VILLAGE ISSUES HIGH WATER WARNING

MILWAUKEE AVENUE BRIDGE TO CLOSE FOR INSPECTION

ANATOMY OF A MUNICIPAL FIASCO

Three years ago, the village learned it could get a grant from the federal government – more than $360,000 in Homeland Security money -- to help pay for a wireless communications system for its fire department.  According to then Fire Chief Dan Bonkowski, the system would improve Glenview’s “baseline level of readiness” by building a village-wide wireless network for transmission of information and maps to emergency vehicles.

On April 19, 2004 the village board approved the first payment for what would eventually cost well over half a million dollars. Bonkowski and Village Finance Director Dan Wiersma contended it was a good deal, since other village operations could also benefit: “The project has been designed so that the police department can utilize the wireless network for its mobile computer systems, and can thus avoid the cost of implementing a data communications solution for their new CAD [computer-assisted dispatch] system,” they wrote in a memo to the trustees.

Without this technology, Bonkowski and Wiersma warned, local police would have to settle for inferior communications. “Absent a wireless network, the only viable option for the police department will be to implement a far less capable cellular solution for their mobile [dispatch] software,” they wrote.

On the other hand, they touted the Alvarion system as practical and economical. “The cost of leasing cellular airtime for the police department’s 34 vehicles will exceed $30,000 annually.  The one-time cost to equip those 34 vehicles with wireless radio [service] is approximately $48,000,” Bonkowski and Wiersma wrote.

They predicted the system would be in use by August, 2005 and recommended a Tinley Park Company, Intelligent Solutions, Inc. (ISI) to oversee the project at a cost of $184,866.

But when the system was installed,  ISI issued an alarming report. Among other things, the consultant told the trustees:

-- The Glenview Fire Protection District has less than 50 percent coverage.

-- In some of the original documentation the suggested height of the antennas appears to be different than what was implemented.  Modifying the height of an antenna can severely impact the coverage provided.

-- There are currently non-coverage areas that will need additional towers.

-- There does not appear to be any encryption on the 900 MHz wireless network.

--When multiple radios are broadcasting into overlapping areas, they can interfere with each other.

SPILLING THE BEANS

Glenview’s information technology chief Dale Chellis says he discussed that information with Village Manager Todd Hileman and warned that Glenview might have to return grant money to the federal government, because the system did not operate properly. 

In a memo dated December 14, Hileman appears to be preparing for that contingency – telling Clark and Budget Director Dan Wiersma to “identify a funding stream assuming we are $100K short.”

So what has become of this troubled network that was supposed to be up and running two years ago? Excluding the forest preserves, Clark says 70 percent of the community can now be reached via the Alvarion system, and with the installation of two additional towers at the new police station and on West Lake Avenue, Clark predicts about 90 percent of the village will be covered. The extra cost: nearly $28,000.

When the system was originally sold to the trustees, much was made of the fact that Glenview police could use it, but the cops wanted nothing to do with Alvarion.

“Police requirements are somewhat different than Fire’s,” Clark explains. “The police department has used a state-wide ALERTS network for mobile messaging and did not need a local wireless network.”  Today, officers often rely on cell phones and laptop computers with cellular cards.  Clark concedes those same technologies might have worked as well for the fire department.

Editor’s note:  So police and fire requirements are different, and the cops are using cell phones and wireless computers!  Sounds like somebody misled the trustees big time.  

We might be calling for resignations, but  former Fire Chief Dan Bonkowski has already been dismissed, and Deputy Mike Sawicki, who was heavily involved with the purchase, has retired.

Unfortunately, the trustees are still around – still spending taxpayers’money. (Is the latest expenditure of $28,000 good money after bad?) 

The company that sold us the system, PCS Wireless Communications, claimed Alvarion would provide “excellent coverage at an affordable price,” with “secure data transmission between the village’s fixed computer network and mobile vehicle computers.” Maybe we should demand a refund. 

Then again, PCS might blame Glenview for failure to install the system properly.  The company originally recommended the village buy a dozen antennas, but Glenview’s former technology director Chris Westgor asked PCS to revise its bid, eliminating two proposed towers. Clearly, the consultants we hire and the products we buy are only as good as the village employees who choose and use them.

