CUMMINGS APPOINTS UNKNOWN TO VILLAGE BOARD

 

Glenview’s cable 17 was out Tuesday, making it impossible for residents to witness the latest affront to good government at Village Hall. Without a word of debate, the village board confirmed President Kerry Cummings’ choice to succeed her as a trustee. Philip White, a virtual unknown in Glenview, moved to a luxury town home at The Glen Town Center two years ago.  He is a retired businessman who served as president, C.E.O. and C.F.O. of the Sweetheart Cup Company in Maryland until 1994.

 

Since his retirement, White has been active in philanthropic work, serving three years on the board of the International Dyslexia Association. For the past nine years, he has worked on a voluntary basis for the Catholic Theological Union, the largest Catholic graduate school of theology in the U.S.  In addition to serving on the four-member executive committee that oversees the management of the school, White advised on construction of the union’s new and renovated $21 million campus. 

 

Cummings was greatly impressed by that experience, asserting that White could provide valuable expertise as Glenview renovates or builds a new library.  She dismissed complaints that her candidate had no local experience and had not actually lived here long, noting that three others on the board – Cummings herself, Jim Patterson and Paul Detlefs – had each been here at least 20 years.

 

The village president also announced the appointment of her political pal and Swainwood neighbor Allan Ruter to replace the retiring Joe DiMattina on Glenview’s plan commission – ignoring DiMattina’s call for an independent voice on the commission.  Ruter is currently serving on the appearance commission.  He’s a teacher at Glenbrook South High School and an activist in the Unite Glenview Party.

 

Michael Cho was confirmed for a seat on the Zoning Board of Appeals.  A Winnetka Road resident, he moved to Glenview three years ago.  Cho is a senior attorney for J.P. Morgan Chase.    

 

Editor’s note:  Cummings announced her choice for the village board at the 11th hour, leaving no time for constituents to contact their trustees and weigh in on this important decision.  She dismissed critics, saying the choice to fill “her seat” was hers to make. We disagree. Unlike other commissions, which are filled with appointees, the village board is a representative body – elected by the people of Glenview.  In the choice of someone to serve out her four-year term as a trustee, Cummings should have allowed a public debate.  Do residents feel that business savvy and experience on construction projects is more important than knowledge of the community and a vision for its future?  Do they think other applicants for the job are better qualified?  Are they comfortable with the prospect of having three of the six trustees from The Glen?  Did Cummings choose a relative unknown because he’s unlikely to challenge her for re-election in less than four years?  Did she like the prospect of adding a wealthy man to the next Unite Glenview ticket?  What are White’s views on downtown redevelopment, the library’s future, retirement of the TIF, tax incentives for large corporations wanting to locate at The Glen? Since the search process was conducted in secret and Cummings’ decision announced at the last minute, residents never had a chance to ask and get answers to those questions.  The trustees could have asked.  They should have asked.  They were elected to represent the people of Glenview, but they said nothing.

 

OTHER CHANGES AT VILLAGE HALL

The village board has voted to dissolve The Glen Redevelopment Commission, noting far less activity requiring its advice.  In years past, the GRC reviewed 25-30 cases in a year, but this year the number has fallen to five. Future projects will be reviewed by the plan commission.   

And, on a related note, the zoning board will no longer hear requests for conditional uses such as churches in residential neighborhoods.  Those applications will only be reviewed by the plan commission and village board. 

STATE SUMMIT BRINGS PROGRESS ON WILLOW ROAD

 

After a 13-year-old boy was killed while riding his bike across Pfingsten Road last spring, the child’s parents and neighbors called for improvements to the intersection.  After meeting with both of Glenview’s state senators and representatives, Village Manager Todd Hileman reports progress.  He says the state has agreed to install new walk/don’t walk signs that count down, giving pedestrians a better sense for when the light will change. 

 

The Illinois Department of Transportation is still considering Glenview’s request for push buttons that light-up, so pedestrians know that the manually triggered system is working, and they’re weighing walk signs that talk – telling pedestrians when it’s safe to cross.  The state will also consider signs that read:  “No turn on red when pedestrians are present,” and they intend to study a large section of Willow Road in response to concerns at other intersections: Landwehr, Greenwood and Shermer.

 

WEST LAKE AND ATTEA IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WORKS

 

Now that Glenview has jurisdiction over West Lake Avenue, the village says it will soon start work on a sidewalk to connect The Glen with Glenbrook High School, and there are plans to install new signs and flashing lights at Chestnut Avenue and Enterprise Drive – the north-south roadway leading to Park Center and Attea Middle School.

