Well, it appears the lobbying efforts by owners of the LaGrange Theatre to seek some type of village financing to subsidize a nearly $3 million renovation of the 83-year-old movie house may soon become reality.
When that occurs, however, is not yet known. The Village Board is not scheduled to meet again formally until 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13.
The board, after a protracted 3-1/2-hour debate at a Sept. 29 special meeting called specifically for the purpose of discussing funding options, reached consensus on some points, bringing it close to signing off on a final decision -- even though it may only be via a 4-3 split board vote.
A majority of the board, including Village President Elizabeth Asperger, favored using Tax Increment Financing money to meet the request -- to the tune of $1 million to $1.35 million -- with a proposed structure in the agreement calling for a facade easement financed by the village and an operational covenant that assures the property will remain a theater until all or a portion of the village's investment is paid for with revenues of a 50-cent entertainment tax.
It has not yet been determined whether the financing would incorporate a mixture of TIF and General Funds or one or the other, although a majority of TIF money is likely.
Since it was only a workshop, there was no formal or final vote taken by trustees, just an informal poll and a general agreement to direct staff to prepare an intergovernmental agreement based on majority viewpoints and seek approval from the theater owners.
But before any final action is taken, some trustees wanted to see more undisclosed financial statements, credit reports and some evidence of payback worthiness before they decide how much they should give away.
Theater owners John Rot and David Rizner, who also co-own the nearby Horton's Home Furnishings on the same stretch of downtown La Grange Road, had originally asked for village assistance of up to $1.7 million of the estimated $3.1 million project cost. They said they were not seeking a bailout, but a fair shake since they represent such a unique institution.
Village staff, through a 10-page working term sheet and a 6-page memorandum not released publicly -- which Asperger said reflected discussions on the topic over the last several weeks --recommended an agreement which would have the owners fund $1.35 million of the total revised project cost and the village contribute $1.35 million with a zero-interest loan paid back using proceeds of the entertainment/amusement tax expected to generate $100,000 annually.
Village Manager Robert Pilipszyn said the parties were "unable to finalize" a village-recommended 20-year operational commitment or an agreement for Rot and Rizner to pay in full if they default on the contract.
Asperger initially called the staff recommendation "thoughtful and very prudent" and one that aims to develop a consensus among board members with vastly differing views related to what kind and how much money would be spent and the scope of the village's commitment. She later acquiesced to the compromise which, in part, would provide some funds to renovate the theater and remaining TIF surplus dollars to fund an ongoing economic development initiative.
However, disagreement over the initial recommendation, whether the funds should be in the form of a grant or loan, how much should be awarded and whether staff should have even done any more than provide data without a proposal to the board fueled the rest of the debate.
Trustee Thomas Livingston said he believed the draft agreement would have moved the board in the right direction and addressed an appropriate balance of funding sources, but Trustee Mark Kuchler strongly criticized staff's over-involvement in the board's policy decision.
"When staff advocates a position, they become advocates of the position," said Kuchler, who got fellow trustees to agree to consider the idea of La Grange purchasing a facade easement from the theater and an operational covenant that the theater would remain in place indefinitely or until the owners or future owners essentially return the village's original $1 million investment.
Trustee Mark Horvath stressed the need for a long-term commitment of the theater to remain in town if public funds are used. But he also cautioned spending TIF surplus money that rightfully should be reimbursed to tax payers.
"Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to use it," he said. TIF was designed to cure blight. We cured blight, so let's not be in a rush to spend it under the economic development banner."
And Trustee Barbara Wolf said while she doesn't support the use of TIF money,she believes there should be support for using the General Fund, which could be repaid by the new tax.
For a more in-depth story on the meeting, revisit The News blog in a couple of days.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
FIREFIGHTER FUNDRAISER
La Grange Firefighters Local 2338 will hold its rescheduled annual golf outing fundraiser -- originally set for Sept. 16 but cancelled due to heavy rains -- on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Palos Country Cub on Southwest Highway in Orland Park.
The event will offer golf and dinner for $90 or just dinner for $35 per person, including a two-hour open bar and numerous prize giveaways.
Proceeds will go towards the Illinois Burn Camp Alliance at which the labor union sponsors a child for one entire week at Camp Duncan in Volo; the Park District of La Grange's annual Halloween Walk in downtown La Grange during which it awards one bicycle each to a boy and girl costume contest winner and the La Grange Little League in which it sponsors a team that plays in the summer months at Sedgwick Park, according to Fire Lt. Don Gay.
Further information is available by calling firefighters Gay, Bill Brzgalski or Brian Sible at (708) 579-2338.
The event will offer golf and dinner for $90 or just dinner for $35 per person, including a two-hour open bar and numerous prize giveaways.
