The Village has released edited audio recordings from the December 19 Village Board meeting. To access the menu of the meeting’s topical audio recording segments, click here.
Residents who will be affected by the proposed Longmeadow Parkway project, or anyone who lives off of Algonquin Rd., should listen to the Longmeadow Parkway update report from Trustee Meroni which can be accessed here.
Next month, The Observer will be providing an in-depth look at this critical roadway issue facing local residents and our Village.
Thank you Observer for highlighting this issue – THIS IS A MUST LISTEN AND FOLLOW-UP FOR BARRINGTON HILLS RESIDENTS WHO TRAVEL RTE. 62. The Longmeadow Parkway funding appears real and construction to begin in 2015. Thousands of cars and trucks of new traffic will be dumped into Barrington Hills from Huntley east to BH and back again.
President McLaughlin points out that the BH Village President (Abboud) supported this in 2006 in resolution 06-06 (worth reading – http://www.barringtonhills-il.gov/foia/pdfs/resolutions/2006%20Resolutions/Res06_06.pdf).
Patty Meroni claims in the 12/19 meeting audio minutes that this is a complete surprise, further punctuating her inability to serve our residents. Both she and Karen Selman stated there is nothing we can do about this and offered no plan to attempt to stop or stall it. How Ms. Meroni can now claim ignorance to the issue after promising the public at the November, 2012 public meeting to pay close attention is irresponsible. Ms. Selman in the audio points out that the problem will only cause congestion when this traffic dumps into Rte. 62 in the Village’s west border, insinuating that Rte. 62 will need to be widened.
STOP!!
Thankfully, President McLaughlin understands the funding issues. However, this is another enormous problem left to his administration attempting to fix prior sins and incompetence. If we had a Trustee in charge of Building and Bridges (Meroni) who was vigilant, we’d be in front of this problem and have a plan of action to prevent this funding. Certainly, regardless of the special toll funding process for this, our state does not need Longmeadow Parkway to serve the special interests of residents in western Kane County at the expense of Barrington Hills and other downstream municipalities.
Not only did the previous administration support this (for future personal, political interests?), but we did nothing to understand progress or take action to influence the outcome. Shame on Ms. Meroni for her repeated attempts at revisionist history to her benefit and to not have an action plan in place for our residents. All Mr. Gohl could add to the audio conversation was asking how many residents attended the meetings as if to suggest that this is not a problem. Other states with similar congestion issues have long term plans beyond laying more concrete to include public transportation extensions. I-290 was to be the answer and maybe should be widened as opposed to building Longmeadow Parkway that will not solve the issues and only delay the right long term fix at the expense of taxpayers.
If anyone can help with the political influence on this project, I’m certain Mr. McLaughlin would welcome the help.Maybe Mr. McLaughlin could appoint a committee of concerned residents to investigate and not rely on Ms. Meroni’s rhetoric instead of positive action.
“Me thinks the lady dost do protest too much”. If you go to the Long Meadow Parkway (“LMP”) website it states that the Phase I study was completed in 2011 and Phase II Study commenced in July of 2013.
These studies are very expensive and are only valid for a limited period of time. Anyone with a passing knowledge of real estate and construction would recognize that once a Phase I study is undertaken, construction is imminent. It is beyond the realm of reason for anyone, especially BH Village Trustee in charge of roads and bridges, to acknowledge completion of LMP studies in year 2013 but contend construction would not begin until 2040. (Try getting your buyer’s attorney to accept your 27 year old Phase I environmental study or plat of survey next time you sell your vacant lot or commercial property).
My question to BH’s long standing board members comprised of Gohl, Meroni, Messer and Selman is why BH did not have any representation on the advisory board for the LMP project? Mr. Gohl has been on the Board now for more than 12 consecutive years and certainly has the answer to this basic question.
Messer, Meroni and Selman have been on the Board now for more than 3 years. Given the impact LMP posed to BH it is fair to assume (except maybe saving 5 acres) LMP was priority #1 when they took office. No doubt, LMP had to be the subject matter of many of those monthly closed door Board meetings called by the former Village President occurring outside of public view.
It appears every municipality impacted by LMP had a voice; that is, except BH. It is no wonder, now, at the end of the day, BH stands to be the most negatively impacted by LMP. BH at the 11th hour is left with choosing one of four unpalatable options of where LMP will intersect onto Algonquin Road in BH.
The issue is not LMP per se or whether BH could have actually prevented this calamity which is now upon us. The issue is where has BH government been these several years on this issue and why our local government failed to inform residents that BH would have no representation on the LMP Advisory Board.
Our trustees have failed us again! I stand to lose an incalculable amount of my retirement resources in this, the latest trustees bungle. We are a village of educated people….how could we let these people do this to us?
If the village (trustees) are found to be manifestly negligent in their representation of the people of BH’s, will this be an actionable cause to make the affected people whole after their losses?
Can we hold the trustees and the out going village president PERSONALLY responsible?
One of the first acts by the ex-president upon his first election as president in 2005 was to appoint Fritz Gohl as president pro-tem of the Village. He has held that position since. It is not possible for Mr.Gohl to plead ignorance on any matters pertaining to the Longmeadow Parkway. Obviously, the acolytes of the ex-president (trustees Selman, Meroni and Messer) are trying to distance themselves from the issue, but a full explanation has yet to be heard from Mr. Gohl. It is time for him to provide answers as to why full information was withheld from residents.and the decision was made not to have representation on the boards reviewing the Longmeadow Parkway.