A Residents View, Bluff St. Construction

By Karen Hanrahan

This La Grange Resident has had an experience of the bluff construction project that is up close and personal. Having the work happen right next to where you reside certainly gives one a perspective.

What does it take to build a new road? Well, it takes lots of guys, lots of trucks, and lots of other very large construction equipment. It takes a lot of dirt, gravel and a ton or two of cement. There is the very early morning noise, the ever present fine white dust and the major tremors that shake the entire house.

Let’s not forget the displacement of vehicles from one’s driveway or the parking tickets from the Village of La Grange. The Village drops off wonderful weekly updates in the mailboxes of residents near the six million dollar road project. These notes have included a mention of leniency for street parking in the area that seemingly they have not shared with the local police. This resident has had five tickets left on her car since the construction began.

We were all given one day notice to a water main shut off. We had no water for an entire day, and had a boil alert for 48 hours following. This work at home resident hiked up to Blueberry Hill to urinate as needed.

So far the construction project is on schedule.

GORDON PARK LAND SALE IN BALANCE

From the looks of things, it appears the long-shuttered Rich Port YMCA property in La Grange will continue to remain dark and lifeless, as the fight over its demolition and eventual redevelopment remains on hold.

The Park District of La Grange Board of Commissioners is taking steps to possibly counter a Cook County Circuit judge's ruling June 22 to block the auction sale of a 2.82-acre sliver of Gordon Park property behind the facility, slated for a proposed residential and commercial development.

Judge LeRoy Martin Jr. issued a final ruling in a case filed months ago by resident Orlando Coryell -- the spouse of a La Grange Library Board trustee -- saying Atlantic Realty Partners had an "unfair advantage" over other prospective bidders on the combined two parcels of land with zoning in a planned unit development that included a vacated Shawmut Avenue.

As a result, the proposed La Grange Place continues to be just that -- a proposed redevelopment by the Atlanta-based company -- which may or may not see reality.

The land at Ogden Avenue and La Grange Road, which became inactive a few years ago, is slated for townhomes, apartments and retail.

Coryell, who filed suit even after voters gave the go-ahead for the sale of public land in a highly publicized and contested November 2008 referendum, has been arguing, with the help of others and his attorney, Mark Wohlberg, against the sale of open green space.

The judge did not find fault with the manner of how the Jan. 8 auction was held, but stated the way in which the property was already zoned with one entity in mind constituted it as a private -- not public -- sale, according to court records.

However, park and village officials have said the part of the park in question is occupied by a garage and storage shed and is used very little by park patrons. Plus, proceeds from the sale would be put back into a new, revitalized park at the same location.

Wohlberg has said he feels Coryell's efforts were "vindicated."

So, while everyone awaits a followup hearing on the case scheduled to be heard by Circuit Judge Susan Gillis on Wednesday, July 22, the Park Board is now strategizing with its legal counsel to plot out what to do next and will likely appeal.

Martin (a former Chicago police superintendent) apparently hinted at how the Park Board may revise its zoning to make it a public sale, options of which are now being looked into.

NO CRIMINAL CHARGES IN MAY 19 FATAL

A 45-year-old woman whom La Grange police finally revealed June 18 was responsible for the tragic death one month ago today of a Countryside wife and mother as she tried to hoist a baby stroller onto a raised curb at 47th Street and 8th Avenue has been cited -- not criminally charged -- in the death.

Mary McPhillips of Chicago, who was driving eastbound in the curb lane on the south side of 47th when, for still unknown reasons, ran down Cari Cook as she was pushing her 2-year-old daughter, Ellie, and carrying her 4-month-old son, Carson, has received two traffic tickets -- for failure to exercise due care to a pedestrian and improper lane care (usage) -- and faces a Tuesday, Aug. 4 court hearing likely to be well-attended by family and friends of Cook who have since launched a crusade to see to it safety improvements are implemented along the roadway.

In fact, some residents who attended a June 2 village planning workshop to discuss proposals to reduce speed along 47th to 30 from 35 mph and to have jurisdiction of the four-lane street transferred over to La Grange and other ideas said privately they plan to make another large and vocal showing at the next Village Board meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 22.

The long-awaited disposition of the Illinois State Police and Cook County State's Attorneys Office investigation into the traffic fatality -- which took one day short of an entire month as detectives sifted through accident reconstruction evidence and testimony from those involved -- was revealed in a press release issued by La Grange Police Leiutenant Vic Arnold in the absence of a vacationing Police Chief Michael Holub.

