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The Glenview Watch
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THE ROAD TO HELL
Helen Bammesberger couldn’t stop shaking. The Glenview grandmother and owner of Red’s Towing Service had been in business here since 1959, and for the past 30 years she had a contract with the village. When cars broke down or couldn’t be driven after a crash, when they were abandoned or parked in tow zones, the Glenview police called Red’s, and a tow truck was sent.
On Monday, friends alerted Bammesberger to a 38-page documented posted on the village website suggesting the business be awarded to an Evanston company, North Shore Towing.
Bammesberger knew the village had sought bids for the work, and her company had done the paperwork. Friends at the police department told her not to worry. After all, Red’s is located in the heart of Glenview – on Lehigh Road near two Metra stations, making it a convenient choice for area residents. What’s more, the contract – which represents three quarters of Red’s business -- had been renewed for 30 years without public complaint.
The bad news came without warning. “They were going to put me out of business and not even tell me!” Bammesberger complains. “This has got to be one of the most underhanded, dishonest things that’s happened to a citizen of Glenview. It was like somebody put a bullet in my brain.”
Bammesberger is at a loss to explain the proposed change. She thinks maybe Village Hall wants her family to sell her land on Lehigh Avenue near Chestnut – a gateway to The Glen. It’s zoned for industry, but condos and a new Glenview State Bank branch have now been built nearby, and Bammesberger knows the new residents are unhappy about tow trucks coming and going, day and night.
Village Manager Todd Hileman offers a different explanation. It wasn’t a matter of saving the village money, since most tow costs are paid by car owners who want to get their vehicles back. But as a matter of good government, Hileman says the business should have been put up for bids on a regular basis. “In the past, we could not find evidence of a formal process – a fair selection process,” he told the trustees.
So Hileman asked the chief of police and Glenview’s purchasing agent to issue a request for proposals or RFP. They put an ad in the paper and notified seven area towing companies, including Gerber Collision and Glass, an auto body shop next door to Red’s. The two companies have an informal partnership. Red’s often refers business to Gerber, and when that happens, Gerber says it will pay the towing fee normally charged by Red’s to car owners.
For some reason, however, the village sent its notice to an old address for Gerber in Skokie, and the company says it never got the RFP.
Six firms bid on the contract including Red’s. North Shore reportedly offered to tow vehicles for $115 apiece, while Red’s price was $150. (Red's later explained that it includes in that fee a charge for cleaning up the street after an accident and -- when necessary -- pulling cars from ditches. The company notes $150 is the same rate it receives from the state and the Illinois Tollway authority for tows from I-94 and I-294.)
When other possible charges were added into the estimate (after hours release fees, service calls, vehicle lockouts, daily storage charges and emergency tows) North Shore was even cheaper -- $123 less than Red’s. (Since customers never call for all of these things at the same time, however, this figure is of questionable relevance.)
The four other bidders also exceeded North Shore’s price.
Bammesberger says Glenview should not decide the matter on price alone. She contends that retrieving a car from North Shore will not be convenient for most Glenview residents and reads from the police department’s own report on North Shore: “Their yard for Glenview tows is located in Northbrook on Waukegan Road. . . but the company is still working with the Village of Northbrook to put up a business sign at their driveway entrance. Their entrance is a gravel access road, and their business can not be seen from Waukegan Road. You must drive north, then west down the access road.”
The same report also confirms Bammesberger’s claim that her company has provided good service to Glenview over the years: “We have used Red’s Towing as one of our providers for 20 plus years and have had no problems with the service they provide,” it says.
The general manager of Red’s, Bammesberger’s husband Vince, appeared before the village board Tuesday to protest. As a matter of good government, he thought Village Hall routinely supported local businesses. “We try to keep our area clean and organized. We provide abandoned vehicles to the Glenview Police Department for training almost on a monthly basis. We treat our customers, most of whom are village residents, with respect. We maintain a well-lighted lot with visible signage,” he told the trustees.
“Our prices are publicly advertised, so it’s easy to initially underbid us,” he continued. He suggested North Shore had offered low rates “merely to get a foot in the door,” and predicted the firm would raise its rates once a contract was awarded.
A spokesman for Red’s partner, Gerber, added that awarding the contract to North Shore would send tax revenues to Evanston.
OTHER BIDDERS IRATE
Lin-Mar Motors, which has the contract to tow cars in Morton Grove, Golf and Lincolnwood, was also incensed by the police department’s recommendation. While its bid was higher than that submitted by North Shore, it was lower than Red’s.
