NU Unveils 50 Year Expansion Plan

By Larry and Mary Gavin

Last week Northwestern University unveiled a draft framework plan to guide the next 50 years of development of its Evanston campus. Professor James Webster of the School of Communications, one of the faculty members who worked on the draft, told the RoundTable the plan is a "framework," a "vision of the way the campus should be developed."

The campus has generally been built out one building at a time, Prof. Webster said. Oftentimes, this "has resulted in structures that neither engage their surroundings nor take advantage of Northwestern's greatest physical asset, its proximity to Lake Michigan," says the planning document.  Mr. Webster said if in the future the University were to decide to erect a new building, the plan would provide a framework in which to site it.

 Sasaki Associates, the consultant,as well as University personnel who worked on the plan were cognizant of the limited space available to them, according to the document: The City has strict zoning laws, a preservation ordinance and a consent decree in place; the community resents the University's purchase of more land and removing it from the tax rolls; and the state and federal environmental protection agencies have banned other institutions - - most recently Loyola University of Chicago - from building farther into Lake Michigan.

Thus the plan relies on "strategic infill," planned development of new buildings and the replacement and relocation of certain existing buildings, filling in open space (including four acres of the cooling pond in the lakefill and reconfiguring it) and realigning certain segments of the campus to create an ordered whole.
The recommended plan estimates a maximum of 6.2 million new gross square feet at full build-out - a net gain of about 5 million gross square feet, taking into account demolition of existing structures. 

Technology and science will take up most of the north end of the campus, while arts and sciences will primarily be located at the south end, Prof. Webster said. With parking on the perimeters and pedestrian entrances along Sheridan Road from Noyes Street, Foster Street, Garret Place and Library Place, the interior of the campus will be walkable and bikeable by both Northwesterners and Evanstonians. "I think of the campus as an asset," Mr. Webster said. "We want to make it a more beautiful place, a more inviting place to the Northwestern University community and the Evanston community."

City-University Interface
Most of the points where the University interfaces with the City will change. These include both sides of Sheridan Road from Emerson north to Lincoln Street; Orrington Avenue between Emerson and Foster streets; the Clark Street area between Hinman and Sherman; and the south end of the lakefill, which traditionally the University said was used by the people of Evanston as a public park.

The plan also mentions the University-owned spaces now occupied by Roycemore School, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and Seabury-Western Theological Seminary: "These parcels all have future development potential for University uses," according to the plan.

Sheridan Road: On the east side of Sheridan Road, "the campus would benefit from aesthetic developments that identify it more strongly as a University space." Administrative offices would eventually be moved from Clark Street (the Rebecca Crown Center) to buildings on the west side of Sheridan Road, according to the long-term plan.

It also envisions the demolition of the Foster-Walker residence hall on Orrington Avenue, which could trigger two bold moves: Subject to obtaining required approval of the City's Preservation Commission, Northwestern could relocate existing houses from the 1900 block of Sheridan Road to Orrington Avenue, restoring the residential neighborhood character of Orrington. This would provide an opportunity for NU to develop the 1900 block of Sheridan Road for administrative functions, such as admissions and student services.

Other parcels on the west side of Sheridan Road, between Foster and Lincoln streets, could then accommodate other administrative uses, with up to 10 new 45-foot high buildings.

Clark Street Corridor: The plan envisions a new mixed-use residential district for the southwestern area of the campus along Clark Street, which would link the downtown core with the University by introducing a sequence of active street uses. Graduate student residences would be located on the upper floors of buildings located along Clark Street between Hinman and Orrington avenues. Ground-floor uses could include conventional commercial and retail establishments as well as artist and music studios, allowing pedestrians to view the activities within.

A new multi-purpose recreation facility is proposed for the northwest corner of Chicago Avenue and Clark Street. Undergraduate residences would be preserved in the area just south of Emerson, with new residences located in the southeast, in the area east of Chicago Avenue. New and existing residences would frame courtyards established on the southern end of the campus.

Lakefill/Open Space: While the members of this year's freshman class are all likely to be grandparents before the plan is fully implemented, they will probably still be in school to see some of the plans take shape. The most dramatic of these - the construction of the Bienen School of Music - will likely affect both students and Evanston community members.

