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The Glenview Watch
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LIBRARY BUDGET OVER BY “MILLIONS” BEFORE BUILDING BEGINS!
In a memo about Glenview’s new library, Capital Projects Manager Don Owen saves the best for last. After a fairly dry update on the planning process, Owen tells Village Manager Todd Hileman,“The process is approximately three months behind schedule and several million dollars over budget.”
Owen suggests costs can be cut through “value engineering,” a process that entails changes or elimination of features that are not essential.
Later this month, village staff will meet with traffic consultants and architects to discuss the site and traffic issues. Already, Plan Commissioner Peter Brinckerhoff has thrown down the gauntlet over plans to build the new library facing Harlem Road. An architect by trade, Brinckerhoff complains that the structure would “turn its back on Glenview Road,” while planning a second-floor deck on the north side of the building. That, Brinckerhoff says, is another mistake, since most patrons would prefer to sit in the sun – necessitating a deck on the building’s south side.
He and other members of the plan commission suggested putting the building’s entrance at the corner of Glenview and Harlem. Several also criticized the look of the building. Commissioner Steve Bucklin complained that from Harlem Road the structure resembled “a warehouse with something stuck on the back.”
Plan Commission Chairman Howard Silver was critical of the traffic patterns proposed. He told the architects and library board, “You’ve got cars aiming at each other. There’s too much happening in too many different ways.”
Traffic planners project the new library will bring up to 230 more cars to the area each hour, but now that the post office has moved, they say the neighborhood can handle more vehicles. Only during rush hours will intersections around the library be difficult. “All bets are off when a train comes through,” says planner Tim Doron.
Doron also suggests turning Prairie Street into a cul de sac at Lehigh but retaining stop signs to protect pedestrians headed for the library, train station, Jackman Park and the Dairy Bar. He proposes elevating cross walks by about three inches to further slow drivers. “Motorists have the perception that they’re entering a special area – an area loaded with pedestrians,” he explains.
AN ALL POINTS BULLETIN FOR OUR GO SLOW SIGN
At this year’s street sale, village officials quietly launched a program designed to stop drivers from speeding through Glenview. They offered lawn signs and bumper stickers that read: “It’s Our Town, Please Slow Down.”
The Watch subsequently got this letter from reader Mike Kruger: “It's hard to beat the campaign for sheer optimism, and since I live across the street from a school, I was glad to put a sign in my yard. I gave them my name and address, and noted that this was a good thing. The village could keep track of which areas had heavier involvement in the campaign.
“I put the sign up in my yard. It's a standard, corrugated plastic sign like politicians use. They are less than $2 each in bulk.
“The optimism became apparent when I read the yard sign brochure this morning as I was eating my cereal. I wasn't given the sign; the village lent me the sign for a 30-day period. ‘Residents ... will be responsible for returning their signs to the Village Hall.’
“That must be why we need a bigger village hall -- so there's more space to store these. And the program promises to keep village employees busy checking in the returning signs, following up with those residents who don't return the signs, and storing the signs as they come back. This combination of tasks seems likely to cost the village at least the $2 the signs are worth. But it gets better: ‘Residents should bring their signs inside at night to prevent theft.’
“Is theft of corrugated plastic signs really a problem in Glenview? Do you think it would be sufficient if I used a heavy chain and a padlock instead?”
The editors of The Watch had to laugh at that question. Our sign was stolen on the first night we left it out.
When we asked Village Manager Todd Hileman about the campaign, he explained that Glenview’s traffic committee members “wanted to be sure the program caught on and was of interest to our residents prior to making a large investment in signage; therefore, the signs are being provided at no cost to residents with a 30-day loan period. Residents can come to the manager’s office to pick up signs, but a telephone call ahead is recommended to ensure that stock exists.
“By the way,” Hileman continued, “the signs and metal posts for mounting cost the Village $7 apiece. It is staff’s intent to rotate through the community during the trial period, and that is why we want them back. Should this campaign be embraced by the community, there is always room to look at a different approach.”