 

Village traffic consultants say there’s no reason to add traffic controls there.  The volume of cars and the accident history don’t justify them, but District 34 and the Attea/Springman PTA are insisting that something be done.  If the trustees agree, signs at the intersection will inform drivers that state law requires them to stop for pedestrians, and flashing yellow lights could be activated by push buttons or programmed to operate automatically during school crossing hours.

 

SALES FALL SHORT BUT RESIDENTS CHEER NEW GLENVIEW POOLS

 

The new Flick and Roosevelt pools opened without a hitch last weekend, drawing respectable crowds on relatively cool days.  About 500 people paid a visit to Flick on Friday, spending about $1,700 on refreshments at a new concession stand – more than triple the per person spending recorded on an average day last year. The menu includes traditional kid fare – hot dogs, hamburgers and grilled cheese, but there’s also grilled fish and chicken sandwiches and Caesar salad. 

 

Sunday’s festivities were at Roosevelt Pool where workmen put finishing touches on one aquatic play space at around 6 a.m.  The last-minute work meant filling the main pool on opening day, leaving little time to warm the water.  It was supposed to be heated to around 82 degrees but was far from it.  Still, children lined up to try the new slides, giant squirt guns, diving platforms and other play features.

 

Speaking to a crowd of about 100, Park Board President Doug Kaiser praised planners for retaining the charm of the old Roosevelt Pool opened in 1946.  Among other things, they designed a center island reminiscent of the original, created a new concessions building that matches the old bath house, erected a giant photograph of the old pool to screen the concessions’ entrance and used animal statues from the original pool to decorate the grounds.

 

Commissioner Judy Beck, who has served on the park board for more than 25 years, was delighted.  Recalling her early days in Glenview, she said the original pools were surrounded by chain link fences, required ladies to wear bathing caps and barred swimmers from using any lotions.  “It was like a swimming pool in prison,” says Beck.  The new facilities, feature state-of-the-art water filters, colorful fountains, tall slides and pools to serve different age groups.

 

Director of Leisure Services Bob Quill also expressed satisfaction with the outcome.  He admitted sales of season passes were well below projections.  At one point, the district hoped to have more than 10,000 season pass holders.  So far about 7,000 have been sold.  Quill and others believe that number will rise with summer temperatures and as word of the new facilities spreads.

 

Editor’s note:  At least two groups are likely to be disappointed by the new facilities.  Some parents think the diving pool at Roosevelt is too narrow for the slides and diving platforms. A few strokes in the wrong direction, in an attempt to get clear of the dropping off point for a slide, and kids are in the path of the divers. Quill says the pools meet standards for safety set by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

 

And adults who voted for a tax hike after reading promises of lap pools at both locations will find limited opportunities to swim.  The eight-lane lap pool at Flick, for example, is only eight lanes from 9-10:30 a.m. on weekdays – an impossible time for most working people.  On Sunday, only two lanes were open, while the rest of the space was available to kids and adults at play. Questioned about the apparent bait and switch, Quill insisted there was no deception. “We’ve always called it an ‘eight-lane lap/activity pool,’” he said.  

 

At Roosevelt, where a five-lane lap pool was built, only one lane will be open most of the time.  Because lap swimmers are vastly outnumbered by children, Quill says he couldn’t justify allowing more lanes for people who want to exercise. By that argument, Glenview’s public golf courses should probably be closed immediately and converted to soccer fields.

 

BULL FANS MOURN BART’S PASSING

 

Bart the Bull, who put Glenview on the national map and sparked wisecracks from weathermen everywhere, has died. The 9-year-old animal who left Wagner Farm three years ago was found dead in the pasture of an animal sanctuary in Texas on Sunday. Farm hands suspect Bart died in his sleep, perhaps from a heart attack.  Animal Rescue Fund co-founder Biff Thiele expressed sorrow over Bart’s passing but added, “This is what we wanted for Bart -- to live out his life in a pasture with his herd.”

 

GLEN POPULATION TO BRING NEW VILLAGE REVENUE

 

Glenview has completed the first of two head counts this year at The Glen, and after notifying the state that the new development has brought about 2,500 more residents to town, village bean counters predict $150,000 in additional revenue from the Springfield in 2005 and about $300,000 next year.  Village Manager Todd Hileman says The Glen can expect 600-800 more people before it’s officially complete. Glenview’s total population:  44,443.

