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BILLBOARD AD COMES DOWN

 

The owner of a billboard that towers over Willow Road near Patriot Boulevard has taken down the picture of a scantily clad model.  The ad labelled various parts of the woman’s body as “problems,” and suggested cosmetic procedures performed by a local day spa could be the model’s salvation.  

 

Glenview resident Regina Thibeau was appalled when she first saw the sign two weeks ago.  “I was offended by the provocative nature of the picture and the implied message of the billboard, breaking a woman into parts and implying that beauty depends on cosmetic treatments,” she told The Watch. “I found it really offensive as a woman. I was angered as a mother, and I was embarrassed for Glenview.  I don’t think this is an image that dignifies us.” 

 

Thibeau called the village and was told that Cook County had jurisdiction, since the billboard sits on Metra land.  A Cook County inspector came out, took a picture but told Thibeau nothing could be done because the First Amendement protects free speech.

 

So Thibeau took her case to the public – writing a letter to the editor of the Pioneer Press which published in on page one.  Tribune and television coverage followed, and through an e-mailing network of friends and associates, Thibeau launched a petition drive to ask that Pascal Pour Elle withdraw the ad.

 

“Pascal was dismissive and arrogant,” Thibeau recalls.  “He seemed to think this is a man’s world, that women need to look young as long as possible, and he just wanted to help them.” 

 

Thibeau says that attitude got people even more upset. 

 

As the number of signatures neared 500, some women from Northfield contacted Clear Channel Outdoor, the billboard’s owner.

A spokesman for the Arizona company said Clear Channel reserves the right to reject inappropriate ads. "It's just a matter of getting one of our crews out there to [take it down]," he told the Tribune.

Thibeau, who was interviewed by National Public Radio on Friday, said she was pleased with the outcome.  She planned to celebrate with others who had worked to bring the ad down and thought the group might talk about meaningful follow-up activities.  For now, she invites your ideas by e-mail.  Her address:  rthibeau@sbcglobal.net

 

 

VILLAGE BACKS AWAY FROM TOWING CONTRACT

 

Village Hall is backing away from plans to award its towing contract to an Evanston company that submitted the lowest bid in a process plagued by.  In a memo to the trustees, Purchasing Agent Bill Sarley writes, “At this time, staff is recommending rejection of the proposals offered.” Sarley says the village should request new bids, and -- this time -- ensure that the process is fair and above board.

 

 

TRIUMVERA’S DEFEAT 

 

About 14-hundred people live at Triumvera – a development of 416 condos and 137 town homes along Milwaukee Avenue.   For at least 20 years, land next door has been vacant. Some residents assumed a builder would eventually put houses or town homes there, but they were alarmed to discover the village may, instead, approve a sizable shopping center at the site. 

 

A commercial developer has proposed a grocery store with two loading docks, a drive-thru bank, 362 parking spaces, including underground spots for employees, and three two-story brick buildings that would contain shops and offices.  The developer promised an 8-foot fence to provide some privacy and protection for the neighbors, but they were not impressed.

 

Jack Sugar, vice president of the Triumvera Homeowners’ Association, told the plan commission, “We’re very worried about the sewers.  We have a large detention pond which takes all of the water from Triumvera’s 46 acres.  Some years ago, the pond flooded, and the water backed up to the basement garage of a building, and we lost over 20 cars,” he recalled. 

 

Sugar worried that Cook County sewers were not large enough to serve the proposed development, and more water might flow onto Triumvera property. 

 

He also expressed fears that traffic would get even worse at Central and Milwaukee, noting that there is no traffic light at the intersection.  Already, he said, it’s difficult for residents to get out during rush hour.

 

Light pollution was also on Sugar’s mind.  “Are you going to have these big electronic signs that say, ‘Welcome to the Plaza, Welcome to the Grocery Store?’  Are they going to be on all night? Are they going to be obnoxious and detract from our property values? Is it going to be Las Vegas?” he wondered.

 

Finally, Sugar said the neighbors were concerned about a risk to public health that could be posed by a grocery store.  “We’re scared of the rats, of the food, of the bugs!  Are the trucks going to line-up in the morning with their big diesel engines?”