Before we dismiss this as a case of local government letting the taxpayers down, there’s one more entity that should be singled out for questioning.  Someone from FEMA, a division of Homeland Security,  conducted an inspection of the Alvarion System in Glenview and determined it was working well enough to qualify for the federal grant.

 MORE VILLAGE NEWS AND NOTES

-- After an admittedly flawed effort to get new bids for towing services in the village, Glenview rejected all offers and changed to a different procedure for choosing a towing company.  The end result, Red’s, which has had the contract for some 30 years, was selected after lowering its prices 20-25 percent.

-- Developers of a controversial office and retail complex at the corner of Central and Milwaukee Avenues have revised their plans to eliminate the anchor tenant – a grocery store, replacing it with a day spa.  The news was welcomed by residents of neighboring Triumvera. They had complained that a grocery store would bring too much traffic, noise, garbage and rats to the neighborhood.  After receiving approval from the plan commission, the proposal now goes to the village board.

GLENVIEW BOWS TO UGLY BOXES, OTHER TOWNS FIGHT BACK

Glenview’s village board has given unanimous approval to an ordinance allowing AT&T to install switching boxes on public rights-of-way around town.  The smaller boxes stand 48 inches high, while the large model is 63 inches tall. The company plans to install the unsightly equipment at about 70 locations around Glenview by the end of next year to provide video and high-speed Internet service to area residents.

Trustee Phil White expressed dismay, but village attorney Eric Patt said there was nothing Glenview could do, since the state had made it clear the utility should be allowed to use public land for this purpose.  Patt told the board July 24, "Issues such as aesthetics won't come into play.”

Trustee Debby Karton suggested unhappy residents send a note to their state lawmakers, because they had voted to allow companies like AT&T to compete with suppliers of cable and Internet.

The board voted to require a meeting between AT&T and property owners living near installation sites, but unless the utility violated an existing ordinance, attorney Patt said Glenview couldn’t deny a permit. 

Village President Kerry Cummings concluded, "We're doing our best to provide some safeguards so [residents’] voices can be heard."

Other communities aren’t buying the contention that they can do nothing to protect residents from visual blight. Seven are fighting lawsuits by AT&T for refusing to allow installation of the boxes above ground, and Winnetka recently passed a 65-page amendment to its village code, establishing uniform standards that all utilities must follow if they want to put something on public property. 

The North Shore community’s new law says utilities must use “suitable design and materials to provide the greatest protection of aesthetic qualities of the area being traversed.”  AT&T will have to plant landscaping around its installations; it cannot be closer than 10 feet from an existing parkway tree; it must use the smallest possible box; and the village may prohibit the installation in particular locations “in order to preserve visual quality.”

The Illinois Municipal League’s Home Rule Attorneys Committee is also drafting a sample ordinance that cities and villages can use to restrict AT&T.

Editor’s note:  Glenview’s leaders are people of limited imagination, and the same must be said for its attorneys.  Confronted with this challenge, they should have fought for the residents, for their property values, and for the overall appearance of the community.  Instead, they wimped-out.

PLAN COMMISSION DEBATES BIKE LANES ON GLENVIEW ROAD

When consultant Tim Gustafson presented a plan for bike routes, lanes and paths through the village, Plan Commissioner Peter Brinckerhoff was not pleased.  He questioned a proposal from Gustafson’s firm, T.Y. Lin, calling for five-foot wide bike lanes on each side of Glenview Road, limiting cars to a ten-foot lane in each direction. 

“I have a concern about that,” he said with a chuckle.  “Glenview Road is congested as it is.  I advocate bike paths around the village, but without widening Glenview Road, I can’t believe it can accommodate two bike lanes.”

The consultant said narrowing auto lanes by two feet would not make much difference to the flow of traffic.  Indeed, he noted more people might choose to ride a bike downtown, rather than adding to the crush of cars.

Commissioner Steve Bucklin wondered if wider sidewalks like those found along California beaches might better serve cyclists and joggers, but the consultant said such sidewalks along streets with driveways are not recommended for bikes.  “There’s data that shows a majority of bike crashes involve a bicycle on a sidewalk, not a bicycle on the roadway.”  He said cyclists are usually safer on the street, since motorists pulling out of driveways or side streets are more likely to see them there. On the other hand, they’re not expecting or watching for fast-moving cyclists on the sidewalk. 

