Upcoming capital projects, strategic planning and pickleball were some of the topics addressed at a recent Glencoe village forum featuring some of the village’s top elected officials.
Village President Howard Roin, Park District President Carol Spain and Library Board President Roger Parfitt delivered presentations at a Jan. 31 meeting billed as the inaugural Glencoe Village Forum hosted by the Village Nominating Committee of the Glencoe Caucus.
Seated at a table at the Glencoe Public Library, Roin, Spain and Parfitt spoke of recent events at their respective units of government and what topics are likely to be addressed in the coming year.
Village
“Our business districts are vibrant,” Roin said. “We have the resources and reserves to meet our needs and our infrastructure is sound. We want to keep it that way.”
He mentioned there would be “very significant investments” the rest of this year with plans to spend about $10 million on traditional infrastructure projects through the village’s Community Investment Program.
“We want to plan ahead, (be) smart and efficient,” Roin said. “We don’t want to fix a street one year and then rip it up the next year because there is a water main or sewer under it that needs repair.”
The largest scheduled 2024 project is $3.4 million of stormwater improvements south of Green Bay Road from Jackson Avenue on the north to near Scott Avenue on the south.
Roin also spoke of a $1.8 million planned upgrade of water main replacements under Dundee Road from Green Bay Road on the east to just west of Bluff Street. The village is also set to move ahead with a $1.6 million renovation of village hall, mostly on the building’s second floor.
After voters approved a bond sale referendum in April 2023, planning for the Glencoe Golf Club construction project including a new clubhouse is underway and construction is set to start this summer.
On other issues, Roin said the village is looking at its water needs, including the future of the nearly 100-year-old water plant. Pioneer Press reported last week on ongoing conversations between Glencoe and the DuPage Water Commission on a possible collaboration that could lead to the transportation of Lake Michigan water going west with an intake in Glencoe.
Roin noted the Village Board would like to update the village’s comprehensive plan later this year and also called for consideration of putting a home rule referendum on the ballot at a future election.
A municipality with home rule can exercise any power and perform any function unless it is specifically prohibited from doing so by state law, according to the Illinois Municipal League. Non home-rule communities can only exercise powers for which authority is provided by state law.
“I think not being home rule is hurting us,” Roin said, adding many of Glencoe’s neighboring communities have home rule. “It costs our residents money and sometimes it prevents the village from doing what our residents would want us to do.”
Glencoe voters rejected a home rule referendum in 1988. The topic surfaced again at the board level starting in 2018, but discussions were shelved in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Park District
There has been explosive growth in pickleball throughout the nation with Glencoe being no exception. The subject was discussed for roughly 40 minutes at a January Park Board meeting, according to Park District Board President Carol Spain.
One subject at the January meeting pointed to the state of the courts and mentioned again by a forum attendee.
“We are aware of the concern that you raised,” Spain said. “It is something the board is discussing.”
Spain noted last year six temporary courts were added to the Weinberg Family Recreation Center, previously the Watts Ice Arena, and Park District officials are looking at the possibility of adding more dedicated pickleball courts at another location. The current courts are available for both pickleball and tennis.
“It’s not going to be an easy decision for the board where we put pickleball courts but it is something we are aware of,” she said.
While the village and the Park District are separate units of government, one person suggested putting the pickleball courts at the Glencoe Golf Club. However, Roin sounded less than enthusiastic about that idea.
“I’m not saying no, (but) it is still not obvious to me that is where we should put our pickleball courts,” he said.
Like the village, the Park Board is set to complete its latest comprehensive plan update this year, Spain said.
“It is a document that shapes what our agenda and priorities will be moving forward,” she said.
She added an open house is scheduled for March 6 to review a recently-conducted survey on what the public would like the Park District to prioritize.
Referring to completed actions, Spain noted the opening of the newly renovated Weinberg Center, the installation of two new rain gardens and a partnership with Northbrook now allowing Glencoe residents to use that community’s dog park.
Glencoe Public Library
“The library is as active as ever,” Parfitt said.
He noted there were about 89,000 total visits in 2023, marking an increase from previous years with 520 programs with approximately 300 designed for children.
Parfitt said the library has about 1.8 million items available digitally, but the turn toward digital use has not been as fast as previously anticipated. Parfitt said there is still great demand for checking out physical items at the building.
“We have to keep that in mind but as we move toward that we actually have to respond to what people are doing today,” Parfitt said.
Parfitt said the library board completed its comprehensive plan last year and the feedback was patrons like the “cozy” feel of the Park Avenue building and the staff.
“They find the librarians helpful, knowledgeable and welcoming,” he said. “It always feels like a place people want to be.”
Parfitt acknowledged the library building has over $1 million in immediate needs, including electricity, HVAC and plumbing issues.
“None of that is exciting stuff, but stuff that needs to be done,” he said.
Parfitt added building access needs to be improved, particularly in terms of ADA compliance.
Other goals include an improved community room, additional small meeting rooms, enhanced staff workspace and making better use of the basement.
“We are trying to find all kinds of different ways the library can be useful to the community while still providing the basic service,” he said.
Parfitt said library officials need to contact architects on how to accomplish some of the goals and how much it will cost.
During a question-and-answer session near the end of the forum, Parfitt was asked about access to digital content, particularly for children.
He deferred the question to Executive Director Andrew Kim, who spoke of adhering to existing state laws as now libraries that do not observe an American Library Association directive on the issue may lose state funding.
“As helpful and knowledge as my staff is, we do not get to tell you what to read, that is up to you,” Kim said. “Whether you have children at home or not, that is not something we will dictate for you. What we will offer you is accessibility. That decision remains with the cardholder, not with us.”
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.