 

Sugar said he and his neighbors would prefer that “beautiful, $600,000 town homes” be built, and he suggested Triumvera would, for a price, open its club house to the new residents.

 

 

A TRAGEDY IN THREE ACTS: AN EDITOR’S NOTE

 

The neighbors will probably not be able to stop this retail project for three reasons.  First, the land is not yet governed by Glenview.  It’s zoned by Cook County, and if the developer wanted to move forward, county rules would allow an even bigger project.

 

Second, the village has just completed an elaborate process called a charrette – an intensive planning effort overseen by consultants and village officials whose job it is to oversee development.  One of them, Jeff Brady, told the plan commission that many participants thought 4-6 story buildings would be appropriate at the site, and many thought residents of the area would like some pedestrian-friendly stores nearby.

 

Brady lectured the commission at length, essentially presenting the developer’s plan for them.  When one commissioner tried to stop him, Brady said he was simply explaining how the proposed development fit with what Glenview wants.

 

And, finally, the land is zoned for commercial use, and the free market has apparently decided that more retail on Milwaukee Avenue will be a bigger money-maker than more town homes. 

 

Commission Chairman Howard Silver assured the Triumvera residents that the new development would be required to provide its own storm water detention and said the village was assure significant fencing and landscaping to protect the neighbors.

 

Likewise, Glenview’s sign ordinance and its appearance commission would provide protection from garish neon lights, and Silver said Glenview’s health department would see that the grocery store follows strict rules for disposing of trash.   

 

He said installation of a traffic light was a question for the state.  “If I were a betting man,” he added, “I would say there is not going to be a stop light there.”

 

 

NO SURPRISE FOR NAVY LAND

 

Glenview has set a date for the second round of public discussion on what do do with 40 acres of surplus Navy land purchased by the village.  Officials invite residents to consider goals and concepts at 7 p.m. Monday, June 18 in the Glenview Police Station on Lake Avenue.

 

A preliminary round of talks produced surprisingly similar ideas from about 40 people who broke into small discussion groups.  They called for more town homes and condos, affordable senior housing, a small park, a possible site for the Hangar One Museum and land for another public school. 

 

Residents might have proposed other things, but village planners made it clear that much of the land must be sold to developers of high-density housing to recover village funds used to purchase the property. 

 

Editor’s note:  This was the same strategy that led to development of The Glen in general. Officials insisted taxes should not be raised, so a great deal of open space was sold off for houses, town homes, retail and office development.  In the end, however, all that development made higher taxes necessary.  When you build residences, people move-in and demand services that are not always covered by the taxes they pay.

 

Village management should, at the very least, offer an alternative to development-weary residents.  Surely there is some way that more of the remaining Navy land could be retained as open space.  In a community as wealthy as Glenview, with all of the new sales tax dollars flowing in from The Glen and Abt, must we have more town houses and condos that further devalue existing properties, increase traffic congestion, put greater demand on schools, parks, police and fire, public works and health services?

 

Glenview has one last chance to develop a large piece of land.  Let’s go slow and think big. 

 

 

WHAT SHOULD DEVELOPER DO WITH CULLIGAN SITE?

 

Glenview and Northbrook will host an open house to explore guidelines for redevelopment of  40 acres near the corner of Sanders and Willow roads. GlenStar Development has purchased the land from Culligan and hopes to build residences and shops. 

 

The program will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 7 in the police station at 2500 E. Lake Avenue. At 7:30, a special commission will begin discussing what it may recommend to the village boards of Glenview and Northbrook which have agreed to jointly oversee the development.  The commission plans to share its advice at 6:30 p.m. June 12 in Northbrook Village Hall.

 

 

SECOND OFFICE TOWER MAY RISE ON WILLOW ROAD

 

After some spirited jousting between the plan commission and a developer, the trustees are expected to approve plans for another four-story office building on the southeast corner of Willow and Patriot Boulevard.  Opus North Corporation, which designed a similar structure on the southwest corner, proposed a parking lot for 520 cars. Only 434 are required by village code, and the plan commission demanded more green space.

