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The Glenview Watch
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LAME DUCKS LAY A ROTTEN EGG
On the eve of their departure from the Glenbrook High School board of education, lame ducks Tom Scherer, Carol Rogal and Karen Long voted to approve changes in the district’s drug policy, backing away from zero tolerance but stopping short of meaningful reform.
“I hope future boards will be prepared to go back to a stronger policy if we find a significant change for the worse,” intoned Scherer. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done.”
The new policy puts first-time offenders out of school for at least 20 days but requires the school to provide tutoring, and to qualify for the more lenient treatment, families must sign on for counseling. As a result, District 225 will be spending an extra $81,000 for social and academic services.
Editor’s note: This board had years to address a controversial problem, but somehow its members could not get their act together until it was time for three of them to go. It would have been appropriate for the board to make a recommendation, but the ultimate decision should have been left to the new board that will begin serving in May. Perhaps newly-elected members would reject a policy that remains overly harsh. The village of Glenview imposes a $75 fine on kids caught with marijuana. The school board puts them out of class for a month.
CUMMINGS SEEKS TRUSTEE APPLICATIONS
When Kerry Cummings assumes the office of village president on May 3, her seat on the board will be vacant, and she’ll be able (with the approval of the board) to choose someone to fill a two-year term. Unlike previous presidents, Cummings is casting a wide net – urging residents to send resumes if they’re interested in the post. You must have lived in the village for a year. Write to Cummings at Village Hall, 1225 Waukegan Road, Glenview, IL 60025, or send email to Cummingsvillage@ameritech.net, confirming receipt by calling 847-729-6809. The deadline for submission is Thursday, May 5.
NAVY TO SETTLE MORE FAMILIES AT THE GLEN
The Navy now says it will increase the number of new housing units planned at The Glen from 370 to 416. Superintendent of District 34 schools Gerald Hill says that could mean a rise in the number of children in local classrooms, and Village Manager Todd Hileman said he hopes to talk with the military and the developer soon. He says TIF boundaries might be redrawn so taxes from the area in question go directly to Districts 34 and 225.
The Navy chose a politically-connected Cleveland, Ohio company, a division of Forest City Enterprises, to build new homes, replacing older units on 38 acres at The Glen. Forest would then lease housing back to the Pentagon and pay taxes to the district, but those taxes would probably not cover the full cost of educating students.
Forest will tear down existing buildings in phases, begin construction at the end of this year and complete redevelopment by late 2008. There’s no word yet on what Forest will pay. Details will be worked out over the next few months and could be quite lucrative for the developer – a company with a long history of profits and campaign contributions.
In San Francisco, Forest contributed a total of $66,500 in soft money (including donations from executives and affiliates) to groups supporting the mayor's re-election. The firm was eligible for a city property tax rebate and was seeking $30 million from the city in tax-increment financing for a new department store, according to the San Francisco Bay Guardian.
In neighboring Oakland, Forest City is in line for a $41 million subsidy on a no-bid housing project. Forest wants to build a gated 807-unit apartment complex surrounding an existing three-story parking garage on a 12.5-acre site. Mayor Jerry Brown speaks highly of the plan. A political action committee he co-founded recently got $25,000 from Forest City.
The developer was also among the top five contributors to the re-election campaign of Ohio’s governor with a donation of $47,800 and was the third most generous donor to U.S. Senator Mike Dewine, a Republican from the Buckeye State who collected $31,500 from the firm. Congressman Ralph Regula, who has accepted $33,700 from the families of two men who own Forest City, is vice-chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which in June approved a $9.2 billion package to privatize military housing. Three months later, a partnership led by Forest City won the 50-year contract to do the job in Hawaii. The project's worth: $358 million.
GLENVIEW AWARDED FOR FINANCIAL REPORTING
Village Hall says the Government Finance Officers Association, an organization representing 16,000 public finance professionals, will award Glenview its Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. The GFOA's highest honor in the area of governmental and financial reporting, it recognizes the village's 2003 comprehensive annual financial report which details annual expenses and revenue. The GFOA praised the document, saying it met high standards and demonstrated a constructive spirit of full disclosure. Village spokesman Janet Spector Bishop shared the news with readers of her electronic newsletter but neglected to mention that 3,323 other communities applied for and got the same honor.
GLEN WATCH
-- It’s official. Von Maur did not achieve sales totals that would require the retailer to begin sharing profits with the village. Glenview gave a multi-million dollar, interest-free loan to Von Maur with the understanding that it would be repaid once the store was earning $200 per square foot. There’s still no word on whether developer OliverMcMillan has found a replacement for Market Foods, an anchor tenant at Town Center that went bankrupt.
-- The owner of a Harley-Davidson store which has yet to open on Willow Road says he will be in business sometime this summer. Village officials say they can’t force Barry Brown to complete construction which has been underway for two years.