Because kids tend to ride more slowly and may not be as skilled, he suggested children under 12 still be allowed to use sidewalks, and he added, “We don’t recommend any bicyclist get on Willow Road.”

Brinckerhoff was not convinced.  He suggested the bike lanes go down Dewes Street, parallel to Glenview Road, but Commissioner Tom Fallon – who rides a bike – said that wouldn’t work.  “We can designate Dewes as a bike route to downtown, but it’s not going to be used.  I would rather have the markings on Glenview Road and try to make it safer.”

The consultant said adding an official space for bikes downtown would cause drivers to be more cautious.  Arrows would be painted on the pavement to show cyclists where they should ride and to make drivers aware that others were using the road.  In fact, the consultant explained, these markings are known as “sharrows.” 

Commissioner Allan Ruter said he was “nagged by apprehensions,” and wondered if other communities had bike routes through their downtowns.  The consultant said Evanston had made bicycle lanes a priority in its downtown, despite narrow streets and traffic congestion. “They realize bicyclists are coming to their downtown, and they’d like to provide for them.”

Glenview resident and parent Rob Blomquist said he and his wife had often ridden bicycles on Glenview Road to reach the forest preserve.  “The sidewalks were not a safe place to bike, and that’s because many residents who live along Glenview Road have screened their yards by planting bushes immediately adjacent to the sidewalks.  If you’re a biker and you’re on the sidewalk, people coming out of their driveways can’t see you.  At least when we were on the road, they would have more chance to see us.”

Blomquist said he lives in Tall Trees and would like his children to be able to bike safely to The Glen and to Attea Middle School.  Right now, he said, the community was very unfriendly to cyclists.  “There are no signs.  There are no routes.  People don’t expect bikes to be here,” he explained.

Resident Bob Sherman urged the village to add a narrow sidewalk so cyclists could go under the overpass on Willow Road, east of Shermer. Village planner Joe Kenny said talks were underway with the railroad and IDOT to build such a path.

GREENWOOD RESIDENTS SEE RED OVER VILLAGE PLAN

Anyone who’s driven Greenwood Road at rush hour knows the scene.  Just south of Lake Avenue, four lanes of traffic narrow to two, creating a classic bottleneck and the urge to find some way around the back-up.  Many cars opt to cut through adjacent neighborhoods, and the village has announced plans to try and fix the problem by widening Greenwood to Linneman Road -- 500 feet south of the intersection. 

Residents of the area are not pleased.  They say the change will simply move the bottle neck into unincorporated Glenview – an area called Countryside, and several small businesses complain they’ll lose parking space when the village widens into their front yards.

The Greenwood Road group wants the village to call off its plans and will also ask the Illinois Department of Transportation not to allow changes on what is, technically, a state road.

GLENVIEW FAMILY FOLLOWS DEERFIELD SUIT

Less than two weeks after a Deerfield couple was convicted of allowing teens to drink in their home, a Glenview woman whose teenaged son drowned in an Indian Ridge lake two years ago filed suit against eight of her son’s alleged drinking companions and their parents.

Debra Tyrpak accuses Dr. Jagan Mohan of negligence – failing to call police or parents when he discovered that kids had been drinking in his basement.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages plus $9,000 – the cost of Joey Tyrpak's funeral.

"This is going to be a wake-up call to parents to have an idea of what's going on," Tyrpak told the Pioneer Press.

Mohan’s lawyer told the paper his client was saddened by what happened, but had been cleared of any wrongdoing by Glenview police.

The lawsuit contends one of Mohan’s daughters told her father she would be hosting a lingerie party in the basement "as a ruse to keep [him] away," while another daughter "assisted in getting the boys with the beer and vodka through the garage into the house, through the kitchen, and down into the basement without being detected.”

After the party had been in progress for three hours, Jagan Mohan heard loud noises in the basement and went to check. He confiscated what was left of the vodka and beer and ordered everyone to leave, the suit alleges.  

