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The Glenview Watch
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UGS AIM TO PUSH SOLE OPPONENT OFF THE BALLOT
Glenview’s good old boys are poised to push their sole political opponent off the spring ballot, giving members of the Unite Glenview Party a sure victory. Incumbents Jim Patterson and Phil White join Scott Britton in running for three seats on the board of trustees. Political outsider Andy Sarkany, who had worked as an inspector for the village, also hoped to run, but the UG party has challenged his nominating petitions, claiming some of the 165 signatures came from residents who are not registered to vote. Sarkany needs at least 143 valid signatures to assure a spot on the ballot.
The political novice left his homeland – Hungary -- at the age of 19, to escape a communist system of government.
Editor’s note: While the UGlies are within their rights to challenge Sarkany, their behavior amounts to bullying and can only serve to discourage others from seeking elective office. Seven people are competing for seats on the park board, but only one independent has offered to serve as a village trustee. Is that because the UGlies play hard ball in every local election? They’ve paid outside consultants to write bogus letters to discredit their opponents. One prominent UG spread a rumor that candidate Donna Pappo was anti-Semitic – a ludicrous claim in light of the fact that Pappo’s husband is Jewish. They’ve raised huge amounts of money from mysterious sources to do market research about local voters – then mailed slick color ads parroting what a majority of voters have said. Once in office, of course, their actions have little to do with what the public may want.
TIME TO PEDAL YOUR BICYCLING IDEAS
Village Hall invites residents to share their ideas for making Glenview a better place to ride bikes. They’ll host a public hearing at 7 p.m. Thursday, February 22 in the community room of the police station at 2500 E. Lake Avenue. Participants are expected to discuss bike routes, paths, lanes on streets, and locations that pose special dangers to cyclists.
Some village planners think bikes should only be allowed on sidewalks, but that view runs counter to safety experts who say that the best place for bicyclists is in the streets where drivers are more likely to see them.
Sidewalks pose particular dangers for bicyclists because motorists entering or leaving driveways or making turns at intersections often fail to look for cyclists or pedestrians on sidewalks. Bicyclists on sidewalks can also put pedestrians at risk, and because some streets lack sidewalks, bicyclists have no choice but to ride on the road.
Editor’s note: We hope the village and its internationally-known consultant T.Y. Lin will:
-- Make all streets in The Glen friendly to bicyclists.
-- Make engineering and sign changes at the intersection of Harms and Glenview roads, where the North Branch Trail crosses, to reduce the potential for accidents. Traffic heading east on Glenview Road doesn’t always stop at Harms when making right turns on red, and cars going southbound on Harms don’t always yield to bicyclists before turning right onto Glenview Road. Officials have known about this situation for years, but have done little to remedy the situation.
-- Follow Northbrook’s lead by painting chevrons, white arrows with a bike logo, on village streets to let drivers know cyclists use the street.
-- Stripe Glenview Road from Waukegan to Harms with bike lanes or use chevrons on each side to remind drivers that they must share the road with cyclists.
-- Plot and design east-west routes for bicyclists. The two major thoroughfares, Willow Road and Lake Streets, are not bike friendly and probably never will be.
-- Make sure any village bike routes or bike paths connect with routes and paths in neighboring communities.
-- When rebuilding or designing streets, be sure the needs of cyclists, pedestrians and disabled people are considered.
-- Establish a permanent bike task force of citizens, village staff and police, like the ones in Northbrook and Wilmette, to monitor bicycling issues and make recommendations to Village Hall.
-- Encourage collaboration with the park district, police department and two local bike shops to develop, promote, and sponsor bike rodeos and safety training classes.
GLEN WATCH
-- Von Maur is appealing its assessed property tax valuation, and the village is joining high school District 225 in contesting that appeal. Village Manager Todd Hileman says Glenview agreed to join the high school because, “We have an obligation to assure that the assessments are fair. We have an obligation to support the school.”
Von Maur has yet to repay a $5 million loan from the village under the terms of an agreement that triggers sharing of profits once the store is earning $200 per square foot of retail space. “I don’t expect them to be able to make that this year,” Hileman said.
The costs of this legal battle (an estimated $7,500) will be borne by the TIF.
