SHERMER ROAD REPAIRS BACK ON TRACK

Despite earlier fears that state funding would not be available for long-awaited work on Shermer Road, State Rep. Beth Coulson’s office says the cash is there. In a news release issued Monday, Coulson said $2.23 million is included in the current state budget, and work could be completed within a year.

Shermer will be widened and resurfaced from East Lake Avenue to Golf Road. In making the announcement, Coulson said the work had been pending for at least five years. "Shermer is pocked with potholes, and there are no gutters for drainage," she complained. "It’s like driving on a gravel road."

POSTAL SERVICE SAYS LET’S MAKE A DEAL

After months of public discussion and behind-the-scenes talk, the U.S. Postal Service has expressed tentative interest in an offer from the village of Glenview. The idea is to exchange properties, with the village taking possession of the current post office site and the post office moving to land on Patriot Blvd. at The Glen.

Despite earlier objections from Village President Larry Carlson, Glenview would contribute $3.75 million toward construction of a new 30,000-square-foot post office. Because it would be at The Glen – a tax increment financing district – Glenview plans to use TIF dollars to pay for the building, further delaying the day when our schools will see some benefit from development of that deluxe new neighborhood.

Earlier this month, Redevelopment Director Don Owen said the TIF, which he once predicted would end in 2006, will run longer than expected in part because some properties at The Glen were under-assessed, producing lower tax revenues than originally projected. Owen also said Glenview would continue to lure companies to the Prairie Glen Corporate Park by paying prospective buyers from the TIF fund.

The news sparked protests from at least two public school officials who had hoped to benefit sooner from Glen development. Harry Rossi, superintendent of School District 30, did not see the need to offer economic incentives for such a desirable area, and Craig Schilling, District 225's assistant superintendent for business affairs, complained that Glenbrook South High School had been expanded in anticipation of more students and more revenue.

The high school district will get only $2.15 million between now and 2014 when Owen now thinks the TIF might end. Without TIF, it would take in $6.8 million a year in tax revenues. School District 34 had no comment on news of an extended TIF. It will get $4.4 million by 2014 but hopes to see $11 million a year once tax increment financing at The Glen stops.

One week before George W. Bush was to attend a $2.5 million fundraiser for the Republican party in Winnetka, the White House informed the Northeastern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy in Glenview that the president would like to visit.

NIPSTA officials were thrilled. They’d been trying to line up funding for their facility at The Glen for months and had gotten just $1.25 million of the $150 million budgeted for homeland security. Now, with the prospect of national media attention, their troubles could be over.

NIPSTA invited about 300 police officers, firefighters and other public safety personnel from the 17 communities that support the academy to hear the president speak. The White House added another 400 to the guest list, and local police departments were summoned downtown to the federal building to plan with the Secret Service.

When the president’s plane touched down at O’Hare on Thursday, he and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge jumped into a helicopter with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Congressman Mark Kirk for the short flight to NIPSTA. Local and national reporters were waiting, and Bush basked in their lights – shaking hands with America’s heroes since 9/11.

Village President Larry Carlson and Manager Paul McCarthy also managed to wangle an invitation, but the public was left outside the gates – a small crowd peering through the chainlink fence, hoping for a glimpse of the president. Said one disappointed Bush supporter, "Bad planning! I would have paid for a seat."

Also out on the street were 39 Glenview policemen and women (half of the force), assigned to traffic detail and site security.

On Friday, the village was trying to determine the cost of police overtime. Officials were already saying the visit would be expensive, with many officers working a 12-hour day. Had Bush been here on a political mission – as he was in Winnetka – Glenview could have billed the Republican party for the extra expense, but because the president paid a visit to NIPSTA – ostensibly to learn about efforts to protect the nation from terrorist attacks – local taxpayers will be stuck with the bill.

After sorting through more than 70 applications for village manager and meeting with the most promising candidates, Glenview’s trustees have announced they’re starting over in their search for someone to replace Paul McCarthy. He leaves town on July 30. The board voted to terminate its agreement with The Mercer Group, an Atlanta search firm that provided the first round of applicants, and has hired a second company – The Par Group of Lake Bluff – to come up with more candidates.

Par will charge Glenview $14,000 – roughly the same amount already paid to Mercer. Assistant Manager Joe Wade has agreed to serve as acting manager until a new manager is chosen. He may also be under consideration for the permanent position. Sources in Delafield, Wisconsin say their top man – Glenview’s former assistant manager Matt Carlson (no relation to Larry) – could be on the short list as well.

