Haunted Senior Housing!

'Twas Halloween day, and all through the town,
Not a creature was sure of what would go down;

The council would meet in just five more short days
And Norwood was hoping they'd hear four "okays".

The children in costumes were ringing door bells,
And some folks were saying, "We think Norwood's plan smells."

And Norwood was reading Park Ridge Underground,
Maybe looking for info. that's floating around?

Well here is our take, if you really must know;
We think the new ordinance really does blow.

The City Attorney said that he wrote it again,
And that by consensus he left the "out" clauses in.

Now, we don't recall hearing Aldermen speak
About the "out" clauses as something they seek.

As a matter of fact, we distinctly recall
Five of the Aldermen were not pleased at all!

The variance being sought for the density,
Is based largely on the senior amenity.

So it seems a bit odd, if not totally queer
That the new ordinance is not a lot more austere.

But we're pretty sure that just like last time,
Allegretti and Ryan will think it's just fine.

So for this fine Halloween that is our story to tell.
We'll leave it at that and hope all does go well.

An 'A' for Effort

Yesterday, we gave School District 64 a kick in the ass. We feel they deserve it.

Today, we'd like to give them a pat on the back. We feel they deserve it.



On October 25, 2007, School District 64 sent out the following email notice. Our thanks to the PRU reader who shared this with us.
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To the Parents of District 64 Students:

I am writing to ask your cooperation in helping to fight MRSA infection in District 64 schools. The guidelines immediately following this letter are being shared with all District 64 staff members. Teachers have been asked to review the information with students as a way to reinforce good personal health habits while pointing out the serious dangers of such infections.

Now we need your help and active cooperation to take the steps necessary at home to make sure your children are protected as far as possible from such infections. Please note especially the instructions on daily hygiene, avoiding the sharing of towels and personal items, laundering of clothes, and frequent hand washing.

Please feel free to contact your healthcare provider, the District 64 School Health Services Facilitator or your building Health Assistant if you have questions.

We are asking every District 64 household to adopt these guidelines. With everyone's cooperation and ongoing vigilance, we hope to keep all members of our District 64 community healthy and safe. Thank you for your support.

Sally Pryor, Ed.D.
Superintendent

******
How YOU can help fight MRSA infections in District 64

Sandy Larson, RNFacilitator, School Health Services & Certified School Nurse

In response to the media coverage of Community Associated Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (CA-MRSA) infections, it is important to remember that District 64 already has practices in place that address this real concern. Although student athletes are cited as the primary focus for transmission of this infection, staphylococcus aureus is a bacteria that is commonly found on the skin or in the nose of healthy people. This makes everyone subject to a possible exposure in many settings.

Risk factors associated with the spread of this bacteria include:

o Direct skin-to-skin contact with infected persons (non-intact skin allows a point of entry for the bacteria)

o Sharing contaminated personal items (towels, razors, soap, clothing)

o Inadequate personal hygiene

o Direct contact with contaminated environmental surfaces

In District 64, we practice Universal Precautions and take every measure to evaluate students and staff with any kind of skin lesion. Teachers are responsible to send students with any questionable skin condition to the health office for evaluation. Skin rashes, wounds or lesions require medical evaluation and physician documentation regarding treatment, dressing, and contagiousness in the school environment.

All staff have been asked to be aware of and follow these hygiene practices, and to share reminders with students to prevent the spread of MRSA, as well as other infectious organisms:

o FREQUENT HAND WASHING - use soap, rub for 10 seconds, rinse well.

o Use hand sanitizer if you cannot wash your hands.

o Any skin lesion must be evaluated, treated and kept covered with clean dressings, as indicated.

o Good body hygiene is essential, including showering with soap.

o Avoid sharing personal items such as towels, clothing, skin lotions, or razors.

o Do not touch skin lesions/abrasions or bandages on another without the use of protective gloves.

o Wear clean clothing daily - washed in hot water and dried in a hot dryer to kill bacteria.

o Clean environmental surfaces on a regular/as needed basis where potential wound, blood, or body fluid spills may occur.

Maintaining clean, healthy, intact skin is the first line of defense against innumerable diseases. As we work together to keep District 64 healthy, we will assess areas where practices can be improved and awareness can be increased.

Remember that the most important practices are already in place, and that questions that arise about health practices are being addressed on a daily basis.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Thank you for your cooperation.
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Neither the Park District nor the City has posted anything like the above on their websites, nor has the City made use of its NorthStarNet email notice capabilities.

To the Community Health Commission: We hope your fundraising/recognition dinner was a success. Now bend over, we've got something for you.

Justifying the Educational Ends.

If you have lived in Park Ridge - Niles School District 64 for any length of time, you may remember hearing about the district's philosophy of "educating the whole child" and how the district "refuses to worship test scores alone ", despite the fact that most parents expect that the part of the child located between the child's ears is what gets "educated".

The District has spent the last 5+ years drafting what its administrators call their "educational ends.pdf" statement, through which they insist that "teaching to the test" is not their only, or even primary, objective. Parents have been told that "measures and assessments" are being implemented so that "the whole story" of students' development and learning can be understood. Those measures and assessments, according to the article linked above, consist largely of teacher "observations, written evaluations, and demonstrations."

What the hell have the district's teachers and administrators been discussing with parents during conferences all these many years if not their "observations and written evaluations"? As for "demonstrations", we're betting that is not meant to consist of teachers pounding the pavement in front of the schools carrying signs - unless they're on strike for more money and even better benefits.

