OLD ORCHARD PLANS MAY THREATEN GLEN TOWN CENTER

 

 In a move that could spell more competition for The Glen Town Center, the owner of Old Orchard has drafted plans to knock down Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor, making way for what developers call a Main Street shopping promenade with 53 new specialty stores and restaurants.  Crain’s Chicago Business says the expansion could cost about $100 million and would put the Skokie mall “on par with the region’s largest, Woodfield Shopping Center in Schaumburg.”

 

The new section would be similar to The Glen Town Center with trees, walkways and small courtyards, but it would be 200,000 square feet larger than the Glenview lifestyle center.  That would put Old Orchard’s total square footage at 2.3 million – a 25 percent increase over its current size.

 

The mall’s owner, an Australian company called Westfield, told Crain’s the plan is “very exploratory.”  It would require approval from Skokie’s village board and the three large department stores remaining at the site – Nordstrom’s, Marshall Field’s and Bloomingdale’s.

 

Crain’s says a makeover could be completed in 2007. 

 

FRESH FARMS STILL HOPING TO SPROUT AT WILLOW AND PFINGSTEN

 

One year after they were rebuffed by Glenview and Northbrook, the owners of Fresh Farms International grocery store will try again to win permission to build on the northwest corner of Willow and Pfingsten.  At issue is the developer’s desire to have an entrance off busy Willow Road, close to the intersection. 

 

Fresh Farms recently tried to get an okay from Glenview alone – a move that upset Northbrook’s new village president Gene Marks.  Still, Marks campaigned on a promise of more development in his tax-hungry community, and he supports the Fresh Farms plan.  Admitting Willow Road has its share of accidents he said, “We’ll do all we can to make it safer.”

 

DISTRICT 34 SETTLES

 

Faced with the risk of a crushing award in a lawsuit filed by the family of Casey Fish, School District 34 agreed to settle the case for $2 million.  The child died six years ago while playing a game called Chubby Bunny at Hoffman School.  Her teacher had left the classroom to find a janitor before the 13-year-old stuffed marshmallows in her mouth, attempted to utter the words “chubby bunny,” then choked to death.

 

 “The loss of a child is everyone’s worst nightmare, and recounting those details is very difficult and not helpful to anyone,” said spokesman Brett Clark in explaining the decision to settle. District 34 did not admit liability or negligence in making a deal with the Fish family. The settlement will be paid by the Suburban School Cooperative Insurance Pool that includes more than 60 districts in Illinois.

Premiums are based on the same formula for all districts, and the major
factor in the formula is number of employees, so Clark said he did not expect local premiums to rise dramatically as a result of the case. 

The district has offered to work with the Fish family to establish a memorial for
Casey.

 

DIMATTINA RETIRES

 

Plan Commissioner Joe DiMattina made a surprising appeal to Village President Kerry Cummings in announcing his resignation after 15 years of service.  Noting that he had fought the village on behalf of several homeowners’ associations before being appointed to the panel, DiMattina said Cummings should appoint an outsider to replace him.

 

“I strongly feel that it is time for new blood and fresh ideas to come forward,” he said.

DiMattina cited increasing business travel that would make it impossible for him to attend many meetings. 

 

He offered special thanks to his fellow commissioners, to Glenview TV which cablecasts meetings and to citizens who had watched commission meetings over the years.  “To those who have fallen asleep with our images between their toes I say, ‘Keep on watching.’  To my fellow commissioners I say, ‘Be wary and watchful.  Your charge is to protect the citizens of this village from unnecessary and excessive development.  It is easy to rationalize that it’s good for business, or that one more development would not really make a difference.  Believe me when I say it does, and it always will. Throughout history, radical changes were made not by large groups or by government agencies but rather by very small groups and individuals such as yourselves.”

 

The remarks brought a round of applause and an emotional farewell from Chairman Howard Silver who said he and DiMattina agreed on many things.  “Developers know where they stand real easy when Joe is here.  They don’t play games, and they don’t challenge, because they know Joe is really watching.  He’s an incredible asset to this town, and personally I’m going to really miss him,” Silver said.