"No data submitted and/or evaluated indicated that alcohol or drugs were a factor in this tragic event," the release stated. "The Illinois State Police did not discover any mechanical defects or roadway deficiencies that were contributory factors."

The investigation included assistance from the La Grange Police Department and the Cook County Sheriff's Police.

Cook, whose son suffered a broken leg in the crash and whose daughter was spared any injuries, was a former teacher and volleyball coach who grew up in south suburban Oak Forest. She and her husband, Matt, and the children were relatively new parishioners at St. John of the Cross Catholic Church in neighboring Western Springs.

Matt Cook, who attended high school with his future wife, has also been heavily involved in an extensive door-to-door petition campaign aimed at urging implementation of many safety ideas and changes to make 47th safer -- including the fact that many streets and sidewalks do not match up on one side vs. the other side of the street because they have been misaligned since the neighborhood to the south was subdivided and built up decades ago.

Although La Grange only had input into the investigation and was not directly responsible for carrying out the probe, some residents also have criticized the questionably long period of time it had taken to determine exactly what happened that morning.

The court case will be heard in Cook County Circuit Court in nearby Bridgeview.

PALMER ACCEPTS NEW POSITION

Downtown restaurant owner Steve Palmer has a new title to add to his career resume.

Palmer, a former La Grange police officer who co-owns Palmer Place Restaurant & Bier Garten with his brother Phil and mother Ruth, was appointed June 9 to the Township of Lyons Special Police Advisory Committee chaired by Jerry Strazzante.

Newly elected Democratic Supervisor Russ Hartigan of Western Springs made the appointment of Palmer, a Republican. The new elected township slate also now includes three Republicans.

The 9-member committee is an oversight board for the special police detail provided the unincorporated La Grange Highlands community south of La Grange by Indian Head Park police officers -- a contract designed to supplement the police coverage that area already is provided by the Cook County Sheriff's Police.

The committee was established more than 30 years ago by former Republican Township Supervisor Ann Painter -- a resident of the Highlands -- at an annual town meeting held every April. At the time, responding to resident concerns of poor service from the county, the Sheriff's Department run by Democrat Richard Elrod, was sort of replaced.

Two other unincorporated areas of the township -- La Grange Estates mobile home park on Joliet Road near Countryside and Sterling Estates mobile home park on Frontage Road near Justice -- are still patrolled only by the county. But local police often supplement them in their efforts when needed.

The position does not involve any compensation.

RESIDENTS CALL FOR 47TH CHANGES FOLLOWING MAY 19 PEDESTRIAN DEATH

Within days of what many local residents say was the avoidable death of his wife and the mother of their two young children along the high-speed 47th Street corridor in La Grange more than two weeks ago, Matthew Cook took to the streets and sidewalks of the village seeking support for some kind of change to the unmarked state road to improve safety for pedestrians.

And with petitions in hand containing the signatures of more than 250 area residents and counting, he boldly stood before a standing-room-only crowd of nearly 200 people packed into the gymnasium of Seventh Avenue School on the night of June 2, almost tearing up, to call for the kind of change that will assure everyone such a tragedy will not occur again.

"Something has to be done to prevent this from happening to anyone else ever again," said Cook after about 40 residents presented a wide variety of input at the three-hour Village Board planning meeting held in response to the accident at 47th and 8th Avenue that claimed the life of 30-year-old Countryside mom Cari Cook exactly 14 days earlier.

Joining friends and family who also testified wearing purple ribbons on their chest as a reminder of Cari and what he said was her favorite color, Matthew Cook described the petition effort and changes it will call for when he submits it to the village and state officials later this month.

"There are 250 people I represent tonight ... and at the top of the (petition) list is to reduce speed on 47th," he said, adding there are simply not enough breaks in the road to slow down traffic, as is the case on streets bordering Waiola Park to the west. "We need to somehow slow down traffic (to avoid) everyone having to dart across traffic to get to the other side."

He said people can talk to their friends and neighbors to slow down and drive more carefully, but noted most people just do not listen.

Increasing police presence -- beyond the four squads per shift Police Chief Michael Holub said the village is limited to in addition to part-timers and auxiliary officers -- is the "best way" to solve speeding problems, Cook said.