Lin-Mar was not recommended, however, because the police department contended it did not have a lot within three miles of Glenview. “They listed they would be using Chuck’s Auto Body [1652 Waukegan Road in Glenview] as their storage yard, but the business manager at Chuck’s said they would not lease to Lin-Mar Towing for this use, which means Lin-Mar does not have a yard within our geographic limitations,” wrote Sgt. Terry Urbanowski, the police department’s point person for the bidding process.
What’s more, Urbanowski noted that Lin-Mar’s state license to relocate cars from private property had been “revoked.”
The son of Lin-Mar’s founder appeared before the village board Tuesday to protest. Ron Lundin said the company only tows from public property, so it didn’t need the relocator’s license and had allowed it to lapse.
A spokesman for the ICC, Brian Sterling, confirmed that the term “revoked does not mean they did anything wrong.” He suggested it would be easy enough for Lin-Mar to renew the license, and under the terms of the village contract, the company would need to do that.
Lundin also claimed the staffer with whom he had arranged things at Chuck’s was absent on the day the police department inquired, but he promised a letter from Chuck’s to verify that the Glenview firm would store cars for Lin-Mar.
Lundin said Glenview police had visited his lot in Morton Grove and determined that it was less than three miles from the village. “If we weren’t within that limitation, we weren’t going to put a bid in,” Lundin told the trustees.
Finally, he alleged that North Shore exceeds the geographic requirement.
Editor’s note: The Watch checked on that point. North Shore is, in fact, more than three miles from the nearest Glenview intersection (Shermer and Willow). The lack of a sign makes it difficult to find, and residents might be unnerved by the location – an industrial area adjacent to Cook County Forest Preserve Property and the Edens/I-294 spur. We visited the site at around 7 p.m. and didn’t see a soul. A sign on the locked gate hung upside down, inviting the public to ring a bell for service.
Northbrook officials say they are not working with North Shore to post a sign along Waukegan Road, since that land is unincorporated and belongs to the county. Arranging to post a commercial sign on forest preserve property could prove difficult.
AND FURTHERMORE …
The police department noted that North Shore had a re-locator’s license from the Illinois Commerce Commission. “The ICC Police inspect licensed companies and their equipment to make sure everything is safe and all state standards are met,” the report states.
In fact, the ICC’s Sterling says inspection is not usually part of the licensing process and has no bearing on companies that tow from public property.
Both Lin-Mar and Red’s stressed the importance they place on service. Both have worked closely with local fire departments to train and assist with rescues after serious accidents.
These boasts prompted the owner of North Shore to step up. “We, too, are very serious about out business,” said Bob Cole. “We’ve been in business over 25 years. I have 22 tow trucks. I have 60 people who work for me. We submitted a bid in accordance with the RFP, and to my knowledge you’ve chosen us as the most qualified bid. I don’t understand why we’re on trial here,” he said.
Editor’s note: The Hileman administration may have been trying to do the right thing, but we fear the manager has led Glenview into one big mess. Red’s has consulted an attorney, and other bidders may do the same. Local taxpayers will, once again, be handing hard-earned dollars to the village attorney to defend what was, at best, a sloppy, ill-conceived process.
Hileman contended that under local ordinance the board could only consider price when assessing bids in response to an RFP. The village could, however, change its rules, and we think that might make sense. Convenience is, after all, important to local residents, and for many a tow lot off Waukegan Road north of Dundee is quite a hike. Residents might save on the initial tow, but they could end up spending even more to have their cars towed back to Glenview for repair.
Because it is close to many Glenview garages, to the Metra station, and to all area residents, Red’s is a logical choice for Glenview. A check of other communities shows a clear preference for local towing vendors. Evanston does business with Evanston-based North Shore. Morton Grove contracts with Morton Grove-based Lin-Mar. Winnetka, Wheeling and Northbrook also call home town towing companies.
On the other hand, Glenview is a big community, and a case could be made for dividing the contract based on geography or consumer preference. What’s clear, however, is that deciding by price alone is not the most sophisticated approach.
One other thought for Village Hall. North Shore’s contract with Evanston is a money maker for both the tow company and the city. In 2001, the firm signed a three-year agreement to give the city $20 for each $110 tow. In just three months, Evanston took-in $17,000. In 2004, North Shore told Evanston it could no longer afford to do tows for so little money, and the city council raised tow rates to $130, demanding a kick-back of $10.
FORTUNES SHIFT FOR SPURNED GLENVIEW STAFFER
Dale Chellis was bitter when Village Manager Todd Hileman fired him after less than a year on the job. Chellis was chosen over dozens of candidates who applied to head Glenview’s information technology department, so his dismissal came as a big shock, but fate has dealt Dale a new hand.