Alan Cubbage, Northwestern's vice president for University affairs, told the RoundTable he "wasn't sure" whether the Bienen Music School would block the bicycle and pedestrian path that curves east around Clark Street Beach and continues north to the campus. In an interview with the RoundTable, Mr. Cubbage said there is "not yet a detailed site plan [for the music school], so what effect that will have on the lakefill bike path is not known." He emphasized that the path is "on [Northwestern's] private property" but added, "We are well aware of the value of the path." 

The plan also calls for filling in four acres of the lagoon, or cooling pond, to create space for about six new buildings. These buildings will form a crescent along the western edge of the lagoon.

Farther east, the University owns about 82 acres of lake bottom. In the early 1960s, before there was an Environmental Protection Agency, Northwestern purchased about 150 acres of lake bottom from the state. Reclaiming about 70 acres, it built Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Norris University Center and several other buildings and created the cooling pond (the lagoon), whose water is recycled back into the lake. Mr. Cubbage said, "There's always talk" about reclaiming and redeveloping those acres, "but there's nothing definitive at this time."

Space for Research
An "important driving factor" for the plan is the need for new space for research facilities, Prof. Webster told the RoundTable. The planning document says, "As sponsored research continues to grow, the demand for new and improved facilities will also grow, while the available open space on campus will continue to decline."

Further, although the plan contemplates the addition of 5 million square feet of University space, almost none of that will be to accommodate additional students. "Everyone's expectation is that the undergraduate population would remain where it is," Mr. Webster told the RoundTable. Mr. Cubbage said the new residences on Clark Street would give students "better living conditions."

Because most of the new space would go to research, Mr. Cubbage said expected growth in the student population would be graduate students, who would conduct research. The bulk of the research is "sponsored," that is, funded by outside grants - mostly from the federal government - and the plan contemplates that the trend of sponsored research will continue.

The City and the University
For some of its proposed construction the plan addresses the need for zoning changes, which the City Council would have to approve. The plan "assumes that zoning changes would be required, with an understanding that the current relationship between the City and the University must be improved for these to occur."

Asked whether the University had any specific proposals to improve town-gown relations, Mr. Cubbage said the plan itself was one such proposal. "It doesn't call to expand the campus farther into the City," he told the RoundTable. "Were the administration to go down that road," he said, "it would cause friction."

Next Steps
Prof. Webster said, "We're involving people in the planning exercise, letting people know what we're doing, soliciting constructive input."  The public is invited to provide input concerning the draft plan at a meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. on Oct. 16 at the  Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.

After receiving public input, the NU planning committee will finalize its proposal and submit it to NU's administration for its consideration and evaluation. The plan does not address specific timing issues or the financial viability of the proposals.

The draft plan is available on the Northwestern website, www.northwestern.edu.

Ecology Center Hosts Green Living Festival

By Anne Bodine

The Evanston Environmental Association (EEA) and the City of Evanston will be sponsoring the Second Annual Green Living Festival from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd.

The title for this year's event is "Walking the Walk - How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint."  The one-day festival will offer strategies, hands-on demonstrations and information on how to reduce our carbon footprint, while highlighting recent trends in green living. 

"Our intent is to support the goals outlined in the City's Climate Action Plan that was developed earlier this year," says the festival's chairperson, Fred Schneider. Mr. Schneider, who is also an EEA board member, says it is about getting the word out: "We need to get as many people involved as we can in order to make Evanston a greener community."

Activities and crafts designed just for children will be offered throughout the day in the classroom while attendees will have the unique opportunity to meet and learn from nearly 50 vendors at the forefront of the green movement. The exhibits range from organic lawn care to natural pet products; automobile sharing to experimental solar cars; reusing everyday objects to reducing our energy consumption.

A lineup of experts will be speaking in the Community Room, led by keynote speaker Bill Sweitzer, a partner in Al Gore's Climate Project.  Other speakers will cover topics such as green remodeling and design, living and shopping locally, using solar energy to heat and cool homes, and "green parenting," featuring Jenn Savedge, journalist and author of "The Green Parent: A Kid-Friendly Guide to Environmentally-Friendly Living."

Attendees can bring their CFL bulbs to be recycled and those who bike to the festival can get a free bike tune-up.  There will also be free rickshaw rides to add some fun while demonstrating an alternative form of transportation.