 

IN OTHER PLAN COMMISSION PROCEEDINGS …

 

-- The Canaan Presbyterian Church won an endorsement to proceed with construction of a new worship center on Greenwood Road south of Lake Avenue. Asked how he would compensate, a planner for the project said new plantings would outnumber lost trees by a ratio of 30 to one. “Are you suggesting our tree ordinance isn’t strong enough?” joked one commissioner. “After approval of this project, I think you should boost it up,” he replied. 

 

-- Machine parts manufacturer R.A. Zweig got approval from the commission to expand its building in the North Shore Corporate Park and escaped a demand that it transplant mature trees rather than cut them down.  The company said it had no place to put more trees but promised to offer them to the neighbors.

 

-- Avon got the go ahead to modify its parking lot, and a private developer won permission to build five townhomes near the corner of Prairie and Church.  Those units, ranging from 2,200 square feet to 2,600 square feet, will sell for more than $700,000. 

 

-- All three projects will go to the village board for consideration on July 19.  A meeting of the trustees scheduled for July 5 has been cancelled because it’s so close to a holiday.

 

VILLAGE BOARD PREVIEW

 

-- On June 7, the trustees will decide whether to ban right turns on red from northbound Lehigh to eastbound Chestnut.  As part of Glen construction, that area was rebuilt without a word of concern from planners, but a citizen recently called Village Hall to report that cars turning right can get caught between the railroad crossing gates and the tracks as they attempt the turn.

 

-- The owner of Staybridge Suites on Willow Road is expected to ask that Glenview stop collecting its hotel/motel tax on guests staying longer than 30 days and forgive the firm for failing to collect the tax during its first months of operation.  The state’s hotel tax is not applied to long-term visitors, and Staybridge neglected to collect about $60,000 from their extended-stay guests.  Finance Director Dan Wiersma says about 2 percent of village revenue comes from the tax, and he recommends the trustees retain it.

 

-- Board members are expected to decide whether to let staff approve requests for temporary banners.  Local ordinance allows businesses and not-for-profits to display a banner for up to 10 days in association with a special event, and a new permit can be granted once each quarter.  Until now, the trustees have voted on such requests on a case-by-case basis, and petitioners have been forced to show up at board meetings to make their case.  Says Assistant Village Manager Joe Wade, “This practice may not be viewed as customer friendly.”

 

-- The trustees are expected to approve spending $35,500 to draft plans for

Glenview’s part of a six-mile bike path from Beckwith Road in Morton Grove to Overlook Drive.  The Techny Trail connects four Metra stations and several recreational areas.

 

-- If the board approves, Trustees Debby Karton will represent the village at the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County – a group of 23 municipalities working to assure good, long-term solutions to the region’s garbage problems.

 

GARRETT WINS LIMITS ON COMPUTER DISPOSAL

 

The Illinois General Assembly has approved a bill aimed at curbing environmental hazards linked to improper disposal of computers and other electronics.  The measure was sponsored by Glenview’s State Senator Susan Garrett.  It calls for a commission to come up with ways to keep lead, mercury and other metals out of soil and water through proper disposal or recycling.

 

LONG-TIME LEAGUER DIES

 

A mainstay of the League of Women voters in Northbrook and Glenview died Thursday at the age of 80 after a long illness.   Ruth Schulman was founder and president of the Northbrook league, served as president of School District 225 and was a member of the COWS board.

 

“She loved to lunch with her friends and talk about the state of the world and especially her community,” one friend recalled.  “She was a highly principled lady -- always gracious and understanding and ready to help with community needs,” said another.

Schulman was buried Friday.  She is survived by three sons.

 

THIELE IN THE VANGUARD

 

Less than a week after Biff Thiele wrote to The Watch to complain about military recruiters at Glenbrook South High School, the New York Times published a story on the very subject.  Reporter Damien Cave wrote:

 

“Rachel Rogers, a single mother of four in upstate New York, did not worry about the presence of National Guard recruiters at her son's high school until she learned that they taught students how to throw hand grenades, using baseballs as stand-ins. For the last month she has been insisting that administrators limit recruiters' access to children.

