Following are some of the articles published by The Observer for the month of August in recent years. These articles, gathered from various publications and editorials, are noteworthy for residents in that they remind us of where we’ve been as a community.
‘Dark Sky’ proposal sent to Village Board – 2010
The skies over Barrington Hills won’t go dark, despite two years of work on a proposal to limit outside lighting, until 2031 under a plan moved forward Wednesday night.
The Zoning Board of Appeals chose that year over 2021 — with both dates well into the future in order to save homeowners from having to spend “a significant amount of money” to retrofit their lighting systems, said Joe von Meier, village attorney.
Read the original Tribune article here.
Horse boarding continues to draw controversy in Barrington Hills – 2011
Barrington Hills officials agree the village’s ordinance on home businesses needs tweaking to deal with large commercial horse boarders on residential properties, but they disagree on what exactly needs to be done.
The board held a joint meeting with the Zoning Board of Appeals this week to discuss the ordinance amendment ZBA members are currently working on. The Board of Appeals is looking at requiring large boarding operations, defined as 10 or more horses, to acquire a special use permit to the Home Occupation Ordinance.* That ordinance allows people to run small businesses — everything from music lessons to attorney’s offices — from their homes.
The 2011 Tribune article can be read here.
*The Zoning Board of Appeals written recommendation to the Village Board regarding commercial horse boarding code changes at that time can be viewed here.
Barrington Hills trustees mad over attorney’s removal – 2014
A dispute over the removal of Barrington Hills’ longtime village attorney played out before a capacity crowd of residents at village hall Tuesday night.
Village President Martin McLaughlin asked the previous attorney of more than 30 years, the law offices of Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella, to resign last week, citing the Illinois Attorney General office’s finding that the village violated the Open Meetings Act in April 2013.
He also cited the attorney’s research fees, which he called unnecessarily high.
Read the original posting with comments here.
Barrington Hills board shows opposition to bike lanes – 2014
The Barrington Hills board assured residents at a standing-room-only meeting Tuesday night that there are no plans to build bike lanes or widen any of the village’s roads.
Read the original Observer posting, including editorial and reader comments and the link to the original Daily Herald story here.
Why Barrington Hills must change –2014
This op/ed piece from August 2014 suggested that “It’s time for us to stop being a sideshow for the entertainment of surrounding communities. Instead of “Don’t Change Barrington Hills,” a more productive goal is “Let’s Change Barrington Hills.”
Read the original editorial by clicking here.
-The Observer
Thank you, Observer, for reminding us of our history, good and especially bad, for if we don’t remember history, we may repeat it! (obviously not my original thought, but one worth repeating).
Jim O’Donnell
Ridgecroft Lane