-- The Book Market at The Glen Town Center has reopened after closing for several weeks to remodel. Now 6,000 square feet smaller, the shop is being managed by a successful Chicago chain, Barbara’s Bookstores, and will feature fewer discounted volumes. The remaining space has been taken by a new tenant, a casual clothing store for girls between the ages of 7-14. Justice, Just for Girls, which is owned by The Limited, was created to increase sales at neighborhood strip malls. Because rents tend to be lower there than at major malls, the company can charge 20-30 percent less than at its upscale counterpart, the Limited Too.
IS VILLAGE BLEEDING MONEY TO UPGRADE EMERGENCY DISPATCH?
After spending $25 million on a new police station, the village continues to shell out large amounts of cash for law enforcement infrastructure. The trustees are expected to approve a payment of nearly $1 million at their next meeting to upgrade radio dispatch and record-keeping functions. “Our systems were not up to date,” says Village Manager Hileman. “There had been so little invested in technology. We’re limping along. Our record keeping is not what it should be. Last year the system was so slow that we were spending a fortune in overtime to put information into the computer.”
Hileman hoped a new system would be fully functional and personnel trained by summer, but said the village is “hostage to vendors delivering software and training.”
The village also notes that in merging police and fire dispatch, it’s been able to find jobs for all of the displaced dispatchers who wanted work.
Editor’s note: Critics still contend
Deputy Village Manager Chris Clark defends the changeover, saying it's not possible to have a combined dispatch center using two different kinds of software.
"When a municipality has separate dispatch centers for police and fire and decides to consolidate those centers, as is the case in Glenview, the municipality has the opportunity to select one cross-functional system for the new center. Glenview had Cross Current software for computer aided dispatch in place for the fire department and New World software was purchased for the police department. The village is considering moving forward with the New World system under one agreement for both departments. The New World system provides better functional features that will help the police and fire departments improve even further their ability to serve the community," he writes.
"Three hundred thousand dollars in one-time capital costs were invested in Cross Current for fire dispatch since 2001. Because the village also dispatched for the Wilmette and Wheeling Fire Departments during some or all of this time, revenues from those communities defrayed some of this capital expense. Concentrating our resources in one consolidated center will reduce duplication of expenses and eliminate the need to transfer calls from one center to the other within the community."
Critics figure it might have been cheaper to stay with two separate dispatch systems. They foresee at least $1 million more in costs to consolidate and contend the following expenditures will be necessary:
-- $1,000 for every squad car, fire truck and ambulance in the emergency fleet, since few computers in those vehicles will work with the new software
-- Conversion of all radios in police squad cars to the fire department’s Alvarion system. Some say Alvarion is archaic. It covers only 50%-70% of the village. Once a fire truck leaves a covered area or goes faster than 35 miles per hour, the Alvarion signal is lost, and field crews can only communicate with dispatch via Motorola radios and cell phones.
-- Installation of two or three additional towers at a cost of about $18,000 apiece to extend coverage. Once that’s done, the Alvarion system should reach 90% of Glenview but will not extend to neighboring communities where we also provide assistance.
Clark says about $480,000 will be invested in consolidating dispatch, while another $512,000 will allow the village to consolidate its records management system and upgrade mobile computing. Some of that money might have been spent in future years, but village administrators see cost savings in making the changes all at once.
He says there's no public safety risk associated with less than 100 percent coverage through the Alvarion system and the village made a deliberate decision to build the system up gradually. "With any mobile computing system, high vehicle speeds effect reliability. Optimally, the village will have a system that provides enhanced coverage," Clark says.
REAL ESTATE WATCH
-- The village is trying to broker a deal that would make the downtown Dominick’s site available for another grocery store. Right now, parent company Safeway has five years left on its lease with the owner of the property and would pay a substantial penalty for early termination of that agreement. What’s more, Dominick’s is said to be concerned about a competitor doing business downtown. The chain presumably hopes current shoppers will make the trip west to Dominick’s on Patriot Boulevard and could opt to leave the Waukegan Road store empty for the length of its lease. Village Manager Todd Hileman said the property’s owner is willing to waive the penalty if another tenant agrees to sign a long-term lease. Glenview has approached a couple of small grocery chains about locating here, but Hileman says, “Dominick’s still holds all the cards. We’re trying to play matchmaker right now. That’s about the only role for us.”
-- A private investment group has paid $26 million for one of Glenview’s largest apartment complexes – Valley Lo Towers II. The new owner plans to convert rental units to condominiums in 2009.
-- The Regency Development Group has opened an office on Waukegan Road after quietly buying up several properties near Village Hall. The developer has plans for condos and shops in the neighborhood, but the firm may be waiting for Glenview to approve a new form based code – a zoning approach that some consider more friendly to developers.