 

“Orlando Terrazas, a former truck driver in Southern California, said he was struck when his son told him that recruiters were promising students jobs as musicians. Mr. Terrazas has been trying since September to hang posters at his son's public school to counter the military's message.

 

“Meanwhile, Amy Hagopian, co-chairwoman of the Parent-Teacher-Student Association at Garfield High School in Seattle, has been fighting against a four-year-old federal law that requires public schools to give military recruiters the same access to students as college recruiters get, or lose federal funding. She also recently took a few hours off work to stand beside recruiters at Garfield High and display pictures of injured American soldiers from Iraq.

 

“‘We want to show the military that they are not welcome by the P.T.S.A. in this building,’ she said. ‘We hope other P.T.S.A.'s will follow.’

 

“Two years into the war in Iraq, as the Army and Marines struggle to refill their ranks, parents have become boulders of opposition that recruiters cannot move.

 

“Mothers and fathers around the country said they were terrified that their children would have to be killed - or kill - in a war that many see as unnecessary and without end.

 

“Around the dinner table, many parents said, they are discouraging their children from serving.

 

“At schools, they are insisting that recruiters be kept away, incensed at the access that they have to adolescents easily dazzled by incentive packages and flashy equipment.”

 

FLAG DROP BOX READY FOR BUSINESS

 

Glenview's new flag drop box is now in place just in front of the fire station at 1815 Glenview Road.  The American Legion will collect used flags from that site and retire them with honor.  Village Hall reminds residents, “The box is only for flags. Mail dropped in by mistake will not be collected.”

NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS

GVTV is again calling for volunteers – offering to train anyone who’d like to be part of local programming for channel 17.  No experience is necessary, and students 16 years of age or older can apply.  For more information, contact Julie Gray at 847-904-4382 or email julieg@glenview.il.us.

 

ON THE BEAT

 

Police have apprehended their boy.  A 16-year-old was arrested and charged with two counts of battery.  On May 31 at around 8:30 p.m. a woman reported a young white guy stopped to ask directions, then grabbed her breast before making his getaway on a skateboard.  The following evening a similar complaint came in from another woman, also in the vicinity of West Lake Avenue and Greenwood.  This time, the kid got away on a bike.  Officers issued a community alert on June 3 and made an arrest one day later.

 

DOWNTOWN RESIDENTS FRET ABOUT FOXES AND COYOTES

 

A Watch reader recently wrote to report a sick fox wandering along the river near Pine Street. Area residents thought the animal might be rabid and subsequently found the fox dead.  Before the body could be checked for rabies, another animal made off with the carcass. “Now we wonder if we have another rabid animal in the area,” the reader wrote.  

 

Coyotes have also been spotted, prompting police to warn residents about keeping small pets inside. “Last week, the coyote followed my neighbor and her dog home,” writes our source. “This morning she found the coyote staring at her small dog through the patio door.”

 

Glenview’s police department says it’s looking into the problem, and the Illinois Department of Public Health says it can’t make any determination without a body, but 

 

 Natural Resource Commissioner Rob Blomquist has some reassuring information for the neighborhood.  First, rabies is rare in foxes, and there have been no cases here in Illinois since 1992.  More likely, the fox was suffering from distemper or an injury.

 

As for coyotes, you may also have little to fear – and some things to celebrate.  Without them, rats, mice and rabbits could be a much bigger problem in Glenview.  Coyotes also eat garbage left by humans. Best of all, they gobble up the carcasses of dead animals like your fox.

 

To reduce the odds of a close encounter with coyotes, skunks or raccoons, Blomquist suggests you not feed pets outside.  If you have a dog that is smaller than a coyote, it is probably best to walk it for exercise and to keep watch if you let it into the yard to take care of business.  Don’t let cats roam the neighborhood, as they could become coyote food.  (While some owners may resent that restriction, they should recognize that felines are a major threat to birds.)