-- There’s still no date for ground-breaking on the Ev Tyner Nature Center to be built at the Air Station Prairie. Village Manager Todd Hileman says construction of that “green” building could be complex, and he wants the village to choose a contractor with experience on environmentally-friendly projects.
-- Glenview is preparing to sell a 9.5-acre parcel near Chestnut Square at The Glen for construction of multi-family housing. Proceeds from that sale will help fund construction of a new post office on Patriot Boulevard.
-- Development Director Don Owen says the village is close to getting an okay from the Army Corps of Engineers to create new wetlands at The Grove, The Glen and along the Chicago River in exchange for permission to put a car dealership on Willow Road. Glenview had pledged to create wetlands there but has since argued that the busy thoroughfare is no place for wildlife.
VILLAGE STILL SEARCHING FOR WAYS TO MAKE WILLOW SAFER
State officials have said there’s little they can do to make the intersection of Willow and Pfingsten roads safer for pedestrians, but Manager Hileman says the community is not taking “no” for an answer. Assistant Manager Joe Wade is meeting with traffic consultants to review options and costs. Wade and Hileman hope to meet soon with state officials and Northwest side residents including the mother of a 13-year-old boy struck and killed at the intersection last spring.
APARTMENTS NEAR THE GLEN HIT BY FIRE
For the third time in five years, Greenwood Apartments have been hit by fire. This time, it was a south side unit that burst into flames after a resident forgot to turn off a propane-fueled deep fryer. No one was injured in Tuesday’s blaze, but damage was estimated at $109,000, and two families were displaced. Fire Chief Dan Bonkowski told the Pioneer Press that it was a particularly hot blaze, with flames shooting 40 feet into the air. He said vinyl siding, window well covers and window shades in adjacent buildings actually melted from the radiant heat. To complicate the firefighting effort, an engine from the nearby Landwehr station had to be rerouted because of a train passing just west of the complex, and an engine from the Flick Park station was already responding to a paramedic call. Engines from the downtown and Patriot Boulevard stations were first on the scene, arriving about three minutes after the first call for help.
NEIGHBORS COMPLAIN ABOUT KOREAN EDUCATION CENTER
The Canaan Presbyterian Church, a large Korean-American congregation on Greenwood Road, has tried three times before to get village approval for construction on land near its main church. Now, Canaan seems close to a decision on plans for a two-story, 26,000-square-foot building and 171 parking spaces on the southwest corner of Greenwood and East Lake Avenue.
Neighbors are predictably concerned about traffic and light from the parking lot, but an attorney for the church said they could not expect the land to remain vacant forever, and anything built there would generate traffic and light.
The zoning board of appeals will vote on whether to allow a worship center at Greenwood and East Lake on April 25.
MEIER’S TAVERN MEETS VILLAGE REQUIREMENTS
The owner of Meier’s Tavern has paid $5,500 to the village and $4,500 to its neighbors to settle a case brought against the bar for failing to fulfill promises made two years ago. When it won approval to expand its parking lot, Meier’s pledged to make lighting and water detention improvements that it subsequently failed to make – prompting legal action by Village Hall. The money will cover legal and administrative costs incurred by local government and residents of the neighborhood behind Meier’s.
ANIMAL CONTROL HONCHO BLAMES RESIDENTS FOR SKUNK SEX
Glenview’s animal control officer, Judy Roseman, is not about to help residents with a skunk problem. She’ll give you the names of private companies that will trap those critters for a fee, but Roseman thinks skunk control is a neighborhood responsibility.
She told the Glenview Announcements that residents who see a skunk should take up a collection and call an exterminator. “The skunk under their porch didn’t have babies by itself. Somebody else in the neighborhood has a skunk, and it’s the opposite sex,” she explained. “If you don’t take care of that problem, your neighbors are going to be taking care of that problem as well. So nip it in the bud. Have your neighbors work together and everybody absorb the cost.”
Roseman says she’ll only make a house call if residents are dealing with a sick or injured animal. She can’t afford to help with other critter-related problems. “There’s only one of me,” she says, and private companies have more state-of-the art equipment. You can call Roseman at Village Hall for advice. The number: 847-904-4437.
Editor’s note: We know cash is tight at the Hall, but the fact is that Glenview agreed to grow as a community – allowing huge amounts of construction at The Glen. Countless small animals seem to have fled into other neighborhoods, and taking up a collection on one block makes no sense, since skunks can easily wander into other areas. This is a community-wide problem and should be addressed by Village Hall as such -- at taxpayer expense.
