DOWNTOWN DOMINICK'S TO CLOSE

STORY TIME AT THE LIBRARY

Glenview’s library board has made it official – voting to construct a brand new building rather than rehab and expand its existing digs at 1930 Glenview Road.

"We could save roughly 5 percent by expanding and renovating instead of building new,” board member David Johnson told the Pioneer Press, “but we would have had to accept some significant inefficiencies and inconvenience for both the patrons and the staff.”

Because the new library will be located on a much bigger lot – taking in the former Epco Paint and post office sites, the old library can still be used while a new one, fronting on Lehigh Avenue, is constructed.
 
Ground could be broken in about a year with completion possible by September 2009.

The village board has offered to give the library up to $27.3 million for an 87,000-square-foot building with 224 parking spaces. (The current library is nearly 51,000 square feet with 90 parking spaces.)

The library board is thinking of hiring a professional fundraiser to get another $5 million – money that would enable them to build an even larger facility. The board's architect thinks 93,200 square feet would better meet the needs of Glenview.  

Architect Randy Gibson of PSA Dewberry promised some preliminary drawings by the end of April, assuming the board can decide whether it wants a two-story building that could be expanded. A stronger foundation would be needed if that’s the case.

Library trustees must also decide whether to go green – using energy efficiencies and environmentally-friendly materials recommended by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The library board will host a special meeting at 7:45 p.m. Thursday, February 1 in the Maynard Room to report on the new building. The announcement comes after a disastrous meeting earlier this month – a special session that began at 6:30 p.m. -- one hour before the regular, monthly library board meeting. Efforts to publicize the gathering were so poor that one library board member nearly missed the briefing, and most members of the public showed up at 7:30.
 
A conference room on the library’s first floor was too small to comfortably accommodate the crowd. Many people were forced to stand, and when Glenview Watch requested a tape of the proceedings we had missed, Library Board President Arlene Anthony responded, “We’ll have to ask.”

Editor’s note: Whom does Anthony have to ask?  We wonder, because we’re still waiting for that tape. The library board is elected to represent and serve the public. To that end, its members and president must be much more responsive and solicitous of those who pay the bills. Kudos to Claire McGuire, one member of the board who understands that. She told fellow members that she would not sign off on future meetings to discuss the new library unless they could be held in the larger Maynard Room. Executive Librarian Vickie Novack said the room was scheduled months in advance and might not be available, but she promised to check.

WANTED: A NEW LIBRARY TRUSTEE

Library Board Member Jerome McQuie, who played a central role in negotiating plans for a new building with the village board, says he will not seek re-election this spring. “My business travel schedule for the foreseeable future will make it harder for me to be an effective trustee during the design and construction of a new and expanded library,” McQuie said. “This is a great opportunity for another resident of Glenview to guide the construction and transition to a new library.”

INDEPENDENT ANDY SARKANY RUNNING FOR TRUSTEE

After three years as a village inspector, civil engineer and long-time resident Andy Sarkany says he’d like a seat on the village board.  The 69-year-old (who says he looks a lot younger) has never held elected office before, and he knows the odds are long, but he thinks his ideas may catch fire with local residents.

Sarkany suspects local government is too quick to hire consultants and is doing too little to shore up morale around Village Hall.  “People feel threatened by management.  They’re worried about job security and may not be as productive as they could be if morale were higher,” he explains. 

He’d also like to take a closer look at the municipal books – to evaluate the costs of various programs.  “The village owes quite a bit of money, and it will be many years before it’s repaid.  They say the TIF will go until 2017, and I’d like to have a look at that.”

If he could find the money, Sarkany adds, he’d put it into road repairs. “At the rate we’re going, we’re never going to catch up,” he explains.

A native of Hungary, Sarkany came to this country in 1957.  He got business and engineering degrees from Claremont College and the University of the Pacific, then began working in construction and serving as an appointed to Advisory Water Commission of San Joaquin County.  He’s worked on everything from residential subdivisions and highways to military housing at The Glen and Great Lakes Naval Training Center.  

A resident of Juniper Road in East Glenview, Sarkany vows to ring a lot of doorbells and talk to a lot of groups between now and Election Day. 

PROGRESS ON A POOCH PARK

The park district’s executive director met with a citizens’ group to discuss possible locations for a dog park. Reluctant to cause controversy by even discussing a neighborhood park or a section of Gallery Park, which is owned by the village, Chuck Balling expressed a preference for putting a temporary fenced area at Community Park West on Milwaukee Avenue.