Proceeds will go towards the Illinois Burn Camp Alliance at which the labor union sponsors a child for one entire week at Camp Duncan in Volo; the Park District of La Grange's annual Halloween Walk in downtown La Grange during which it awards one bicycle each to a boy and girl costume contest winner and the La Grange Little League in which it sponsors a team that plays in the summer months at Sedgwick Park, according to Fire Lt. Don Gay.
Further information is available by calling firefighters Gay, Bill Brzgalski or Brian Sible at (708) 579-2338.
NO HEARING FOR LAND SWAP: VILLAGE
Contrary opinion from an opponent of the Gordon Park land sale and the discussion of a land swap between the La Grange Village Board and the Park District of La Grange was clarified by Village Manager Robert Pilipszyn late last week.
At the Sept. 22 Town Meeting at Spring Avenue School, resident and attorney Tom Beyer said a public hearing is required for the swap because the wrong Illinois Revised Statute is being used to justify the exchange. If the right one was used, he maintained, a hearing would be mandated. If not, the village could be opening itself up to lawsuits, he contended.
However, Pilipszyn said the village attorney assured him the Illinois Local Property Transfer Act "is the correct and appropriate statute" for purposes of the Park District land exchange because it addresses the transfer of property from from one public entity to another.
The legislative intent of the statute cited by Beyer as the proper statute prescribes a process to exchange land between a municipality and a private party -- but the Park District is a division of local government and not a private party.
"We're acting on authority granted to both of us under the Property Transfer Act ... which does not authorize the transfer of property to a private party, which closes the loop," he said. "The Property Transfer Act doesn't even authorize atransfer of property to a private party, which makes it really clear as to the purpose of that statute."
Thus, he added, it will be helpful for the Park Board to complete the transfer of property before the Tuesday, Nov. 4 referendum to make it abundantly clear as to the ownership of property in the park.
The board plans to swap a village parking lot next to Gordon Park for a vacated portion of Shawmut Avenue within the park
The Park Board voted to put the land sale issue on the ballot after a Cook County Circuit judge ruled the parcel was more than 3 acres and required voter approval.
At the Sept. 22 Town Meeting at Spring Avenue School, resident and attorney Tom Beyer said a public hearing is required for the swap because the wrong Illinois Revised Statute is being used to justify the exchange. If the right one was used, he maintained, a hearing would be mandated. If not, the village could be opening itself up to lawsuits, he contended.
However, Pilipszyn said the village attorney assured him the Illinois Local Property Transfer Act "is the correct and appropriate statute" for purposes of the Park District land exchange because it addresses the transfer of property from from one public entity to another.
The legislative intent of the statute cited by Beyer as the proper statute prescribes a process to exchange land between a municipality and a private party -- but the Park District is a division of local government and not a private party.
"We're acting on authority granted to both of us under the Property Transfer Act ... which does not authorize the transfer of property to a private party, which closes the loop," he said. "The Property Transfer Act doesn't even authorize atransfer of property to a private party, which makes it really clear as to the purpose of that statute."
Thus, he added, it will be helpful for the Park Board to complete the transfer of property before the Tuesday, Nov. 4 referendum to make it abundantly clear as to the ownership of property in the park.
The board plans to swap a village parking lot next to Gordon Park for a vacated portion of Shawmut Avenue within the park
The Park Board voted to put the land sale issue on the ballot after a Cook County Circuit judge ruled the parcel was more than 3 acres and required voter approval.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
PARK REFERENDUM NOW HAS TWO SIDES
The gloves are now off in the Tuesday, Nov. 4 referendum which will ask La Grange voters whether or not they approve of the sale of a portion of the 17-acre Gordon Park to a private developer proposing to build a mixed-use residential/retail complex there.
Opponents of the land sale lobbied both the Park Board of Commissioners at its Sept. 18 meeting and the Village Board at its Sept. 22 "town meeting" at Spring Avenue School -- but that is where a proponent of the deal also announced her group's pro-referendum efforts.
Dubbed "Citizens for a Great Gordon Park," organizer Julie Workman, an attorney, said the organization was formed by about 10 La Grange residents who are in support of the referenda calling for the sale of 2.82 acres at the park behind the former Rich Port YMCA at La Grange Road and Ogden Avenue.
If approved, the Park Board would sell two parcels, a 2.5-acre and a .77-acre piece of land on either side of the vacated Shawmut Avenue along the north edge of the existing YMCA building, at public auction, as required by law.
Workman, a nine-year resident and former YMCA fitness instructor who told the board she was speaking on behalf of the new organization, said their big effort is one of simply getting out the vote.
"We are concerned citizens who want to get the word out about the referendum," she said, not revealing other member's names. "We want to make sure they get to the bottom of the ballot ... and make sure people are aware of the issue and vote yes."
She stressed a vote of approval will mean a more than $6 million profit to the Park District for a portion of the park that is "totally underutilized" and will leave another 14.7 acres that, with the new money, will be "completely redone."