It is also clear from the aforementioned article that the district has no intention of holding teachers accountable for any lack of achievement by the students in reaching the district's "educational ends," despite the district's insistence that teachers "teach to the educational ends" - which should not to be confused with "teaching to the test", because if you teach to the educational ends (which are not tested) but you insist that you don't teach to the test (which is tested), then you can ultimately tell parents and the rest of Park Ridge that Test Scores are 'Stable'; and everybody can be happy about that, especially real estate agents.

The director of assessments and technology for the district, Larry Sorensen, did note: "The area of concern is in writing scores for students in grade five...Only 65% of the fifth grade students scored in the 'meets or exceeds' category and 31% scored in the 'below standards' category... At the state level, only 50% of all students met or exceeded state standards this year."

The article also includes the following: "In a special note to the district regarding writing, the assessment department of the state board of education said, "The fact that the last time writing was tested was 2004 could point to the problem of lower scores. Current fifth graders have never taken a state writing test. Common sense tells us that writing instruction was not completely abandoned in our schools beginning in 2004, logic also tells us that writing instruction has not received the same attention as the AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) subjects reading and math. Another factor could be that fifth graders wrote only one composition, so there was one attempt at a score. In the past, they wrote two compositions."

That sort of sounds like "the test" may "measure and assess" what is being taught, doesn't it?

In response to the lackluster performance of District 64 fifth graders on the writing portion of the ISAT, Sorensen said: "Writing is a curricular area now being reviewed in the district, and will be a focus for improvement moving forward." We are assuming the "review" of the "curricular area" of writing is being done so that student performance will "improve moving forward", as reflected on the test.

That sort of sounds like "teaching to the test", doesn't it?

But just remember folks, the district doesn't "teach to the test" because they are concerned with "educating the whole child" and they "refuse to worship test scores alone." So don't even think about criticizing the district for any lack of performance by students on any portion of standardized tests. And when the teacher's union demands still higher salaries and benefits, don't even think about demanding to know how those higher salaries and benefits have been earned, as may be reflected through student achievement on either standardized tests or the district's own "educational ends."

We hope that's all clear.

Bottoms Up!

Enjoy the weekend!

Smile for the Camera!

As we discussed earlier this week, the city council Finance and Budget committee is considering the feasibility of broadcasting city council and committee meetings.

We had expected the topic to be covered in the local rags this week, but if they did cover it, we can't find it.

Our sources tell us there may be two city staffers who are still walking around upright! They've done some excellent research into the costs, technical requirements, and scope of televising city council and committee meetings. We are shocked, SHOCKED, at this revelation! No we're not. We are aware of these two particular city staffers, and we shall protect their identities by not naming them here because we would hate to see their good work rewarded with more work.

From the research that has been conducted, we hear the cost may be less than originally estimated; original estimates were in the $70,000.00 - $75,000.00 range, but the staffers proposal is in the $50,000.00 range. And, the scope of coverage may be greater than mere broadcasting of meetings; not only can the city council chamber be wired, but also the mayor's conference room, the public works service center and the fire department.

Broadcasting could include city council and committee meetings, and the city could broadcast emergency messages or something arty, like local concerts.

The recorderings would be archived on the city's website so that the 1o people in Park Ridge suspected of being interested in city doings could access the tapes. The broadcasts could be searchable through a menu option.

There are two aldermorons said to be less than enthusiastic about the idea. Care to guess who they are? Yes, Benedict-Alderman Robert Ryan (5th), and Thomas Carey the Unfriendly Ghost (6th). Their concerns are purported to be about the cost and how few (or how many?) Park Ridge citizens may actually watch.

While the roughly $50,000,000.00 city budget is always a matter for concern, because there isn't anything politicians and bureaucrats like better than spending the taxpayer's money, we feel the estimated $50,000.00 would be worth the expenditure for what appears to be available in the scope of this project.

Come on city council! Give the residents of Park Ridge the gift of learning what it is you do every couple of weeks!

Sounds A Lot Like Local Government!

You can fill in the blanks with the names of your favorite elected officials, city staff, or special-interest shill:

__________, you keep feeding me old information.

__________, I need you to keep not living up to your resume.

__________, you're in charge of waffling. ("Are you sure?")

__________, you'll talk a big game then do nothing. ("Let's do it.")

__________, can you fold under pressure for me? ("Like a lawn chair.")

And __________, you just keep thinking everyone is out to get you. ("They are.")

Here fishy fishy fishy!

Item #1: The city council Finance and Budget committee appear to be serious this time. They have scheduled a meeting for tonight and they haven't cancelled it. Yet.

On the agenda for tonight's meeting is a discussion of broadcasting city council meetings, and even committee meetings. We feel that's a good idea. We felt it was a good idea every time it was suggested over the past number of years. We would be pleased to see the city council go beyond the idea and discussion phase of doing this to actually getting it done! Government should be conducting the people's business in a fish bowl.

The background memo provides fairly reasonable beginning questions for the committee and, ultimately, the council to consider. But we take issue with the notion that televising committee meetings should not be done "because doing so will change the tone of the meetings and the decorum of the participants." We feel it could have a sobering effect on the decorum of participants, and those who currently "white-wash" meeting minutes won't be able to do that so easily.