 

Coyotes are much smaller than people and generally run from them.  If you see a coyote and feel unsafe, Blomquist says you should make noise and stand your ground.  The coyote will likely leave. He claims concerns about coyotes attacking humans are unfounded, and it’s doubtful children are at risk. Babies and toddlers might be vulnerable, but they’re too small to be left unsurprised anyway.

 

MUSKRAT KILL AT THE GLEN

 

Some residents were tickled when they first spotted muskrats in Lake Glenview.  The small, furry animals could be seen paddling along with their noses in the air, and one wildlife expert rejoiced.  “If the cattail and wetland plantings go well, we may see muskrats building lodges that stand above the water line and have underwater entrances like beaver lodges,” he wrote. “For now, most of these critters are building homes in the banks.  Their presence is a good sign for nature in Glenview.”

Or not.  Village officials recently approved trapping of muskrats because, according to Village Hall, there are too many of them.  The contractor handling maintenance for Lake Glenview was responsible for dealing with the overpopulation by muskrats, according to village spokesperson Janet Spector Bishop.  “They’ve destroyed a great deal of vegetation planted last year at a cost of $90,000.  About 50 murkrats were recently trapped at cost of $4,500.  As the trapping is done underwater, the muskrats do not survive.  However, even if they did, there is nowhere to release them.  Because they are so destructive and breed so quickly, they aren't welcome in any park or nature preserve,” Spector Bishop said.

 

WILDLIFE WATCH

 

Birder JRS responds to the reader who thought Flick Park should be modified so people are not at risk for attacks by red-winged black birds defending their nests:  “Perhaps we should remove all vegetation in Flick Park where any bird could nest. That would solve the problem. Imagine being afraid of a giant 7-inch bird!  You can quickly move away while covering your head. You can wave your hands or yell and move on. I've been accosted by nesting birds for over 40 years, and I've never been pecked. Most pecking attempts are for show. As for the egret seen during the river cleanup, it is far more likely to have been the “great” or “common” egret which is regular in that area.”

 

And Rob Blomquist has these words about red wings: “They’re one of the most wide spread bird populations in our area, and it would be nearly impossible to landscape a park that would not attract some of these birds.  Besides, the bird is just protecting its nest.  You might as well punish it for flying.  They may appear threatening, but there’s little to back up the birds’ aggressive behavior.  They will dive, screech loudly and make it clear that you are too close, but it is doubtful that could hurt a human.  Why not respect this very brave bird who will take on hawks or even eagles who get too close to its nest?  I would think that this could be a positive lesson in respecting nature's right to exist in a park where many people also go to escape the dangers of humankind -- speeding cars, noisy streets, stressful schedules and lack of physical activity.  Parks, even manicred ones, are important oases for both birds and people. Muskrats are also doing well in Glenview at the lake and along the river.  If the cattail and wetland plantings go well, we may see muskrats building lodges that stand above the water line and have underwater entrances like beaver lodges.  For now, most of these critters are building homes in the banks.  Their presence is a good sign for nature in Glenview.”

 

Geoffrey Fenton writes about about “another bit of nature that is raising heartbeats among suburbanites in The Glen.  I'm talking about snakes.  Long, serious snakes that swim in the water and sun themselves on the rocks along the shore.  My son and I have discovered fishing recently at Lake Glenview and have been startled by these beasts on several occasions.  We spotted a family of snakes on the rocks today.  We also saw a turtle (we think).  Anyway, the snakes seemed pretty content to writhe on the rocks and slither in and out of the water, but many of us weekend warriors (and a few experienced anglers) were more than a little freaked out.”

 

NEWS FROM THE NEIGHBORS

 

-- Winnetka has released a detailed study of car crashes in that community, noting 22 accidents occurred in a two-block section of Sheridan Road known for hills and sharp turns.  A village report calls on the Illinois Department of Transportation to install flashing lights in that area and to lower the speed limit to 20 miles per hour.

Green Bay Road also saw a fair number of accidents – 18 of them in downtown Hubbard Woods.  Other troublesome areas included the intersections where Green Bay crosses Pine Street, Willow Road and Winnetka Avenue. 