That, she and Park Director Dean Bissias said in a separate interview, will include two new ballfields, soccer and lacrosse fields, a splash pad, butterfly garden, handball courts, open land and a new drainage system. The land for sale features two storage buildings, an often vandalized playground, two tennis courts and a soccer field, Bissias said.
"The park will no longer flood every time it rains like it does now," she said, adding improvements will also included four new lighted tennis courts and expanded parking.
"It's going to be the envy of all the residents around here," she said. "We want the truth to get out."
But her words were quickly drowned out by opponents of the sale, particularly former 12-year Park Board member Kevin Shields, who promised the Park Board last week he would fight the proposal "tooth and nail" because it is short-sighted.
"I think the person who encouraged you to vote yes ... is being misled. I think a lot of attention has been given to mislead the residents of the village," he said. "AllI hear is 2.82 acres and it's not the case. It is a total loss of 3.5 acres. It is well-established that taking public land and selling it to wonderful profits cause a developer wants it (is wrong). Where is our village planner in preserving our park land, our open space?"
Four days earlier, he convinced the Park Board to agree to work with the nonprofit Park Patrons Around La Grange foundation to help dismantle and sell the metal storage shed and the bricks from its maintenance building, on land proposed to be sold to Atlantic Realty Partners.
The bricks, he said, originally were the pavers used along Ogden Avenue through the village and are a valuable commodity.
He further said the land sale just doesn't make sense.
He said when School Distgrict 105 wanted to sell its 1.5-acre tot lot several years ago, residents "came to the rescue" to save the land and prevent it from being redeveloped as a new residential subdivision.
He called the Gordon Park parcels on the selling block "a beautiful piece of land" with mature trees.
"It's just absurd. We're below the per capita (formula for park land) and we don't even meet half the acreage ... It's just mind-boggling," Shields said. "To me, it doesn't add up. It's going to be a nightmare. You're not going to be able to (keep) that to be a functional intersection.
"'It's going to be the envy of the residents?" he added. "I don't think so. It's going to be such a hassle to get to that park."
Attorney Tom Beyer of La Grange, who also railed against the sale at last week's Park Board meeting, praised the Village Board for delaying action on a proposed land swap with the Park District and said they were inviting more litigation if they approve it as proposed.
As proposed, the village would possibly exchange its parking lot on the YMCA site for a portion of the vacated Shawmut Avenue, that runs east off La Grange Road then turns into grass.
"The swap is being brought forth under the wrong statute," he said."Instead of using the statute specifically relating to swaps -- which require publishing and a public hearing with a 4/5ths majority vote to pass -- what the Park District has done to date is not acceptable."
The Village Board was scheduled to take action Sept. 22 on an intergovernmental agreement and ordinance defining the land exchange, but Village President Liz Asperger said that was on hold until attorneys work out the finer details of the pact.
Beyer said reasons put forth by the Park Board as to why the land should be sold off are "simply invalid," including the fact there were 11 issues involving police there. "To take down the (storage) sheds and build 282 apartment units and have less parkland for all the people that are going to be there makes no sense at all."
The proposed La Grange Place would also include 26 townhouses built into the existing park hill north of Shawmut, parking beneath the 5-story apartment complex built partially on the land to the south of Shawmut and 33,000 square feet of retail frontage in the apartment building and at the intersection.
Resident Harlan Hirt also told trustees he believed the land swap was proposed to avoid a referendum.
"The swap should not be consummated," he said, after handing over a prepared statement to Asperger. "The village does not need to sweeten the deal ... Table your action until the results of the referendum are known."
After a hourlong closed session at the Sept. 18 Park Board meeting, commissioners approved two proposed real estate contracts with ARP, which include offers on two parcels of the park land officials said they are confident will be higher than an auction will fetch.
An auction is required under the law if voters approve the referendum.
The Park Board also approved its end of an intergovernmental agreement that calls for the exchange of a third parcel of land, a vacated part of Shawmut, for a village parking lot along the east side of Locust Avenue adjacent to the park.
Locust runs through the existing parking lot to the building's east. If redeveloped, the road would exit directly onto Ogden, with a proposed traffic light, instead of on an angle with nothing but a stop sign as is currently the case.
The Park Board agreed Aug. 30 to place a referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot after it chose not to appeal a Circuit Court ruling that the amount of land in its original contract with ARP exceeded three acres. Park District lawyers aregued only 2.82 acres were to be sold, but the judge disagreed.
Under state law, the sale of under three acres of park land has to be approved in court and with more than three acres, by the voters.
ARP already reached a settlement with one opponent of the land sale who lives in the adjacent La Grange Towers condominium highrise. ARP said it would set aside 1/2 acre of parkland behind the Towers if it ultimately buys the land in question.