Item #2: The Finance and Budget committee background memo also includes a discussion of how the city will play follow the bouncing borrowing ball between city funds in order to bridge the gap between expenditures for city operations and the late, very late, arrival of tax revenues.

Item #3: According to the Finance and Budget committee background memo, the 2006 equalized assessed valuation (EAV) is now $1,528,372,764.00; an increase in property value of 1.7%. Does anybody remember what the city's amount of debt is? Does anybody remember when we had a debt ceiling? Does anybody care to wager what the city's amount of debt could be if all the mega-projects planned by the city are funded through more borrow-bond-spend schemes? Pay attention.

Desperate Spouse-lies.

There is a true story about the late wife of the late James Brown that illustrates how stupid and desperate some people can be. It seems Mrs. Brown, through her attorney, once tried to beat a traffic rap by claiming to have "diplomatic immunity" because she was the wife of James Brown, a.k.a. the "Ambassador of Soul".

As it turned out for Mrs. Brown, diplomatic immunity applies only to real diplomats on foreign soil who may break the law - while on their home soil they're expected to behave.

Elected officials, while misbehaving on their home soil, do enjoy what is known as"Legislative Immunity", but that is limited to the performance of their official duties. No such immunity applies to elected officials' family members.

And it seems elected officials may not be immune from being held civilly liable for defamation of the slander and libel variety.

We hear there may be one elected official shuffling around town who may want to very carefully consider his own words and then ball-gag his wife, since neither he nor she should expect to be immune from civil liability of a defamation variety.

Tsk tsk. It's not nice to say nasty things about honorable, loyal, and long-standing worker bees in one's own party, especially when those nasty things aren't true.

Jeez Howard, we thought you and Nancy had a little more class than that. Try to behave yourselves.

Load it up!

Have a doggone good weekend!

Extra! Extra!

Like many of you, the PRU Crew has subscriptions to the Park Ridge Herald-Advocate. Every Thursday, we await our weekly ration of local pulp. So after our copies had been read and digested yesterday, we let out a collective belch of "WhatThe****!?"

The entirety of page 7 and part of page 9 were devoted to "City's melting pot tradition"; a story about immigration. Not the current hot topic of illegal immigration. No. That may have made sense. But no. Instead, 763 words about legal immigrants, and a lot of census data, and the history of legal immigrants to...Park Ridge? Noooooo...to the Chicago area and northwest suburbs.

We can all look forward to the next three weeks too! As, this was the first in a month-long series. Oh, goody.

But it wasn't that story that caused our reaction. Rather, it was the lengthy coverage given to that story compared to the coverage given to the issues that seem upper most in the minds of many residents in the Park Ridge community.

Four current issues and concerns to the Park Ridge community, 1) the new garbage cart program, 2) Norwood's Executive Office Plaza project, 3) Alderman Wsol's request that the city council discuss staggering aldermanic terms and, 4) the Mayor's annual address to the Chamber of Commerce where he announced the expected opening of four new businesses in Park Ridge next year, got covered only as "News Briefs". One half of one page for a total of 623 words.

WhatThe****!?

Pool of Money!

The Park Ridge Park District has never been "swimming" in money, but you would never know it by the recent direction the Park Board has taken on the Oakton swimming pool complex.

To the reader who provided a link to PublicWatchdog.org, we thank you. In our opinion, their 10-16-07 article on Oakton pool hits the mark: You can't control taxes if you keep on spending more than you take in, especially on obsolete facilities that not enough people use.

We do disagree, however, with the suggestion that the Park Board should "demolish [Oakton Pool] and turn that site into green space while a viable plan for a more worthwhile alternative use is developed." Who says green space alone isn't a viable and most worthwhile use?

Do-Over!

If you voted for the guy on the left, but you discovered that you got the guy on the right, would you want a do-over? We would.

Alderman Dave Schmidtzkrieg (1st ward) has asked that the city council Procedures and Regulations committee discuss the possibility of adopting a recall ordinance for elected officials. We also hear he is getting a lot of inside resistance to the idea of even discussing the issue publicly.

Now that the residents of Park Ridge have only one alderman per ward to represent them, we feel they should also have the opportunity for a do-over if that one alderman turns out to be an idiot.

The Procedures and Regulations committee chairman, Ald. James Allspaghetti (4th ward), now seems very concerned about "a small group of individuals" who may use such an ordinance to force an elected official to "endure another campaign before their term of office has ended."

That's very funny, or Ald. Allspaghetti is an idiot.

Alderman James Allspaghetti, after giving a campaign contribution to Mayor Frimark and then being appointed to his aldermanic seat by Mayor Frimark, and then giving the Mayor yet another campaign contribution, was one of only two aldermen on the city council who supported Mayor Frimark's referendum to cut the city council in half...which would have forced half of those aldermen to run another campaign before their term was up if they wanted to keep their seats. We feel the referendum to cut the city council in half was a referendum on that city council and a dishonest means of recalling those aldermen.

We feel an honest discussion of the issue of recalling elected officials is a discussion worth having.

Ald. Schmidtzkrieg is saying he didn't raise the issue because of what he's seen from and heard about 5th ward Benedict-Alderman, Robert Ryan. But if he had, we'd be okay with that.

A Real Miracle!

Penn & Teller are known for their outrageous blending of comedy and magic, that often skewers the genre of traditional magic and debunks all manner of nonsense peddlers - they call that nonsense "bullshit".

Let's give a big warm welcome to Park Ridge's version of Penn & Teller: Aldermen Schmidt and Wsol!