"We expect to have a great turnout," says Mr. Schneider.  "It will be fun and informative for the whole family."

For more information, call 847-448-8256.

Three Hats in the Mayoral Ring

By Mary Helt Gavin

The big shoes to fill are, at some times, dancing shoes.

With Mayor Lorraine Morton's retirement from public office at the end of her current term, the field of mayoral candidates stands now at three and may be growing. Seventh Ward Alderman Elizabeth Tisdahl, Plan Commission member Stuart Opdycke, and preservationist Jeanne Lindwall have all picked up mayoral packets, according to the City Clerk's office.

Although the Mayor does not have a lot of power, given Evanston's weak mayor/strong City manager form of government, all three candidates said they have definite ideas about what they would wish to accomplish as mayor.

Elizabeth Tisdahl
Ald. Tisdahl, who also served on the District 202 School Board for eight years, was appointed alderman when Steven Engelmann retired mid-term and won re-election for this current term.

Asked why she wished to be mayor, Ald. Tisdahl told the RoundTable she would like to work on the City's financial problems from a different perspective. Alluding to the City's pension fund liabilities, which exceed $145 million, she said, "I worked on trying to discover whether we did or didn't owe that money. Having found out that we did owe it, I would like to be more than the prophet of doom and gloom. I would like to work on a solution to this."

She added, "There will have to be budget cuts this year."

Ald. Tisdahl said she would exercise her leadership by emphasizing mayoral powers in two areas: appointing committees and lobbying. "The mayor has a leadership role not in appointing committees but in creating them. I'm interested in appointing an economic advisory committee that would use the talents of Northwestern University and get some help from the best business school in the country." She said the City staff members do a "good job of helping and attracting business, but their time is limited.

"They don't have the time to give an overall look at where the economy is going and what will work in this economy."

Ald. Tisdahl also said she would be a lobbyist as well as an ambassador for Evanston. "I would very much like to go to Washington to lobby for federal money for Evanston," she said. As a District 202 Board member, she lobbied in Springfield for Evanston schools. "If they are giving out money for infrastructure," she said, "I'd like to see that Evanston gets its share."

Stuart Opdycke
Stuart Opdycke, photo by Elena Pappas

Mr. Opdycke, another former District 202 Board member, serves as vice-chair of the Plan Commission. A lifelong Evanston resident, Mr. Opdycke says he would like to be mayor because "I love this town." He added that he would like to "give back to this community that has given me and my family so much. Living here is a rich experience."

The City's financial problems - the long-term pension problem as well as the crunch expected in the upcoming budget - are the City's greatest challenges. "The [2009-10] budget will be a template for the budgets in the following years: whatever taxes [the Council imposes], what programs they cut," Mr. Opdycke says.

He says he would also "like to explore ways that bridges can be built between the University and the City." 

If he were elected mayor, Mr. Opdycke says he "would expect to weigh in on matters of importance" and would "articulate a point of view" that he hopes would be heeded. "There's a place for the mayor to influence and form a consensus when possible," he said. Mr. Opdycke also says he considers the mayor's power to appoint board and commission members as significant: "These people do a lot of work." He added, "The greatest resource of the community is its citizens.  We have talent and energy. We have a very big heart. We love the arts. We have more than 100 churches and synagogues and tremendous cultural and ethnic diversity. It's a great place to live."

Mr. Opdycke noted that residents of Evanston are "not shy about telling government when they think it is wrong." He also said recent discourse in Evanston "has gotten rather hot. ... I don't mind the kitchen."

Finally, he quipped, "Becoming mayor is the only way I can get into the Fourth of July parade."

 Jeanne Lindwall
Although Jeanne Lindwall has not been an employee of the City for about 15 years, she is almost a fixture at budget, Plan Commission and many other meetings. She was the City's first Preservation Coordinator, and she worked on the City's 1985 comprehensive plan and the 1989 downtown plan and several of the City's capital improvement plans.

A planning consultant, she now works with communities on "consensus-building, economic development and fiscal impact analysis - that is analyzing the financial impact of certain municipal decisions on local communities. She told the RoundTable she feels that, given her professional experience and knowledge of how the City of Evanston works, "This is the best way to make a contribution to the community, and move us [forward]." 