Matt Carlson left Glenview nearly four years ago, saying he wanted "a better quality of life" for his family. Today, he oversees a town of fewer than 7,000 people. Like Glenview, Delafield is fighting over plans for a new library. The current collection is housed in the same building as other municipal services – police, fire, public works and local government. Some residents want a separate building for their books, but most voters refuse to pay for a new library – arguing people who don’t use it should not be stuck with the bill.

According to Wilmette’s newspaper, the manager of that suburb was a finalist for the job here, and an employee of the Par Group also wanted the post, but Glenview requires its village manager to live here, and it appears neither was willing to move.

During Tuesday’s village board meeting, Trustee Mike Guinane proposed eliminating the residency rule to expand the pool of prospective managers. "We were told by both search firms that requiring the village manager to live in town would be a hindrance," he said. "We don’t require our department heads to live here in Glenview. Look at the police chief. He doesn’t even live in Cook County, and he’s doing a fantastic job. Maybe we should start looking outside the box and get someone with experience running a town of 40-50,000 people with a budget of more than $80 million."

Larry Carlson disagreed. "There have been some good candidates who chose not to move, but I want somebody who lives in the village as the village manager. I want them to drive on our streets, shop in our stores, see everything that every resident sees."

"Just a point of information," said Trustee Jeff Lerner. "We’ve already placed an advertisement indicating residency is required. Unless we want to start over for a third time, it’s a moot point."

"That’s true," Carlson chuckled.

"A village manager’s job is to manage, and he can do that, even if he doesn’t live here," Guinane countered.

"Thank you," said Carlson, bringing an end to the discussion.

Editor’s note: If Glenview wants a worldly manager – someone with strong credentials and leadership skills – we ought to be open to hiring a candidate who may already live nearby. It’s very possible that the manager of Wilmette lives closer to east Glenview than some residents of west Glenview do, and to suggest that she would not drive on our streets or shop in our stores, just because her house happens to be in a neighboring community, is ridiculous.

In announcing that Assistant Village Manager Wade would become acting manager, President Carlson made no special comment, but Manager McCarthy had something to say on the subject. "If this leaves the impression that Paul is tossing the ignition keys to Joe, that’s wrong. Joe’s had the ignition keys in his desk drawer for the last 15 or 20 years. Joe has been acting manager here every time I’ve been out of the room or out of the state. For five years I was like an absent father. I lived in an airplane, because this village gave me a task of base closure. I’d come back at the end of the week, and Wade had higher productivity than when I was there. I can tell you he will do a hell of a job for you."

Editor’s note: After spending $28,000 on consultants to help them find the best and the brightest, our trustees might be embarrassed to admit that Joe Wade is actually the man for the job. On the other hand, it would be a shame if pride kept them from hiring him if, in fact, he is the best candidate. Wade may lack the charisma that Paul McCarthy brought to Village Hall, and he clearly lacks McCarthy’s gift of gab, but more than 20 years of experience, a solid track record and a good rapport with colleagues at Village Hall should keep him in the running. Too often, organizations bypass qualified people on the inside for flashy resumes from elsewhere. We hope Glenview does not make that mistake.

The village board also bid an official farewell to Glenview’s long-time manager who’s retiring to a new home in Florida next month. Noting the average manager stays in the job for about five years, Carlson said it was a tribute that "Paul has been here 22 years." He then read from the Congressional Record, quoting conservative Republican Congressman Mark Kirk who spoke of McCarthy on the U.S. House floor, lauding him for Glenview’s triple A bond rating, closing of the Lutter Dump and conversion of the property into sports fields for Loyola Academy, acquisition of a privately-owned water company and redevelopment of the former Naval Air Station.

When McCarthy first took the helm, Kirk said, Glenview had "a budget of $15.4 million and 180 employees. As Mr. McCarthy retires, the budget of Glenview is $80.7 million, and the village employs 320 individuals."

McCarthy thanked Carlson and offered what he described as "another side of the story that screams to be told. All of those accomplishment were things that occurred while I was working here. I didn’t do them. They happened on my watch. Every single one of those things were done by other people in this organization who were smarter, harder working and in most cases better looking than me."

McCarthy rambled on for several minutes more, then received a round of applause from the board and the public. "Those fish in Florida have no idea what’s headed their way," joked Carlson.