Critics point out that is just a short distance from the county-owned dog park at Beck Lake, and some residents of East and Central Glenview may consider it too far to travel.

Share your views with the citizen planners by e-mailing poochpark847@aol.com.
 

PLAZA DEL PRADO WANTS PANERA AND MORE

The owners of a shopping center on the southeast corner of Willow and Pfingsten roads is again asking permission to expand – hoping to build a Panera Bread near Chase Bank.

The village has turned thumbs down on similar requests, fearing parking at the busy center is inadequate.  
 

DOUBTS ABOUT DUMB DRIVERS DOG LAKE AND WAUKEGAN PLAN

The plan commission has approved plans for a shopping strip on the northwest corner of Lake and Waukegan roads but not without some spirited debate about how cars will exit the property.

Because it will be anchored by a Bank of America, planners expect the strip to generate considerable traffic, with more than 30 cars leaving the premises each hour during the busiest times of day.  

Plan Commissioner Tom Fallon worried about the safety of drivers attempting left turns onto Lake Avenue – especially during rush hours, but the developer recalled his traffic planner’s take on the situation. “People are smart,” he said, implying folks would turn right if a left turn was too difficult.

Fallon was amused, recalling earlier testimony in which the developer argued for a particular parking lot design on the grounds that it would be safer for drivers who sometimes do dumb things.

“You’ve testified both ways – that people are smart and people are dumb,” Fallon replied, winning a laugh from those in the board room.

“If they’re dumb, they’re capable of learning,” said the developer.

Commissioner Gary Wendt continued to press for more green space on the site, hoping the developer would eliminate one of four drive through lanes, and Chairman Howard Silver suggested the builder install a clock in the bank’s small tower.

The developer agreed to a clock but refused to sacrifice any lanes or the left turn option, suggesting both were essential to the shopping center’s success.

Silver had proposed banning left turns during rush hours, but village planner Jeff Brady said Glenview ordinance made no provision for such restrictions since they were difficult to enforce.

“Even if we didn’t enforce it, it would discourage a good number of smart people – honest people who would obey it regardless.”

“We don’t put up something we’re not going to enforce,” Brady replied.

The developer claimed IDOT had approved his plans.

Silver said Lake Avenue was a county road, so the state would not have considered the issue of left turns onto Lake.

The developer pressed ahead, saying that Glenview’s traffic planner had okayed the project.

The chairman asked the developer to plan for a possible connection to Carillon Square, even though the current owner of that property has refused to link the two sites.  The chairman pointed out that should Carillon ever come to the plan commission for future improvements, they could be improved with the condition that a connection be created.

The developer agreed, and the commission sent the plan on to the appearance commission and village board for final comments and approval.

Editor’s note: The trustees should consider allowing restrictions on left turns during peak traffic hours, and the police department should enforce that restriction, since a left turn from this development onto Lake Avenue will, no doubt, be dangerous at some times of day.  
 

FAMO’S REGAINS MILWAUKEE ROAD ACCESS

After a crippling month without access to Milwaukee Avenue, the operators of a popular family-owned sub shop are back in business thanks to a little arm twisting by Glenview’s maverick Plan Commission Chairman Howard Silver. Silver scolded the owner of property just north of Famo’s when the developer decided to close a driveway that had been shared by the two properties. The developer of the former site of the Prime Minister contended Famo’s customers were taking too much of his parking, but Silver told the guy to “work it out,” and warned he might not permit left turns from the developer’s new shopping strip if he didn’t behave like a good neighbor.  
 

YOUTH SERVICES PLANS ITS NEW HOME

After months of fundraising to replace the mobile homes in which they now operate, Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook won approval from the plan commission to build a new facility on West Lake Avenue, west of the park district’s National 9’s golf course.

“It was designed to look like a very large house,” said former Village President Nancy Firfer who serves on the Youth Services board. “We think it fits very well into The Glen.”

Firfer said the building could be completed in the next year.
 

CAN VILLAGE HALL BE TRUSTED?

Jyo Etikala says she made three trips to Village Hall to discuss plans for the home she hoped to build on Glen Oak Drive. She was assured by the planning department that, based on the size of her lot, a 4,136-square-foot house could be constructed under Glenview’s maximum building size ordinance. Plans from her architect and engineer got the stamp of approval from officials at the Hall, but last week Etikala learned she might not be able to break ground for the new house.

The reason: many homes in the area adjacent to Northfield fall outside a requirement that the village have access to land 30 feet in each direction from the road’s center line. The rule makes it easier to install or repair sewers and underground utilities. If Etikala’s plans were redrawn to comply with that rule, her maximum building size would drop by about 400 square feet – a space the size of her garage.