RESIDENTS PROTEST SLOW ROAD REPAIRS
When the village held a public hearing on plans to improve sewers and roads next year, about 70 people – nearly half of them village staffers, elected or appointed officials – showed up. Village Manager Hileman took that as a good sign, but one resident begged to differ. Peter Anthony suggested the large turnout was a reflection of Glenview’s failure to provide the service people expect.
Anthony said he had purchased a home on Indian Lane, despite poor road conditions, because the village website promised repairs in 2009. Now, the village is projecting the work will be done in 2011. Public Works Director Bill Porter says sewers must be replaced before the road can be resurfaced, and that’s expensive.
Hileman agreed, noting Glenview “ran out of money” for some capital improvements when revenues failed to keep pace with the budget.
COSTS UP FOR DISTRICT 34 ADDITIONS
District 34 had planned to spend about $9 million on additions at three intermediate schools: Glen Grove, Hoffman and Pleasant Ridge. Now, officials say the price will be at least $600,000 higher. They blame increased costs for materials, a late start in soliciting bids for summer work and the need to redesign Hoffman’s addition after neighbors complained that the construction would flood their yards and block their views of Johns Park. The district will cover the overrun with money from a $750,000 contingency fund.
BUGS WIN BIG AT INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE
This year’s Fourth of July parade featured just two neighborhood floats – Henley Street and Glen Oak Acres, and both settled on a cicada theme. Fortunately, the park district had plenty of awards to go around. Glen Oak took top honors. Their float was more colorful, and neighborhood kids were more prominent – marching along in orange and yellow costumes with bug antennae sprouting from their heads. Along the parade route, they handed out fly swatters that proclaimed, “Nothing Bugs Us.”
The neighborhood award went to Henley Street. Its giant cicada carried signs reading, “Can You Hear Me Now?” and “We’ll Be Back.” Hillside Landscape was singled out as the best business entry, and the Glenview Public Library was recognized as the best adult group for its space-themed float with signs that read: “Your New Library Will Be Out of This World,” and “Take Me To Your Reader.”
Cub Scout Pack 10 was named best youth group, Hangar One showed off its vintage helicopter and won for best community service, and the Glenview Theatre Guild was recognized as the best musical group.
The Watch would also like to salute some entries. Our “misguided marketing award” goes to Glenview State Bank’s float, designed to promote a new service called Piggy Banker – the counting of coins at no charge to customers. The float featured a pig holding onto a couple of money bags and a large green dollar sign planted astern.
Other iffy sales pitches came from Glenbrook Hospital which promised to “Connect You to World Class Surgeons,” while Scruples Day Spa touted its services through a white stretch Hummer – a pimp mobile if ever there was one. Lin-Mar Motors passed out T-shirts and displayed two of its trucks proclaiming, “Best Damn Wrecker Service in Town.” Lin-Mar is one of several companies competing for Glenview’s towing business.
Then there was the Glenview Cycle Shop’s entry – a car! Granted, it was the 1969 Pace Car from the Indy 500, but next year we hope to see bikes.
Trustees Debby Karton and Jim Patterson passed out lollypops – but only to friends and supporters. On the verge of handing one to an editor from Glenview Watch, Karton pulled back and announced, “They’re only for children.”
And, finally, was that Jessica Garvey seated in the back of a convertible labeled Youth of the Year? The young woman might have waved to the crowd, but she was too busy talking on her cell phone.
NEW WAR MEMORIAL PLANNED
Glenview’s trustees are set to approve a new war memorial on the southwest side of Gallery Park along Patriot Boulevard – one requested by a group called the Glenview Freedom Memorial Committee. The group was formed by friends and families of two Glenview marines killed in Iraq. In December, the village contributed $35,000 to design and install landscaping, walkways, benches and an identification monument to complement a sculpture to be paid for by the committee.