Opponents of the land sale lobbied both the Park Board of Commissioners at its Sept. 18 meeting and the Village Board at its Sept. 22 "town meeting" at Spring Avenue School -- but that is where a proponent of the deal also announced her group's pro-referendum efforts.
Dubbed "Citizens for a Great Gordon Park," organizer Julie Workman, an attorney, said the organization was formed by about 10 La Grange residents who are in support of the referenda calling for the sale of 2.82 acres at the park behind the former Rich Port YMCA at La Grange Road and Ogden Avenue.
If approved, the Park Board would sell two parcels, a 2.5-acre and a .77-acre piece of land on either side of the vacated Shawmut Avenue along the north edge of the existing YMCA building, at public auction, as required by law.
Workman, a nine-year resident and former YMCA fitness instructor who told the board she was speaking on behalf of the new organization, said their big effort is one of simply getting out the vote.
"We are concerned citizens who want to get the word out about the referendum," she said, not revealing other member's names. "We want to make sure they get to the bottom of the ballot ... and make sure people are aware of the issue and vote yes."
She stressed a vote of approval will mean a more than $6 million profit to the Park District for a portion of the park that is "totally underutilized" and will leave another 14.7 acres that, with the new money, will be "completely redone."
That, she and Park Director Dean Bissias said in a separate interview, will include two new ballfields, soccer and lacrosse fields, a splash pad, butterfly garden, handball courts, open land and a new drainage system. The land for sale features two storage buildings, an often vandalized playground, two tennis courts and a soccer field, Bissias said.
"The park will no longer flood every time it rains like it does now," she said, adding improvements will also included four new lighted tennis courts and expanded parking.
"It's going to be the envy of all the residents around here," she said. "We want the truth to get out."
But her words were quickly drowned out by opponents of the sale, particularly former 12-year Park Board member Kevin Shields, who promised the Park Board last week he would fight the proposal "tooth and nail" because it is short-sighted.
"I think the person who encouraged you to vote yes ... is being misled. I think a lot of attention has been given to mislead the residents of the village," he said. "AllI hear is 2.82 acres and it's not the case. It is a total loss of 3.5 acres. It is well-established that taking public land and selling it to wonderful profits cause a developer wants it (is wrong). Where is our village planner in preserving our park land, our open space?"
Four days earlier, he convinced the Park Board to agree to work with the nonprofit Park Patrons Around La Grange foundation to help dismantle and sell the metal storage shed and the bricks from its maintenance building, on land proposed to be sold to Atlantic Realty Partners.
The bricks, he said, originally were the pavers used along Ogden Avenue through the village and are a valuable commodity.
He further said the land sale just doesn't make sense.
He said when School Distgrict 105 wanted to sell its 1.5-acre tot lot several years ago, residents "came to the rescue" to save the land and prevent it from being redeveloped as a new residential subdivision.
He called the Gordon Park parcels on the selling block "a beautiful piece of land" with mature trees.
"It's just absurd. We're below the per capita (formula for park land) and we don't even meet half the acreage ... It's just mind-boggling," Shields said. "To me, it doesn't add up. It's going to be a nightmare. You're not going to be able to (keep) that to be a functional intersection.
"'It's going to be the envy of the residents?" he added. "I don't think so. It's going to be such a hassle to get to that park."
Attorney Tom Beyer of La Grange, who also railed against the sale at last week's Park Board meeting, praised the Village Board for delaying action on a proposed land swap with the Park District and said they were inviting more litigation if they approve it as proposed.
As proposed, the village would possibly exchange its parking lot on the YMCA site for a portion of the vacated Shawmut Avenue, that runs east off La Grange Road then turns into grass.
"The swap is being brought forth under the wrong statute," he said."Instead of using the statute specifically relating to swaps -- which require publishing and a public hearing with a 4/5ths majority vote to pass -- what the Park District has done to date is not acceptable."
The Village Board was scheduled to take action Sept. 22 on an intergovernmental agreement and ordinance defining the land exchange, but Village President Liz Asperger said that was on hold until attorneys work out the finer details of the pact.
Beyer said reasons put forth by the Park Board as to why the land should be sold off are "simply invalid," including the fact there were 11 issues involving police there. "To take down the (storage) sheds and build 282 apartment units and have less parkland for all the people that are going to be there makes no sense at all."
The proposed La Grange Place would also include 26 townhouses built into the existing park hill north of Shawmut, parking beneath the 5-story apartment complex built partially on the land to the south of Shawmut and 33,000 square feet of retail frontage in the apartment building and at the intersection.
Resident Harlan Hirt also told trustees he believed the land swap was proposed to avoid a referendum.
"The swap should not be consummated," he said, after handing over a prepared statement to Asperger. "The village does not need to sweeten the deal ... Table your action until the results of the referendum are known."