 

 

VILLAGE MOVES TO BEAUTIFY GLEN MEDIANS

 

Planners originally called for prairie plants on medians that divide Patriot Boulevard – tall grasses and wildflowers that would require less water, fertilizer and pesticides.  Seeds were planted, and in the early years the medians were filled with colorful blooms.  Now, however, hearty weeds have driven out some of those new plants, and the neighbors are complaining about the wild appearance of those islands. 

In response, Village Hall hired a consultant, Chicago landscape architect Domenico D'Alessandro. He proposes more formal gardens of mature prairie plants that should add color, patterns and order to the wild-looking medians.  Village Hall describes D’Alessandro’s design as “a type of landscape to which residents are more familiar, and to which a more positive response is expected.” 

D’Allesandro will do a pilot project on the southernmost median at the intersection with Lake.  No word yet on costs. The Village has requested a price from McGinty Brothers, its contractor for natural area maintenance.  Spokesperson Janet Spector Bishop says it may be possible to shift priorities in an existing McGinty contract to cover the extra expense of this first replanting.

 

 

VILLAGE AND PARKS NEWS AND NOTES

-- On Sunday, June 10, Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter will host a family- friendly race for runners and walkers. The CareCenter 5K Challenge run/walk will start at 8:30 a.m. at 2050 Claire Court (off Ravine Way) in Glenview, with a post-race party to follow. A fun run for kids begins at 9:30 a.m. Race proceeds will benefit CareCenter services such as community grief support programming for adults and children, and hospice care for patients who have no insurance. For more information, visit www.carecenter.org or call (847) 467-7423.

-- The plan commission has approved plans for a new wrestling school to be located in the industrial park off West Lake Avenue near Greenwood.  Operators expect to attract young wrestlers from Glenview and neighboring suburbs.

-- Public access cable will soon offer a program that could help residents learn more about their origins.  Sundays at 7:30 p.m., Comcast customers will find genealogy expert  Deena Hartray Butta explaining how to use library resources and databases to track down your ancestors.  The program, on channel 19 or 35, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. June 3 and 10.   

-- Season pool pass holders will be able to purchase food at the concession stand or pay for guest admissions using a kind of debit card that the park district has named the “Get It Card.”

 

-- While park administrators plan efforts to save as many ash trees as possible from the ash borers that have invaded northern Illinois, the park board has authorized the use of costly preventive treatments to protect especially large and beautiful ashes in local parks. 

-- Meanwhile, the village plans to do a survey of private property – hoping to get a better handle on how many ash trees Glenview actually has.  Beginning Monday, June 4 public works employees will go door to door, handing out notices, and counting trees. For more information, call 847-657-3030.

-- You gotta’ love Glenview’s communications office.  One day beforehand, this information was e-mailed to residents: “Greetings!  Please be aware that the FBI will be conducting training scenarios in the area of Shermer and West Lake tomorrow, May 30.  The training will involve a number of townhomes in the area.  Residents in the vicinity may hear the sound of breaking glass and other loud noises.  Up to 40 vehicles -- including some SWAT and communications vehicles -- will be used during the training.”

The Watch wonders, did anyone miss the news and get a really good scare?

-- The Glenview Public Library will again offer its Ride and Read Summer Program, providing free transportation to the library for academically at-risk students in grades K-2 and their older siblings. Volunteers are needed to read with kids from 12:50 – 2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, June 19 – July 26. You can sign up for training from 1-2 p.m. Tuesday, June 5 or 10-11 a.m. Saturday, June 9. For details, call 847-729-7500.

-- Rush North Shore Medical Center offers low-cost health screenings at 2501 Compass Road, Suite 125 in Glenview. For ten bucks, they’ll check your blood pressure, height, weight, body mass, cholesterol and blood sugar levels between 8-10 a.m. June 13 and 27. Call 847-933-6000 to register.

 

NEW GROUP TO EMPHASIZE SPIRIT AND COMMUNITY

 

On September 23, a new group plans to introduce itself to Glenview. Touchstone organizers say they will offer an interfaith place for spirituality.  They plan to hold discussions about various faith traditions and offer Sunday afternoon programs to explore different aspects of spiritual life. Possible topics include practicing peace, cooking as a sacrament, learning about creation through gardening, practicing gratitude, storytelling and looking for the sacred through the lens of a camera.

