THE ROCKY ROAD TO OBERWEIS

A 34-year-old Skokie man, Arthur Merar, is in fair condition at Lutheran General Hospital after his black Corvette hit another vehicle, then smashed into the front of the Oberweis Dairy just south of Glenview and Waukegan Roads. The accident occurred shortly after 9 p.m., and the ice cream shop was crowded.  About 30 people inside heard the squeal of tires followed by a loud bang and the shattering of a large plate glass window.  Patrons were shaken but uninjured, and the shop remained open as police began an investigation.  The driver of the Corvette said he had fallen asleep at the wheel. The other driver, a Highland Park woman, was not hurt, Oberweis is open for business.

 

SCHOOL BOARD'S SUMMER BONUS – BIG BUCKS FOR HALES

School District 225 has renewed Superintendent Dave Hales' contract through the 2007-2008 school year, awarding him a salary of $205,000 per year plus a $50,000 annual bonus in each of four years.

Glenview Announcements reporter Sara Loeb says board members were concerned about continuity and wanted to keep Hales on the job as at least eight top administrators, including Glenbrook South High School Principal Dave Smith retire in 2006.
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The nearly unanimous vote came in a closed door meeting. (One member, Bob Boron, was absent.) Officials say the deal was structured in a way that assures Hales a comfortable retirement. Because he spent much of his career as an administrator in Indiana, he would only be eligible for a small pension in Illinois. Under state law, educators who spend at least 34 years here get 75 percent of their ending salary. Hales would get just 26 percent, and board president Karen Long said members "wanted to be fair" to him.

The board also approved a five-year contract for the assistant superintendent of business affairs, Craig Schilling. He'll retire in 2009. Hales said he was pleased by Schilling's decision to stay on, since he had considered retiring next year. His services will be especially valuable, the superintendent said, because "we're going to have to manage in tighter budgetary times, and having consistency and Craig's expertise is important to us."

Editor's note: In case the community needed further proof that inmates are running the District 225 asylum, this is it! First Hales bungles the handling of a teen free-for-all at Chipilly Woods. A wiser man might have said, "It didn't happen on school property. It was not a school-sanctioned event, and while some of our students were involved this is not a reflection on our district or our community. Every school has a few bad eggs. We will leave this matter to the police and the courts."

Instead, Hales stepped into the spotlight, subjecting the entire community to international embarrassment. A year later, when he learned of a paddling party involving the lacrosse team at Glenbrook South, Hales stepped up again – suggesting the expulsion of paddlers and the suspension of paddlees. Not one teen was seriously hurt. Not one parent wanted to press charges. Not one boy was an unwilling participant, and the community rose up in opposition to the superintendent's suggestion. Even the board members knew they could not implement Hales' recommendation without massive political fallout.

But when the moment of truth came, when it was time to evaluate Hales' performance, the District 225 board left no doubt that Hales is their man.

Even he admits fiscal times are tight. That's no surprise. Hales and the school board have stood mute as the village of Glenview denies them tax revenues from The Glen. By failing to impose impact fees on developers and grabbing the lion's share of revenue through tax increment financing (TIF), the village gets plenty of dough and the high school goes begging.
When the TIF was first proposed, school board President Neal Schact railed and former board member Art Wulf is still protesting. But former president Carol Rogal, current president Karen Long, chatterbox Tom Shaer and the rest of the team haven't said a word.
Actions, however, speak louder than words. Knowing the district will be short on cash, the board of education blithely voted a big raise and $200,000 in bonus payments to Hales, because they "want to be fair." Did anyone on the board think about being fair to the taxpayers, the students, the teachers and staff of School District 225?

 

THE REAL DEAL ON GLEN COSTS

Two top village officials and a paid consultant spent nearly an hour assuring the trustees that the sale of about $47 million in general obligation bonds for The Glen and a new police station should not cause concern about Glenview's finances or future.

Glen Redevelopment Director Don Owen said the village had fallen $12 million short in projecting the costs of current projects at The Glen. "There are probably a hundred different line items that add up to that amount," he explained. Then, the village had opted to pay $4 million to attract businesses to the corporate park – money already paid or budgeted for Anixter, Beltone and the Fields Auto Group. Interest for the bond issue was set at $9 million.

The Glen is being financed through a TIF which diverts all new taxes from the former Naval Air Station to the village. Some of the money is then shared with the public schools, park district and library to keep them from going under, but those payments are nowhere near what they would be if the village had not opted to use tax increment financing at The Glen.
Owen said the latest bond sale would add another year to the TIF, forcing the public schools, park district and library to wait another year – until 2013, 2014 or 2015 – to fully benefit from development at The Glen, Owen said, and if revenues are lower than expected the TIF could be extended to 2021.