As the kids were leaving, a Glenview police car was driving toward the Mohan residence, prompting Joey Tyrpak to run behind the Mohan house.  Later, his body was found in a detention pond.

HOSPITAL’S PRESCRIPTION FOR BETTER FOOD

On August 28, Glenbrook Hospital will launch a new service for patients – allowing them to order meals from an elaborate menu.  A spokesman for Evanston Northwestern Healthcare says people in hospitals don’t get to decide when they’ll have tests or procedures, but they should be allowed to choose what and when they eat.

ENH says the new service could also save money, since patients don’t always want what’s sent to them on trays today.  Highland Park launched the service two weeks ago and has cut the number of dinner rolls it serves by one third.

Breakfast is offered throughout the day, and meals are delivered within 45 minutes. Special menus are available for those on restricted diets.

THE EAT BEAT

-- Zingarella has opened across the The Glen of North Glenview Metra station, serving lunch and dinner.  Owner and opera singer Bonnie Brock brings years of experience running a steakhouse in upstate New York along with her grandmother’s recipes for Italian pasta dishes, chicken, seafood and steak.  Sweets are also a specialty:  the pear and almond tart, tiramisu and a wide selection of cookies.  Brock is ably assisted by her brother Anthony, who waits tables when he’s not coaching the rowing team at Northwestern University. Zingarella, by the way, is Italian for “little gypsy,” the nickname Bonnie Brock got from her grandma.

-- Northfield’s plan commission has approved a new restaurant at the Village Square – Haussmann Brasserie. The place will be operated by Jacky Pluton, proprietor of  Jacky’s Bistro in Evanston. 

SAVE THE DATE

-- Children ages 3-12 who have never had a lesson before can register for a free 30- minute figure skating or hockey lesson during the Glenview Ice Center's Fall Open House on Saturday, August 25.  Pre-registration is required for the following classes: 

Figure Skating for ages 3-6: 12:00-12:30 p.m.

Figure Skating for ages 7-12: 12:45-1:15 p.m.

Hockey for ages 3-5:  1:30 – 2:00 p.m.

Hockey for ages 6-8:   2:15-2:45 p.m.

Figure skating for ages 3-6: 3:00-3:30 p.m.

Call the Glenview Ice Center at 847-724-2800 to sign up. Spaces are limited and available on a first come, first served basis. Skaters should wear loose, warm clothing, regular socks and mittens or gloves and come to the rink 15 minutes before class. The Glenview Ice Center is located at 1851 Landwehr Road. For more information visit www.glenviewicecenter.org.

-- The district also plans a farewell party for Doc and Betsy, the Belgian draft horse team at Wagner Farm.  Betsy’s headed for an equine rehab center in Southern Illinois where she’ll be treated for a hoof problem.  Once she’s recovered, she’ll serve as a companion animal to disabled children.  Doc moves to Volkening Heritage Farm in Schaumburg to become the third member of a draft horse team. Celebrate this special pair at 7 p.m. Wednesday, August 29. Special horse cakes of oats, dried apples, carrots and molasses, will be served along with human cake and lemonade.

-- A four-day symposium on global warming will be held at Park Center October 18-21. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Wilmette, Our Climate Matters will examine the issues, implications and challenges with prominent speakers and workshops at which scientists, business people, economists, legislators and other policymakers, architects, and citizens can exchange information and consider possible solutions. Topics of interest will include economic ramifications of action and no-action, environmental law and policy, green architecture, the health of Lake Michigan, ways to make your town green, what is happening in governmental policy at the national, state and local level. The symposium also will include a “green” film festival, and an evening of “Cool Jazz”.  For more information go to  www.OurClimateMatters.org

-- The Glenview Women of Today will hold its regular monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. September 12 in the community room of the Glenview police station, 2500 East Lake Avenue. Meetings are open to anyone interested in community involvement and meeting new people in the neighborhood. Glenview Women of Today, a chapter of U.S. Women of Today. For more information on this service club, go to www.glenviewwomenoftoday.org or e-mail l.hammerton@comcast.net

READERS WRITE

DQ is dismayed to learn that new taxes are likely: “It appears that all of the spenders at Village Hall have aligned to raise taxes once again. The bureaucrats that have spent like there was no tomorrow now have their dream village president. Does anyone care to recall that Kerry Cummings was one of the leaders of the effort to raise taxes for District 34 not once but twice? Both times the proponents for these tax increases told anyone that would listen that the consequences would be dire if they didn't get the tax increases. Both referenda failed, and the schools kept on going just fine. Now Ms. Cummings is telling us we must raise taxes for the village.  Should we believe her?”

