CONSULTANTS WANT 700 TOWNHOMES AND CONDOS DOWNTOWN

Seeming to ignore past public surveys that show little desire for more town houses and condos in the village, a consultant paid to assist Glenview with downtown redevelopment says there’s unmet demand for 700 more units in the downtown area – Glenview Road from Waukegan Road to Washington Street and Waukegan Road from Lake Avenue to Henley Street.

S.B. Friedman and The Lakota Group acknowledged a public call for development that would respect and enhance the character and charm of downtown, but their report includes photos of three and four-story condo buildings that members of the public said they liked.  Their report also identifies 24 sites which the consults feel are “susceptible to change.”  Among these are the current Dominick’s site, the downtown fire station, the offices of Koenig & Strey and the 1800-block of Glenview Road where many long-term merchants do business.  The consultants said they would narrow that list by early February when a public workshop will be held.

Traffic consultant and Glenview resident Tim Doron told an audience of about 75 people that traffic generally flows well downtown and there is sufficient parking.  He said shared parking lots are working well.  One member of the downtown redevelopment commission, Ty Laurie, said a parking garage could be built behind shops in the 1800-block, creating additional space for parishioners at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

The consultants also called for 166,000 square feet of additional retail space.  They believe downtown could support nine stores selling shoes and apparel, one bakery, one community theater or cinema, three consumer electronics stores, two shops selling cosmetics and personal care products, three full-service restaurants, a national chain drug store, a pet supply store, a sporting goods outlet, three places selling toys and crafts and a visitors’ center.

While earlier consultants have called for a specialty grocery store downtown, Friedman is not convinced one is needed, and he’s hesitant about the drug store, pointing out that there are already seven full-service drugstores in Glenview. Instead, he thought downtown might benefit from a variety store and a General Nutrition Center.

Speaking of the Bess Hardware site, S.B. Friedman said ma and pa stores of that kind are no longer doing well, and the sons and daughters of owners no longer want to take over such family businesses. Resident Al McAndrew attacked that premise, suggesting Bess is doing very well, and at least one study proves him correct.  Maybe Friedman should google before he speaks:  http://www.nrha.org/mueller.html

In projecting a need for more residential development, the downtown consulting team relied on an earlier consultant’s report and on statistics from a San Diego firm called Claritas.

That company recently provided stats that led Crain’s Chicago Business to brand Techny the fifth most affluent community in the Chicago area.  Told that just 70 people live in Techny – all of them Catholic clergymen who have taken a vow of poverty – Claritas conceded there might have been a mistake. One of the company’s demographers said there are no published boundaries for the Techny zip code, and the firm may have mistakenly included parts of Northbrook and Northfield in making its calculations.

Copies of the consultants’ analysis are available at the Village Hall and at the public library’s reference desk, and officials plans to set up exhibits showing areas “susceptible to change” at the downtown train station, Village Hall and Park Center. Glenview Television will begin airing a tape of the meeting late Monday afternoon, December 13. 

GLENVIEW SCHOOLS MAY SEE NAVY WINDFALL

Schools in Districts 34 and 225 could take in an extra $634,000 per year if a plan to privatize Navy housing goes through.  Congressman Mark Kirk and Navy brass met with officials from Glenview, Highland Park, Lake Forest and Highwood to discuss a program by which private developers would buy land now owned by the Pentagon, raze dilapidated housing occupied by military families and replace it with new homes.  The Navy would then lease the property for its personnel, and local schools would collect taxes from the private developer. 

To sweeten the deal, those same developers could use some of the land – 38 acres in Glenview -- for civilian homes, shops or offices.  The Pentagon has called for proposals and is expected to award contracts in November 2005.  Housing could be built in 2008. 

District 34 Superintendent Gerald Hall hailed the deal as great news, telling the Chicago Tribune that extra money could help to offset a $2 million deficit in fiscal 2005.  In fact, the land would not be on the tax rolls until 2006, and additional civilian housing could mean more children and higher expenses for the district.

TEACHERS, STAFF TO BE LAID OFF BY GBS

Faced with anticipated shortfalls of $1.8 million in each of the next three years, Glenbrook’s high school board voted unanimously to ax seven teachers, 10 support staff and a couple of custodians from next year’s budget. 

The district also plans to raise charges for driver’s education by $75, school parking by $45 and materials by $15 to increase revenues for the cash-starved schools.  Reserves will also be used to help balance the budget.