 

BAKER EYES RENNECKAR’S SITE IN GLENVIEW

 

A man who worked in the research kitchens of Kraft Foods and spent time on the job at  Bennison's Bakery in Evanston may be opening his own enterprise in Glenview.  Downtown business leader Jennifer Kozicki says she’s been working with the man who bakes European-style breads and pastries along with gourmet sandwiches and soups – hoping the baker might find a home at the former Renneckar’s site.  “We are the clientele that he wants,” she says, and he likes our “village charm.”  Kozicki took the man on a tour of the area and introduced him to people at Village Hall, and in the course of conversation they discovered an incredible coincidence.  At one point in each of their lives, Kozicki and the baker had lived at the same address on Chicago’s North Side. 

 

DINNER BY DESIGN COMING TO GLENVIEW

Julie Duffy says her mission is to bring the American family back to the kitchen table.  She’s the Chicago area woman who founded a business called Dinner by Design.  For about $200, customers can come to her prep kitchen for two hours each week and prepare a dozen meals using ingredients supplied by the franchise.  The busy moms or dads who still want to make dinner for their families take their handiwork home and put it in the freezer. 

Already open in six suburban Chicago locations, Dinner by Design has its sights set on seven more, including Glenview where it will open at the shopping center just south of Carillon Square.  Customers will be able to sign up for cooking sessions and check this month’s recipes online at www.dinnerbydesignkitchen.com .  Among other things, June featured Italian sausage and peppers, blackened catfish with lime and cilantro butter, chipotle citrus shrimp kabobs, Jamaican jerk chicken, Greek steak roulade, huevos rancheros casserole and curried chicken salad.

ALSO ON THE FOOD FRONT

Developer OliverMcMillan has signed a new tenant for space once occupied by Market Foods at The Glen Town Center.  Village Hall said it could not release the name of the business that will occupy all 15,000 square feet.  Next month the village hopes for more news – a tenant to take restaurant space alongside the newly opened Ted’s Montana Grill.

HISTORIC MOMENT FOR HISTORIC BUILDING

The Glenview Park District’s headquarters at 1930 Prairie Street will become Glenview’s first official historic landmark at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 22.  The historic preservation commission plans a special dedication ceremony, 76 years after the building’s original dedication as the first village hall. It has also served as a public library and a meeting place for the chamber of commerce, American Legion and Masons.  

LIBRARY LORE

Glenview’s library hosts a lecture on Toulouse Lautrec at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 28. Claire Cross will speak and show slides on the artist in advance of a new exhibit opening at the Art Institute of Chicago in July. Register at the Information Desk or call 729- 7500 ext. 112.

You can also sign up for a bus trip and tour of the “Riches of Racine,”on Saturday, July 9 with popular tour guide Bill Hinchliff. The day includes stops at the new Racine art museum, Porters of Racine furniture store, the 19th century Racine College campus, lunch, a tour around the historic town, and a final stop at a kringle bakery.  The cost is  $50. Sign up at the Information Desk.

And mark your calendar for 10 a.m. Saturday, July 2 to learn more about Anime – Japanese cartoon art.  Sign up at the information desk or call 729-7500 ext. 112. Writing tablets and pencils will be provided.

 

CURRENT EVENT CONCLAVES

 

The Democrats of Northfield Township will be making the most of those long summer nights with a series of Thursday evening lectures on current issues and events.  Here’s the schedule for those conversation to be held from 7-8:30 p.m.:

                       

June 30 – School Funding & Property Taxes at Park Center, 2400 Chestnut Ave. Ralph Martire, executive director for Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, and Donna Baiocchi, executive director for EDRED: The Voice of Suburban Schools will speak about proposed changes to the way public schools are funded and the ongoing legislative effort. 

 

Editor’s note: We’ve heard Martire speak, and he’s excellent.

 

July 14 – Local Democrats and You: Values, Ideas and the Future at the Northbrook Civic Center, 2002 Walters Ave., Northbrook. State Senator Susan Garrett, State Senator Jeff Schoenberg, State Rep. Elaine Nekritz, State Rep. Karen May and perhaps a few surprise guests will talk about this legislative session and the future.  