D. Karlin complains about our coverage of the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District’s residential spraying efforts: “If the superintendent of the Mosquito Abatement District is correct in his critique of your article, you should be criticized for taking things out of context and editorializing about something that you have no expertise in. We are bombarded each day by journalistic liberty in the print and TV media, and most of us are sick and tired of some itinerant, two-bit journalist or TV news commentator spinning or twisting the facts of a subject to make a news item sell.

“If you want us to continue supporting your newsletter (which we appreciate), then stop giving opinions or taking facts out of context on subject matter that you know nothing about. You're not experts in anything except that which you do for a living or subjects for which you have formal training, and I'm sure that you're not experts in mosquito abatement.” 

The Watch replies:  The editors of The Watch are experienced journalists who have reported for the Associated Press, the Chicago Sun-Times, National Public Radio, ABC, CBS and NBC News.  Our expertise lies in gathering and condensing information from experts and in providing context and analysis to help laymen evaluate complex data and opinions.  If you had read our coverage carefully, you would have learned that some pretty credible experts question the efficacy of residential spraying to reduce the population of adult mosquitoes.  Of course that information was excerpted from a longer document, but that does not mean it was taken out of context.  We are always careful to preserve the essence of a study or statement when sharing information with our readers.

Kevin Killion has an idea for the proposed school site on former Navy land at The Glen: “This presents a wonderful opportunity, not just for The Glen, but for the entire village.  Instead of expecting District 34 to build another school that is pretty much like its other schools, the district could announce that it welcomes proposals for one or more new charter schools in Glenview.

“Charter schools are public schools, but have the leeway to offer specialized, interesting programs with a minimum of bureaucratic hassles.  Surely many Glenview families would relish an opportunity to send their kids to a learning-centered public school with solid phonics for early reading, a traditional math program, and the Core Knowledge curriculum.  Moreover, having a choice in public school programs can be a boon for real estate values.

“Parents in Chicago have a wide range of public school educational approaches to choose from, but suburban parents typically have none.  The proposed development could make Glenview a beacon for parents seeking public school options.

JNA read our story about AT&T providing competition for Comcast and wrote: “Don't forget Wide Open West is available in some areas of Glenview.  They are the cheaper alternative to Comcast with better customer service. Believe me, I have researched this up and down.  Comcast (and I wouldn't be surprised if AT&T will as well) sucks you in with some overly attractive offer for the first couple of months and then they stick you with the actual rates, knowing that most people won't take the time to switch providers.  I’ve been a loyal WOW customer since 2001.”

Jennifer Kozicki, organizer of a downtown business coalition, got a preview of Glenview’s proposed form-based code and didn’t like what she saw: “Despite a series of high-visibility public planning sessions, it was clear that consultants, developers and village planners were determined to do this project their way from the very start.  New set backs for Glenview and Waukegan roads will prevent current business owners seeking a permit for building improvements from building to the current lot’s line so sidewalks can be widened. This kind of zoning is known as ‘Regulatory Taking,’ because the property owner is forced to surrender a piece of his or her land to the village. When property rights are taken away from citizens by government force, the owners suffer financial damage, and there is no remedy.  Once this passes, not only are we motivated not to improve, but we forever give up the financial reward of the property in which we have invested. Hopefully one day these loopholes for oppressive governments will be eliminated, but for now our only hope is public pressure to insure that such ordinances do not pass.

“The Watch has also reported private preview meetings between the village and some  downtown property owners.  I can see calling the Regency Group a developer, as they are new to the community, but  I disagree with labeling Bess Hardware and the Glenview State Bank in the same way.  They are stakeholders like us who have been invested in this community for a long time.  I have found them to be supportive of other property owners and business operators in town and interested in the overall well-being of Glenview.  For them to have an element of self-interest or provide their viewpoints on the proposed downtown development code seems appropriate to me.”