenview Announcements is editorializing in support of the downtown location – saying the library board should stop wasting time debating the village board and start planning a building at its present site.

In other library news, administrators faced with too little space for books had been throwing out one volume each time a new one was added. Now, they’re calling a halt to that practice, saying they will store additional volumes on mobile carts. Collections Manager Gordon Fields says overly aggressive weeding could cut into the core collection.

After reviewing proposals from four urban planning firms, the commission headed by Trustee Kimball Woodrow to oversee downtown redevelopment hired a familiar face to consult on the job. Steve Friedman has often been engaged to provide financial advice to the village and is best-known for his counsel on tax increment financing at The Glen. He’ll team up with a company best-known for landscape architecture, The Lakota Group.

Friedman and Lakota collaborated on an award-winning effort for Morton Grove – an improved appearance for its Waukegan Road commercial corridor and consulted Oak Park on its downtown redevelopment. The contract is worth $143,730.

The plan commission again heard from developers who want space for two new restaurants in the parking lot of the Plaza del Prado near the corner of Willow and Pfingsten roads. After nearly two hours of discussion, the panel agreed to continue talks on June 22 at 7:30 p.m. The public is welcome in the board room of Village Hall, or you can catch the action on cable channels 17 or 6.

Glenview recently gave developer Oliver McMillan permission to hang a banner advertising its luxury apartments at The Glen for 120 days, but when the owner of a small furniture store at 3385 Milwaukee Avenue asked for a similar deal, he was snubbed.

The President of Carol Home Furnishings said business had been slow since 9/11, and unless he could sell off his inventory, the business might fold. "I come here with my hat in my hand," he told the trustees. "I’ve been in business over 50 years."

He figured hanging a banner for 60-90 days would do the trick, but village ordinance limits the display of banners to 10 days. President Carlson said no exception could be made since, "every place in town would have a banner out there for 60 or 90 days. That’s not the look and image we want for Glenview."

The business man also asked permission to erect a tent, saying he did not have space in the store for items from his warehouse. The village had allowed Harley Davidson to erect a tent on Willow Road, but Trustee Jim Patterson called the request, "a stretch. We’re working hard to keep consistent and fair with everyone else in the community, and I don’t know that we could deal with a parade of requests for 60 days."

"We’ve never granted an exemption that long," said Trustee Lerner, adding that the Harley Davidson deal was allowed to observe the 150^th anniversary of the motorcycle maker, an occasion that came along only once every 150 years. "We appreciate your plight, but we have to balance that against a possible floodgate of others."

The businessman said he’d settle for 30 days. The board voted to give him 10.

Editor’s note: We believe Harley was actually celebrating their centennial in 2003, since 150 years ago people were riding horses.

The village board moved to annex eight properties along Landwehr Road north of Lake Avenue Tuesday despite objections from residents who will pay higher taxes.

The move to annex follows a recommendation in Glenview’s comprehensive plan and encouragement from Cook County, which would like all unincorporated areas to be absorbed by municipalities so it can get out of the business of providing police, fire and road maintenance services to unincorporated areas.

Last year, Glenview lost a battle to prevent a developer from building what the trustees thought were too many town homes along the west side of Landwehr because the parcel was not incorporated and could develop under more lenient county zoning.

Resident Kathy Owens complained that a registered letter informing her of the plan had arrived less than a week earlier – just before the holiday weekend.

Village Attorney Jeff Randall said Glenview had no legal requirement to notify her at all.

President Carlson said the property was needed so a continuous sidewalk could be built to Winkelman School. Owens said she had given permission for sidewalk construction since 2001. "Putting a sidewalk just in front of your property does not give us continuous sidewalk," Carlson replied.

"It does," said Owens, explaining that sidewalks had been built on both sides of her property.

"It’s not really a question of sidewalks," said Village Manager McCarthy. He said the need to annex was a function of Glenview’s desire to maintain uniform standards for developers.

Another resident, Gail Lee, said she had many financial questions and concerns. McCarthy told her to make an appointment with Development Director Mary Bak.

"Okay, so this is not a done deal?" Lee asked.

"Um, I don’t want to say that," said Carlson.