Chellis was visiting his mother in New Hampshire this spring when he and his wife picked up a Powerball ticket at a local liquor store.
“When they went home to Illinois, they heard a winning ticket for $67 million had been sold at that store, and after consulting the New Hampshire Lottery web site, the Lake Zurich couple realized they were millionaires.
The state has wired $31 million (the one-lump cash option) to their Illinois account, and after taxes they’ll have $23.9 million.
STILL NO MONEY FROM VON MAUR
Glenview has seen the annual report from Von Maur, the anchor department store at The Glen, and while sales were up nearly 14 percent from 2005, they’re not yet sufficient to trigger revenue-sharing with the village. Under a 2002 agreement, Glenview gave Von Maur $5 million to assist with construction of the store – a no-interest loan. In exchange, Von Maur said it would begin sharing profits once they have gross sales of $200 per square foot.
POLICE STILL SEEKING SUSPECT
Glenview Police and other law enforcement agencies are still searching for a young man who attacked three people, killing one, on a walking trail at Camp Pine Woods in the forest preserve bounded by River Rd., Euclid Avenue, I-294 and Central Ave. The attack occurred after a fight between the victims and the attacker. One victim is deceased, two victims were injured. The suspect is 20-25 years of age, about six feet tall with short brown hair and a long, thin face. When last seen, the man was wearing glasses and a gray Michigan sweatshirt.
COMMUNITY MOVES TO KEEP PROFIT OUT OF SCHOOL REFERENDA
In the wake of several local elections where the bond firm William Blair made contributions in support of referenda that would, eventually, mean profits for the company, the school board in Cary, Illinois has changed its rules.
Any company or individual doing $10,000 or more in business with the district within a fiscal year is barred from contributing to any political campaign that directly affects the district for a period of two years after completion of business with the district.
What’s more, for two years the district may not enter into significant business with a company or individual that has contributed to a political campaign that directly affects the district.
A group supporting the tax hike narrowly approved for School District 225 got a $4,000 contribution from Blair. The Chicago firm ended up collecting in excess of $130,000 in fees for the sale of the bonds.
For more on Blair’s generosity, go to http://www.illinoisloop.org/elections.html#contributions
PARK PLANS PROVE PRICEY, RESIDENTS MUST BE PATIENT
After weeks of public discussion about development of new land along Milwaukee Avenue near Abt Electronics, park district planners unveiled projected costs. They hope to construct a park service garage, a dog park, baseball complex, fields for soccer, football and lacrosse. The likely price tag: $5.75-$7.89 million.
Some of the expense is linked to the fact that land along Milwaukee does not drain well. Creating sports fields in such areas requires extensive engineering and landfill.
The dog park alone, a 6-acre site, could cost half a million dollars. Dog lovers were pleased to see plans for small fountains where their canines could cool off in hot weather and rinse off mud, but they were startled to see the park district budget for seven trash cans at $1,000 apiece.
Officials said the cost was high because the attractive metal receptacles would be anchored in concrete.
The park district plans to develop the land over time, as funds become available. Officials hope for a $400,000 grant from the state and $700,000 from Glenview Youth Baseball. By 2008 they could have $2.875 million available for the project.
Construction would not begin until March 2008, with the dog park opening in the fall of 2009 and ball diamonds available in April of 2010.
RIVER CLEAN UP SHOWS PROGRESS
For the first time, nature lovers say the banks of the West Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River appear to be cleaner. This year’s volunteer clean-up produced less trash than usual. Under pressure from the village, owners of the Willow Road shopping center anchored by Target and Kohl’s have begun cleaning their parking lot on a regular basis – apparently reducing the amount of paper that blows into the river next door. Village Manager Todd Hileman and Trustee Phil White have also pressed for increased maintenance of the scenic property by village contractors.
In addition to picking up paper, plastic, cans and bottles, volunteers cut brush and collected goodies from local merchants who lent support to the effort. Steak ‘N Shake provided 50 cups of hot chocolate for the morning crew, while Chipotle provided free chips and salsa to those who were still working at noon.
BIKE RODEO A BIG DRAW
The Glenview Police Department's first bike fair for children drew more than 100 people to its parking lot last weekend. Sixty-one kids went through a bike skills course, and some parents registered their bikes for easier tracking if they’re lost or stolen.
Volunteer support for the event was "incredible," said Sgt. Terry Urbanowski, chief of Glenview’s traffic division. She also thanked Andrew Levenentz of Smart Cycling Bike Shop, Alan Rubin of Glenview Cyclery and Don Enger of North Shore Cyclery for making free bike repairs and fitting helmets on the children.
