Following are some of the stories reported by The Observer in the month of July 2010 to 2012. These articles, gathered from various publications, are noteworthy for residents in that they remind us of where we’ve been as a community.
‘Dark sky’ proposal refined – 2010
The Barrington Hills Zoning Board of Appeals further refined a proposal to restrict outdoor lighting, conceding that security lights can be on longer in emergencies, but not giving ground on more decorative fixtures.
The board allowed no public comment at Monday’s meeting, but residents packed the room, and were admonished several times about their snickering and giggles over discussions of defining glare and light pollution.
The TribLocal story can be read here.
Village expected to be fully lit up again by midnight – 2011
The tiny village of Barrington Hills, which was left in the dark when a storm swept through the suburbs Monday, should soon be lit up again, as electricity to 250 homes is expected to be restored by midnight, a spokesman for ComEd said Friday. Since Monday, power has been restored to 1,300 households, the spokesman said.
This TribLocal piece can be read here.
Prologue to Farce and a Tragedy – 2012
Throughout the pages of the Observer, readers often see references to OMA – the Open Meetings Act, and FOIA – the Freedom of Information Act, but may not be fully aware of their provisions. According to the Illinois Attorney General’s website,
“… public bodies exist to aid in the conduct of the people’s business and that the people have a right to be informed as to the conduct of their business.”
– Illinois Open Meetings Act, 5 ILCS 120/1.
Read the full July 2012 Observer editorial here.
July 16 Zoning Board meeting audio recording released – 2012
In an unprecedented move, the Village has released a recording of this month’s Zoning Board meeting. It was during this meeting that the ZBA voted to set aside the Home Occupation Ordinance Amendment addressing Commercial Horse Boarding in the Village and make no recommendation to the Board of Trustees on the matter.
A link to the forty-eight minute long meeting recording can be found here.
Horse boarding likely to be an election issue in Barrington Hills – 2012
Horses have long been a distinguishing feature of Barrington Hills, but could these four-legged residents prove to be the driving issue in the next village board election?
Read the Daily Herald perspective here.
– The Observer