After a hourlong closed session at the Sept. 18 Park Board meeting, commissioners approved two proposed real estate contracts with ARP, which include offers on two parcels of the park land officials said they are confident will be higher than an auction will fetch.
An auction is required under the law if voters approve the referendum.
The Park Board also approved its end of an intergovernmental agreement that calls for the exchange of a third parcel of land, a vacated part of Shawmut, for a village parking lot along the east side of Locust Avenue adjacent to the park.
Locust runs through the existing parking lot to the building's east. If redeveloped, the road would exit directly onto Ogden, with a proposed traffic light, instead of on an angle with nothing but a stop sign as is currently the case.
The Park Board agreed Aug. 30 to place a referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot after it chose not to appeal a Circuit Court ruling that the amount of land in its original contract with ARP exceeded three acres. Park District lawyers aregued only 2.82 acres were to be sold, but the judge disagreed.
Under state law, the sale of under three acres of park land has to be approved in court and with more than three acres, by the voters.
ARP already reached a settlement with one opponent of the land sale who lives in the adjacent La Grange Towers condominium highrise. ARP said it would set aside 1/2 acre of parkland behind the Towers if it ultimately buys the land in question.
Monday, September 15, 2008
CALLING ALL CANDIDATES
In a matter of months, municipal elections will be in full swing, so candidates planning to run for election, or reelection as the case may be, to the La Grange Village Board, Park Board of Commissioners or Library Board better start lining up.
First, we've got to get through that presidential and congressional election in November.
A little more than a week after voters visit the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 4, the Citizens' Council of La Grange will begin its biennial process of endorsing candidates for the village's 12 open seats.
The Council, which is comprised of 47 delegates (of a requisite 88 representing 11 geographical districts), met Sept. 10 and will meet again at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8 before gathering all candidate data, doing interviews and reference checks before endorsing on Wednesday nights, Nov. 12 and Dec. 10.
Incumbents will be notified this week to file applications and data sheets by Monday, Nov. 3. Park and Library board data is due Wednesday, Oct. 15.
The Council's mission is to "identify, interview and endorse highly qualified, community minded residents to run for public office" in the upcoming April 2009 elections. All facets of the process are public, but the actual endorsement vote is typically done in private.
A volunteer group, the Council considers itself "a nonpartisan, broad-based group of committed, informed citizens who evaluate candidates" for various village boards. The group has been around since the 1930s.
Council members, or delegates as they are called, must be registered voters and residents for at least one year. Although delegates represent whichever district in which they reside, there is at least one opening on all but one of the geographical districts.
The Council, according to its president Orlando Coryell, is not a political party but must file as one after its delegates help endorsed candidates collect signatures on their respective nominating petitions. Anyone can run for office independent of Council candidates and all petition documents must be filed no later than Jan. 19.
The group met Sept. 10 and decided not to hold a second meeting in October in a proposed attempt to build the roster of available delegates. However, since endorsement sessions are held on two separate days, it is possible more delegates could sign up (and attend two meetings as required) in time for the December session.
Endorsements for three Park Board and four Library Board candidates will be in November, with the session for Village President, Clerk and three trustees in December. For all offices except library, one must be a minimum one-year resident. A Library trustee only has to have resided in the village for at least one day, said Coryell.
Although the Park District, like schools, vets all of its employees because of required background checks, that is not done by the Council, Coryell said.
The Council decided to distribute flyers to residents, schools and businesses instead of just using email as was done this summer to recruit delegates. However, there is concern over distributing flyers to all 5,000 households in La Grange through the village, since some consider the Council a political organization, Coryell said.
A move by new delegate Ted Hadley to add a meeting in October was rejected by a 34-13 Council vote after board secretary Rob Pierson suggested doing so may invite abuse and cause partisan groups to pack the Council (as it has in the past) until endorsements are finished so they can assure "their" candidate is slated.
Hadley was the Council's endorsed candidate for village president in 2005, but lost to incumbent Liz Asperger. He joined the Council this summer.
Coryell, who is in charge of the meeting schedule, said the Council cannot bar new members who show up for the first time in October from participating in endorsements.
"That's not democracy," he said. "We're an inclusive, not an exclusive group."
Another delegate told the Council she "would like to see a larger representation" from under-represented areas, especially given the fact many recent endorsed candidates have come from one geogrphical area: the village's central historic distrct.
"We need to make this a more diverse council," she said. "It can only be a better community if you do that." There are two African-American delegates and slightly more men than women. However, it is not known which districts are better represented.
Some at the meeting agreed the District 102 caucus -- a separate organization with a similar charge -- has long been padded with special interests, which the Council says it wants to avoid.
There have been years in which voting membership was near the maximum or in the high 60s or 70s, said Coryell, who added one winter was so rough endorsements were only voted on by eight members. A majority of whoever is present determines which candidates are slated.
