Stadium light towers in the heart of town
The board and many members of Citizens for Glen Ellyn Preservation are deeply concerned that the negative impact of 7-story stadium lighting aligned along Crescent Boulevard will irreparably harm the character of the village. Given the prominent location of the historic Glenbard West campus, which is surrounded by residential neighborhoods and our traditional downtown, glowing light towers that would be well above tree level and seen for a great distance would harm an essential part of what makes our town so unique.
Concerned residents have also identified serious safety issues along with the glaring lights and noise until 9:30 p.m., six nights a week, 3 seasons a year, that will have an unacceptable, detrimental impact on the quality of life for neighbors many blocks away from the school.
On October 12, the CGEP Board presented a letter before the Plan Commission, where D87 is requesting 9 variances to convert Memorial Field into a mini-stadium. This letter is as follows:
Dear Plan Commissioners:
Between 2001 & 2002 the Village of Glen Ellyn began implementation of a beautification program on a section of Crescent Boulevard between Park Boulevard and Riford Road that began with burying the power lines and eventually finished with the installation of vintage-style street lighting.
Part of the funding for this effort came from a private donor who wanted to enhance the beauty of this important part of the village for all residents. One of the major entryways into our town, this scenic street passes between vintage 1920s neighborhoods and wooded Honeysuckle Hill, site of Glenbard West High School, one of the finest historic school buildings in Illinois. In 2009, the Village of Glen Ellyn Historic Preservation Commission identified the campus as a potential landmark. This area is the very essence of the distinctive character of the village and, with idyllic Lake Ellyn Park just to the north and the old-fashioned downtown immediately to the west; it is a favorite route for realtors introducing prospective new residents to the community. The fact that we have such unique neighborhoods that draw new residents benefits the value of homes throughout.
Click here to continue
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Support a Referendum to allow Glen Ellyn residents to chance to decide whether these towers should be installed.
Email: info@ourfieldourtown.com to add your name.
(A volunteer will come to collect your signature)
Sign the epetition and comment at www.gopetition.com/petition/42517.html
TO LEARN MORE:
Click Here to see the list of 9 variances needed to convert Memorial Field into a mini-stadium
Click Here to read a letter from former Village President Joe Wark.
Click Here to read the how the 1/3 1/3 1/3 funding for artifical turf became $1.6 million in debt for the school district.
Our Field Our Town member discussion of safety issues is here http://glenellyn.patch.com/articles/letter-to-the-editor-65
To listen to community input regarding stadium lighting at the packed February 7 School Board meeting go to http://glenellynlife.com/index.php?q=node/1914
Historic McKee House at Risk Again
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Citizens for Glen Ellyn Preservation is working to form a coalition to preserve and re-adapt the historic stone McKee house and outbuildings at Churchill Woods Forest Preserve on St. Charles Road for public use. Completed in 1936 by CCC workers from Camp MacDowell of locally quarried limestone, these beautiful Colonial Revival structures were given to the residents of DuPage County by the WPA as headquarters for the DuPage County Forest Preserve, a residence for the superintendent and as a place for local nature-related organizations to meet.
Click here to read about recent issues.
Click here to read about the history and architecture.
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What happened to tree preservation
in our village?
Click here to find out.
VOTE!
Elections for our village board took place at the Glen Ellyn Civic Center, this Saturday, December 4 from 8:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. Your vote to choose local candidates was of great importance to what will happen to the character of our village over the next 4 years. Click here to read updated (Dec. 4) candidate responses to important preservation and tree protection issues. (An additional candidate sent answers to the questions December 4.)
We asked Barb Lemme, a member of the Civic Betterment Party Nominating Committee: What are the criteria used for vetting candidates for village board? Her answer is below:
There is no "official" set of criteria beyond the obvious. We each know what the job of trustee entails, and each of us evaluates the candidate based on a perceived ability to successfully fulfill that role, make a positive contribution to the village, and to work well with other trustees, the village staff, the community, etc. I see this as one of the strengths of the Nominating Committee, as it is a fairly large group, representing the various elementary school areas, and very diverse. It is not a closed club, a secret cabal, etc.
As for myself, I look for professional experience that may benefit the village, as well as personal qualities that I feel help make a successful trustee (e.g., ability to communicate effectively, willingness to listen, work ethic, analytical as well as creative thought, sense of humor, love of the village). I have no litmus test, but of course I am interested in each individual's views of current issues within the village (especially in terms of development, preservation, appreciation of history), and I would be wary of those who seem to have their own single issue agenda. I also feel we should strive for diversity on the board, in terms of age, gender, political and social affiliations, professional background, etc.
I'm sure others on the committee share many of these views, though we may weight them differently. And each of us brings a unique perspective to the task.