Winnetka found the most crashes in October (51) and the fewest in March (23).  Drivers were more likely to have accidents on Friday, while Sundays saw the fewest.  Noon and the hour between 3 and 4 p.m. were the most common times for crashes, teens were involved in 27 percent of accidents, and the top cause of crashes was speeding or driving too fast for conditions.

 

-- Two trustees from Wheeling took a trip to Puerto Vallarta with the consultant who advised a developer on winning village permits and tax incentives.  Dean Argiris and Ken Brady claimed they paid for their part of the trip and described consultant Bill Hein as an old friend.  They denied that friendship in any way influenced their vote to give Northstar Shopping Plaza $57,300 in TIF money. 

 

SAVE THE DATE

 

-- A local non-for-profit called Work for World Peace will hold a meditation and prayer session at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Flick Park.  If you’d like to attend, RSVP by calling 847-673-0387 or e-mail volunteer@workforpeace.org.

 

-- Hangar One will host a ceremony at Navy Park in The Glen Town Center 10:30-11:15 Saturday, June 25 to dedicate about 75 new memorial bricks. 

 

-- Duchow’s Boat Center will hold a mini-boat show in the parking lot of Costco on Willow July 7-10.

 

-- The Dessert Gourmet will offer a “Chocolate Event” from 7-9 p.m. July 7.  Located opposite the Glen of North Glenview Metra Station, the pastry shop will introduce participants to the many different forms of imported and domestic chocolates and explain which ones to use in various recipes.  The cost is $30 per person.  To make a reservation, call 847-486-0772.

 

-- Sts. Peter and Paul Church, 1401 Wagner, will host their annual Greek Food Festival July 22-24.

 

-- Glenview’s 3v3 Soccer Fest is calling on boys and girls ages 7-14 to form teams and register to play at Gallery Park on June 18 for the group’s inaugural event.  Winners may qualify to advance to the finals in Orlando.  For more information, or to register, please visit www.glenview3v3.org or call 847.657.3205."

 

SUMMER EXCHANGE

-- Glenview’s public library needs volunteers who will be in 7^th grade or higher next fall to help with its summer reading game.  Participants will have to attend one training session June 6, 7, 8 or 10 between 4 and 5 p.m. or June 8 between 7 and 8 p.m.  Adult volunteers are needed to help with a special reading program for young children who are learning English as a second language.  For details, call the library 847-729-7500 ext. 137 and ask for Maria Pontillas in Youth Services.

-- A teacher offers her tutoring services.  Kerri Boemmel is a certified teacher who worked in District 34 this year.  She’s willing to tutor students through grade 6 in math and reading.  E-mail her at KAMB1216@comcast.net or call 847-738-3307. 

 

READERS WRITE

 

 Fritz responds to our story about how Congressman Mark Kirk was skunked by Tom DeLay after Kirk promoted legislation to allow donation of unwanted embryos for stem cell research:  “No discussion of the stem cell issue is complete without comment that there is no limit on private research or use of stem cells. The Washington issue is about public funding.  This citizen thinks it's a big fuss over nothing.”

And former Navy man John Crawford has a mission for Kirk: “The state legislature recently passed a bill to regulate predatory practices in the payday loan industry.  Those pay day loans are a big problem for military families, according to The Navy Times, but the publication points out that ‘the industry has important friends. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, the powerful House majority leader, delivered the keynote address in March to the trade group's annual convention.’  I hope our Congressman Mark Kirk has the courage to stand up to Delay and do something about this problem at the national level.”

 

Local arts lover Bill Dose has a recommendation for those who vacation in Southern California: "Definitely check out the hip new TheatrExpresso in the glorious old Pacific Center in downtown LA.  The creation of my cousin writer/producer George Shohet, a lively, short comedic play is served up every Thursday at noon and 1:15 with a gourmet lunch for just $18. Visit their website for reservations. You might spot Glenview natives super-star Jamie Gertz or Second-City alum actress/comedienne Sandra Bogan along with tinsel-town litterata Hilary DeVries whose hilarious new book 'So Five Minutes Ago' is rocking the town with its send-up of the world of Hollywood publicists."