MORE MONTHLY PARKING AT NORTH GLENVIEW METRA STOP
The village has negotiated an agreement with Metra to release 225 more spaces at The Glen of North Glenview train station for permit parking, bringing the total number available at that station to 385. Glenview resident permits cost $300 annually, $150 for six months; non-resident permits cost $400, $200 for six months. Downtown parking permits can be exchanged for permits at The Glen. For more information, call the 847-904-4350.
KIRK’S ABOUT FACE
After years of steadfast support for the war in Iraq, Congressman Mark Kirk did a sudden about face, joining members of the U.S. House who approved a non-binding resolution objecting to President Bush’s plan to send another 21,000 troops. Kirk faced a strong challenge in the last election, nearly losing his seat to a political newcomer Dan Seals.
PARK DISTRICT NEWS AND NOTES
-- Officials have submitted a basic map of new sports fields to be built at Community Park West on Milwaukee Avenue. Administrators hope to hire consultants to help with creation of those fields and a dog park. Residents are invited to comment during Thursday’s meeting, beginning at 7 p.m. in Park Center.
-- The district will ask for state funds to help with those projects and to improve energy efficiency at Park Center or the ice rink.
-- The park district is exploring a land swap with high school District 225. The exchange would make it possible to add another sheet of ice at the rink.
-- Mary Van Arsdale, who has served as the district’s director of recreation services for the past eight years, will leave to accept the top job at Lake Forest’s park district. Jason Herbster, manager of recreation programs and aquatic operations, will be promoted to the director’s job.
-- People who drive through local parks will face tough new penalties for speeding or running stop signs. The village has proposed a $300 fine, with $50 going to a special parks safety fund.
-- Glenview took home five awards from the state’s park and recreation association, winning praise for the annual Wagner Farm Dairy Breakfast, the new Wagner Farm Heritage Center, a brochure created for that facility and two marketing publications for the tennis club.
-- Tennis club memberships go on sale March 5.
FITNESS CENTER PUMPING UP
After conducting a survey of customers at Park Center Health and Fitness, the district concludes it’s time to improve facilities for spinning – indoor cycling that improves cardiovascular health. Administrators are looking for a larger space and planning to buy more bikes after adding eight new spinning classes to the winter schedule.
In May, the fitness center plans to open a half hour earlier – at 5 a.m. Monday through Friday, and finally recognizing a fundamental impetus to exercise (the New Year’s resolution), the district says it will be open on January 1, 2008.
Customers also complained about a lack of sinks in the locker rooms. Administrators say they’re adding sinks and replacing troublesome locks this month.
Finally, during February Heart Month, the center will team up with Evanston Northwestern Helthcare to offer free body fat and blood pressure tests on Wednesday, February 21.
THE GREEN SCENE
-- The Grove is preparing for the next coming of the 17-year cicadas with a major exhibit about the bugs. Experts say we usually have several hundred cicadas per acre each summer, but every 17 years the number jumps dramatically to as many as 1.5 million per acre.
-- The park district is on track to begin offering tours at the Air Station Prairie this spring. Officials have created a budget for maintenance and programs.
-- Mild weather in early January allowed parks’ landscapers to move more than 200 trees from the Flick Park seedling nursery to Community Park West and to transplant dozens of wild juniper trees from land along the tollway. They’re now putting down roots at the nursery and will someday grace area parks.
DOWN ON THE FARM
-- The district is looking for volunteers to help milk the new cow – Rita. She arrived last month and has been producing nearly 60 pounds of milk per day. Local children taking part in the Dairy Detectives program enjoyed pouring fresh milk into a separator and removing the cream.
-- The Wagner Farm gift shop now features Maytag Blue Cheese from Newton, Iowa. Some chefs consider it the best in the world.
-- The new Heritage Center has hosted its first rental – a fundraising event for St. David’s Preschool. A second rental was scheduled less than a week later.
THE YOUNG AND THE YOUNG AT HEART
-- The Kohl Children’s Museum has rescheduled its free family night. Glenview residents are invited to come by from 5:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, March 7. Bring some form of identification with your current address to 2100 Patriot Blvd.
-- A record 52 children were cast in this year’s production of the Glenview Children’s Theater: Captain Bree and Her Lady Pirates. Catch the show March 3, 4, 10 or 11 at Park Center.