At last night's city council meeting, a motion was made to again defer the matter of Norwood's Park Ridge 2004 LLC PUD.

Aldermen Schmidt (1st ward) and Wsol (7th ward) skewered what Norwood's Park Ridge 2004 LLC and Presbyterian Homes tried to offer the council as covenants to ensure that the Executive Office Plaza (EOP) development meet the "senior housing" promises made to the Park Ridge community in exchange for Norwood's requested density variance and R-5 zoning designation.

Ald. Schmidt noted that the new ordinance covenants as written introduced the entirely new legal ideas of Federal regulations on senior housing, and an "out-clause" for Presbyterian Homes into the discussion, and that the council had never debated these issues. He took care to also note that the ordinance covenants as written would allow Norwood to reduce the number of senior housing units from 50 to 40.

Ald. Wsol then took note of the fact that the ordinance as written did not seem to require that Norwood's Park Ridge 2004 LLC pay for the balance of the estimated $2million cost for the water retention improvements to the site; only that the "applicant will participate" in the cost of the project. Neri builders, who is developing townhouses (without variances to the zoning code) on another portion of EOP, has agreed to a cost-share of between $300k - $400k. Ald. Wsol wants a guaranty that the balance of the estimated cost will be the responsibility of Norwood Builders, and that the city will not have to "incur indebtedness" for this part of the project, since the city has not budgeted anything toward the water retention improvements.

Ald. Wsol went on to "echo Ald. Schmidt's senior housing concerns" saying it seemed possible that within a time frame of 18 months, there could be "zero senior housing units" in the development under the ordinance covenants as written.

Both Alderman Schmidt and Wsol appear to have been able to debunk the magical effect of the illusion of senior housing amenities on hell-bent council members willing to accept anything as fact in their eternal quest to aid and abet developers who come to Park Ridge. Neither Ald. Schmidt or Wsol went so far as to call the senior housing convenants "bullshit", but if they had, we'd agree with them.

City attorney, Buzz Hill, commented that the language of the ordinance should be clarified, and that any diminished services to seniors would have to be by the consent of the city council to an application made by Norwood. Gee! What are the odds of that happening?

For his part, Ald. Robert Ryan (5th ward) said he didn't have any problems with the covenants as written and that he believed Norwood's Park Ridge 2004 LLC had "come back [to the council] in the spirit" of what had been asked of them. Okay. We guess he felt he had to say something!

Finally, the city council voted 5 to 2 to once again defer consideration of the project, with Aldermen Schmidt (1st ward), DiPietro (2nd ward), Bach (3rd ward), Carey (6th ward), and Wsol (7th ward) voting "yes" to defer, and Aldermen Allegretti (4th ward) and Ryan (5th ward) voting "no".

A city council demanding an "iron-clad" agreement that a developer deliver what they have promised to the people of Park Ridge. It's a miracle!

Play It Again, Sam!

We feel the following letter is an outstanding contribution to the discussion of redevelopment in the Park Ridge community. It appeared in last week's Herald-Advocate as a guest essay. We felt an encore was in order.

Plan better for future

BY JUDY BARCLAY

I ask you to think about the future of Park Ridge.

We have always stood out among our neighboring communities. Whatever direction you entered our town from, you could always distinguish Park Ridge from our neighbors. The tree-lined streets, the green space and the charming small town feel, you knew you were home -- but that is changing rapidly.

We have already started to experience the over-development creep. Sixteen condos in place of two houses on Peterson. Over a dozen condos in place of a small commercial property on Busse. A soon-to-be-built 58-condo unit at Greenwood and Northwest Highway in place of five single family homes. And of course, almost 200 condos, lofts and town houses where there were a few commercial buildings and plenty of open space in Uptown. We must also mention so many of the single family homes that have been replaced by two or more new homes. This is just the beginning.

We have closely reviewed the Lakota Study and the Park Ridge LLC development is a very small piece of the puzzle. By not looking at the total picture the City Council is doing Park Ridge an enormous disservice. This development is just another of many to come and what the council does will affect all developments in the future. By not enforcing the use of proper zoning districts and granting exceptions, the council can establish a precedent. Each subsequent development will continue to ask for more. We have already heard from city and elected officials about the mistakes we have made in the past. We should be learning from these mistakes, not repeating them.

Executive Office Plaza is approximately 16 acres and using the R-5 designation this site will be allowed about 464 units when fully developed without any exceptions. Target Area 3 across Washington would provide space for over 500 units plus retail. Target Area 2, now under construction, has almost 200 units plus retail. So let's do the math. From Morris on the west to Berry Parkway on the east we have the aggregate of 1,200 dwelling units. That translates into a minimum of over 2,000 people. Two thousand new people and that is just in the immediate Uptown area.

There is already talk of Target Area 4 and that could burden us with 200-400 additional units. So the full potential of development in Uptown would be 3,000 new people. A 10 percent increase in our population without any exceptions, and the cars, traffic, and congestion that accompany this type of development in such a concentrated area. This could put an undue burden on our crowded streets, our already decreasing city services and our aging infrastructure.

All this over-development could have a negative effect on our property values. We would be no different from any other town along the North Western rail line. We will lose the uniqueness and character that make us one of the kind. Today, park Ridge is an island in the sea of development. Please don't allow the insidious fog of excessive development, which is creeping in, to engulf us.

