Much of the discussion centered on the current, and somewhat heated, opposition to the Longmeadow Parkway project, and the position of the Village Board back in 2006 when they approved the “Resolution Supporting A Bridge Study Corridor and Project in Dundee Township for Construction of the Longmeadow Parkway (Bolz Road) Bridge, and Route 62 Traffic Corridor Study from Route 59 to Route 31.” A copy of that resolution can be viewed here.
Twelve residents took the opportunity to make public comments, and many of those related to the Village’s current position regarding Longmeadow Parkway, and what measures might be taken to prevent the project from feeding four lanes of traffic into the Village of Barrington Hills on Algonquin Road. One commenter stated the following:
“I know a lot of people who supported the resolution back in 2006 were doing so because they thought it was a deal they had to make to save the Duda property. Be that as it may, the Duda property is sold. It is safe. It is no longer a consideration. So we no longer have to worry about are we giving up, you know, north of Spring Creek in return for this, so I don’t think it’s a needed thing anymore as far as that goes.”
Her full comments can be heard here.
Later in the meeting, during the Board’s discussion of the “Longmeadow Parkway Phase II Review,” Trustee Fritz Gohl seemed to corroborate the speaker’s comments when he stated:
“Well, ah, back up a little bit, eh, let you know where I was in ’06, ah, I voted yes for this [Resolution]. The reason why I voted yes for this is because we were doing an agreement with Algonquin. Algonquin wanted this [Longmeadow Parkway] bridge, and we basically went around, and my opinion at the time why I voted this way was that we were agreeing with Algonquin ‘cause Algonquin was helping us with the Duda situation, which somebody brought up earlier.”
Trustee Gohl’s remarks, followed by some very revealing dialog that ensued, can be heard here.
Minutes from the March 27, 2006, Village Board meeting when the Longmeadow Resolution was approved reflect no discussion of any “agreement” with Algonquin “helping us” in return for supporting Longmeadow Parkway. Furthermore, according to the minutes, Trustee Gohl did not vote in favor of the resolution, and the Village President at that time suggested, “an ad hoc committee of residents may be formed in the future regarding this project.” No such committee was ever formed according to records.
A copy of the minutes from that meeting can be viewed here.
While it is unknown who on the Village Board at that time was actually aware of the undocumented agreement with Algonquin (presumably not to annex the Duda property), it is clearly evident that the public was not made aware of it, and now, we as residents must pay the price again, as we have been for other “legacy” matters.
To access the menu of edited audio recordings from the meeting, click here.