Editor’s note: For once, we agree with McCarthy. During his years in office, Glenview was destined to prosper. All of suburban Chicago has grown dramatically. The triple A bond rating has gone to many wealthy home rule communities on the North Shore (Evanston, Lake Forest, Winnetka, Northbrook, Wilmette, Highland Park and Deerfield), and with the opening of 1,100 acres of prime real estate at GNAS, a boom was inevitable.

Of course, Kirk did not mention what some consider to be McCarthy’s mistakes: Glenview’s enormous debt and the on-going TIF, its neglected downtown, its struggling schools, its long-running fight for a new post office and its on-going battle for a new library. Nor did he recall McCarthy’s ill-fated and costly decision to leave the Red Center, his role in alienating local firemen and his responsibility for poor relations between the village and the park district, the library board and some neighboring communities.

The fact that he lasted 22 years is, in some measure, a function of Glenview’s conservative nature, but it is also a function of McCarthy’s personal charm. He can be warm, witty and lovable. Alas, there was another side to McCarthy. We wish the fish in Florida luck.

A team of consultants recently took about 50 residents and merchants on a tour of downtown Glenview, but traffic noise made it difficult to hear the commentary, and at least one official seemed to dismiss public opinion in discussing what is to come. Planner John LaMotte asked the crowd what it thought of The Cloisters – a mixed use building at the corner of Glenview and Waukegan roads. Frankly, one member of the group replied, "It’s awful." LaMotte said many communities see it as a model and waxed enthusiastic about the high-density housing atop stores set close to the street.

It was also clear that the consultants see many parts of downtown as ripe for redevelopment, including the parking lot in front of Patten House at Harlem and Glenview roads and the Koenig and Strey building on the northeast corner of Glenview and Waukegan. Suggesting it is at least in need of a makeover, LaMotte also singled out the 1800-block of Glenview road as "tired," and called for something "newer and fresher."

The downtown redevelopment commission plans three workshops and pledges an open forum for the public. The first will be held at Village Hall on September 23 with time and location to be determined. The village is also offering an e-news update on plans for downtown. To get on the e-mailing list, write to joanneh@glenview.il.us mailto:joanneh@glenview.il.usor call 847-724-1700, hit zero, ask for the development department and request a spot on the e-mailing list.

The owners of the Plaza del Prado shopping strip at Willow and Pfingsten roads made a valiant effort to convince the village they had enough parking to support a new building for two more small restaurants just east of Bank One. They redesigned the lot, hired a security guard to enforce parking regulations and paid a traffic consultant to count cars and empty spaces at different times of day.

Their efforts impressed the plan commission which gave near unanimous approval to the plan for construction. Only Commissioner Joseph DiMattina, who was absent when the vote was taken, objected.

So when the matter came before the village, the center’s lawyer may have expected smooth sailing. Instead, the trustees pre-empted his presentation to say they didn’t want anything more at the center. Siding with political ally Mary Novotny, who has fought against expansion since it was first proposed, President Carlson, Trustee Lerner and Trustee Mary Beth Denefe spoke against construction of a so-called out building, arguing parking and congestion are big problems, especially at lunch time when Glenbrook South students visit.

"Mathematically, you may have enough parking spaces, you may have enough square footage, but we don’t think every center is entitled to out buildings," said Lerner. "This center doesn’t need, nor should it have an out building."

If the center had so much extra space, Carlson thought maybe its owners should restore some of the greenery they had paved in the past.

The attorney said he was shell-shocked.

The board voted unanimously to deny permission for construction of a building to house two restaurants at the center.

A local grocery chain catering to immigrant populations has set its sights on an empty lot on the northwest corner of Willow and Pfingsten roads, hoping to build a 27,000-square-foot Fresh Farms Market next year. Both Glenview and Northbrook would have to agree for the project to go forward, and Fresh Farms would need permission from the Illinois Department of Transportation to create an entrance or exit off Willow Road – a state highway.

Glenview nixed an earlier request from CVS to build a drug store at that corner. The trustees were concerned that a driveway 200 feet from Pfingsten Road would be hazardous. The new proposal involves more land to the west and an entrance 400 feet from Pfingsten.

The 3.5 acre site straddles Glenview and Northbrook, but the property would likely be annexed by Northbrook once developed. Fresh Farms already operates a store on Dundee Road in Wheeling specializing in Eastern European food and a store on Devon Avenue in Chicago that caters to an Indian market.