Five local school crossing guards donated their time for the event as did volunteers
from Glenbrook Hospital. The medical center donated 30 helmets to the event and assisted with fitting them. Other volunteers came from the Rotary Sunrise Club, Glenbrook South High School and the Evanston Bicycle Club.
CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME
-- The Glenview Women of Today are looking for a few good teammates to walk in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life at Glenbrook South High School on June 1-2. Proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society. In addition, the group will offer a children’s activity program from 6 to 8 pm on Friday, June 1, with airbrush tattooing and temporary hair color. For more information about the Relay for Life, go to www.acsevents.org, click on In My Community and follow the menus from there.
Glenview Women of Today, a chapter of U.S. Women of Today, is a service organization dedicated to local educational and community pursuits. For more information, or to join, see www.glenviewwomenoftoday.org
-- Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook will be hosting their annual Family Day from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday, June 2 at Johns Park, 2101 Central, with food, games and entertainment. To volunteer for Family Day contact Kim at 847-724-2620, and to learn more about Youth Services, visit www.youthservices-gn.org .
READERS WRITE
Jim Sullivan “applauds the Watch's comments on the student teacher at Springman. Open and honest discussions in the classroom will educate our children far more than telling lies in order to protect personal lives of teachers. By telling the truth, the student teacher had the opportunity to engage in an educational and productive conversation about drug use and its pitfalls. Are teachers going to be asked to never tell children that they have driven their cars over 55 mph or had immaculate conceptions from which their children came? I have 100 percent trust and faith in our teachers to have these frank discussions and sharing of experiences with my children. Parenting starts and ends at home, but the middle ground is affected daily by these true professionals! This student teacher can educate my children any day of the week and I am embarrassed by the actions of these employees of ours that we call administrators.”
Mr. Bill does not agree: “I will agree that as a student teacher, maybe dismissal was a little too harsh. This person is considered ‘in training’ after all. Such an action could hurt this guy professionally. I don't, on the other hand, have a problem with the message it sends. Teachers are not required, nor are they better served, by telling their students such details. Conversely, I don't believe students should be encouraged to make such public confessions themselves through these programs. That's what guidance counselors and social workers are for.
“This situation is not about honesty or lying, how many people have tried illegal drugs, or President Clinton smoking pot. It's about appropriateness. This person simply has no business telling kids about his illicit, personal past as their teacher. If a teacher wishes to provide more non-descript, anecdotal information about people he or she knew as a means of credibility, for example, that's one thing. You incredibly suggest not only that his confession to a group of seventh graders be celebrated, but argue that there was no other way for the teacher to respond! Let's apply this logic to other situations: what if kids asked him whether or not he had unprotected sex before? Shoplifted? Bullied? Driven drunk? Dated or even divorced another teacher?
“Unfortunately, teachers don't draw enough lines these days. Kids are not as respectful as they used to be, and that's in part because teachers and other adults have been bending over backwards like this to be their buddies. But they should not be considered equals. In fact, I have no problem with lying in this situation or simply saying, ‘My personal life is my own business.’ Let the students guess and/or draw their own conclusions if they want. Kids are not served by knowing that everyone around them -- adults they're supposed to trust and model -- are former drug users. So many kids are growing up with the notion that drug use is simply a part of growing up, and these type of confessions reinforce that. I justify lying in that situation in that I feel it serves a greater good, which is hopefully ending the awful cycle of drug use.”
But a concerned parent writes: “Apparently the administration of Springman Middle School is not interested in teaching its students to tell the truth, but rather is interested in teaching them to tell the world what they think the world wants to hear. Is this the kind of message that we want to give our children? Do we need to pay inflated salaries to administrators to teach them to tell our children to lie and to block from the students real life messages that might benefit the students in the future?”
And JR asks, “Would you feel the same way if what the teacher had admitted was past homosexual behavior? Would you still then believe the teacher would've been right to share those experiences with a classroom of students? I personally wouldn't have a problem, but then homosexual behavior isn't illegal. What I find difficult to believe is that you think a teacher should answer truthfully whatever questions a student asks. I don't believe a teacher's personal life is fodder for his or her students. And answers that are appropriate for high school seniors may not be appropriate for middle school kids.”
JG is “in agreement with JAS. The developers of McMansions should be held responsible for the local flooding issues and be required to build these rain gardens on their properties as part of their permit approval process. Rain gardens are a potent tool to alleviate local flooding problems and should be considered by all where feasible. (They do not, by the way, hold standing water.)