By extending the TIF, Owen said the village would not need to raise taxes. He said nothing about possible tax hikes that boards of education, the park district or the library might require.

He predicted that those three entities would collect an extra $16 million per year when the TIF finally ends. "Not only are we keeping them whole during the project, but there's also a very bright fiscal projection when the project's done," Owen concluded.

Budget Director Dan Wiersma said the new police station would cost $18.8 million plus $3.3 million in interest. The village would sell enough bonds to cover payments through 2007 when another set of bonds will be paid off, enabling Glenview to keep paying debt service without raising taxes.

Owen said this was the seventh time Glenview had sold bonds to generate cash for construction and maintenance of The Glen. The first bond issue, for $60 million, came in 1995. Today, the village is managing $477 million in expenses.

He added that the village had also borrowed from its permanent fund – money set aside to cover improvements in other parts of town. He said that money would be repaid with interest.

THE CONSULTANT WEIGHS IN

Batting clean-up, former trustee and current bond consultant Ron Norene said Glenview's finances were so strong that residents might eventually see a decrease in taxes. "It's win/win for our taxpayers," he said. Norene predicted 70 percent of Glenview's total debt would be retired within a decade.

Dismissing critics who worry that per capita debt for village residents and debt relative to the tax base is alarmingly high, Norene said Glenview's population and tax base are growing. "If we evaluated the $140 million we have outstanding right now to what the tax base truly is, the debt ratio would sink rather significantly," he said. The 2000 census put Glenview's total population at 41,847, but Norene said it was now about 44,000. "The numbers that you see for debt per capita are overstated, but we know that they are stated too high."

He urged residents to consider buying Glenview bonds through a local banker and referred the public to his website: http://www.crowenorene.com/ .

"Thank you, Ron," said Village President Larry Carlson.

Trustee Kimball Woodrow said he and the other trustees had discussed the sale of bonds and "concurred that there was no reason to be concerned about any sort of adverse impact on our triple-A bond rating," and asked Norene to comment.

Editor's note: Objection, your honor. Leading the witness. Or should we say misleading the public? Naturally, Norene said Glenview would remain a favorite at the House of Moody, but that's because Moody's puts heavy emphasis on two things: the wealth of the local population and the ability of the local government to tax. Since Glenview is an increasingly affluent suburb and a home rule municipality, free to hike taxes at will, we – like Northbrook, Wilmette and other relatively rich suburbs -- will continue to rate a triple-A. That does not mean it's fine to keep adding TIF debt. As we have said before, every year and every dollar added to the TIF is subtracted from the potential of our schools, park district and library to gain needed revenue. The park district, library and School District 34 have all asked for new tax money since the advent of the TIF, and School District 225 is gearing up. As the next local election rolls around in 2005, voters should remember that Larry Carlson's party promised no new taxes and claimed the TIF could be retired by 2006. Then they revised their estimate to 2009. Now they're saying 2013, 2014, maybe even 2021. By then, very few of us will have kids in school, and many of us will have left the community. In the strictest sense, the Unite Glenview party has kept its promise, but residents who rely on the schools, park district and library should finally understand the trick Carlson and company played on the village.

 

WHAT THE EXPERTS DIDN'T SAY – WHAT THE TRUSTEES DIDN'T ASK

Only Trustee Mike Guinane asked a few half-hearted questions about the bond sales. The other members of the village board were easily appeased by the dog and pony show, but sources tell The Watch there are real causes for concern.

 

We hear, for example, that Cook County assessments of real estate values at The Glen are lower than projected. The village has known about that for months. If Glen real estate tax revenues are lower than expected and lower than budgeted, we may see shortfalls in projected tax revenues for years to come, and the TIF may continue for years longer than promised.

Some maturing Glen bonds have been paid off with proceeds from new Glen bonds, and $32 million has been borrowed from Glenview's permanent fund – money that was supposed to be spent for improvements in other parts of the village. We don't know whether this is necessarily a cause for concern, but when families pay off one credit card bill using another or use college funds to buy groceries or pay the mortgage, it's not a good sign.

 

THE $20,000 OVERSIGHT

The trustees also approved a contract for downtown consulting services – awarding S.B. Friedman and the Lakota Company $187,973. Downtown Redevelopment Commission Chair Kimball Woodrow said the board's choice of consultants had been unanimous and introduced Friedman who was sitting in the audience. "Steve," he said, "we appreciate you coming this evening. We are anxious to get underway."