Barb Lemme is a partner in Sign of the Whale Antiques,
558 Crescent Blvd. and serves on the board of Citizens for
Glen Ellyn Preservation.
2010 Historic Home tour
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Saturday, October 16 was a glorious fall day for our 2010 Historic Home Tour and apparently a lot of you thought so too! More than double the usual number of tickets were sold for this unique opportunity to step into five of our village’s beautiful vintage homes. We were touched by and grateful for your enthusiastic support.
Months of hard work by our many dedicated volunteers made much of the day possible. At the same time, if it were not for the support of our local business community, special events like this could not continue to take place. I hope you will join us in thanking and supporting these members of our Glen Ellyn community who step forward time and time again.
American Gardens
The Bookstore
Bundles of Books
Cabernet & Company Wine Shop
Community Insurance Group
Forward Risk Consulting
Glen Ellyn Bank and Trust
The Green Branch
Hummingbird Woodworks
The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn
Linea Hair Salon
M and Em’s Children’s Boutique
O’Connor Design
Peerless Fence
PJ’s Camera and Photo
Sign of the Whale Antiques
SMT Architects
Starbucks (Crescent Blvd)
Su Ki’s Salon
Taylor’s Five Corners Florist
Tea and Toes Teahouse and Foot Sanctuary
And a special thank you to the G. Carl Ball Family Foundation.
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Glen Ellyn History Park at Risk
Dear President Pfefferman and Trustees of the Village Board,
Recently, members of Citizens for Glen Ellyn Preservation have become aware that, like local governments and businesses across the country, the Glen Ellyn Historical Society has felt the strain of declining income. There has been concern that this venerable organization may not be able to meet its obligations on the debt related to the properties acquired at Stacy’s Corners, which were for the creation of a history park on behalf of the residents of the village.
Given the historical importance of this site as the village’s original settlement, as well as, the aesthetic and cultural appeal of such an inviting space along the northern gateway to the downtown, we feel that the commercial redevelopment of any part of this property would be detrimental to the character of the village. Therefore, we urge the village board to seek a compromise that would keep this property intact and would allow the Historical Society to complete its mission.
Sincerely,
The Officers and Board of Citizens for Glen Ellyn Preservation
Click here for background on Stacy's Tavern
Lead removal
Preservationists have long been recommending that care be taken when removing lead paint and asbestos during restoration work. New EPA rules are finally in place and, while contractors may grumble about the inconvenience, this is a good thing. Contractors who work on pre-1978 homes will need to take a short certification class that applies to lead paint removal. While some contractors have always taken precautions, all will now be required to follow lead-containment procedures. Homeowners who are doing their own work do not need certification but must also follow the EPA's lead removal rules. Many in the construction industry were caught off-guard by these new health-protection policies, so if you are having work done that will disturb old paint, be sure your contractor is qualified to do the work.
Click here for work site requirements
Click for more about lead and lead-containment
tree Preservation update
As we have reported, the amendments to the village Tree Preservation Ordinance that were proposed over 4 years ago, were sent back by the Village Board to the Environmental Commission, which is still in the process of reviewing its original recommendations. At last month's commission meeting, village staff made suggestions as to how the current ordinance might be better implemented. However, there were no recommendations for actual preservation for trees on private property, which is a particular problem during demolitions and new construction. The village forester reported that there is very little evidence of unnecessary tree removal by residents on their own properties and, in fact, the majority of residents seem to be quite protective of their trees. The 2007 CGEP survey of residents, which showed 79% in favor of village protection of certain desirable varieties of healthy trees within the unbuildable area of private property, supports this view of a community-wide love for trees. Only 8% of those surveyed did not want tree protection, leaving 13% who wanted more specific information about the proposed amendments before they decided. The area covered was well-wooded with a mixture of vintage and new homes.
Article of the month
Current News
Revitalizing Downtown Glen Ellyn
Keeping the Green Glen in The Glen Plan
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At the October 5 special workshop, the village president and more than one board member expressed the intention to delete a concept from the proposed Downtown Strategic Plan of a landscaped strip running along the south side of the railroad. It is this green swath of land filling the space between the railroad tracks and the Prairie Path, running through the heart of the downtown from east to west, that gave the final version of the concept plan its name: The Glen. It is the opinion of the board of Citizens for Glen Ellyn Preservation that the omission of this concept would be inadvisable and we have asked the village board to reconsider given the improvements in aesthetics, traffic flow and safety that could be provided by this feature. read more... |
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Village residents save last remnant
of historic West Babcock Grove at Ackerman Park
Visit the News Archive page to learn more about Ackerman Park, and read the June 2008 Daily Herald Editorial about the effort from grassroots that saved trees and the April 2008 Citizens for Glen Ellyn Preservation Board letter to the Park District.
image left: Ackerman Woods, May 2008, courtesy of Brian Dykes, www.blue-echoes.com |
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