The matter was to be discussed at the annual meeting of Glenview and Northbrook trustees this summer, but the meeting was cancelled as Glenview struggled to find a village manager.  There's no word yet on when the proposal might come before Glenview's village board.

As part of Glenview’s comprehensive plan, a 10-year vision for future development, a consultant recommended protecting the area around Jackman Park. Too often, Larry Witzling said, charming old homes are sold to the highest bidder – a developer who tears the house down and replaces it with condos or McMansions. To protect the older houses while assuring their owners top dollar when the time comes to sell, he proposed allowing lawyers, accountants, architects and other professionals to use the homes as offices.

Trustee Jeff Lerner didn’t like that idea. "I can’t imagine a non-residential use surrounding Jackman Park," he said. "I don’t want to see a sign up there that says, ‘Glenview Law Center.’"

Village Attorney Jeff Randall said Glenview already allows offices in homes. Development Director Mary Bak said that was true, but under local ordinance a lawyer working from home could not employ a secretary to work there.

"I’d prefer it to stay a residential use," said Trustee Kerry Cummings. "I don’t share the vision of changing this area into retail."

"Retail was not considered," said Bak.

Still confused by the proposal Cummings persisted: "These existing homes, as long as they looked like homes, they could become retail."

"It doesn’t say ‘retail.’ It says ‘office,’" Lerner corrected.

Cummings said she opposed any change from a strict residential use, and the rest of the board agreed.

Glen Redevelopment Commission Chairman Howard Silver couldn’t resist the temptation. His father-in-law, who recently suffered a stroke, was recuperating at a nursing home in Glenview. Appearing during last week’s meeting of the commission on cable channel 17, Silver said, "He promised he would watch me, so welcome to Glenview, and by the way, the Abbington is a great place. Hi, Pops!" Not content to have made his point once on the cable, Silver added, "[A tape of] this is re-run three times on Thursday and a few other times, so you’re welcome to watch it all you want."

Since the commission was looking at landscape changes for the new Wildfire restaurant at Patriot and Lake, resident Bill Dose stepped up to express a dislike for its architecture. "I’m a big fan of The Glen," said commercial designer Dose. "I like to bring guests from the city there, and I’m concerned about preserving its sense of place, its image."

Describing The Glen as a "utopian North Shore neighborhood," Dose decried the "odious trend of corporate branding where the interior theme is broadcast on the building. It becomes a kind of. . . architectural billboarding."

Because it will stand at Patriot and Lake – a gateway to The Glen -- Dose thought Wildfire’s building was especially important and should comply with design guidelines imposed on other structures in Glenview’s newest neighborhood.

With its flat roof, stainless steel trim and "Steaks and Chops" sign outside, he felt Wildfire would create the wrong first impression for The Glen which already has "a sense of place. It’s no different than the Champs Elysees in Paris and other important streets in world class cities that are memorable," said the lifelong Glenview resident.

Dose noted that theme restaurants, "come with an expiration date on them. I hope Wildfire is here for the next hundred years. It’s a great restaurant, but if the theme becomes tired, and if Wildfire goes to the great beyond, we’ll have this building that is utterly unsympathetic to the rest of The Glen, suitable for a fast food or chain restaurant, and that will be the entrance to The Glen – to this utopia."

Dose pointed to Steak ‘N Shake on Willow Road and suggested it had turned a shopping center that might have been built outside Lake Forest into something that looked like it belonged in Niles. "The Steak ‘N Shake has upstaged everything else," he complained. Recognizing that Wildfire had already won approval to build, Dose said he hoped the Glen Redevelopment Commission would be more vigilant in enforcing design guidelines for future structures.

Public health officials are urging Glenview residents to use insect repellant, limit outdoor activity from dusk to dawn and remove standing water now that a mosquito carrying the West Nile virus has been found in a local trap. Few people infected with West Nile develop symptoms, but some suffer a fever, rash, headache and body aches 3-15 days after being bitten. For more information on prevention, visit the village website: www.glenview.il.us , and if there’s standing water in your neighborhood, call Glenview’s health department at 847-904-4340 or the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District at 847- 446-9434.

Sixteen Middle Eastern teens will arrive in Glenview next week to take part in the second annual Hands of Peace program. Jewish Israelis, Arab Israelis and Palestinians will meet Jewish, Muslim and Christian American kids. They will live with host families, attend daily group discussions, join in team-building exercises and cultural events.