 

 “Our goal is to offer opportunities for folks to engage in, explore and experience spirituality while they get to know others who live and work in the community,” says founder Kathy Dale McNair.  “People who come together for a short time – for a class or a workshop – form a bond that gives them a sense of connectedness and community.”

 

For more information, call 847-989-1989.  The group’s website is still under construction, but you can register for the introductory day at www.mytouchstones.org .

 

READERS WRITE

 

LSmith writes about Glenview’s ill-fated effort to choose a towing company: “I’ve been procurement professional for more than 20 years and have worked almost entirely at Fortune 100 companies.  Every expose of this village’s procurement practices makes my skin crawl! Kudos to Glenview Watch for shining the light of day onto this circus. The Red’s Towing fiasco is just the latest. It does not seem to me that there is much strategic thinking, total cost analysis, attention to detail or project management competency at work here. The incumbent often does not retain the business, and often complains loudly to anyone who will listen, but it appears that the process was severely flawed. The current decision should be rescinded, and a proper RFP issued.”

Citizen Ib was amused by our report of efforts to keep the library cool where the air conditioning conked out: “I don't understand.  Why don't they just open some doors and windows or call Al Gore for advice on local warming.”

 

John sends an important warning for people who plan to visit the Air Station Prairie: “I just wanted to give a quick warning concerning the tick population surrounding the new nature center on Lehigh and Compass roads. This holiday weekend I made time to walk the grounds and made the mistake of venturing off the gravel trail for a few minutes, only a few yards into the prairie on a natural path.

 

“I looked down and noticed somewhere in the order of 10-15 ticks crawling onto my pant leg and skin and another 10 or so on my friend. I consider myself an avid camper and outdoorsman, and I have never seen such a concentration of ticks before, even at the Grove. I'm fairly certain that these were dog ticks, and not the Lyme disease carrying deer tick.

 

“After flicking off all of these ticks I made my way towards my car and found that there was indeed a sign warning of the presence of both deer and dog ticks in the area.

 

“Keep up the great work on the website and keep your eyes peeled for ticks.”

 

And GFH has encountered hazards of a human kind: “I just want to let people know that juveniles have been throwing rocks at cars going through the intersection of Milwaukee and Glenview roads. My car (along with two others) was pelted. I came across the county police, and they told me to call Glenview, which I did. When I came back later, the kids were still hanging around.”

Billy is upset that The Glen Town Center has become a hang-out for local teens: “Over the past year, The Glen (the movie theater in particular) has become a loitering spot for teenagers on the weekends. Reckless driving in the enclosed parking lot abounds (especially the upper level), and kids can be seen sitting around in groups smoking, making rude comments to passersby, using loud obscenities, lounging in the stairwells, skateboarding wildly in high-traffic areas and engaging in other unpleasant behavior.

I've noticed more of a police presence, which seems to have curbed this stuff greatly. Do you know if the Glenview Police will continue this monitoring?

The Watch replies:  Police Chief Bill Fitzpatrick says the department is aware of problems at Town Center and will attempt to patrol there often, to keep the kids under control.  Sometimes, however, real crime necessitates putting officers elsewhere. 

HS is concerned about plans for a large new library: “I have been to meetings and examined the plans, and I’d like to tell my fellow citizens: “If you like the size of our new police station you will love the library.”  In addition to the ridiculous size of the new building, there are clearly some traffic implications, including a new street light, which will make Glenview Road much more of a mess from 5-6 pm than it already is.”

 

The Green Hornet writes: “Going Green in Glenview is a fruitless and thankless battle.  Citizens fought for sensibly sized homes to replace teardowns and lost. The village actually passed an ordinance making those monster replacement houses possible in settled residential areas.  What’s more, Village Hall applied the “monster size” concept to municipal buildings beginning with the new police station.  Next up: the new library, new Village Hall and tall downtown buildings that will create a canyon effect on Glenview. Road. Green in Glenview apparently means Go for the biggest.”