-- Parents can now register children for park district summer programs and pay an initial deposit online. Residents can also make contributions to the Fourth of July celebration via the park district’s website.
-- The parks’ technology manager is working on a way for hungry outdoor pool patrons to charge their snacks using their season’s pass card.
-- The Glenview Senior Center is planning its 50th anniversary celebration, with special events kicking off in September and running throughout the year. For more information, contact planning committee head Dick Boyer.
-- The Cook County Sheriff offers residents over the age of 65 a free 911 cell phone from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Thursday, March 29 at the North Shore Senior Center, 161 Northfield Road. Call 847-784-6030 and provide reference number N1831A to register for the giveaway.
FORE!
-- Season’s golf passes go on sale at the Glenview Park Golf Club on Monday, February 26.
-- The club hosts a winter “Closest to the Pin” competition from 12:30-2 p.m. Saturday, March 3.
-- The Café hosts an all-you-can-eat fish fry from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, February 23, March 2 and March 9.
-- Glenview’s Rick Wilson will meet with 10 other North Shore golf superintendents to discuss budgets and maintenance practices, hoping to find more cost efficient ways to do business.
READERS WRITE
Terry Wodder can’t understand why the library board wants to raise $5 million more for a bigger building: “When is enough, enough? At 1930 Glenview Road the answer would appear to be never. Last summer the village board offered the library $26.3 million to expand to 89,000 square feet. Sounds about right, doesn’t it? Northbrook expanded to 85,000 square feet nine years ago, and since then attendance has been in a free fall, perhaps because so many people now get their information online. So, why does the board want even more room? If members would simply adjust their numbers from 366 patron seats to 166, they would not need 4,000 additional square feet. Why 166? That’s the number Anders C. Dahlgren, a national expert on library planning, says is appropriate for a community this size. His number is even higher than what’s recommended by the The American Library Association. “But maybe Glenview patrons use their library in higher than average numbers. If that’s the case, it would be worth looking at the library’s latest patron seating study – a document that might show you how many seats are actually occupied at any given time. “Sad to say, Board President Arlene Anthony, Executive Librarian Vickie Novak and the rest of the brain trust at 1930 Glenview Road have not done such a study. Meanwhile, several dozen random counts by a community group called SOLD found the average number of occupied seats was less than 30! “Lack of due diligence? You bet. A failure to exercise their fiduciary responsibility to the citizens of Glenview? Absolutely. The additional 200 chairs they don’t need will take up 6,000 square feet at a cost of $1.2 million upfront and another million in higher bond interest and operating costs over the next 20 years. How many CEO’s in the private sector would add to production capacity without knowing how much excess capacity already exists? “This is just one example of the dark cloud that has hung over the library’s planning process from the beginning. There is more to come. You can count on it.” MO was mystified: “Imagine my surprise on returning home at 9 p.m. Tuesday to find a private truck plowing my street in the 3100 block of Harrison St .-- the full length from Warren to Greenwood and both sides! This vehicle had strobe lights built into the existing bumper and taillights but no village identification, and it seemed undersized for street plowing. Was this just a noble citizen using his or her own vehicle? Perhaps the 'permanent government’ in Glenview is outsourcing more than just IT services? Granted this end of town usually is plowed lastly and poorly, so I am thankful the street was cleaned, but I wonder who was doing it?” The Watch replies: Village spokesperson Janet Spector Bishop says that must have been a noble citizen at work on your street. Glenview does have some subcontractors, but they only work in The Glen Town Center and at village-owned facilities. AU also writes about snow removal: “Any idea what the purpose of Glenview's massive snow removal project was at 1 a.m. Monday in the commuter lots? I live next to one downtown, and they were out there clearing snow till at least 2:30 a.m. with large equipment that was rather loud backing up and scrapping the roadway. I cant imagine the cost of man hours and fuel for all of this. Temperatures this week are supposed to be in the forties. Why couldn't they just let the stuff melt?”The Watch replies: Public works' policy is not to let snow melt. The guys are paid to shovel so commuters show up and park without getting snow on their shoes. And -- of course -- nobody would get paid if the guys stayed home.
MK wonders why the village that paid big bucks to put muzak in parking garages at The Glen Town Center can’t afford to help people find their cars: “ Has anyone ever written about the lack of labels in the lots at The Glen Town Center? It took me half an hour to find my car after a movie one night. It’s partly my fault for failing to pay attention, but it would help if the village affixed numbers or letters to each row. With a stencil, I could put them on myself!”
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.