CITIZEN OF THE YEAR FETED AT NORTH SHORE COUNTRY CLUB
Village officials continue to lend support to what has long been an award for friends of Glenview’s inner political circle. This time the “Citizen of the Year” prize went to Per Hanson, a Glenview lawyer with offices in the new Glenview State Bank building. Hanson gave $1,000 to Larry Carlson’s Unite Glenview Party in 2003 and received his award at the North Shore Country Club, a private facility that has no written policies against Jews or African-Americans but has never invited one to join.
The awards program, emceed by the police department, is funded by the Chamber of Commerce and local service clubs. It’s coordinated by Glenview’s former first lady, Samantha Smith. She and hubby Tom now divide their time between Palm Springs and Glenview. About a dozen village staffers and a number of trustees attended the event at taxpayer expense.
SOCIAL SECURITY FOES WANT TOWN HALL MEETING WITH KIRK
Voters from the 10th congressional district met with staff members of Representative Mark Kirk on Thursday to air their concerns about President Bush's plans to privatize all or part of the Social Security system. Key concerns included the loss of guaranteed benefits, and the cost of transitioning to private accounts which would add an estimated two trillion dollars to the record-high federal budget deficit. The delegation requested that Kirk organize a town hall meeting where district voters could express their views on Social Security.
COWS COULD GET PLAQUE AT WAGNER FARM
Despite past disagreements with the park district over everything from the color of Wagner barn to the fate of aging animals, a group that was key to preservation of Wagner Farm may have the chance to place a plaque there. Citizens Organized for Wagners (COWS) is finally folding and hopes to use its remaining money for a historical marker about the farm and how it was saved. Park District Board President John Winand said the language of the plaque would have to be carefully chosen so that no group of person felt slighted.
PARK DISTRICT PASSES BUT CHICAGO IS BUYING
A young Glenview artist whose work was rejected for display at Park Center is getting a more positive reception from the larger world. Since Kristina Castro’s story appeared in the Chicago Tribune she’s had several offers from people interested in buying her work and was asked to address the Chicago Committee for Artists’ Rights.
One prospective patron wrote: “The Glenview Park District is wrong and has treated you unfairly. I don’t think this is a case of race discrimination, but [it is] discrimination nonetheless.”
Castro was told she could not show her work because she did not have a gallery or professional studio to represent her. The writer characterized that requirement as “short-sighted and ridiculous. . .It is also ridiculous for one person to be the sole judge to say your art is not worthy. All art is worthwhile. I can’t see much of your art in the black and white photo in the newspaper, but it looks beautiful. I buy art and wonder how much you are willing to sell your art for.”
GLENVIEW – HOME OF THE HOUSING COMPLEX
About 70 resident of Prospect Heights packed a public hearing last week to object to construction of 28 town homes in eight 36-foot-high buildings on five acres near the corner of Palatine and Elmhurst roads. The crowd cheered wildly as opponents spoke but booed and catcalled the developer with comments like, “Are you stupid?”
Village residents worried about flooding, light pollution, traffic, declining water supplies for local wells and community character. "The reason I moved here was because of the rural atmosphere," said Laney Ornoff. "If I wanted to live near a housing complex I would have moved to Glenview. Could you please build this in Glenview or some other place?"
MORE NEWS FROM THE NEIGHBORS
-- It’s not unusual for anti-establishment candidates to quickly join the in-crowd once elected, but Northbrook’s new village president appears to have done so in record time. Gene Marks, who campaigned on a pledge to open an office at Village Hall and keep a close eye on spending and bureaucracy is now saying that’s a bad idea. Marks also complained that Northbrook’s fire chief, a national expert on terrorism, spent more time in Washington and Springfield than at home. Marks now says Jay Reardon is “a tremendous guy – an asset to the village.”
-- Old politicians don’t die – they just become lobbyists. Mark Damisch, who lost his bid for re-election, is talking about doing just that -- saying he “knows everybody in the political arena.” A former president of the Northwest Municipal Conference, Damisch was in Washington earlier this month, collecting an EPA award for the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, and last week he hosted a dinner for the group at the Field Museum.
SAVE THE DATE
-- The Glenview Public Library presents Crackdown on Clutter at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 20. Professional organizer Este Wolff will tell how to bring order to cluttered areas of your home from the garage to kitchen cabinets to closets. Sign up at the information desk, or call 847-729-7500 ext. 112.
-- The program "A Date with Fate," scheduled for Tuesday, April 26, has been cancelled.
-- Join Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin for an Earth Day workout from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 23 at Linne Woods in Morton Grove. Enter off Dempster Street, about a mile west of the Edens across from McDonald’s. Follow the road past the picnic area to the parking lot. Equipment and supplies for the forest preserve clean up will be supplied. Participants should dress for muddy conditions and show up rain or shine. RSVP to Michelle at 312-603-6383 or mdevine@suffredin.org .