That, he said, is in addition to aligning sidewalks with curb cuts on both sides of 47th and painting crosswalks at every intersection along the stretch, including where his wife was hit as she attempted to lift the stroller carrying her 2-year-old daughter up onto a raised curb and through some parkway to access the nearby sidewalk.

It is just one of many so-called "mismatched" intersections separating the north and south sides of 47th, in which neither side streets or their corresponding sidewalks line up. In some cases, the roads and walkways are a good 30 to 50 feet apart from each other.

For resident Angela Geraci, 747 S. 10th Ave., sidewalk alignments and sidewalks in the south end neighborhoods her hot button issues.

"I ask the village to now fix all the remaining sidewalks on the south end (from) 10th all the way down," she said -- but she added the woeful lack of sidewalks at all in some parts of the area also is a major problem.

"You say 11 years ago most residents didn't want sidewalks, but I don't accept that excuse for not having sidewalks now. Between 49th and 50th alone, there are 15 kids and children are forced to walk on the street every day ... This area is another accident waiting to happen."

Another idea Cook raised, which Mayor Liz Asperger said was a novel approach to tackling the issue was the suggestion of a "pedestrian stoplight" at hazardous intersections activated at the press of a button. She said another man's approach, of installing removable rubberized speed risers, instead of permanent speed bumps, was a fresh idea worthy of consideration.

When one woman from the 600 block of 10th Avenue hollered for a show of hands supporting the pedestrian red light concept, some 90 percent of those seated raised their hands and applauded.

Cook also suggested La Grange take a cue from Chicago and consider the installation of speed bumps -- not on 47th where they'd have to get state approval -- but on every side street approaching 47th where there is a high level of pedestrians, so as to warn motorists of a dangerous crossing ahead.

"Somehow slow down that traffic," he implored the village. "Maybe making that kind of change would be easier than (making changes immediately) on 47th Street."

Other suggestions ranged from installing a four-way traffic signals at the state and county-controlled intersection of 47th and East Avenue where La Grange's western edge meets the southwest corner of Brookfield and the northwest corner of McCook.

A resident of Blackstone Avenue at 47th complained about the speed of village snow plows driving down 47th in the winter and the year-round dilemma of errant motorists jumping curbs and ending up on sidewalks and in people's yards -- prompting another person to suggest a 2-foot fence barrier between the street and sidewalk once sidewalks are re-aligned.

However, some residents expressed reservations of reducing speed and/or the number of lanes down 47th.

Chris Morris, who lives south of 47th on 8th, said he was "concerned" about the proposal to reduce east-west lanes from two to one in each direction.

"It is very difficult to access 47th Street ... in between the speedy traffic and a lot of traffic," he said. "The only real stop ... is the light at 47th and La Grange Road. You're just going to have longer trains of cars. But can you create natural traffic breaks?"

One Countryside resident said a much larger regional issue directly tied to increased traffic on such thoroughfares as East Avenue, 55th and 47th streets and La Grange Road over the past 12 years has been the closure of Joliet Road between McCook and Lyons -- which was shut down because it was crumbling into the Vulcan quarry and has been in litigation for years.

Joe Pardo, a resident at 47th and 10th Avenue for the past 44 years, said police provide "zero" presence along the stretch where the latest accident occurred.

Wally Lewandowski of the 400 block of South 9th said one idea he believes would be effective in reducing the number of speeders and potential car vs. pedestrian accidents would be to place an undercover officer at existing crosswalks ticketing drivers who fail to stop.

One resident called for installation of speed cameras along 47th, while another suggested the village temporarily employ a couple traffic officers just to target that area until the problems significantly drop. Yet another resident suggested placing empty squad cars at key side streets to fool drivers into driving slower and more cautiously.

No tickets or charges have been issued to date in the May 19 late morning crash, which left the Cook's 4-month-old son Carson with a broken leg and a daughter in the stroller and the family dog unharmed.

Another passing motorist, struck by the alleged offending driver as she attempted to avoid striking Cook in the roadway, has told The La Grange Doings he helped save the boy's life after he fell out of a baby carrier and onto the street.

At the meeting, Holub informed residents the investigation being conducted into the fatal accident by the Illinois State Police and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office was "still pending" and that detectives are avoiding all speculation.