More than an hour later, President Carlson called for a motion to adjourn the meeting, but Development Director Mary Bak stepped up to remind the trustees that she wanted a second contract with Friedman and Lakota. A number of downtown businessmen are proposing a major project along the east side of Railroad Avenue from Grove Street to Dewes. Observers speculate the owners of  Bess Hardware, Glenview House and the Glenview State Bank plan a mixed use development that will include retail space, condos or town homes.

Friedman had offered to evaluate that plan and to perform many of the functions routinely provided by Glenview's own plan commission and village staff. Among other things, he would review the developers' claims about economic impact, traffic and water detention and help the village negotiate. This proposal came with no fixed price tag – only a request that the consultants be paid for their time and materials.

"Do we have an estimate of what it would cost?" asked Trustee Jeff Lerner.

"No," Bak replied.

Friedman said much would depend on how much his team is involved in negotiations with the developers on Glenview's behalf. He predicted that analyzing the proposal would run $15,000 - $20,000.

"I think it would be better than the type of review that you've typically seen at the plan commission," said Bak. "That really is measuring the impact – cost and benefit – to the village for a project: what kind of taxes are going to come in, sales tax, property tax, that kind of thing. This is looking at the underpinnings of the project itself. So when the developer says, ‘I need a certain amount of density or a certain amount of square footage to make the project viable, we'll have Steve telling us if that's true. We think it's really valuable information."

"But we don't know how much it's going to cost," said Lerner.

"We don't know precisely today what it's going to cost," Bak conceded, pledging a more detailed proposal in October when next year's budget will be discussed.

"Can this wait until then?" Lerner asked.

"I believe the proposal would like to be brought forward sooner than that," Bak replied.
"Essentially you're asking for a blank check," Lerner said. "If it's $23,000 that's one thing. If it's $123,000, that's another."

Chairman Woodrow jumped in and suggested Friedman be asked for an estimate. "I'm confident we're going to have a very modest budget requirement for this," he said.

"Having some experience with hourly billing," said lawyer Lerner, "I'm just raising a hypothetical question."

Friedman agreed to provide an estimate. The board agreed to wait.

Editor's note: This proposal strikes us as questionable at best. As a matter of routine, the village already pays Friedman to analyze planned developments, then bills the developer for his time. Was Bak working for the developers rather than the residents who pay her salary? Village planners should not be concerned with what density developers need to turn a profit, nor do we worry about their timetable. As a public servant, Bak's concern should be good planning – assuring that our schools are not overwhelmed with new children, that our roads are not overwhelmed with new traffic, that our basements are not flooded and that taxpayers don't get stuck with bills that should go to developers.

MCCARTHY'S WHEELS

Village Manager Paul McCarthy will leave town at the end of next month driving his village car – a 1997 Suburban. His contract allowed McCarthy to pay up to $600 per year toward purchase of the monster Chevy, and he has made payments since 1984 – providing the village with a total of $11,820. That's slightly more than the book value – $10,525, and Trustee Mike Guinane worried that McCarthy might be asking for money back from the village. "No, he is not," said Village Attorney Jeff Randall. "Do you want to offer that?" asked another board member. "No, he's got enough money," Guinane said.

McCarthy leaves town with his annual salary through the end of the year along with deferred compensation, a cash bonus and life insurance benefit totaling $223,000.

The village held the second of two going away parties for McCarthy on Thursday evening. The first, a $50 a plate dinner at the Valley Lo Club, was hosted by former Village President Jim Smirles. The second, a more casual affair, featured cold cuts and cake in the lobby of Village Hall.

RENNECKAR'S TO HOUSE RESTAURANT AND BAR

When the old Renneckar's building reopens in August, its first tenant will be a fancy French restaurant called V2 and a martini bar -- the Vis a Vis Lounge. V2's world class chef, Eric Aubriot, distinguished himself at L'Escargot in Chicago.  The site has been shuttered for more than three years and has changed hands three times. The latest buyer paid $1.23 million for the property according to the Glenview Journal and Topics. The Chicago realtor plans to lease office space on the second floor of the newly-renovated building.

THE FUTURE OF GLENVIEW FIREWORKS

Now that the cinders have settled, the park district is pronouncing this year's display of fireworks a success.  Director of Leisure Services Bob Quill says the show was novel for three reasons. First, planners used more pyrotechnics at lower levels to provide a sense of perspective and contrast – a technique called stacking. A northwest wind meant a lot more smoke drifting across the golf course during and after the show, and a chance for people seated down wind from the golf club to hear the North Shore Concert Band and pre-recorded music as the fire crackers exploded.