The goal is to foster friendships and understanding which can be a first step to ending the destructive cycle of hatred and violence in their homeland. Hands of Peace began as the brainstorm of two local moms – one Christian and one Jewish. This year a Muslim mother from Northbrook has joined the effort. The program is sponsored by Glenview Community Church and Jewish Congregation BJBE.

– Glenview State Bank presents an Identity Theft Awareness Day from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturday, July 31 with free paper shredding services for up to 25 pounds of documents per person and other exhibits in the parking lot at 800 Waukegan Road.

– Need help with your resume? Interview tips? Career advice? Job counselor Phyllis Cable offers free half-hour counseling sessions at the library on the first Tuesday of every month. There are still times available on 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Tuesday, August 3. Glenview residency is not required, and walk-ins will be served if time permits. If you would like to schedule a different appointment time, call the Jewish Vocational Services office in Skokie at 847/568-5150 and mention the Glenview Public Library for a free one-hour session at the Skokie office.

– The library offers a drop-in chess club from 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 28 with volunteer instructor Steve Levenson. Bring your own chess set if possible.

– If you were unable to attend the library’s public forum to discuss a new building, you can pick up a tape or DVD from the front desk. Slides from the program are available at http://www.glenviewpl.org/publicforum

Comedian and actor Bill Murray was back in the neighborhood this month, closing down Hackney’s on Lake with a private party of friends who hold an annual eighth grade reunion. Murray came back from the set of his latest film, being shot in the Dominican Republic and stayed with a former classmate in Northfield. He was said to be distraught when told that another restaurant, Willow on Wagner, had been demolished to make way for high priced homes and that Wagner barn had been painted red.

NN wonders why the village board is spending "so much time and taxpayers’ money searching for a new village manager when the obvious and well-qualified choice is right in their front yard – Joe Wade. He’s been there many years, knows the village inside and out, better than any outsider is ever going to. It’s an insult to appoint him ‘acting manager.’ Just hire him!"

Stu Hamilton is concerned about village priorities and finances: "If the floating of bonds and their eventual repayment depends upon the success of retailers at The Glen, why doesn't the village do all it can to promote Von Maur. I understand that it is up to the store to do its own marketing, but why are the signs at the entrance to The Glen largely devoted to promoting the housing developers? I would think that a very large portion of the signage for The Glen should be only for the retailers that represent the largest portion of the village's tax revenue base. If the builders want to be known, then surely their weekly advertisements will more than suffice. Besides, the builders will all be gone in a few years. Based on our many visits to Von Maur, they are in bad shape. It is a wonderful store, easily better than Field's in its clothing and cosmetics departments. It also rivals Nordstroms in service, high quality merchandise, and customer service. Why is the place empty? Where are those ‘well-to-do’ Glenview citizens Von Maur expected to find?"

OE writes about Dave Hales’ hefty retirement pay and the hazards of new urban design: "When providing bonus earnings to inflate Superintendent Hales' retirement payments from Illinois for a relatively brief work period, did the school board consider that Hales may also receive a pension from Indiana where he worked for most of his career, and that Illinois taxpayers may pay again if the State Retirement System cannot keep up payments? On another matter – the crash into Oberweis – we were lucky no one was killed or more seriously injured. Has there been a traffic study to determine the safety of pedestrians and businesses so very close to Waukegan Road?"

And W.E. was distressed to learn Hales’ contract had been renewed in spite of his controversial performance: "Extremely disappointing to see Hales continues as superintendent--especially at such a price tag. Public officials should be rewarded for good service, not because board members want to be ‘fair.’ I guess more can't be expected when the board members are nothing more than puppets for the administration."

Ed White wonders why the village board opted for greater energy efficiency at the new police station when the savings weren’t so hot: "I note that the village board voted to upgrade the energy system for the new police station. The upgrade is projected to save 639 MMBTU a year but will cost $115,000 - $150,000 more. Using Nicor's current price of $0.59/therm for residential natural gas, the upgrade would save about $3,770 a year. Thirty to 40 years would be required to recover the extra investment. One can also characterize the savings as a 2.5 percent to 3.3 percent return on investment – a poor idea financially speaking. I recently investigated increasing the efficiency of my home heating and cooling systems. My return on investment was about the same as for the new police station, so I didn't make the change. I'm curious to know how many of the board members have upgraded their home systems to maximum efficiency. Maybe it’s different when they’re spending village money. Earlier this year they raised our sales tax. Now, the attitude of the board seems to be that our bond rating is still high, and there's more money available, so let's spend it. I resent that."

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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