With Evanston's "many challenges, including the police and fire pension fund liabilities," Ms. Lindwall says she would like to sharpen the dialogue about economic development in Evanston. "We need to discuss what kind of development is the right kind of development for Evanston to be able to compete regionally. ... I don't know that that discussion has occurred," she said.  In addition, Ms. Lindwall says she would "continue to promote investment in Evanston" and find ways of "making better use of the economic tools we have in place."

As mayor, Ms. Lindwall also says she would promote civic engagement. By getting boards and commissions "staffed by the best people, I think we can really broaden the community decision-making process and pull more people in." She says she would like to see City Council accept the results of the volunteer boards and commissions rather than having aldermen "go over them again and again. ... It's a different way of doing the City's business."

Finally, says Ms. Lindwall, "I'd like to see the City get its Aaa rating back from Moody's. We had it for more than 30 years, and it's a good thing to get back."

Salary Increases for Elected Officials

At the Sept. 22 City Council meeting, aldermen approved raises for the members of the next City Council (the nine aldermen and the mayor), the City clerk, the Township supervisor and the Township assessor. The raises will go into effect next May, when the next City and Township officials are sworn in.

A compensation committee appointed by Mayor Lorraine Morton recommended incremental increases in salaries for all but the City clerk's position, but aldermen voted 8-1 to make the full increases immediate instead. The salary for the City clerk, the only full-time elected position, was increased by $1,000, from $49,000 to $50,000 per year, for the period 2009-12.

Alderman Edmund Moran, 6th Ward, held firm against all increases in salaries, saying, "I don't think we should be seeking raises to our salaries - it sends the wrong message. We have a serious budget deliberation, and we have to develop a disciplined, spare approach to budgeting - including our own salaries." He said aldermanic salaries in several Chicago-area communities are much less than those of Evanston aldermen.

Alderman Elizabeth Tisdahl, 7th Ward, said she had planned to vote against the salary increases but reconsidered, because the additional money could attract a larger candidate pool for upcoming elections. "The raise is important to maintaining a diverse City Council," she said.

Alderman Melissa Wynne, 3rd Ward, said she agreed with Ald. Tisdahl and had changed her mind about voting against the raise. She said for her first years on the Council "all the money went toward childcare, and that wasn't even enough." She said she had recently learned that Oak Park had only retirees on its City Council and if Evanston could attract "young people with families to be on the Council, it would help with diverse perspectives."

Several aldermen noted that the aldermanic salary - increased for next term to $12,000 from $10,000 per year, plus medical benefits - was an "honorarium" or a "symbol" and did not represent the amount of work required to be an alderman. Alderman Ann Rainey, 8th Ward, said, "While it is a stipend, it in no way reflects compensation. ... [The amount] is symbolic, and I believe that $12,000 per year is the best the community can do for excellent aldermanic service."

Alderman Steve Bernstein, 4th Ward, said he plans not to stand for re-election but added, "There's been no raise for eight years. We need good people up here."

During citizen comment, Junad Rizki said he objected to the salaries as recommended by the compensation committee because those recommendations did not include the medical benefits available to elected City, but not Township, officials. He said information provided by the City showed that PPO benefits cost the City $503.91 per month for an individual (with a $14-per-month co-payment) and $1,404 per month for a family (with a $37-per-month co-payment). "[Taking health insurance into account, some of] these salaries are closer to $30,000 than to $12,000," he said.

The other new salaries as approved by City Council, effective May, 2009, are as follows:
Mayor: $19,000/year, plus medical benefits
Alderman: $12,000/year, plus medical benefits
Township Supervisor: $13,400/year
Township Assessor: $8,000/year

The committee's report to the City Council said, "We carefully considered the current salary structure and took into account the difficulties that the market is currently experiencing. .. [W]e realize that the budget is strained and that all expenditures must be carefully considered."

About the part-time positions the committee report said, "It is the feeling of the committee that the individuals holding these positions give the citizens more than part-time effort." In recommending the increase for the City Clerk's position, the committee report said, "We understand some of [the Clerk's] duties have been eliminated and wondered whether the position has been evaluated recently. We also understand that any change in that position would be a slow process and that the officeholder should not be penalized [while the changes are being made]."

The City code requires that the Mayor appoint a compensation committee every four years and that the committee make recommendations about elected officials' compensation 200 days before the next regularly scheduled municipal election - April 7, 2009, for Evanston.