The bronze sculpture will depict a U.S. soldier with his arm around a child, looking at a pair of boots, a helmet and rifle atop sandbags – the symbol of a soldier’s last roll call. Director of Support Services Amy Ahner says it’s intended to “provide an educational opportunity for Attea Middle School and park visitors,” and represents “sacrifice, patriotism, bravery, honor, compassion, freedom, loyalty, love of county as well as remembrance.”
Editor's note: Nobody would diminish the ultimate sacrifice that two courageous Glenview marines made, but the proposed monument depicts a sentimental scene – a fictional, bloodless symbol that glorifies war, romanticizing what many regard as tragic, unnecessary and ill-advised. Is this what we want to share with middle school kids, when many question the wisdom of war in Iraq, its necessity and the motives of those who sent our soldiers into battle?
HANDS OF PEACE EXTENDED IN GLENVIEW
Now in its fifth year, the grass-roots program Hands of Peace will bring students from the Middle East to the North Shore for two weeks of work and play – a chance to break down cultural walls and build friendships. Palestinians (Christians and Muslims), Jewish Israelis and Arab Israelis stay in local homes and meet for daily dialogues, team-building exercises and cultural activities. The program was founded by two Glenview moms, Jodi Carlson and Gretchen Grad, who wanted to make a difference in the world.
GLENVIEW’S FORECLOSURE RATE LOWER THAN NEIGHBORS
Despite persistent rumors that foreclosures are rampant at The Glen, a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association shows Glenview’s rate for the first quarter of 2007 was actually lower than in neighboring communities. An analysis showed 3.12 percent of units were foreclosed, while the number for Morton Grove was 3.48 percent, Northbrook 3.49 percent, Deerfield 4.48 percent, Wilmette 4.58 percent, Skokie 5.62 percent and Wheeling 10.54 percent.
LITTER-CATCHING PLANTS COULD KEEP RIVER CLEAN
After years of picking up trash from the Willow Road shopping center anchored by Target and Kohl’s, village officials are considering installing a chain link fence or planting a long row of shrubs between the stores and the Chicago River next door. The idea is to create a barrier to block blowing paper and plastic – keeping it off the banks and out of the water.
Public Works Director Bill Porter asked the Natural Resources Commission to weigh-in on the idea. If a fence were installed, NRC members suggested planting vines to soften its appearance, and they discouraged the village from planting fast-growing arbor vitae, arguing other shrubs were better suited to the river site. They also wondered if it might be possible to place the fence on shopping center property rather than installing it on public lands.
HEIRLOOM GARDENS YIELD WAGNER FARM CROPS
The Heirloom Gardening program at Wagner Farm has begun to yield fruit. Actually, it’s lettuce, radishes and scallions that have come up first. Six area gardeners have rented plots at the farm. Several families tend their gardens together, taking the idea of heirlooms -- passing down seeds from parents to children -- literally.
SAVE THE DATE
-- Get free financial planning advice are available on the third Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. Appointments can be made on July 17 and August 21 with a certified financial planner on a first-come, first-served basis by calling 847-729-7500, extension 112.
-- On Tuesday, July 17 at 7 p.m. the library will offer a special program called, “Baseball in the Movies!” Fan Steve Frenzel has cut together scenes from classic baseball films and anecdotes about the stars. All baseball fans are welcome whether you're from the north side, south side, or cities afar! To register, call 847-729-7500, extension 112.
-- Youth Services presents Happy Birthday American Girls on July 18. Girls and their dolls are invited to attend at 3 pm, 4:30 or 7. Guests should wear their favorite party clothes and bling to eat cake, sing and play silly party games. Register at the Youth Services Desk.
-- And on Friday, July 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. the library’s chartered a Garden Bus Tour: Cantigny and Morton Arboretum with Bill Hinchliff; cost is $60.00. View the elegant estate and gardens of the Robert McCormick Mansion in Wheaton. Have lunch at the Fareways Restuarant of the Cantigny Golf Course followed by a guided bus tour through the Morton Arboretum to see the new visitors center, gift shop and twig sculptures by Patrick Dougherty. Register in person only at the Information Desk.