The entire Executive Office Plaza site should be zoned R-4, a transition zone, a buffer between the single family homes on Berry and the higher intensity uses of Uptown. R-4 zoning would decrease the density and height and is necessary because, as we see, developers are always looking for exceptions. By establishing the R-4 district, on this site, you are demonstrating we are not anti-development but rather taking the position of pro-thoughtful, sensible and reasonable development. This sends the message Park Ridge is very special -- we are not just Anytown, USA. It is an easy out for aldermen who choose to close their eyes and mind and vote for what what is before them, instead of looking at what future development lies ahead.

We are not looking for quantity, as the developer does, but rather quality. In so doing, we maintain the values, comfort and the standard of living our existing residents and the new residents expect.

Yeah, that should work.

Mayor Howard Frimark described his recent Road Trip! to Washington, D.C. as a "success". We feel he must have been talking about the miracle of flight and his plane landing safely at O'Hare. Other than that, we're not sure what about the trip could be described as a "success".

Having allowed requests for Federal grant funds to languish for two years, Mayor Frimark finally decided to "follow-up" on Park Ridge's grant requests by hitting the road to D.C., along with City Manager Tim Schuenke, and Director of Economic Development Kim Uhlig; insisting that they must talk with Federal legislators on "their turf"."

After Frimark's having spent time and effort smearing Schakowsky locally, of the three Federal legislators Frimark promised to meet with, it was only Schakowsky who made herself available to Frimark and his team. Mayor Frimark was un-successful in arranging meetings with either Durbin or Obama, on any turf.

Upon the Mayor's "successful" return, he acknowledged that Schakowsky told him "all the appropriation money for this year is already gone." Nothing like checking and planning ahead there Mr. Mayor!

Of course the Mayor would never pass up an opportunity to be gracious himself and, as reported in last week's Journal & Topics, he told a reporter of his meeting with Schakowsky, "Unfortunately, we haven't gotten anything at all from her."

So let's see now, the only Federal legislator who made time to meet with the Mayor, instead of passing him off to staffers, gets a sour grapefruit in the face upon his "successful" return.

Yeah, that should work as a step in the right direction to "position the city" for a portion of that "large appropriations bill" in 2009.

Life is a...

Enjoy yours this weekend.

Hocus Focus on the Vision!

Back in August, we wrote about complaints involving the Park Ridge Police Department . Since that time, a team from the Park Ridge police department, "facilitated by the City Manager", Tim Schuenke, put together a plan they have titled: "Focus on the Vision". Here we will only discuss what they began with because everything else follows from there.

The all-police team identified "four key issues"-

• "Trust and Respect. The department needs to fully regain the trust and respect of the Citizens, the Elected Officials, and within the department and its management team."


• "There needs to be better understanding and clarity as to what the community's, the elected officials, and the department's goals and objectives are."


• "Departmental morale."


• "A need to improve the management and leadership within all levels of the department."

Here are the key issues we believe the city manager's "team" missed:

1. Park Ridge police officers need better training in policing practices. The entire issue of police conduct came to light in large part due to a poorly-conducted investigation that a courageous citizen reported and made public.


2. The police administration needs to identify policy weaknesses in police practices. If the department's policies are not up-to-date, then new policies must be adopted immediately; but if the department's policies are not being properly employed by its officers, that should be remedied immediately through more and/or better training.


3. Police officers need better pay, especially at the entry level. Park Ridge citizens should be willing to pay for, and get, the pick of the police academy litter. A first rate town deserves first rate police officers who merit first rate pay to make and keep this community safe and secure.


4. The police department and city management should stop believing the problems within and without the department are just a public relations matter. Please... keep your pens, key chains and other tchotchkeys: just honestly tell the community the number and nature of the complaints that have been received, what the outcomes of the investigations into them have been, and how any complaints will be dealt with in the future. None of that requires an invasion of anybody's privacy nor violation of legal rights.


5. Bonus! (and we do not suggest this lightly): The police administration needs to grab hold of its fortitude and cut loose a big chunk of its "morale problem." They know who he is.

We did see, and laugh at, the statement in the Spokesman that: "The Council is always happy to hear from residents, however, initially giving such complaints to the City Manager will expedite the process considerably. Because the City Manager is the top day-to-day administrator, the Council will refer matters to him. Going to him first will reduce the time and number of steps involved. The City is most anxious to remedy any problems."

From what we've seen so far, City Manager Schuenke will "expedite the process" if the remedy you're looking for is...sweeping things under the rug until forced to deal with the issues, and then deal with the issues by using a bunch of buzzwords he's picked up from those municipal workshops and seminars he attends.

Owwooooo!

Alderman Robert Ryan sure does say things that peak our curiosity. Take his comment reported in last Thursday's Park Ridge Herald-Advocate that our community is "in dire need" of the kind of senior housing that Norwood Builders is proposing for Executive Office Plaza.

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, "dire" is defined as:

1. exciting horror

2. warning of disaster

3. desperately urgent

Assuming Ryan was using "dire" in the "desperately urgent" sense, that means he is claiming that there is a desperately urgent need for the 50 units of "senior housing" at EOP.

Where are the scores of seniors marching in front of City Hall with signs reading "We Need Senior Housing NOW!" Where are all the letters to the editors of our local papers bemoaning the "dire" shortage of senior housing? Where is the mass exodus of seniors to senior housing in nearby communities? Even Norwood's designated "senior housing" cheerleader for EOP, Herb Zuegel, has pretty much stuck to the City's "Comprehensive Plan" language, which states that senior residential uses at EOP would be "desirable."