Council Bytes

At the Sept. 23 City Council meeting, aldermen approved a resolution that changed the rate system under which the City bills the Northwest Water Commission, allowed a sign for a downtown retailer to be hung on a previously blank wall, and approved the sale to a developer of City-owned land in the 700 block of Chicago Avenue.

Waterfall
Council approved an amendment to the City's multi-year contact with the Northwest Water Commission, allowing the City to charge a higher rate for pumping water to the Commission and to collect about $500,000 in back payments. Water Department Director Dave Stoneback said, "We opened the contract for negotiations in October, 2006, and while negotiations were pending, applied the current rate." Once agreed upon, the new rate was applied retroactively to service year 2006. "The Commission underpaid the City according to the new billing rate," he added. "This [$500,000] is extra money for the City."

Mr. Stoneback also said because sewer fees appear on the water bill of Evanston residents, many residents think they are paying more for water than other communities. He said the Northwest Water Commission resells the water it gets from Evanston to its four communities: Wheeling, Palatine, Arlington Heights and Buffalo Grove. Those municipalities charge their own residents an even higher rate. An Evanston resident will typically pay about $175 for 1,200 cubic feet of water (90,000 gallons - a year's supply), while a resident of Arlington Heights will pay about $345 for the same amount, Mr. Stoneback said.

City figures show that in 2007, Evanston sold about 8.8 million gallons to the NWC, about 3.3 million gallons to the Village of Skokie and about 2.8 million gallons to Evanstonians.

Sign on the Wall
The east wall of the Church Street Plaza building, which houses Uncle Dan's, Bravo Italian restaurant and several businesses north on Maple Avenue, has by design been kept free of commercial signage. The owners of Uncle Dan's, relocated from farther east on Church Street to the easternmost storefront in the development, asked for permission to hang a sign on the east wall of the building to attract customers.

Alderman Edmund Moran, 6th Ward, said he objected - not to Uncle Dan's - but to setting the precedent of allowing signage on the wall. "From my perspective, signage is a big deal, and I think we've done a good job of maintaining a sense of order and not letting things get out of hand in the downtown area. ... We planned to keep this space clear."

Alderman Cheryl Wollin, whose First Ward encompasses much of the downtown area, said at one time the Council had considered putting public art in the recesses along the wall. She added, "Because the sign is at street level and is small, I don't find it offensive." The vote was 8-1 to approve the sign.

700 Block of Chicago
City Council also approved the sale of City-owned property in the 700 block of Chicago Avenue to AMLI Real Estate Development Company for $900,000. AMLI plans to consolidate the City property with two other parcels it plans to buy one from Scott McKay and one from Larry McKone - and construct a project with 212 rental apartments, 20 live-work units and 8,400 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The matter was held over from the Sept. 8 meeting to add two protections for the City in case the developer's project does not go forward: a reverter clause that provides for the City to reassume possession of the land (and refund most of the purchase price) if the project is not begun and "diligently pursued" within three years; and a no-flip clause, providing that AMLI cannot sell the property without Council approval until the project has received its final certificate of occupancy.

Other Matters
Two items - zoning approval for the 7-11 store at 2536 Ewing and an ordinance mandating the hiring of Evanstonians on City projects of a certain level - were held for further discussion. Although most of the conditions proposed for the convenience store have been met, the owners and the neighbors have not agreed on which lights must be turned off at 9 p.m. The front of the store faces single-family homes, and the City and the residents want those lights to be turned off at 9 p.m. A representative from 7-11 said he would meet with Alderman Edmund Moran, 6th Ward, and the neighbors to try to come to a resolution.

The local employment ordinance was held in the Administration and Public Works Committee for further discussion. The aldermen seemed to agree that the City can and should mandate the hiring of Evanston residents on certain projects, and discussion centered on the threshold amount of the project - set now at $500,000 - that would trigger the requirement.

Downtown Plan Update
Plan Commission chair James Woods gave the Council an update on the progress of the downtown plan. The Sept. 10 meeting of the Plan Commission having been cancelled for lack of a quorum, Mr. Woods said the Plan Commission members hope that at the end of their Oct. 15 meeting, they will have a draft plan to forward to the City Council's Planning and Development Committee. The draft plan is tentatively on the Planning and Development Committee agenda for Oct. 27, and Alderman Ann Rainey, 8th Ward, asked that the staff "recognize that this is on the agenda and not overload us."