"Legally, that’s correct," said Trustee Lerner, noting that a second vote was needed for the annexation to take place. He did not mention that public comment and board discussion would probably not be allowed when the matter comes up again.

The board voted unanimously to annex.

Always one to expose his literary leanings, Village Manager Paul McCarthy told the trustees Tuesday about a Sherlock Holmes story "in which the most important thing that happens is a dog that does not bark." He recalled the tale by way of boasting that Glenview had not experienced flooding problems this month, while so many communities in the western suburbs suffered.

He then asked Public Works Director Bill Porter to expound on the reasons. Porter mentioned the fact that heavy rain in Wisconsin had sent floodwaters south via the Des Plaines River, while our own river – the west branch of the north fork of the Chicago – terminates in Lake County. What’s more, Porter said three reservoirs north of Glenview had been improved to better control flooding. Finally, he mentioned Lake Glenview but admitted it was not really put to the test, since drainage valves were opened after most of the rain had fallen.

Over the past nine years, Glenview has been piling earth from Glen construction sites on two lots which will soon be under construction – the sites of the future Kohl Museum and Thomas House, an affordable residential complex for senior citizens. Redevelopment Director Don Owen said ground would be broken for both projects this year, so the village had to move 10,000 cubic yards of dirt. The job went to DiPaolo Construction, whose bid of $48,160 edged Lenny Hoffman Excavation by $65.

Owen said the earth would be transported to a lot just north of the new Egg Harbor Café on Lehigh. He did not think it would have to be moved again, since he predicted the dirt would be needed for construction projects before the land was needed for additional Metra parking.

Glenview will spend $250,000 to begin replacing water meters with units installed outside of homes, making automated meter reading possible. Public Works Director Bill Porter says the village will install the new meters over time and will ultimately see labor cost savings of 80-90 percent.

Served with several Freedom of Information Act requests from members of the public who want to know what Glenview’s library board knows, the board voted to raise rates from ten cents per page to $1. That is four times what Village Hall charges to provide the public with copies of public records.

– While the intense trilling of cicadas can be heard this spring in central Illinois, Indiana and points south and east of Chicago, experts now say the North Shore will not have a crop of the flying, red-eyed insects until 2007.

– The Cook County Forest Preserves feature 200 miles of potentially dangerous biking and hiking trails according to critics who say some intersections are poorly designed and mixing cyclists, pedestrians and people on horseback is asking for trouble. Glenview’s Commissioner Gregg Goslin will oversee a review process. If you’d like to make suggestions, mark your calendar for July 14 at 1:30 p.m. when the Recreation Committee will hold a hearing at the county building – 118 N. Clark St. in Chicago. You can also e-mail ideas to commissionergoslin@cookcountygov.com .

– Residents of the Des Plaines River Valley can keep a closer watch on flood waters thanks to a new website set up by the National Weather Service. Visitors to www.crh.noaa.gov can see how high the river has risen and be advised of possible problems at each stage. At five feet, for example, roads in the forest preserves begin to flood, and at 10 feet large areas along the river will be affected.

Two more eateries will open at The Glen over the next two weeks. Mitchell’s Fish Market on Patriot will begin serving on June 7. Cameron Mitchell, an entrepreneur from Columbus, Ohio, has opened 21 restaurants in less than a decade.

Yard House, a California-based chain of nine restaurants featuring 130-250 different kinds of beer, live music and food opens on the main street of The Glen Town Center on June 14.

LACROSSE TEAM HAS HAZING ALTERNATIVES

As penance for a paddling incident that School District 225 Superintendent Dave Hales branded hazing, 24 members of the high school lacrosse team have submitted a report on the history and harmful effects of hazing. They’ve also provided a checklist that should help Glenbrook identify future violations of anti-hazing rules and offered alternatives for students in search of initiation rites. Among them, the kids say students could sponsor community service projects or take part in ultimate frisbee competitions.

– Wheeling has decided to challenge a decision by Buffalo Grove to annex one-third of the golf course and the club house at the Chevy Chase Country Club – a facility that had been operated by the Wheeling Park District.

– New Trier High School says it may have to drop its cheerleading program due to lack of interest. Observers say there’s a natural cycle, and cheerleading has disappeared from the extra-curricular menu before. They also blame increased opportunities for girls to participate in sports.