If there really were a "dire need" for senior housing in Park Ridge, PRC could have built it into the residences at TA2, and Norwood would be planning more than just 50 units of it.

The only "dire need" we can see is Ald. Ryan's - to get Norwood's zoning variances pushed through the City Council, contrary to the wishes of hundreds of his constituents who signed a petition opposing those variances. And if he has to resort to the demagoguery of "crying wolf" about the "dire need" for senior housing, it's pretty clear that he can live with that.

Lesson #1: Pay Attention!

The city council has 4 standing committees. One of those committees is Finance and Budget. The members of the Finance and Budget committee are the 2nd ward's Lord of the Manor, Rich DiPietro - committee chairman, the 5th ward's Benedict-Alderman, Robert Ryan, and the 6th ward's Unfriendly Ghost, Tom Carey. Yeah, we know - not a promising line up.

The Finance and Budget committee is supposed to consider policy questions about revenue, expenses, and appropriations, generally.

It is with great pleasure that we report, so far this line up of aldermopes has not been able to do a lot of damage to city policy as it relates to city finances and the city budget. The reason is, they've scheduled 10* meetings since last June and they have canceled 5 of them - more than half of all their scheduled meetings; this means, cumulatively, the Finance and Budget committee has met less than once per month since having been convened. They didn't meet at all in August, only once in September, and tonight's first October meeting has also been canceled.

Still, we wonder who is minding the city's finance and budget store. Since it is the Finance and Budget committee that is supposed to keep track of account reporting and dialogue with staff, we wonder who's been doing that. Providing oversight to the city finances and budget is one of the most important functions of a city council. We aren't impressed with the lack of public discussion taking place regarding contingency fund expenditures, the debts owed to the general operating fund, and the city's overall $48.5 million dollars of debt.

We sure do hope the Lord of the Manor is paying attention, because his won't be the only ass that could get bitten by something that creeps up from behind.

*correction* Our thanks to a keen eyed reader who let us know that we missed counting one of the Fin./Bud. meetings. On Oct. 1st, the Fin./Bud. committee met for 15 minutes prior to the city council meeting that evening. They met to formally give committee approval to two action items on the city council agenda that evening: 1) a contract extension and 2) payments to Vistara Construction.

Hooray for Howardwood!

Again, for those who need or appreciate musical accompaniment:
Hooray for Howardwood MIDI or MP3 Right click, then open in new
window, then click choice of player, then minimize the window.

Hooray for Howardwood!
That screwy, ballyhooey Howardwood
Where any businessman or old home owner
Can be a donor, with just the stroke of a pen
We won't bewilder a single builder
If he lobbies all of our aldermen

Hooray for Howardwood!
Where you're terrific, though you've not been good
Where anyone at all from Norwood Builders
To bulk meat sellers is equally understood
Come here and try your luck, we think you'll make a buck
Hooray for Howardwood!

Hooray for Howardwood!
That phoney, super tony Howardwood
They come from downtown with their hot shot lawyers
Green space destroyers, to get their code variance
All armed with papers to aid their capers
With their mouths in high gear for fees advanced

Hooray for Howardwood!
You may be cozy in your neighborhood
But if you think that it can stay that way now
Then we should pow wow, because it's not looking good
With density and height, things could get real tight
Hooray for Howardwood!

Fly Like An Eagle!

Have a fantastic weekend!

D'oh!

Every other month, the residents of Park Ridge receive a copy of the city's newsletter: the Spokesman, and the October issues have arrived!

As usual, this month's Spokesman includes a message from the Mayor. You must know how much we love that!

As usual, this mayoral installment is a gem! Should you be one of the tortured few who has been paying attention to the history and background of all that is contained in the Mayor's address, you should be particularly amused!

Back in September we told you about the Mayor's Road Trip! In this month's issue of the Spokesman, the mayor explains that he, along with the City Manager (Tim Schuenke) and Director of Economic Development (Kim Uhlig) are traveling to Washington, D.C. so they can "confer with our Federal Legislators on their turf". That sounds so tough and romantic, doesn't it? Like three young and idealistic friends off to the big city to try to get into show business - hoping for their big break!

Except "the turf" of those Federal Legislators is right back here in Illinois, where all three of those legislators have offices, and one of those legislators, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, has an office right here in Park Ridge.

You see, Federal Legislators go to Washington, D.C. to conduct the business (we use the term loosely) of government. They go to Washington, D.C. to work, and spar, and jockey and joust, and debate issues with each other on behalf of our nation, but also and often more importantly on behalf of their constituents back home living on their turf...on their home turf. If there is one thing Federal Legislators understand, it's where they come from.

Instead of just telling our Federal Legislators there in Washington, D.C. about what is wanted back here in Park Ridge, the Mayor, City Manager, and Economic Development Director could have asked all of our Federal Legislators to actually spend some time here when they were in town, hearing and seeing for themselves what is wanted here, for the the people of Park Ridge. The Mayor, City Manager and Economic Development Director could have taken our Federal Legislators on a guided tour of Park Ridge to see and be seen, here, in Park Ridge. Federal Legislators live for those kinds of "I feel your pain" photo ops! Just like the one Mayor Tony Arredia of Des Plaines conducted for Dick Durbin when he was in town a couple of weeks ago.