Update on Blue Ribbon Committee on Pensions

The Blue Ribbon Committee formed to make recommendations on how the City should address shortfall in the police and firefighter pension funds tweaked some of the wording of the fifth draft of its report on Sept. 24. The Committee is scheduled to meet again tonight. The shortfall, estimated at $145 million several months ago, is likely growing in light of recent stock market declines.

Corrections

In the Council Bytes of the Sept. 17 issue of the RoundTable, the statement that a public hearing on the sale of 425 Dempster St. was set for the Sept. 22 City Council meeting was erroneous.
On page 14 of the Sept. 17 issue the term "decisive moment" in photography may have seemed erroneously to have been attributed to the photographer Mike Berns rather than to Henri Cartier Bresson, whose work inspired Mr. Berns. The RoundTable regrets the errors.

Gun Watch

Man Arrested for Unlawful Discharge of Shotgun

After an argument between two young men early in the evening on Sept. 15, one of the men showed up on the doorstep of the other in the 1900 block of Lee Street armed with a shotgun. After knocking on the door, the armed gunman shot a single shotgun blast that broke out a window and damaged the front door, the victim reportedly told Evanston police.

Cmdr. Tom Guenther, public information officer for the Evanston Police Department, said in a prepared statement that after police interviewed witnesses, they began canvassing the area around the 800 block of Dodge Avenue. While canvassing the area, police observed a man matching the description of the alleged gunman. As officers approached this man, they noticed what appeared to be a rifle barrel protruding from his pants, said Cmdr. Guenther. A struggle then ensued, in which police managed to take the man into custody and recover a shotgun, which the man had concealed down his pants, said Cmdr. Guenther. After further investigation the young man, an Evanston resident and 24 years of age, was charged with the unlawful discharge of a firearm and various other gun-related charges.
In unrelated occurrences, on Sept. 19 at 1 a.m., a man in his 20s robbed a cab driver at gunpoint and shot the cab driver in the thigh at Main Street and Pitner Avenue. 

On Sept. 23 at 10 p.m. a young man, 17 years old, reported that he was talking with friends in the 1900 block of Jackson Avenue when two other men approached him and shot him in the groin.

City Receives Award for Environmental Stewardship

Mayor Lorraine Morton and Interim City Manager Rolanda Russell accepted the 2008 Irwin A. Bock Award for Excellence in Public Administration-Community Environmental Stewardship Award for the City of Evanston at the Northwest Municipal Conference's (NWMC) annual banquet last month. The Environmental Best Practices Committee recognized the accomplishments of the City of Evanston and the Village of Lincolnshire as this year's winners from a pool of 11 applicants.

Evanston was chosen for its community commitment to environmental stewardship as demonstrated in its outreach and education, support of local food, its continuing status as a Tree City USA and several of its sustainability measures. The City included a sustainability goal in the strategic plan, calling for Evanston to be known as "The Green City" and embrace the best ecological practices and policies in government, services and infrastructure.

This year, the City, in partnership with Evanston's Transportation Future and numerous community members, set out to create Evanston's Climate Action Plan, which City Council will consider in the coming months.

"The City is making significant strides towards integrating environmental sustainability into its policies, practices and operations," said Carolyn Collopy, sustainable programs coordinator for the City.

The City's environmental education and outreach, such as the role of the Ecology Center in the community and the City's informational outreach - online and print sources such as the E-News, the quarterly Highlights newsletter and new-resident packages - were additional factors in the selection of Evanston.

The NWMC Environmental Best Practices Committee acknowledged Evanston's support of local food with its farmers' markets, community garden program and the Talking Farm, an effort to grow food locally.
Additionally, the committee noted Evanston's recognition as a Tree City USA for the 24th time, receipt of the National Arbor Day Foundation's Growth Award, investments in green buildings, practices of applying minimal to no pesticides or insecticides in municipal parks and on City owned properties, efforts to increase the amount of recycling programs, upgrade in Tallmadge and traffic lights to more energy efficient lamps, leaf blower regulations, No Mower Pollution events, and use of biodiesel in its fleet.