"It's still an active case and this is going to be an objective and thorough investigation," he said, referring to 47th Street, especially in the area west of the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad tracks at East to La Grange Road "an enforcement nightmare" in which irresponsible drivers use side streets to avoid lights, speed detection and trains.

A related issue involves drivers cited for speeding who are sent to Cook County Circuit Court
and who frequently have their tickets dismissed unless they were going more than 10 or 12 mph over the posted 35 mph limit. That issue has been resolved in part by issuing municipal tickets in which motorists pay fines and avoid having traffic violations on their permanent records.

But even though Village Manager Robert Pilipiszyn made it clear the village has again petitioned the Illinois Department of Transportation -- which has jurisdiction over the road from Harlem Avenue west to Hinsdale -- to reduce the speed limit to 30 mph and for a jurisdictional transfer of the stretch through La Grange along with a redesign of the roadway to one lane in each direction and a center turn lane from the current four lane/no turn lane configurement, speed and local control is not the only issue.

In fact, residents in attendance loudly applauded suggestions by Matthew Cook and others to make some immediate changes to 47th and almost every misaligned side street that crosses from one side to the other -- alterations many said could be done over the next couple weeks just like when La Grange put in a crosswalk at 47th and 9th Avenue a few years ago without state approval.

That revelation, which Asperger admitted was done because La Grange disagreed with statistics presented by IDOT against a proposed speed reduction, caused some residents to jump to the conclusion the village could just go ahead and enact any changes they choose without retribution.

But, said Asperger, with State Reps. Jim Durkin (R) of Western Springs and Michael Zalewski (D) of Chicago in attendance at the meeting and agreeing to cooperate in lobbying IDOT officials to address the problems raised by the village and residents, she would rather seek cooperation and sound well-researched solutions without forcing the issue this time around.

Although Pilipiszyn said IDOT indicated it would consider the speed reduction, a jurisdictional transfer would be much more costly because the state would first have to improve the street with the redesign in mind -- a "working" figure Asperger said was estimated a few years ago to be about $4 million.

The intersection of 47th and East, he said, is also in line for future improvements including traffic lights and an underpass or overpass funded largely by the federal CREATE program that could be many years from reality.

Still, legislators in attendance voiced support for improving that part of the village.

"Your views have been heard," said Zalewski, who listened to about half of the testimony before heading to another meeting. "I think IDOT should have been here to heat every single word. I'll find my own special way of communicating what they should have heard."

Later, near the conclusion of the workshop attended by five of the six trustees, Durkin -- who lives steps away from another misaligned intersection of 47th at Grand Avenue -- said he witnesses accidents there every other week and empathized with the La Grange residents.

"It was a planning disaster ... when they did that," he said. "If it comes to the question of a jurisdictional transfer, I will listen to the (pros and cons and) I will be reasonable. IDOT is almost 'programmed' to say no, but they will not get away with it this time. If we have to be heavy handed with IDOT, so be it. It's personal to me and extremely personal to everybody in this room."

Ninth Avenue resident Jan Kinsley couldn't agree more.

"We need to take strong measures at this point," she said, saying many parents won't let their children cross 47th to go to the library, the Park District recreation center on East Avenue or even the South Campus of Lyons Township High School.

After the meeting, trustees Mike Horvath and Jim Palermo agreed they saw no reason why aligning the sidewalk access on both sides of 47th cannot be done immediately. Improving traffic and safety issues was one of Horvath's main campaign issues when he ran for trustee, he said.

Trustee Bill Holder took a more cautious approach, but said while in theory curb cuts and signs are "quick and easy" things the village could do, they may not be the ultimate answer to improve safety. He said the intersection of 47th and East "frightens (him) to death" so much that he won't even let his 16-year-old daughter who just earned her license drive through there.

"I think the turnout was important; it showed that people care," he added. "It showed this issue is a real one, not just for one neighborhood, but to a broad cross-section of representatives (in all parts of town). All of this takes cooperation."

Asperger, saying she was "delighted" so many residents decided to spend an evening to dissect the issue and come up with some well thought-out solutions, stressed there would be no final decision that night and no way of setting a timeline or next meeting date on the topic. But she did add the village has $250,000 budgeted for that area in 2010 and has committed $20,000 for a planning study this year.

"It's unfortunate, but so much of this is ... in careless driving behavior," she said. "Where there are stop signs, people just roll through. There are some horrendous driving behaviors ... (but) we will do as much as we can as quickly as we can."