Although it is not yet known who my or may not run, incumbents whose terms are up in April include Asperger, Village Clerk Robert Milne and Village Board Trustees Mark Langan, Barb Wolf and Mike Horvath; Park Commissioners Tim Kelpsas, Bob Ashby and Chris Walsh Jr. and Library Trustees Mary Nelson, Jane Byczek, Becky Spratford and William Coffee.
First, we've got to get through that presidential and congressional election in November.
A little more than a week after voters visit the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 4, the Citizens' Council of La Grange will begin its biennial process of endorsing candidates for the village's 12 open seats.
The Council, which is comprised of 47 delegates (of a requisite 88 representing 11 geographical districts), met Sept. 10 and will meet again at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8 before gathering all candidate data, doing interviews and reference checks before endorsing on Wednesday nights, Nov. 12 and Dec. 10.
Incumbents will be notified this week to file applications and data sheets by Monday, Nov. 3. Park and Library board data is due Wednesday, Oct. 15.
The Council's mission is to "identify, interview and endorse highly qualified, community minded residents to run for public office" in the upcoming April 2009 elections. All facets of the process are public, but the actual endorsement vote is typically done in private.
A volunteer group, the Council considers itself "a nonpartisan, broad-based group of committed, informed citizens who evaluate candidates" for various village boards. The group has been around since the 1930s.
Council members, or delegates as they are called, must be registered voters and residents for at least one year. Although delegates represent whichever district in which they reside, there is at least one opening on all but one of the geographical districts.
The Council, according to its president Orlando Coryell, is not a political party but must file as one after its delegates help endorsed candidates collect signatures on their respective nominating petitions. Anyone can run for office independent of Council candidates and all petition documents must be filed no later than Jan. 19.
The group met Sept. 10 and decided not to hold a second meeting in October in a proposed attempt to build the roster of available delegates. However, since endorsement sessions are held on two separate days, it is possible more delegates could sign up (and attend two meetings as required) in time for the December session.
Endorsements for three Park Board and four Library Board candidates will be in November, with the session for Village President, Clerk and three trustees in December. For all offices except library, one must be a minimum one-year resident. A Library trustee only has to have resided in the village for at least one day, said Coryell.
Although the Park District, like schools, vets all of its employees because of required background checks, that is not done by the Council, Coryell said.
The Council decided to distribute flyers to residents, schools and businesses instead of just using email as was done this summer to recruit delegates. However, there is concern over distributing flyers to all 5,000 households in La Grange through the village, since some consider the Council a political organization, Coryell said.
A move by new delegate Ted Hadley to add a meeting in October was rejected by a 34-13 Council vote after board secretary Rob Pierson suggested doing so may invite abuse and cause partisan groups to pack the Council (as it has in the past) until endorsements are finished so they can assure "their" candidate is slated.
Hadley was the Council's endorsed candidate for village president in 2005, but lost to incumbent Liz Asperger. He joined the Council this summer.
Coryell, who is in charge of the meeting schedule, said the Council cannot bar new members who show up for the first time in October from participating in endorsements.
"That's not democracy," he said. "We're an inclusive, not an exclusive group."
Another delegate told the Council she "would like to see a larger representation" from under-represented areas, especially given the fact many recent endorsed candidates have come from one geogrphical area: the village's central historic distrct.
"We need to make this a more diverse council," she said. "It can only be a better community if you do that." There are two African-American delegates and slightly more men than women. However, it is not known which districts are better represented.
Some at the meeting agreed the District 102 caucus -- a separate organization with a similar charge -- has long been padded with special interests, which the Council says it wants to avoid.
There have been years in which voting membership was near the maximum or in the high 60s or 70s, said Coryell, who added one winter was so rough endorsements were only voted on by eight members. A majority of whoever is present determines which candidates are slated.
Although it is not yet known who my or may not run, incumbents whose terms are up in April include Asperger, Village Clerk Robert Milne and Village Board Trustees Mark Langan, Barb Wolf and Mike Horvath; Park Commissioners Tim Kelpsas, Bob Ashby and Chris Walsh Jr. and Library Trustees Mary Nelson, Jane Byczek, Becky Spratford and William Coffee.
UNDERWATER PEOPLE
There's always that one nitwit who decides his car is invincible and won't be mechanically affected as he drives through the virtual lake La Grange folks call the Ogden Avenue viaduct.
Oh well, maybe he was just trying to prove something. Or file a juicy insurance claim. Those are the kinds of things we'll never know. But they're usually fun to watch, that is unless someone gets hurt.
The torrential downpour that lasted virtually all weekend caused many flooded streets, yards and homes in the area -- and it was so bad at 47th Street and East Avenue where La Grange meets Brookfield and McCook, the intersection was closed to traffic.