 

Sam Hunter Named EFD Deputy Chief

Evanston Fire Chief Alan Berkowsky announces the appointment of Division Fire Chief Sam Hunter as deputy fire chief.

Deputy Chief Hunter will replace Deputy Chief Mike Whalen who retired from his position on Sept. 17 after 32 years of fire service.
As the deputy chief of the department, Mr. Hunter is officially second in command, next to Fire Chief Alan Berkowsky. He will take on the responsibility of the daily operation of the shifts, as well as continue the responsibility for training he had as division chief.

Chief Hunter has been with the department since 1976 and has served in many capacities: firefighter/paramedic, captain, medical officer, division chief of finance, division chief of EMS, and most recently, the division chief of training.

Chief Hunter has been in fire administration since 1987 and a chief officer of the department for the last 19 years. Chief Hunter also serves the city as the liaison to Belize, Evanston's Sister City. He was the recipient of the F.A.A.M. Hall of Fame and the Rotary's Paul Harris Fellowship Community Awards.

Mr. Whalen accepted a position as management analyst with the Fire Department and will continue to serve the City in this new role. As the department's management analyst, he will work with the budget process, payroll, accounts payable and receivable and the City's financial system. 

Passion But No Progress at 'Stop the Boxes' Meeting

By Virginia Johnson

More than 60 residents turned out on Sept. 25 at a meeting at the Robert Crown Center on Main Street sponsored by an ad hoc citizen group "Stop the Box," to voice their opposition to AT&T's installation of VRAD (video-ready access device) cabinets throughout Evanston.  Many residents complained that they had no notice of the installation.  "I found out from a neighbor," said one resident.

Representatives of AT&T and the City responded to questions, but, because the VRADs are legal under a state law that pre-empts home-rule authority and because the City did not initially require the boxes to be installed underground, there appeared to be little movement toward resolution. 

Stop the Box organizer Dickelle Fonda posed three basic questions to AT&T: "Why do the boxes need to be so big?  How soon can they be removed?  Can we see the results of the environmental study, safety and health studies?"

In response, Marc Blakeman, regional vice president of external affairs for AT&T, said the $8 million project uses advanced technologies based on the existing infrastructure. Thus a VRAD must be installed near an existing AT&T box, he said. In addition, because the technology used for the enhancement is connected to the existing AT&T infrastructure, the boxes cannot be made smaller.

"There are no plans to abandon the operation or the boxes," Mr. Blakeman said. He also offered to share the results of AT&T's "extensive testing" of the boxes and their contents. 

Mr. Blakeman said, "No specific [health and safety] tests were performed by AT&T," but he said that AT&T complies with City ordinances and codes.  John Burke, director of the City's Public Works department, said each box requires a permit and AT&T must meet City specifications to obtain the permit.

Joan Corwin, whose house is near a VRAD at Hartzell Street and Highland Avenue, said she felt it lowered the value of her property. Mr. Blakeman said, "We have no evidence of property values being affected by the boxes."  

In response to questions about whether AT&T, its employees or the state benefited financially from the roll-out of the boxes, Mr. Blakeman said, "Our compensation package is not structured that way." He also said the State of Illinois reaps no financial gain, but, "the City gets fees of 6 percent of gross receipts."

Several residents were adamant in their support of keeping the current Comcast community-access channels. AT&T cable service pushes community access to channel 99, which AT&T says is easier to access. One resident countered, "AT&T is sending community access to Siberia."

Some residents asked whether they could participate in selecting the location of a box so it would be at the least offensive site possible. Mr. Blakeman said AT&T will work with residents if the boxes have not yet been installed. If the concrete pad has been poured, Mr. Blakeman said, the site location is not negotiable.  About 30 of 99 boxes are still to be installed.

Responding to complaints about the appearance of the boxes, Mr. Blakeman said $1,500 is available for landscaping around three sides of each box, leaving access for maintenance. Residents will be reimbursed through the City for up to $1,500 of the landscaping costs. The City will provide landscaping for the boxes on City-owned property.

Neal Levin, who lives near a VRAD at Maple Avenue and Dempster Street, said, "AT&T had options and chose this one because it was cheaper. Let's talk about economics. ... Do you provide cheaper service?" Mr. Blakeman said, "AT&T will be 40 percent lower" than its competition, Comcast.

Another meeting is scheduled for Oct. 16.