Etikala said she had bought the land after being told a 4,100-square-foot home could be built there. “We already did the architecture plans, we did the engineering plans, we did the surveys, we spent all this money and have all these approvals, and we’re ready to build the house next month!” she explained, adding that the village could have access to her property any time.

“Was she, in fact, told that she could build a 4,000-square foot home?” asked Commissioner Steve Bucklin.

“I don’t know what she was told at the counter,” replied a village planner. Because some of the properties in the area were so close to Northfield, he added that some had been excused from the requirement.

Etikala recalled specifics of at least one visit where a village staffer had removed a book from the shelf, consulted her plat of survey and told her the easement “should not be an issue.”

“You don’t have any of that in writing, do you?” asked Bucklin.

Etikala did not.

Chairman Howard Silver pointed out that the woman’s lot was already much smaller than the size normally required by Glenview’s zoning rules. “We spent lots of months [developing the maximum building size formula]. The house has to match the lot size. I think it would be setting a dangerous precedent to allow someone to [exceed the MBS].

Commissioner Peter Brinckerhoff felt bad. “I think the petitioner has done her due diligence,” he said.

But fellow commissioners recalled how other home builders, including one across the street from Etikala, were forced to comply with the 30-foot rule, making it risky to offer an exception this time around. Instead, they advised Etikala to take her complaint to higher authorities at the zoning board of appeals and the village board.
 

THE TRUTH COMES OUT … A FEW DAYS LATE

In our last edition, we again raised concerns about William Blair – the bond brokerage firm that provided a $4,000 campaign contribution to a group supporting the District 225 bond issue that won by a narrow margin in the last election. We asked the high schools’ Assistant Superintendent of Business Affairs Craig Schilling how much Blair could expect to earn from the subsequent sale of more than $60 million in bonds. Schilling said he would get back to us.

In the meantime, industry sources said Blair could collect a fee equal to at least 1 percent of the sale price – more than $600,000. A few days later, Schilling e-mailed to say Blair had only made $134,290.

Editor’s note: That’s a far cry from $600,000, but it’s not a bad return on investment.
 

MILWAUKEE AVENUE PLANNERS SEE A WHOLE NEW STREET

A team of urban planners hired by the village to help write guidelines for future projects along Milwaukee Avenue wowed area residents with their presentation. The group spent a week collecting ideas from the community, then combined photographs and drawings to show how attractive Milwaukee Avenue could be if future developers emphasize good design and landscaping.

Their pictures eliminated overhead utility wires, added sidewalks, bike paths, trees, native grasses and wildflowers to transform the busy thoroughfare into a pedestrian-friendly place.  

Owners of about a dozen different sites along Milwaukee hope to develop their properties over the next few years, and one – inspired by the show – decided not to present his latest designs to the plan commission just yet.  Zach Joseph, whose first mini-mall drawings dismayed members of the commission last month, told Plan Commission Chair Howard Silver that he now understands what the village has in mind.
 

SUFFREDIN READY TO FIGHT

While Cook County Commissioner Gregg Goslin is playing ball with the board’s new president, Todd Stroger – going along with 17 percent across-the-board cuts to the new county budget, Commissioner Larry Suffredin is ready to fight for more selective cuts. His ally, Forrest Claypool, has questioned the fairness of treating prosecutors and county hospital doctors in the same way as patronage paper pushers.

Suffredin, who like Goslin represents part of Glenview, is hosting a public hearing on the subject at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, February 1 in the Skokie Public Library.

“I expect that the public hearings this year will be different from past years in that the board for the first time will have to function as a real legislative body,” Suffredin wrote to constituents. “In the prior years the public hearings were used as pep rallies for the proposed budget, and discussion of changing priorities was stifled.” This year, Suffredin added, the commissioners could create a spending plan that reflects the core needs of citizens. “The board’s responsibility to finish this budget in a fair and just manner has just begun,” he concludes.
 

CUMMINGS WEIGHS IN ON POND DESTRUCTION

Village President Kerry Cummings is defending the trustees’ decision to let a local developer drain a pond near Flick Park so he can build three new homes. Neighbors said the wetland had provided habitat for ducks, great horned owls and hummingbirds. They had even heard a loon. For that reason alone, Glenview could have invoked its environmentally-significant areas ordinance to protect the property.

Instead, the village board opted to stand up for the rights of a private property owner. Cummings told critics “the corridor along the North Branch of the Chicago River and the Air Station Prairie in The Glen provide better migratory bird habitat.”