-- Lyon School at Waukegan and Lake will again play host to the Glenview Art Fair on July 28 and 29 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This year’s show will feature refreshments, a silent auction, entertainment and children’s activities.
-- Saint Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church hosts its annual Greek Festival July 28 and 29 at Lake Avenue and Wagner Road in Glenview. Co-chair Alex Machinis says the festivities will start earlier on Saturday, at 1 p.m., and visitors will find more children’s activities and entertainers. The church offers free parking and shuttle bus service from Loyola Academy at Laramie and Lake Avenues. Festival hours are Saturday, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. – rain or shine. General admission is $3. Seniors pay $2; children 12 and under are free. For more information, visit www.GlenviewGreekFest.com, or call 847-729-2235.
NEWS FROM THE NEIGHBORS
-- The Chicago Tribune reports that Morton was chosen by Family Circle from among 1,850 towns (15,000 to 150,000 population) as one of ten top communities that combine "big city opportunities with suburban charm." Criteria included cost of living, jobs, schools, health care, green space and crime rate. "It was a surprise to us," Village Administrator Joe Wade said. "We feel real good about it." Wade served as deputy village manager in Glenview before taking the top job in Morton Grove.
-- After years of looking the other way, Wilmette has cracked down on those who used an undeveloped beach near Chestnut Street and the Plaza del Lago. The community has parked a trailer on the beach adjacent to Langdon Park and is charging $7 per person for non-residents. A small swimming area has been defined, rules are posted on a sign board, and lifeguards aggressively enforce them. Wilmette will spend $100,000 to limit access at Langdon after a near drowning last year and complaints that people from other communities were parking on nearby streets and bringing their dogs along for a swim.
-- The state is debating imposition of a 1/4 percent sales tax in the suburbs of Cook County to help pay for mass transit after Metra, Pace and the CTA threatened major service cuts and fare hikes. The tax would generate about $450 million. In addition, the city would impose a $3 per $1,000 transfer tax on real estate sold in Chicago. Suburban Lake, McHenry, Dupage, Will and Kane Counties would hike taxes by ½ percent, with half of the money going for mass transit and the other half earmarked for roadwork.
-- Pace and the village of Wheeling have agreed to jointly operate a free shuttle bus that will take residents to shopping and entertainment centers and to the Metra station.
READERS WRITE
Randy Pickard reflects on July 4th in a time of war: “The other night I took a friend who is in the army and back from Iraq on 30 days leave over to Grandpa's. It was a beautiful night to sit out on their patio, but neighbors had gotten a head start on Fourth of July celebrations, and the sound of firecrackers going off was rampant. My friend casually mentioned that the noise made him a bit uncomfortable, as it was so similar to the sound of getting shot at in Iraq, which had been an almost daily occurrence.
“His off hand comment personalized for me a bit of the horror that our troops are going through in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is something that makes me more than a bit uncomfortable about how I and most of the rest of Glenview and the U.S. population are able to continue on with barely any impact on our lives and no sacrifices at all, while the small segment of our population that is on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan are putting their lives in danger on a daily basis. Regardless of how any of us feels about the war, I think we should all try do more to support the men and women that are currently serving overseas, and particularly those that have come back with crippling injuries.
“I had a dream the other day that the citizens of Glenview converted the old prisoner of war camp on Harms Road across from Hackney's into a free summer camp for kids whose parents are serving overseas. In my dream, it was a great experience for the kids, and an appropriate way to say thank you to their parents. It might not be feasible, and I hope the U.S. will be out of Iraq before such a camp could be organized, but I wanted to share the idea with other residents of the village.”
DM is so upset about the lack of a grocery store downtown that he thinks someone should do something: “How about a good old fashioned demonstration in front of Dominick’s? Let's stop them from leasing to another drugstore. I am in for the game. If you can get a rally going, I'll be glad to help.”