– The North Shore Senior Center is offering a new program for active people who are interested in intellectual, spiritual and professional growth. The initiative begins with a three-part seminar called "Embracing the Second Half of Life," and will continue with a two-part class called "Mapping Your Future Your Way." The Center will offer these seminars in the evening. For details, call Judy Luken-Johnson at 847-784-6063.

Dog lovers are set to celebrate Woofstock – a canine festival at Skokie’s Pooch Park off Oakton Street at the Dammrich Rowing Center. The event features contests, dog agility tests and canine communication seminars. There will also be food, tie-dyed dog bandanas and live music from a band called Thunderpaw. Admission is free. For details, call 847-328-9400.

SWK read about the boy who was hit by the Metra train in downtown Glenview: "I feel much sorrow and pain for the family and friends who have cared and loved this boy, but I want to share what occurred to me as my husband and I were waiting for the traffic light to change at the Glenview-Waukegan intersection. More than likely this won't be the only tragic ending to a youngster in our Mayberry-type village if what I witnessed today continues. As we were sitting there waiting for the red light to turn green, two youngsters headed across Waukegan Road against the red light and dodged the oncoming cars to the other side. These two boys were probably 11-12 years of age--old enough to know better--and were laughing all the way, oblivious to the stress it caused to oncoming drivers. The adult pedestrians on the other side were waiting, as they should, for the light to change for them to proceed. As I sat there watching, I thought this incident could have turned into another tragic accident. I think some youngsters should be better educated on the possible consequences of their irresponsible actions. I honestly don't think they realize that their lives could end instantly. Is this a double-dare generation?"

And LS writes: "It’s very unfortunate that it takes something like this to happen to get trains to blow their horns – all because Glenview has an ordinance against noise. Village officials should explain to the family why that child died."

GW writes about last week’s "traffic gridlock on Wednesday afternoon. I have been living in Glenview since 1956 and have seen nothing to equal this event. What really angered me was the fact that there were no police at the intersections to override the timing of the lights by physically getting out of their cars and directing traffic. Most cars were going against the normal flow of traffic. Turning off the lights and having the police manually direct would have been a godsend. I was going to a school event at Westbrook, and the programs were delayed because it took parents half an hour to travel a distance that would normally take two minutes. And then, since there was little league and an ice cream social at the same place (good thinking Dist. 34) people had to park in no parking areas. Lo and behold, the police appeared to give out parking tickets while the real problems went unattended. When there is a traffic emergency, I expect to see the police department reducing congestion and not disappearing."

And CC wrote: "I live on Pine Street in downtown Glenview, and the police were sending all the traffic my way because of the gas line break. There must have been 200 cars coming through the neighborhood. There are over 40 kids who live on my block! These crazed drivers were going 40-50 on a dead-end street with no sidewalks, looking for a way out. The police should have done a better job re-directing these people. It was compounded when the tragedy at the train station happened. Where were all the police? Could we have borrowed some from Northbrook or Skokie?"

The Watch replies: We invited the police department to respond to these complaints, but a spokesman said he was too busy.

Citizen C. is disgusted by conditions at local train stations: "The passenger shelters on the west side of the Glenview Metra station have again deteriorated into the filthy, unsanitary condition that was reported by The Glenview Watch a year ago. The foul odors, stains and garbage that assault riders would be an insult in a Third World country. The thousands of commuters who utilitze the station weekly might be better served if village personnel who water the flowers used a power hose on the shelters. Is this just an example of the indifference with which village management addresses the needs of the public?"

Last week we advised readers to contact School District 225 Superintendent David Hales by e-mail at dhales@glenbrook.k12.il.us, but Miss R. advised us that, "Dr. Hales does not answer his e-mail. I wrote a few weeks ago, urging him to get rid of the Zero Tolerance policy, but he never responded."

Jack Lofstrom writes about neighboring libraries: "If you want to see an excellent library situation go see what Arlington Heights has done. I have tried using Glenview, Northbrook and most North Shore library facilities and outside of Evanston, Arlington Heights is light years ahead. Glenview is really inadequate, in many ways. The parking is a joke and so is the number of computers and the services offered with them. It is time to move the library to The Glen and sell the property in town to a developer and apply the proceeds to the new facility."

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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