READERS WRITE
Jeff shares this news from the Chicago Tribune
after he and other Glenview residents received a pitch from a company
called Illinois Natural Gas. Its brochure promised “stable price and
refund,” according to the Trib, “but only in the fine print on the back
page did it mention consumers must sign up for a five-year deal, and that
home heating costs could go up. Illinois Natural Gas Corp. says it has
mailed sales material and contracts to approximately 200,000 households
around Illinois, and plans on reaching
out to half a million.
“Signing the contract switches a resident from their existing natural gas. ‘We have never seen an offer as misleading and deceptive as this one,’ said Martin Cohen, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board. Cohen said the sales pitch obscures the fact that consumers are locking into a five-year plan at higher than current gas charges. Nor does it make clear that Illinois Natural Gas can raise gas charges in the future, he said.
“Chicago-based Illinois Natural Gas denies that its offers are misleading, and an executive said that details are spelled out, albeit in fine print. . .For more than two years natural gas marketers have been allowed to compete for residential and small-business customers with regulated companies, like Nicor and Peoples Gas. But a CUB study in December found that it is cheaper to stay with the regulated utility, rather than switch to a deregulated competitor. CUB has repeatedly asked that anyone believing they have saved money with an alternative gas supplier come forward. The consumer advocacy group says that so far, no one has.”
Last week, The Watch expressed disdain for the prospect of features on corporate CEOs in the Pioneer Press, but Kevin is fine with the idea: “I see no conflict for Pioneer Press if they do puff pieces about local businesses. That's been the sole extent of their coverage of local school districts for many years!”
PL doesn’t like the idea of building onto
Glenview’s downtown library: “The citizens of Glenview deserve a
library that fulfills the needs of all its’ residents. Building on to the
existing library will not solve the lack of parking and is only a stopgap
to the existing problem. Glenview needs a new library, one that provides
our children with a comfortable place to study, read or just hang out.
Look at neighboring towns
such as Mount Prospect and Northbrook to see what communities can do to
enrich the lives of their citizens. Glenview should be doing the same.”
GS writes about trains going through Glenview: “Chicago and Northwestern freight trains pass through Glenview, but there are no real regulations on the amount of traffic and cars the railroad can operate. Likewise, Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific send as many trains as they want on any given day. Neighborhoods have grown up along the tracks, and there are many more kids on bikes at the crossings. Could these routes be decommissioned? Can they be regulated to control the number of trains and cars passing through on a daily basis?”
The Watch replies: Train traffic is regulated by the Interstate Commerce Commission – a federal agency, so the village and state have no control over this question. Former Glenview Trustee John Crawford, who served on the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, says railroads can petition to abandon lines, but the government cannot force them to give up lines.
William Dose responds to Mary Butler who says it blows her mind that people give a whip about Wagner Farm’s barn color and the treatment of farm animals: “Unlike reader Mary Butler who doesn't give a whip about the proper historic restoration of the Wagner Farm barn or the treatment and lifetime care of its resident farm animals, I would like to say that I am proud to live in an enlightened community like Glenview where such topics are argued and defended with passion. Any thinking person with a modicum of awareness knows that these are the very same kinds of cultural and humane issues that are inspiring debate and important legislation across the country and indeed the world. For this reason alone, we as a community must examine and deal with them seriously as they arise locally and institute policies which are exemplary and sensitive to the most advanced contemporary thinking.”
Biff Thiele also takes exception to Butler’s comments: “She told The Watch to concentrate on humans, not animals, but the truth is people in Glenview care passionately about the farm and its residents. Roughly 25,000 Glenview residents are registered to vote. Typically 3,000 to 5,000 voters turn-out for non-presidential elections. This past election produced barely 2,500 voters. But, in a non-presidential election year, nearly 9,000 Glenview residents voted on the Farm & Fields referendum. If the kids could have voted, I would guess that number would have been much higher.
“Certainly the sports fields were very important, and some suggest the farm was not, but there were over 1,700 active and vocal members of C.O.W.S, and the referendum passed by just over 200 votes. So farm and animal lovers obviously played an important role. Several years later, C.O.W.S surveyed those same 1,700 supporters to see if they agreed with the C.O.W.S board on several issues. A vast majority of the 600 respondents said animals should be treated humanely, and the barn should not be painted. Professionals also indicated that clear stain was good for the old wood and that paint is not. Eight hundred petitioners agreed.
“The park district paid consultants $80,000 and enlisted more than 70 residents for over nine months to create a master plan to clearly outline public sentiments. The battles that have ensued since then were not so much about the color of the barn or the lives of a few cows but about the way policies adopted by the park board conflicted with the public will. The fact that debates raged on for years is testament that the issues were important, even if Mary Butler does not agree.”
DS asks about property once owned by Nicor: “Does anyone know how that large piece of vacant property just north of the Glenview Evangelical Free Church and along Shermer Road is going to be developed?”
The Watch replies: Village Hall has received no proposals for development of the site at this time.
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.