The Watch replies: With all due respect, D, we’ve got our hands full with The Watch. We’d be happy, however, to publicize your protest. Just let us know when you set the date.
GN was upset to learn the park district had passed up more land at The Glen: “The first example is that park at the edge of The Glen off West Lake. When the site was offered to the park district, they said it was too small, so it was turned over to the home owners’ association and is now a private park. The second example is the two large open areas on the west side of Lehigh bordering The Glen. Residents there did not like the way the village was maintaining this land – allowing native grasses and wildflowers to grow around the detention ponds, so they complained, and the village turned the land over to them.”
RB heard the same story: “I understand the park district has a de facto policy of not adding parks smaller than five acres where fields and facilities are not available. So now we have at least two private pieces of open space at The Glen that are off limits to most people. It’s too bad. If the park district had asked the public, I would have been the first in line to say they should take any open lands in Glenview for the benefit of all of the residents, whether they play soccer or not.”
The Watch replies: The park district does not generally accept parcels smaller than 2.5 acres, since it is unable to use those sites for programs that help pay for maintenance. If the park district were a for-profit corporation, that mindset might be acceptable, but as a public entity it has obligations that go beyond making or saving money. Public officials should be willing to accept lands that don’t produce revenue – if only to preserve natural open space for wildlife and public enjoyment, and to improve water quality by planting native species. Two good opportunities were lost at The Glen.
Ed White comments on our speculation that Village President Cummings is “hell bent on retiring the TIF. Retirement time for a TIF is the number of years required for the net income from a project to equal the expenditures for the project. Less income and/or more spending will increase the time. Originally, the TIF was estimated to be retired after 8 years. The latest estimate was 22 years. I haven’t followed the project closely enough to know whether the increase in retirement time is due to overestimation of income or underestimation of costs -- probably both. A comparison of projected retirement time for the TIF to the actual retirement time is an objective measure of project estimation and management capabilities. A 175% increase in projected retirement time surely is something you’d like to remove from scrutiny.”
JAS wonders why dogs were banned from the street sale but allowed at the Fourth of July parade: “I know this is a stupid question, because I know how the town works, but why did we pass an ordinance about no dogs allowed at the street sale and yet there were many, and nobody bothered to protect those animals from the heat and the crowds. If these owners are too stupid to take care of the animals, then someone has to step in. To make matters worse, the park district promotes it further by having them in the parade, tongues hanging down to their knees. How many people did I see marching in the parade with their water bottles to cool off? How many of these dogs got the same treatment? Don't you wonder who people will sue if one of these dogs is so hot and irritable that it bites a child? Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.
“I thought our fireworks were fantastic, but I think our parade could use a lot of help. I went to Morton Grove's in the afternoon, and it was so well organized and had so many things to offer including a show of force – lots of police and fire vehicles plus the public works trucks blowing there air-horns for the kids. In between, many bands, tumblers, several Shriner and Medinah units. It was really great. We had one fire truck and one police car and one police motorcycle. Why don't we bother to show the citizens of Glenview where their tax dollars go? They might be impressed to see the NIPSTA mobile field force that is stationed here, our Nortaf investigative unit, our evidence van and our dive team and boat. Come on, Glenview, show some punch!”
KRC wonders what became of talk about making Glenview a WiFi community: “Anything new on this? Is it going to happen? What is it going to do? What is it going to cost?”
The Watch replies: According to village spokesperson Janet Spector Bishop, “We really haven't had a strong resident request for such a service; it's simply not on the radar right now.” Which means, K, that you and your computer-savvy friends need to send a few e-mails to get this idea going. The trustees’ addresses are listed at http://www.glenview.il.us/trustees/trustees.shtml. Good luck.”
And FS scolds Village Hall for on-going efforts to privatize many municipal services: “This change is saving Glenview money, but it's also replacing hard working citizens and documented workers with sub-contractors who hire suspect un-documented workers who are paid low wages and get few if any benefits. Village officials and management should be ashamed of the treatment dished out to the forced out employees and their replacements.”
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.