 

READERS WRITE

 

HS offers this analysis of a scary crash on Willow Road at Landwehr: “Last night I saw the aftermath of the accident at Willow and Landwehr. Since I live right near that
intersection, I have seen many accidents.  Most of them are similar: one car going eastbound and another car westbound, turning left onto Landwehr. My theory on this is that often the cars on eastbound Willow are just getting off the tollway, and they are used to going at a high rate of speed, and then when they get to the light they tend to fly right on through yellow or red. Also other cars are coming from eastbound Palatine Road, which is just like an expressway for speed, and they also are used to going fast.  The cars that are going westbound on Willow have only been going 35 or 45 m.p.h. and are not expecting highway traffic coming at them. Thus you have two different mindsets of drivers on a collision course.”

 

And Laura writes about another traffic concern:  “I can't believe the village has put up a ‘No Right On Red’ sign from Lehigh turning east onto Chestnut.  There are at least a dozen cars that now sit through each light sequence, almost backing into the center lane of traffic, waiting to make that turn.  The intersection has been so frustrating since the installation of the turn only arrows, and now this!  The light sequences are too long, the arrows don't always get activated, or they do and are too short. I frequently drive this way, and it's making me crazy! Can you find out why they have done this?” 

 

The Watch replies:   The “no right on red” rule was approved after several residents contacted Village Hall to report three incidents in which vehicles had turned right onto Chestnut, only to become trapped between the railroad crossing gates and the tracks.  After consulting with state traffic experts, staff recommended and the trustees make a change. Assistant Village Manager Joe Wade says the village will have its traffic engineer review the crossing to see if the lights and train sensors could be linked, allowing a green right turn arrow when no train is coming.

 

On a related note, drivers who want to go west on Chestnut from northbound Lehigh are obliged to wait for a left turn arrow. “[We] have received several phone calls and letters from residents expressing their dissatisfaction with ‘Left Turn on Green Arrow Only’ at Lehigh and Chestnut,” Wade wrote to the village board. “These motorists are particularly displeased with the time it takes to turn westbound on Chestnut Avenue from northbound Lehigh Avenue, and have asked the village to alter the sequencing or eliminate the ‘Left on Green Arrow Only’ regulation. . .Staff does not recommend [either option] for the following reasons:  [State experts] believe that current left turn movement controls are ‘one of the safest measures’ to accommodate vehicle flow at railroad intersections.  Staff has measured the delay time for this turn movement, and found that in most cases, motorists are waiting less than two minutes to turn westbound on Chestnut Avenue.  The most a single motorist waits is two minutes, 30 seconds, which primarily occurs when trains are passing the intersection and pre-empt the signal. . .Though somewhat inconvenient, motorists have the option to proceed northbound to West Lake Avenue where there are no such left turn restrictions in order to access a westbound thoroughfare through The Glen.” 

 

CF shares another reader’s concern about chemicals used to treat lawns and gardens in Glenview: “There are three wonderful books about toxic chemicals in our environment: Living Downstream and Having Faith by Sandra Steingraber, and Silent Spring by Rachel Carson.  The authors agree that about 80 percent of all cancer is caused by environmental factors.  We are poisoning ourselves with the toxic chemicals we use in our homes, spray on our lawns and crops. After reading these books I only eat organic food. Another change I made was eliminating chlorine and paper bleached with chlorine from my home. Small changes can make a difference. Companies respond to consumer demand.  Organic farming is increasing by 15-20 percent a year because people are asking for it.  We can make our choice for health known by purchasing products that support a healthier environment. A good website for information about chlorine hazards is the Chlorine Free Products Association site at www.chlorinefreeproducts.org. A site for organic info is www.organicconsumers.org. Sandra Steingraber also has a site with many useful links: www.steingraber.com.”

 

Fritz doubts District 34 will change attendance boundaries to ease overcrowding: “Whatever official said that District 34 would be willing to move boundaries and change clusters must have just popped out from under a very big rock.  Nothing has been more difficult for District 34 officials than changing boundaries to achieve balance in student populations.  I would also like to challenge the contention that the new style of teaching with open classrooms and group settings requires more space than a traditional classroom.  Anybody want to determine if the new style works?  If these career educators were interested more in outputs from our school system and less about having more and higher paid teachers we might find lots of solutions to a balloon in student population.” 

 

And WM thinks The Watch gave too little credit to those who worried about giving the Kohl Children’s Museum blanket license to hang banners: “Those banners  may appear to be a minor matter, but they are not.  Check with the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association. GNMAA has been through special requests year after year.  Without tight regulation and the courage to say ‘no,’ the banner matter turns into a nightmare.”