"I think all the proper steps have been taken to see whether or not this is the type of piece that fits into the overall plan for the village," Cummings said. "I would really hesitate at this point to infringe on these property owners and their rights to develop their property."

Editor’s note: What exactly is Glenview’s “overall plan,” and does it put a premium on open space? Will Cummings be posting a sign for the wildlife that had used the Liberty Lane pond and woodland, instructing them on how to find the Air Station Prairie. Will woodland and wetland birds find grassland suitable habitat? Don’t ask Cummings. She hasn’t a clue. If local government will not protect the environmental rights of local residents, no one will. Glenview could have used its ordinance to deter overdevelopment -- demanding the developer give the pond to Glenview’s park district in exchange for the right to build two large homes where one small one now stands. Such a decision might have sparked a court battle, but it would have been a battle worth fighting.

Instead, Cummings and the other trustees took the easy way out, and area residents will pay the price – losing the joy of natural open space in their neighborhood and a piece of the ecosystem that contributes to clean water for the region.
 

RUNAWAY BRIDE DRESS

You’ve heard of a runaway bride, but this week’s edition of the Glenview Announcements tells of a runaway bridal gown.  Lynn Stiefel reports, “Someone's wedding dress ended up blowing across the grass behind Park Center near Lake Glenview,” where a member of the public snagged the garment and turned it into the park district.

Wrapped in a plastic bag, the dress – a size ten designed by Demetrios -- had beading on the bodice and at the bottom of the skirt. One expert estimated its value at $800-$1,000.

The district plans to keep the dress for a few weeks, giving the owner a chance to claim it. (The telephone number at Park Center is 847-724-5670.) If no one comes forward, the dress might be donated to the Glenview Theatre Guild’s costume collection. For more information, go to http://www.pioneerlocal.com/glenview/news/228330,gv-dress-012507-s1.article
 

SAVE THE DATE

Rush North Medical center offers an educational program for area residents on preparing for a disaster. The class will be held at National Louis University, 5202 Old Orchard Road, third floor from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Thursday, February 22.  To register for this free
program, call (toll-free) 224-233-2579.

READERS WRITE

BH wonders if the library board is “nuts for considering a fundraising consultant to help them raise $5 million for an additional 5,000 square feet. There were many months devoted just last year to a joint committee to allegedly decide once and for all how big the library should be. The village pledged to underwrite $27.3 million in bonds. The library board has already wasted many thousands of dollars on consultants and surveys. They even spent money to hire an architect to draw plans for a library on Glen property they didn’t own. These people could put a down payment on the mortgage for their new building with the money they’ve squandered, and now they want to start over with new plans for a bigger library! They’re acting like little kids -- throwing a tantrum because they didn’t get their way.  This has gone on long enough! The library board should just get on with it!”

Biff Thiele fears there’s an iceberg ahead as Glenview steams toward construction of a new library: “The library board has voted to demolish the old building, even though they acknowledge there would be a savings if they kept it. And guess what? They are now asking us for $5 million more in donations. They already have $27 million from Village Hall – money that came from the taxpayers. Their engineering studies have determined that the existing building is structurally sound. They acknowledge that there would be savings by rehabbing and adding on. But they reject reuse of the existing building. With no guarantee of raising an additional $5 million in donations, why demolish the building? I suggest it is because these inflexible asses have no vision beyond their egos, and their architects can’t figure out how to further inflate their commission with the current structural layout.”

Terry Wodder agrees that the library board should not build new: “Library Commissioner Dave Johnson’s claim that only 5 percent – about $1.5 million – could be saved by renovating and expanding the existing library instead of building new is  nonsense. Let’s do the math. The board wants to build a 93,000-square-foot facility for $29 million. A 43,000-square-foot addition would cost $13.8 million. In their July, 2005 feasibility study, consultant Sente Rubel Boseman Lee (SRBL) estimated that it would cost approximately $5.4 million to renovate the existing building. Therefore, the total cost to add-on and renovate would be just over $19 million or roughly $10 million dollars less than the cost to build new. That’s a savings of over 34 percent. Even if the library has to relocate during construction, the additional expense of $1.5 million would still leave a savings of $8.5 million or roughly 29 percent. Why does the board claim that the savings to add-on and renovate is so small? That’s simple. Library commissioners and their architects (PSA/Dewberry) have conspired to deceive the public into believing that the existing building is not worth saving. The quid pro quo: the board gets a new building which it has always wanted, and PSA/Dewberry gets a design contract worth almost a million dollars more than a contract to add-on.”