And let's not forget that Federal Legislator, Barack Obama, is conducting a presidential primary campaign. Surely he would "feel our pain" if he were to be invited back to his home turf to do so.

The Mayor could also have asked another of those Federal Legislators, Jan Schakowsky, to stop by his home for a quick cup of coffee last weekend; Schakowsky was literally up the block from the Mayor's home, here, in Park Ridge on Saturday working on behalf of two local Park Ridge residents who are candidates for office. And here's another free clue just for Mayor Frimark; he could have looked like a confident, bridge-building, 'I can work with anyone to advocate for the good of Park Ridge' kind of Mayor.

But then, there's not much that is tough and romantic in a story about coffee and conversation. You won't get any press coverage out of that either.

Still, we hope the Mayor's trip brings home more than just the bills to Park Ridge taxpayers for the costs of hotel accommodations, transportation, and meals.

The Tao of Traffic Calming.

The city council's Public Works committee has been discussing many issues of importance. Seriously! The Public Works committee decides the philosophy of why, how, and when the largest portion of the city's more than $50,000,000.00 budget will be spent.

The Public Works committee recently discussed revisions to the Neighborhood Traffic Management Policy. Careful consideration is being given to implementing policies that are governed by "sound engineering judgement", while at the same time satisfying the desires of residents.

The Public Works committee minutes from 9/17/07 contains the following:

"Alderman Ryan stated that he agreed with #8 of the Engineering Criteria that requires a resident petition to have 75% support prior to implementation of a traffic calming measure, though he noted it was a philosophical issue."

And for multi-unit condominium developments with variances beyond the zoning code? What is Alderman Ryan's philosophy on resident support for that?

Surprise!

In today's Journal & Topics newspaper, we read that the Park Ridge - ComEd town hall meeting was not well attended. Park Ridge's Public Information Coordinator, Aggie Stempniak said, "There weren't a lot of people there...I was a little bit surprised by the number. I thought there'd be more."

We are not surprised. We are not surprised even a "little bit." We understand some things that seem to be escaping city officials:

1) Anger fades pretty quickly.

2) The city waited too long to hold this meeting, perhaps by design.

3) Citizens want to hear about solutions, not be suckered into telling their stories over and over and over again at municipal group therapy sessions.

4) Citizens are not likely to have faith in a utility company that promises to "do a report and get it back to the city" as the sum total of its' response to the problem of frequent power outages.

5) Citizens are incredulous of the abilities of a city administration that tells them "the key thing ComEd emphasized was calling the company when power is out".

6) Citizens really do expect utility companies to know when their power is out; that's not an expectation of "osmosis" - that's an expectation of monitoring and maintenance. If their car's dashboard can tell them when it's time to change their oil, why can't ComEd's dashboard tell them when power is out?

Scheduling a succession of town hall meetings is an exercise in condescension. How many tales of woe do the city administration and ComEd need to hear before they begin providing real solutions?

Here are some free clues for city officials: Read the story in the Journal & Topics. Take note of the 419 utility poles "taken down" during the storm. Stop scheduling group therapy sessions for citizens. Begin discussing the merits and costs of burying power lines.

Shazam!

No need to thank us. Really, we are very self-interested on this one.

A Space Odyssey.

Last evening's city council meeting was nothing if not a resounding display of how tightly sealed the pod bay doors have been shut in the minds of some council members on the condo project commonly known as Executive Office Plaza (EOP).

Alderman Dave Schmidtzkrieg (1st ward) made a determined effort to see to it the interests of Park Ridge residents were addressed; particularly residents living in the neighboring 5th ward. After all, somebody has to represent the folks in the 5th ward. Benedict-Alderman, Robert Ryan, sure isn't doing that even when he does manage to make it to a meeting!

Alderman Schmidtzkrieg attempted to amend the zoning map ordinance by offering his fellow council members a motion and opportunity to consider the more transitional and less dense R-4 zoning district.

5th ward residents Carla Owen and CURRB's Judy Barclay both spoke, and urged the city council to give thoughtful consideration to discussion of the R-4 amendment as well as the precedent-setting nature of the decisions before them.

Then, in case anyone was lost, 1st ward resident Dave Kemerer informed those in attendance that they are not living in Colonial Williamsburg, and that there is nothing so unique about Park Ridge that it must be preserved. Don't tell the Pickwick owners he said that, their feelings might get hurt.

Mr. Kemerer also questioned the wisdom of a "stable housing base", opining that we need to add more housing units in order to produce more tax revenues to off-set the costs of increased services, implicitly suggesting that the taxes from those new units will pay for services not only for their own residents but also for the rest of Park Ridge. Mr. Kemerer offered this suggestion without any supporting data. Mr. Kemerer also insisted it was unfair to make a motion for a less dense R-4 district "at the 23rd hour" after having "led the developer way down the road".

We're not sure what roads Mr. Kemerer travels, but we are sure he's lost the map for this trip. Mr. Kemerer, we'd like to suggest that just this once you pull over and ask somebody for directions.

Norwood's attorney offered that the motion before the council was not proper. He was roundly ignored. Norwood's attorney then went on to say that the R-4 zoning district "doesn't advance the development potential of the site". That's lawyer talk for "doesn't provide my clients with the potential level of profits they want."