GLENBROOK PARENTS MAY CATCH A PAPERWORK BREAK

Glenbrook South parents who must, year after year, prove that they live in the district may get a break next year.  The District 225 board, on the advice of Assistant Superintendent for Business Affairs Craig Schilling, may ask for proof of residency only from freshmen, transferring students and kids they suspect do not live in Glenview. 

Schilling says most of the violations found to date involved students in one of those three groups.  “We spend a lot of resources collecting a lot of data on people who belong here,” he pointed out. 

LOCAL PAPERS DETAIL DEALS

Reporting on a contract given to Glenview new village manager, the Glenview Journal noted that Todd Hileman is among the best paid municipal employees in the state.  Adding his base salary, bonuses and benefits, the paper figured annual compensation at $180,000 -- $30,000 more than Illinois’ governor.  What’s more, the Journal points out Hileman got $10,000 to help with moving expenses, a $600 monthly car allowance and a $150,000 interest-free loan to help him buy a house in Glenview.  That money need not be paid back if Hileman stays for at least 15 years.

While the deal may have seemed extraordinarily generous to taxpayers, the Pioneer Press checked up on what other North Shore communities do and concluded Hileman’s deal was fairly typical.  Winnetka’s manager makes $169,000 per year and got $125,000 in housing assistance in 1992 when he was hired.  Wilmette’s manager got an interest-free loan of $165,000, and Northbrook’s assistant manager, said to be in line for the top job, recently got $200,000 interest-free. 

Experts say housing on the North Shore is so expensive that most managers could not afford to live in the communities they oversee without assistance.

TRUCK TALK RETURNS TO PLAN COMMISSION

Glenview's plan commission will again debate restrictions on parking of trucks in residential neighborhoods Tuesday, December 14 at 7:30 p.m.  The proceedings will be cablecast on channels 17 and 6. 

ON THE BEAT

-- A salesman for Club Jewelry on Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling was seated in his parked car in front of 2311 Willow Road one afternoon when he says an unknown male offender smashed the rear window of his vehicle and removed a sports bag from the  passenger seat. The bag contained jewelry valued at $127,978.

-- A Prairie Street resident reported that a young man with long blond hair wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt with khaki pants walked into her garage and took two bottles of Sharp beer late one afternoon. The stolen goods were valued a $3.

-- Scrooge appears to be at work on Henley Street.  For the second time in a row, someone cut the Christmas lights of a homeowner, who put the loss at $45.

NEWS FROM THE NEIGHBORS

-- The Muslim community in Morton Grove has won permission to build a new mosque as long as it complies with 31 conditions spelled out by the village board.  Among other things, those conditions limit occupancy and require a certain amount of parking.  In exchange for approval to build, members of the Muslim Community Center board say they’ll drop a $5 million suit against Morton Grove.

-- Northbrook’s historical society is hoping to save the four-room house where Emmett Culligan once lived.  Those who hope to preserve the suburb’s past say the home was built around 1920 by Shermerville’s esteemed blacksmith Jock McLachan.  The water magnate moved in in 1936.  The company that bear’s Culligan’s name has been sold several times, most recently for $610 million.  The owner of the frame house had called Culligan to see if the firm might like to move the house to its headquarters near the tollway, but he did not get a call back. 

CHARITY BEGINS AT THE LIBRARY

The Northfield Township Food Panty hopes to add something warm to this year’s holiday baskets.  If you’d like to help, bring new hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, socks, slippers and sweaters to the Glenview Public Library lobby by Saturday, December 18.

GIFTS FOR A MOOVING HOLIDAY

Fans of Wagner Farm will find a unique holiday gift at Glenview Coin and Collectibles, 1713 Glenview Road. The store is selling t-shirts and sweatshirts originally produced by Citizens Organized for Wagner's to raise money for the fight to save that property. COWS offered the shirts that proclaim, "Historic Wagner Farm" to Glenview's park district, but the district, which has clashed with COWS over a range of issues including historic preservation, refused to sell them. Adult and children's sizes are available for $10-$25. Proceeds will benefit COWS which, in turn, will use the money to benefit Wagner Farm. For more information, call 847-724-1075.   