Quill said fireworks could well remain at the golf course next year, despite the fact that Gallery Park at The Glen was specifically designed with the Fourth of July tradition in mind.

 

"There will have to be a lot of conversation with the public before that move happens," he said.

In other post-Fourth news, the district awarded its top parade prize to a Boy Scout troop from Wilmette. Kids squirted the crowd with water from red and yellow plastic ketchup and mustard bottles while marching alongside a float featuring a giant Weber grill, hot dog, hamburger and corn.

Henley Street was named the best neighborhood float, and the Glenview Theater Guild was the best musical entry. Chicago Martial Arts and Fitness beat the competition as best youth group, Koenig and Strey had the best business float, the Glenview library was named best adult entry, and the Glenview New Church was the best church group.

NEW ACTING SCHOOL OPENS IN GLENVIEW

An actor's conservatory for all ages, skill levels and interests has opened at The Glen Town Center, calling itself Theatre Takes Flight. Under the direction of Weil Richmond, who ran a theater school at the Culver Military Academy in Indiana, the conservatory will offer courses, seminars, improv nights, instruction in theater make-up and hairstyling, classes in modeling, directing, lighting and sound design. Special parties can also be held at Theatre Takes Flight. For details, call 847-574-7536 or visit http://www.theatretakesflight.com/ .

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

As a new feature of Glenview Watch, we're offering readers a place to connect with local services or provide recommendations. This week, Glenview Watch asks if anyone knows of a company or school that's upgrading its computer hardware and would like to donate 30-40 used computers in exchange for a tax credit. The request comes from a low-income school in Latin America. If you can help, send e-mail to glenviewwatch@aol.com . Thanks.

 

SAVE THE DATES

– The plan commission meets Tuesday to discuss plans for 23 new single-family homes at the corner of Lake and Potter and will hear a request that the Optima West building at Dewes and Railroad be allowed to lease space for offices. The village currently insists all first floor spaces in the downtown area be retail, but the new comprehensive plan says a building at that location should be allowed to have offices on the ground floor. Most of the existing units have been empty for years.

– At 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 14 the library hosts a public forum at Glenbrook High School's Lyceum to discuss where and how it should provide a larger building for Glenview.

– Thursday, July 15 will find Glenview's downtown consultant leading officials and residents on a walking tour of the area, stepping off at 5 p.m. from Village Hall.

– And Friday, July 16 at 3 p.m. the village will tell the public schools, library and park district what monies they can expect from the TIF. The public is welcome to attend that briefing at The Glen Redevelopment office. Take Lake Avenue to Shermer Road and go north past the village garage to the end of Shermer. Bear left and look for the double wide.

– The library presents The Splendors of China's Forbidden City at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 13. Speaker Lee Gibbs traveled to Beijing and its museums two years ago. She will relate the history of this glorious reign of the well-loved Emperor Qianlong in conjunction with the current Field Museum Exhibit. The exhibit recreates several key rooms of his palace filled with rich costumes, Imperial Dragon robes, jewelry, priceless accessories, portraits, and much more. Lee is a virtual tour guide to this fabulous exhibition. Please register at the Information Desk or call 847-729-7500 ext. 112. You can also sign up online at http://www.glenview.lib.il.us/programs.html.

– A musician from the Old Town School of Folk Music will perform at 10 a.m Tuesday, July 20. Parents and children 3-6 years of age are invited to enjoy the stylings of Julie.  There will also be a Preschool Sing-Along at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 13 for kids and parents. Bring your library card to the children's desk for tickets.

READERS WRITE:

Fritz watched the last village board meeting with dismay: "Those who flipped through the channels Tuesday night to watch the village board meeting may have thought they were seeing an infomercial for a stock brokerage firm or for sales of vacation lots in the Ozarks. A pitch was even made for villager residents to call up and buy the new bonds. I was so impressed, I almost called in, but I caught myself in time. The financial headliners of the village strutted their best stuff protect the slated IOUs. White cuffed fanciers and natty bureaucrats guaranteed the board that all was well. ‘No story here folks, no need to be anxious,' the white cuff said. The trustees were almost placid with delight. The headliners said that they had a continuously evolving plan for the Glen to handle screw-ups and changes, and the plan was a secret. They had a just completed yet another confidential analysis with Mesirow Stein and the conclusion was that everything was really great. But nobody can see the report because it's confidential. I for one was convinced, but there may still be some skeptics. The money guys said that no matter what went wrong in The Glen, they had a spare seven years at the end of the TIF to cushion any loss, and if needs be, they could tax to beat-the-band to the bitter end. They said yes, the new bonds said they would be paid with real estate taxes, but that was just for show. They would change that later if just about everything went right, including Dwight Eisenhower being elected president again. They said that general obligation bonds cost the least in interest, but represented the greatest obligation to taxpayers. Given a choice, they recommended the board should grab the cheap money and worry about the taxpayers later. Next we will get a new sleight of hand display of financial wizardry when they offer more bonds to rebuild the library. I'm so glad we have such smart trustees."

JH was appalled by the post fireworks traffic: "Who is in charge of the pedestrian traffic at the fireworks? They should be fired! At the end of the show every year the west gate to the golf course is open (near the 3rd green), but not this year. They left one gate open near the third tee box and forced every one through that gate. But that wasn't hard enough so they used snow fencing to herd the traffic in from only one side and put the brightest light they could find and shined it right at eye level toward the crowd. It was a very dangerous situation. The elderly were falling and being trampled, and small children were in harms way. The parking lot at Hoffman School used to be a nice place to park to see the show. Not anymore. The pedestrian traffic was impossible and dangerous to deal with."
And R calls for an end to the Bazaar Parade in celebration of a Free Fourth: "Several years ago a local Boy Scout troop began hawking lemonade during Glenview's Fourth of July parade, often blocking the view of parents, grandparents and others trying to see their children and other entrants. This year, again, while other troops participated in the parade in a more traditional fashion, this troop worked the crowds up and down the parade route to sell more lemonade. My concern is that this year the capitalism exhibited during the parade escalated to the point where it also was possible to purchase an American flag from a woman on a bicycle, some glow-in-the-dark ropes for the evening's fireworks performance, cold cans of soda, and various patriotic decorations. Dear park district officials, please put an official end to this intrusive, entrepreneurial capitalism that is threatening to turn our community's parade into a cheap, garish bazaar. Let's make it what it always has been – a celebration of our country's freedom."

LG's worried about the park district's July 31 fundraising bash at Roosevelt Pool: "What were they thinking? I live a half block from Roosevelt, and I don't want to hear music for dancing and live entertainment from 7:30-midnight. If 400 tickets are sold, we'll need about 200 parking spaces. I think the parking lot across from the pool can accommodate 50 cars. Oh, and an open bar. Isn't there a ban on alcoholic beverages at parks and pools? Let me see, music, dancing, hors d'oeuvres, no real food, open bar, and at midnight 200 people get in their cars to drive home. Will the police be there to assure safety? Rain location: Park Center. Lets pray for rain."

The Watch replies: The event will be catered, and the caterer has a liquor license. With a special vote of the board, alcohol may be served on the premises.

And MM has this warning for friends of Flick Park: "Beware of the attacking bird of Flick Park. For the last month, numerous people walking the path have been attacked by a bird guarding the trees just north of the bridge. At least one person was seriously injured by the attack. The lady fell to the ground and suffered bruises on her face and hand. Another lady with a child was so scared she ran 200 feet screaming. The section of the path north of the bridge is covered with weeds. The asphalt has many holes where large weeds protrude. This mini-nature preserve is dangerous and unsafe. Walkers, joggers and bike riders beware!"
The Watch replies: We don't know what kind of bird you saw, but red-winged black birds can be particularly aggressive during nesting season. Mercifully, it is brief.

Downtown business leader Jennifer Kozicki was surprised to read Village President Carlson's comments in a Chicago Tribune story on how The Glen has divided Glenview: "To call those who have legitimate concerns about financing and development at The Glen ‘cry babies' seems political sabotage. Carlson compares The Glen to a new baby prompting some jealousy in a brother or sister, but if we extend that analogy, the village is now taking the money out of the sibling's account to make an investment in the new child's future. That doesn't make for a happy family. When the excuses stop and the heads come out of the sand, we can deal with the conflict and resolve the differences, but I doubt name calling and comparison to a simplistic conflict of East and West Glenview from the past will ever produce the results I desire. I'm also worried that the owners of Glenview State Bank, Glenview House and Bess Hardware plan to start tearing down and over-building downtown. And once that ball is rolling, the village may start condemning more properties for development. This is not going to happen on my watch! Any comments? Please write jenglenvw@aol.com ."