Fritz checks in with his take on the planning process: “These library board members must be the original creators of the movie ‘Field of Dreams.’ Build it and they will come. Hire another consultant to gather up $5 million more to build a library so large we will never be able to afford to heat and light the place. They have ignored three consultants who said the current building is in good shape, and it would save them millions of dollars to keep it and add on. Every extra $5 million they spend equals $420 per Glenview household -- $120 for every man, woman and child in town. We’re also entrusting this bunch with the choice of hiring a general contractor to oversee his own subcontractors or a construction manager who would manage subcontractors hired directly by the board. I can see it now! Uncle Joe gets the concrete work, brother Bob will be our carpenter. Cousin Elmer will put in the windows, and his nephew will do the painting. Hang on to your billfolds folks! These big spenders are just getting warmed up.”

He also challenges our reader who claimed the call for a discovery recount in District 225 cost taxpayers money, since the sale of bonds was delayed and the interest rates went up: “IGM has no idea what he is talking about. Bond rates are lower now than when the district cooked up this tax grab scheme, and if IGM thinks the district could put together a bond deal before the ink on the ballots was dry, he must have some inside information the rest of us don't know about. Even if you think you are going to win such an election you are required to wait until the outcome of the vote is legally certified.”

Mr. Bill is mad as hell over poor service at the new post office: “The new building is a very nice facility that offers sufficient parking -- a great improvement over the street mayhem of the older building. I use the post office on a regular basis and find the staff to be very friendly and gracious, so I don’t blame them for what I’m about to say. The postal service persuaded Glenview to pay for this new facility because officials claimed they were unable to serve our growing community with an outmoded post office built to accommodate a smaller village of a bygone era. If the goal was to serve a greater amount of people than before, then why on earth didn't they include more service counters in their design? This, it seems, would be a natural addition. Yet, the new office has the same number as the old one. Not only have they not taken on any new staff to further accommodate our growing community, but the fixed number of counters now assures that they won’t do so anytime soon -- unless taxpayers want to fund further additions. There were 18 people in line when I arrived at the post office yesterday, and I had to wait 25 minutes. Big improvement, eh? The public also bears some responsibility for delays. I get so aggravated watching the clerks get bogged down in measuring, wrapping, boxing, taping and labeling things that people should have accomplished on their own at home. It is reasonable to provide materials and instructions for unprepared customers if necessary, but postal employees should be barred from doing customers’ work for them. I understand some accommodation for elderly or disabled patrons, but the amount of fully capable but clueless patrons has reached an all time high.”

New resident Bryan McGaw “is very surprised that Glenview has no dog park. “Why can't the board see that a dog park is needed? It seems to me that the board members are dragging their paws since they probably do not have pets. The board needs to find a suitable location and figure out a way to ensure that Glenview’s pooch park does not turn into a mud trap like Beck Lake. I would be in favor of paying a small fee to use it. This helps maintain the park and also eliminates many of the people who may not clean up after their dogs.” 

Randy Lipnitzky, president & CEO of Electrogeek, was dismayed to learn that a Schaumburg company was hired to advise Glenview on its information technology needs: “It's interesting that the village did not turn to it's own chamber of commerce for options. There are several computer support businesses that belong to that group. I have 17 years of experience in the field of information technology, but I was never contacted or asked to submit a bid for the contract. So much for supporting Glenview business.”

NT got one of those funny e-mails that make the e-rounds. She couldn’t help but compare the tale to the way Village Hall does business: “A Japanese company and an American company decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day, the Japanese team won by a mile. The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese team had eight people rowing and one person steering, while the American team had eight people steering and one person rowing. So American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing. To prevent another loss to the Japanese, the American rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to four steering Supervisors, three area steering superintendents and one assistant superintendent steering manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the one person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the ‘Rowing Team Quality First Program’ with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses. The next year the Japanese won by two miles. Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the senior executives as bonuses, and the next year's race was outsourced to India.”

JHH thinks it’s time to ban driveway storage units: “It dawned on me recently that several of these PODS self-storage containers have been in certain peoples' driveways for not days or weeks, but many, many months. PODS, in my opinion, are unsightly: aesthetically intrusive, glaringly white with large advertising script. They are nothing more than a covered dumpster! My question is: What time, location or other limits are there, and also, whom do I call to complain?”

The Watch replies: Officials at Village Hall tell us that POD storage containers are banned in Glenview -- with two exceptions. They're allowed in the event of an emergency, such as a flood or fire, until the homeowner is able to make other arrangements for storage, and they can be used during a construction project, in which case the POD must sit within the construction fencing until the project is completed.

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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