That made for some creative detours, depending on where drivers were headed.
The newly painted black viaduct that runs over Ogden just west of where motorists turn onto Burlington Avenue was also under water for quite a while this past weekend.
La Grange firefighters found themselves helping their brethren deal with severe flooding woes in nearby Stone Park. They were assisted in their efforts by the Elmhurst Fire Department.
No word yet on whether the rains will cause the cancellation of the 15th Annual Golf Outing helping to fill the coffers of the La Grange Firefighters' Local 2338 Benefit Fund this Tuesday, Sept. 16 at Palos Country Club on Southwest Highway in Orland Park.
If they end up taking to the links, the water traps on the course may be more plentiful than usual.
Anyone who'd like to play ($90 for golf and dinner, 35 bucks for dinner only), with a shotgun start at 9:45 a.m., a 2-hour open bar before dinner and numerous raffles can call Bill Bryzgalski Don Gay or Brian Sible at the Fire Department, (708)579-2338.
Oh well, maybe he was just trying to prove something. Or file a juicy insurance claim. Those are the kinds of things we'll never know. But they're usually fun to watch, that is unless someone gets hurt.
The torrential downpour that lasted virtually all weekend caused many flooded streets, yards and homes in the area -- and it was so bad at 47th Street and East Avenue where La Grange meets Brookfield and McCook, the intersection was closed to traffic.
That made for some creative detours, depending on where drivers were headed.
The newly painted black viaduct that runs over Ogden just west of where motorists turn onto Burlington Avenue was also under water for quite a while this past weekend.
La Grange firefighters found themselves helping their brethren deal with severe flooding woes in nearby Stone Park. They were assisted in their efforts by the Elmhurst Fire Department.
No word yet on whether the rains will cause the cancellation of the 15th Annual Golf Outing helping to fill the coffers of the La Grange Firefighters' Local 2338 Benefit Fund this Tuesday, Sept. 16 at Palos Country Club on Southwest Highway in Orland Park.
If they end up taking to the links, the water traps on the course may be more plentiful than usual.
Anyone who'd like to play ($90 for golf and dinner, 35 bucks for dinner only), with a shotgun start at 9:45 a.m., a 2-hour open bar before dinner and numerous raffles can call Bill Bryzgalski Don Gay or Brian Sible at the Fire Department, (708)579-2338.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
GOOD SAMARITAN MAKES JACK'S DAY
I always say it's the little things that really count. But sometimes it's the little mistakes that reveal bigger things -- or stories as is the case for folks like me -- and this time I'm glad I mis-heard an important little someone's name.
After all, I may not have ever known about last week's bigger story.
First off, let me apologize to Jack Kunkle of La Grange. Things were so noisy at the start of last week's "Lounging in La Grange" Adirondack chair auction downtown that I thought I heard his father, John Kunkle, say he was about to spend $2,500 on a chair for his son of another name.
But that's where the new story begins, when Dad was in line waiting to buy the chair -- and a miraculous gesture took place. So here it goes:
"I went up to buy the chair and the lady behind the counter said 'It's already taken care of' and, as it turns out, somebody had already paid for it for me," said Mr. Kunkle. "I have no idea who it was. I was floored, I was overwhelmed. That's all I know is I'd been told it's been taken care of."
Wow. I mean, he knew a few friends and neighbors have been aware of his family's unfortunate predicament, ever since his son Jack, now a 7th grader at Park Jr. High in La Grange Park, was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor eight months ago.
A lot of people at school and in the neighborhood knew about the 'jackkunk' link on the website, www.carepages.com which chronicles Jack's plight and treatment plans -- and some also knew about the La Grange Business Association auction Sept. 4.
"I really just went for the sole purpose of bidding on the Chicago Cubs chair and hopefully winning it," said Mr. Kunkle. "When I did, I was in a zone. I walked up to pay for it, figuring I'd stick it in the car and go home. But then this. It was just unbelievable."
He put a post on his website that night and let his and his wife's curiosity go unanswered.
"There's a side of us that says we're dying to know, but another part of us that's just gracious and feeling it was a fantastic gift," he said, adding, "Whoever did it wanted to be anonymous and that makes us feel good."
The chair, he said, is at home being enjoyed by Jack, and will likely be kept in the basement this winter. That's where Jack, his friends, his sisters -- eighth grader Emily and Lyons Township High School junior Leigh -- and their friends hang out.
"They're fantastic and his friends are the best group of friends," he added.
The Long and Winding Road...
Jack, said his father, had been really sick after the holidays earlier this year and on the morning of Friday, Jan. 18 , he woke up with an unbelievably bad headache, vomiting.
So his folks called the doctor, who suggested they have him checked out at the University of Chicago Children's Hospital. That's where a neurosurgeon told them Jack had a brain tumor, attached to his brain stem toward the rear of his head.