PHOTO OPS FOR LERNER

It’s not unusual for a village president to snip ribbons and break ground for new construction projects, but Trustee Jeff Lerner is truly the man this month.  He joins Larry Carlson on the front page of Monday’s Tribune Metro section lighting a menorah at Village Hall and found his way into the cab of a hydraulic shovel to break ground for the new police station on page one of the Glenview Journal.  A criminal attorney, Lerner has taken a special interest in the police department’s new digs.  

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FEASTS ON BEEF AND ROASTED WATCH

At its annual holiday dinner, Glenview Chamber of Commerce guests paid $50 for a meal of beef tenderloin, fish, mashed potatoes and veggies followed by a slice of chocolate cake and an after dinner roasting of Glenview Watch.  Host Chris Krueger made several disparaging references to the town’s tell-it-like-it-is newsletter, and when auctioning off a signed photo of celebrated coach Mike Ditka bidding farewell to Bears’ owner Mike McCaskey,  Krueger quipped, “The only thing that could top this is a picture of Larry Carlson saying farewell to Sandy Hausman.”

The crowd included many of Glenview’s political old guard who have attracted special attention from The Watch: Village President Carlson, former President Nancy Firfer, Trustees Kerry Cummings, Jeff Lerner and Jim Patterson along with Village Attorney Jeff Randall and Development Director Mary Bak.

READERS WRITE

SAS mailed this note regarding our story, ‘OLPH Battles to Hold the Hall:’

“How can we achieve peace on Earth, goodwill to men when there is such bigotry and anti-religious intensity by a few individuals in the small community of Glenview?  For many years I’ve worked with politicians in Washington, D.C. and have never been asked about party affiliation or religion by either Democrats or Republicans.  How sad that in Glenview one’s church becomes a major issue.”  SAS also felt our concern over runoff from the OLPH parking lot into the Chicago River was misplaced: “Why target one site?  Has the same thought been given to all the runoff from private and/or commercial property along the full length of the river?”  And with regard to downtown planning commission members who felt it inappropriate to hold a public meeting at OLPH, this reader adds: “How petty can you get?  They should thank OLPH for offering convenient downtown space for the meeting.  Of course, OLPH clergy are concerned about future downtown planning – especially when so many comments have been made about that site being an impediment to future retail growth. . .Come on.  Let peace begin in Glenview.”

PG asks about the French restaurant planned for the Renneckar's site: “I was under the impression that was not to be and yet another bank would occupy the spot. Do hope that’s not so, because I was really looking forward to the French eatery!  Can you enlighten me further?”

The Watch replies:  We’re told that work on the project stopped while the owner of the property negotiated with the owner of the restaurant over possible purchase of the building.  We don’t know how that matter was resolved, but construction has resumed, and we suspect that bank sign out front has to do with financing and not with another bank coming to Glenview.

JN comments on an earlier letter from reader Kevin Killion. “He rebutted a comment from a parent whose children experienced District 34's math program and who lives in Glenview. Killion lives in Kenilworth, has no direct experience with D34 and represents an advocacy group, Illinois Loop, which supports a back-to-basics approach to education. This viewpoint about professional educators is best summarized here:
http://www.oqe.org/doc/buzzwords.htm”

The Watch replies:  The fact that Killion lives in Kenilworth and is involved with an advocacy group does not negate his views.

BE writes: “We've recently moved to the Flick Park area and were wondering if there are any plans to spruce up the southern side of the corner of Greenwood and Glenview
roads.  Right now there is a boarded up building and other stores that look really run down.  Will this possibly be part of the downtown revitalization project?”

The Watch replies:  Not likely, B.  As defined in our lead story, the village considers downtown to include Glenview Road from Waukegan west to Washington and Waukegan from Lake South to

Two readers wrote to challenge our characterization of Congressman Mark Kirk as a conservative. Kirk claims to be moderate.  The Watch replies:

-- Kirk voted with the conservative Bush administration most of the time (87%, according to the Congressional Quarterly).
--  He has backed every one of Bush's budgets.
-- He got an "F" rating from the NAACP.
-- He got a "zero" rating from the United Auto Workers.
-- He voted with the National Rifle Association to immunize gun dealers from lawsuits.
-- He included an endorsement of the ultra-conservative "Americans for Tax Reform" on his campaign literature.
-- He voted for the Patriot Act and the No Child Left Behind Act. Sounds pretty conservative to us.

YOUR TURN:  Write to glenviewwatch@aol.com or 3537 Maple Leaf Drive, Glenview, IL 60026. 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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