Resident Herb Zuegel then addressed the council in support of Norwood's plan. Mr. Zuegel must have forgotten to print out a copy of his recent email on the subject so he could have read it to the city council. Mr. Zuegel's remarks before the council were far less strident and lacked his email's wildly speculative questions about the motivations of CURRB's Judy Barclay and others opposed to the density and height variances for Norwood's condominium project. Tsk tsk, Mr. Zuegel. CURRB and Judy Barclay have been opposed to a number of questionable zoning variances for the last 12 years. It is silly to now speculate that CURRB's or Ms. Barclay's motivations have anything to do with her having lost the election to Benedict-Alderman Ryan.

Schmidtzkrieg's R-4 zoning district amendment lost by a 4 (Allspaghetti, Lord of the Manor, Benedict-Alderman, Carey the unfriendly Ghost) to 2 (Schmidtzkrieg, Wsoooool man) vote.

Alderman Wsoooool man did make note of the fact that Guido Neri, a developer and resident of Park Ridge, had a project to build 25 townhomes on an adjacent parcel approved as planned.

Shortly thereafter, the city council voted 5 to 1 (Schmidtzkrieg) to adopt the R-5 zoning map amendment.

The next item on the agenda was final consideration of the ordinance to allow Norwood's Park Ridge 2004 LLC project to be approved. An ordinance for this type of a project is referred to as a PUD (Planned Unit Development). We think this one should be referred to as a DUD!

Norwood's Park Ridge 2004 LLC again insisted they have made every effort to adjust their condominium plan, and that they are "amenable to further discussions" on the issue of senior housing. No one has reported they saw any of Norwood's people with their fingers crossed behind their backs. Still we are pleased to hear the Lord of the Manor motioned to defer consideration of final ordinance approval until such time as a covenant, ensuring that senior housing be maintained on the site, is written into the final ordinance. What a concept! Get it in writing first!

Additionally, the Lord of the Manor had an enumerated list of conditions that would have to be met prior to the council's final consideration of the ordinance on October 15th; one significant item was the inclusion of an on-site Registered Nurse to provide consultation and care for those living in the senior housing units.

We still object, we strenuously object, to the characterization of the 50 senior housing units as senior housing units. What Norwood and Presbyterian Homes is offering the Park Ridge community is nothing more than age-restricted condominium units with a sprinkle of ordinary services offered by most insurance providers, local libraries, community centers, park districts and churches.

In response to the Lord of the Manor's motion to defer final consideration, most of those in attendance became aware that Alderman Allspaghetti's personal power grid had shut down, and his internal digital clock was flashing 12:00. Alderman Allspaghetti urged the council not to defer final consideration of the DUD since the matter had "already been deferred for a year". Alderman Schmidtzkrieg helped Alderman Allspaghetti reset his clock to the correct time by reminding him that the matter had only come before the council last August...not quite two months ago.

Benedict-Alderman Ryan, described by Herb Zuegel in his email as having "done his homework" on the Norwood - Presbyterian Homes project, said he "won't dictate the need for an on-site Registered Nurse; he doesn't know enough about it". Between his absences and incomplete homework, we fear we will have to give Benedict-Alderman Ryan a first quarter failing grade in Alderman 101!

We thought we heard that the Ghost of the 6th ward was present in the room, but we can't be sure. He made no attempt to communicate with the living.

And with that the pod bay doors opened and the motion to defer final consideration was voted upon.

Can you guess the outcome?

Prepare for Glory!

Approximately 400 residents affixed their signatures to petitions asking that the mayor and city council adhere to the city's new zoning code, and refuse to grant variances in density and height for Norwood's Park Ridge 2004 LLC condominium project. Those 400 residents will probably be ignored.

Mayor Jerkxes, being aided and abetted by developer-loyalist and Benedict-Alderman, Robert Ryan, as well as Park Ridge 2004 LLC investor, John Chipman, have purportedly persuaded the Lord of the Manor, Rich DiPietro, to give Norwood the variance on density they've asked for.

The propaganda remise that again will be thrust at the community in support of this project will be the mysticism of senior housing and a 1-acre park that is unlikely to be used by anyone outside of the condominium development. The neighborhood kids who now use that area, which is already owned by the city, will have to find another venue for their winter sledding fun.

Sources tell us the Lord of the Manor will be satisfied with enforcement of the zoning code's height restrictions on the project, but is willing to give Norwood the density variance for the 8 additional units they want. And why not? It's not as if the bulk of the extra traffic created by this already dense project will be experienced by residents in the 2nd ward. As we all know, "Stop Means Stop", but only as posted for the traffic in the 2nd ward. The concept of "Stop Means Stop" does not appear to apply to the Park Ridge zoning code.

It also appears "no" doesn't mean "no" the first time the city council says it. After the first city council vote, Norwood's partners said they would go back and work on their plan. However, it appears they spent the majority of their time and effort working on the aldermen.

Tonight's city council meeting will be a long and drawn-out battle between those who demand adherence to Park Ridge's new and more lenient zoning code, and those who feel entitled to ignore the demands of the law and the will of the residents in the Park Ridge community.

Barring any last minute epiphanies, the aldermen will probably vote 4 to 2 in favor of Norwood; DreadBach is expected to be absent from the meeting. That vote count will save Mayor Jerkxes from having to cast a tie-breaking vote before the serf-izens of Park Ridge; another reason why the Lord of the Manor has been so thoroughly courted for his vote.

Mayor Jerkxes, "may you live forever." - Leonidas , '300'