Three days later, Jack was operated on and after surgery, he didn't come home for a month. He spent two weeks in the hospital and another two at The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
He then underwent six weeks of radiation and is now going through chemotherapy -- which will continue until February.
"The MRIs show the surgery was successful and killed all but a little bit and radiation got the rest of it," said his father. "He's doing good. It's a horrible toll, but he has such a fantastic attitude, which helps us all through it."
Jack swims at the La Grange Field Club and with the community swim team The Lions.
He also has been active in the Theatre of Western Springs' children's program and has
earned a bit part in a Park Theatre production of "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" this November.
"(We like him doing) anything where he can be a kid again," said Dad.
Best Seat in the House...
The Cubbie blue and red chair, which spent the summer in front of Palmer Place, finds a place in the backyard of the Kunkle home just about every day.
"He loves it," Dad said of the chair. "But every night we bring it in."
And, every day, they count their blessings.
"It's unbelievable, it really is," he said. "We are all still so overwhelmed by it. What a gift."
After all, I may not have ever known about last week's bigger story.
First off, let me apologize to Jack Kunkle of La Grange. Things were so noisy at the start of last week's "Lounging in La Grange" Adirondack chair auction downtown that I thought I heard his father, John Kunkle, say he was about to spend $2,500 on a chair for his son of another name.
But that's where the new story begins, when Dad was in line waiting to buy the chair -- and a miraculous gesture took place. So here it goes:
"I went up to buy the chair and the lady behind the counter said 'It's already taken care of' and, as it turns out, somebody had already paid for it for me," said Mr. Kunkle. "I have no idea who it was. I was floored, I was overwhelmed. That's all I know is I'd been told it's been taken care of."
Wow. I mean, he knew a few friends and neighbors have been aware of his family's unfortunate predicament, ever since his son Jack, now a 7th grader at Park Jr. High in La Grange Park, was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor eight months ago.
A lot of people at school and in the neighborhood knew about the 'jackkunk' link on the website, www.carepages.com which chronicles Jack's plight and treatment plans -- and some also knew about the La Grange Business Association auction Sept. 4.
"I really just went for the sole purpose of bidding on the Chicago Cubs chair and hopefully winning it," said Mr. Kunkle. "When I did, I was in a zone. I walked up to pay for it, figuring I'd stick it in the car and go home. But then this. It was just unbelievable."
He put a post on his website that night and let his and his wife's curiosity go unanswered.
"There's a side of us that says we're dying to know, but another part of us that's just gracious and feeling it was a fantastic gift," he said, adding, "Whoever did it wanted to be anonymous and that makes us feel good."
The chair, he said, is at home being enjoyed by Jack, and will likely be kept in the basement this winter. That's where Jack, his friends, his sisters -- eighth grader Emily and Lyons Township High School junior Leigh -- and their friends hang out.
"They're fantastic and his friends are the best group of friends," he added.
The Long and Winding Road...
Jack, said his father, had been really sick after the holidays earlier this year and on the morning of Friday, Jan. 18 , he woke up with an unbelievably bad headache, vomiting.
So his folks called the doctor, who suggested they have him checked out at the University of Chicago Children's Hospital. That's where a neurosurgeon told them Jack had a brain tumor, attached to his brain stem toward the rear of his head.
Three days later, Jack was operated on and after surgery, he didn't come home for a month. He spent two weeks in the hospital and another two at The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
He then underwent six weeks of radiation and is now going through chemotherapy -- which will continue until February.
"The MRIs show the surgery was successful and killed all but a little bit and radiation got the rest of it," said his father. "He's doing good. It's a horrible toll, but he has such a fantastic attitude, which helps us all through it."
Jack swims at the La Grange Field Club and with the community swim team The Lions.
He also has been active in the Theatre of Western Springs' children's program and has
earned a bit part in a Park Theatre production of "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" this November.
"(We like him doing) anything where he can be a kid again," said Dad.
Best Seat in the House...
The Cubbie blue and red chair, which spent the summer in front of Palmer Place, finds a place in the backyard of the Kunkle home just about every day.
"He loves it," Dad said of the chair. "But every night we bring it in."
And, every day, they count their blessings.
"It's unbelievable, it really is," he said. "We are all still so overwhelmed by it. What a gift."
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
GORDON PARK FATE LEFT TO RESIDENTS
On Saturday the Park District of La Grange voted in favor of allowing residents decide the fate of Gordon Park, a referendum question will appear on the November ballot.
Developers want a portion of the park be sold in order to enhance their plans for the former site of the Rich Port YMCA, at the northeast corner of La Grange Road and Ogden Avenue.
Developers want a portion of the park be sold in order to enhance their plans for the former site of the Rich Port YMCA, at the northeast corner of La Grange Road and Ogden Avenue.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)