“I do take issue with the village's requirements for reimbursement under their rain garden demonstration project. The program's web site states that these gardens need to be excavated to a depth of three feet and include a foot of gravel and 18 inches of sand/compost/native soil mix. Excavation to that depth is labor-intensive, and the import of gravel and sand for the upper layer soil treatment increases the cost. I spoke to one landscaper who disagreed with the village's cost-estimate ($1,200-$1,800). He said heavy equipment would be needed, and the gravel alone could cost a few hundred dollars.
“He felt that the cost of a 200-square-foot rain garden would be double what the village predicts which means the homeowner could be responsible for about $2,000 even with a 50 percent grant from the village. I discussed my findings with a village engineer overseeing this program. He said that the rain gardens didn't need to be 200 square feet as shown in the guidelines and could be somewhat smaller although their effectiveness obviously diminishes with size.
“I think the village has a good idea here. They just need to make it more attractive to homeowners. It should be noted that the State of Wisconsin through the Department of Natural Resources has an excellent rain garden manual (see http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/wm/nps/rg/index.htm).
“Their rain gardens can be dug by hand and can be as shallow as 3 to 6 inches -- definitely do-able for a do-it-yourselfer. I am going to build one of these this season in a low area in my back yard. It would have been nice if the village could have reimbursed me the cost of the plants that I have bought. I estimate when I am done my overall cost for a rain garden that will cover approximately 150 sq. ft. will be no more than $300 in native plants from local plant nurseries and perhaps another $100 in mushroom compost for mulch.
Gina Pryor is not pleased with this year’s rate for public pool memberships: “I see that annual pool pass early bird registration did not go so well. Early bird rates have been extended almost three weeks! Had the park district lowered rates for Glenview residents (instead of the usual increase each year), I’ll bet more residents would’ve been ready to take the “plunge” and get a pass. Last year the park district thought the rate should be lowered for non-residents. Why are residents not given any special benefits? More people at the pool means more revenue spent on the concession stand offerings. Give us loyal residents a break for a change!”
Blues Man abhors village methods for managing the goose population: “Spraying and shaking the eggs of geese so that the embryo dies is disturbing. Isn't it ironic that Federal law protects the birds but allows the village to kill the eggs. Since when do wildlife managers manage by killing? Sort of a conflict of interest, wouldn't you say? Sure, goose poop is a nuisance, but this work is not where I want my tax dollars spent. If our village staff insists that this must continue, perhaps our wildlife manager could add skunks and coyotes to their morbid responsibilities.”
And Linda West would like to see more done with medians at The Glen: “Have you noticed the medians along Chestnut Avenue and Patriot Blvd? They are ugly. Mayor Daley and the village of Deerfield have much prettier medians than ours. What do you think that we should do about this?”
JAS weighs in on street sweeping: “MP and SF are concerned with the street cleaning going to the private sector and how terrible it looks? What do you think it will be like when they outsource the snow plowing. Now would be the time to nip that one in the bud.”
Olga is “just wondering
what's being built at the northwest corner of Lake and
Waukegan. And also, on the
northwest corner of Chestnut and Waukegan there are signs of construction
work, but no indication of what's going on. Is Glenview Liquors moving
back in, because that's the only sign there.”
The Watch replies: A new shopping strip is going up at Lake and Waukegan. It will be anchored by a Bank of America, and Paisano’s Pasta and Pizza – a sit-down restaurant owned by a relative of Lou Malnati – hopes to open soon at the former site of Glenview Liquors. The interior of the building is nearly complete, but the developer is waiting for guidance from Glenview’s Appearance Commission before finishing the outside.
AUS asks, “What is with the menorah in downtown Glenview next to the fire house? The holiday has been over with for almost 6 months. Isn’t it violating some village code? Heck, the fire house got yelled at for a Christmas tree during the season a few years ago.”
The Watch replies: The display in question is on private property and does not violate any local ordinances.
Park Manor community leader Tom Morrison surrenders after attempting once more to stop construction of an Ismaili House of Worship near the corner of Shermer and Golf: “At Tuesday’s village board meeting, the trustees agreed to grant the developer of 100 Shermer Road an extension on the conditional use it approved more than a year ago. Village Attorney Jeff Randall contends construction actually started when road modifications were made by the village. No permit was issued for that work, but it was paid for by the developer. Trustee Debbie Karton claimed the failure to issue a permit was a technicality. That’s ironic, since Karton’s political party eliminated their election competition by throwing out voter petitions over technicalities. The neighborhood challenge is over. We surrender. Despite the trustees’ claim that traffic is a top priority, we all know better.”
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.