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Archive for July, 2017

South Barrington residents sue over Hoffman Estates development

Posted in 220, 300, Hoffman Estates, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), News Media, Plum Farm development, School Districts, Uncategorized on July 31, 2017| Leave a Comment »

PlumFarmAerial A group of South Barrington residents has filed a lawsuit against a developer and the village of Hoffman Estates in an attempt to stop the controversial Plum Farms development proposal at the northwest corner of routes 59 and 72.  The 127-page document filed Thursday in Cook County circuit court seeks declaratory judgment, injunction and other relief against plans to build single-family houses on a 145-acre parcel previously disconnected from Barrington Hills.

The 145-acre parcel is the largest portion of a total 185-acre development plan that would also include multifamily housing and commercial development. While Barrington Hills requires a minimum of 5 acres per lot, the density of the Plum Farms development would be much higher under new zoning approved by Hoffman Estates officials this spring.

The plaintiffs in the suit are more than 30 residents of the Regency at the Woods of South Barrington subdivision, an age-restricted retirement community immediately across Route 59 from the development site.

To read the full article in the Daily Herald, click here.

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May and June 2017 Board meeting recordings released

Posted in 2017 Elections, Audio Recordings, Barrington Hills Farm, Hoffman Estates, Land Use, Minutes, Plum Farm development, Politics, Public Safety, Topics Of Interest, Uncategorized, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Government, Village President, Your Barrington Hills on July 23, 2017| 2 Comments »

 Audio recordings from the May 23rd and June 26th 2017 meetings of the Board of Trustees have been posted. To access the menu of recordings for May edited by agenda item, click here.

To access the menu of recordings for June edited by agenda item, click this link.

The majority of the agenda points discussed at both meetings were routine, so we will instead direct your attention to a number of interesting non-agenda topics which produced the most fireworks.

  • Permit violations lead to disconnection request? Or “I was for it before I was against it”?As described during the May Board of Trustees meeting, the village had received several complaints regarding unauthorized tree removal with possible Heritage Tree Ordinance violations taking place, as well as the demolition of a 2943 sq. ft residence at 2400 Spring Creek Road without a demolition permit. The property was previously owned by the late Barbara MacArthur and had been sold to the trust which owns Barrington Hills Farms on March 24, 2017.

    The Village twice posted a Stop Work notice on the site and this notice was later removed twice, by persons unknown. Apparently, continued site activity has been taking place without permit on the property, in violation of the stop work order. The property owner could be subject to a fine of $750.00 per day if found guilty in  court.  As of the June 26 meeting, there had been no response received by the Village from the owner.

    Trustees Paula Jacobsen and Bob Zubak chose not to participate in the discussion of the violations. Perhaps that was because the individual controlling ownership of the property was a large contributor to “Your Barrington Hills”, the committee that backed the campaign of Jacobsen and Zubak in the April Village election?

    Interestingly, and perhaps not coincidentally, the new property owner has now submitted a petition dated July 17, 2017 for disconnection of said property from the Village, which is being presented for consideration by the Board of Trustees at its July meeting tomorrow. Strangely, the chairman of Barrington Hills Farms had previously indicated during several public meetings his desire to bring the trust’s significant acreage contiguous to the cited property back into the Village.

    We wonder, are building and zoning regulations less stringent in McHenry County, or are there other more compelling reasons for disconnection?

    Discussion of the permit violations during the May meeting can be heard starting here. The follow-up conversation during the June meeting is found by clicking this link . (We would also direct listeners to pay special attention to Adminstrator Bob Kosin’s evasive answers when questioned about ownership of the property and the penalties for demolition of a residence without a permit.)

  • Were village email lists compromised during the last election?  The discussion from May can be heard here.
  • Misrepresentation of the handling of after hours police non-emergency calls? . Chief Semelsberger’s refutation of one resident’s assertions can be heard here.
  • One acre zoning for unincorporated McHenry parcels falsely stated by resident?  That discussion can be found here.
  • Slanderous remarks during public comments will not be tolerated by Board of Trustees.  We urge our readers to listen to this clip.

 

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Park District news

Posted in Barrington Hills Park District, Newsletters, Press Release, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Uncategorized on July 23, 2017| Leave a Comment »

The Barrington Hills Park District recently issued two recent press releases, one concerning renovation of the tennis courts at Countryside School, and the other announcing a survey being conducted by the Horsemen’s Council of Illinois.

BHPD Logo

Tennis Courts Temporarily Closed for Renovation

The Barrington Hills Park District tennis courts located at Countryside School are closed for major renovation.
The courts will be resurfaced and a new 30-foot seating area for viewing will be constructed. The project is scheduled for completion in late August.
We will provide updates on construction and official reopening.
The BATA summer tennis program will be relocated to Barrington High School during construction.
Horsemen’s Council of Illinois Survey
If you own a horse, ride a horse, provide services to the horse community, sell horse related products, or teach equine science, let your voice be heard.
Take the online Horsemen’s Council of Illinois Survey: http://bit.ly/2rYi6Fg
Survey Flyer 4
Note: The Observer finds it interesting the Park District to whom the majority of Barrington Hills residents pay property taxes is promoting a survey by a private special interest group using their own advertising messages and slogans.

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July 24th Board of Trustees meeting agenda posted

Posted in Agendas, ePacket Agendas, Finance Committee, Financial Reports, Heritage and Environs Committee, Insurance Committee, Minutes, Plan Commission, Police Pension Board, Public Safety Committee, Roads & Bridges Committee, Roads and Bridges, Topics Of Interest, Uncategorized, VBHPD, Village Board, Village Code, Village Government, Village President, Zoning Board on July 22, 2017| 4 Comments »

 

VBH__Logo The Village Board will meet on Monday July 24th at 6:30 PM. The agenda can be viewed here and the e-Packet can be found here. Of special note is a petition for de-annexation of 2400 Spring Creek Road, owned by Barrington Hills Farms, which was cited in recent building enforcement reports for demolition of a residence without a permit and possible violation of the Heritage Tree Ordinance.

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Roads and Bridges Committee meets today

Posted in Agenda, Roads & Bridges Committee, Uncategorized, Village Government on July 20, 2017| Leave a Comment »

pavement-markingThe Roads & Bridges Committee meets today at 4:00 PM.  The link for the Agenda and Meeting e-Packet can be found here.

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Relocation to save historic Barrington home hits snags, but hope remains

Posted in News Media, Topics Of Interest, Traffic, Uncategorized on July 19, 2017| Leave a Comment »

greg-close-and-becky-andersonThe date to relocate the historic house at 118 Wool St. in Barrington to Barrington Hills has once again been pushed back, and it appears the structure will now have to endure a two-stage move to save it from demolition.

Barrington Hills documentary filmmaker Jeff Baustert plans to move the 1870s house to his family’s property and use as a guesthouse. But he’s had problems securing the correct permits from various entities, said Greg Summers, Barrington’s director of development services.

Those companies include Union Pacific Railroad, Canadian National Railway, Illinois Department of Transportation, ComEd, Comcast Corp., AT&T Inc. and Nicor Gas.

After a June moving date fell through, the hope was to move the home July 9. But ComEd notified Baustert that, due to heat levels in July and August, it cannot temporarily reroute power to remove from service the lines that would get in the home’s way while it is in transit, Summers said.

The next available moving date is Sept. 17.

To read the entire Daily Herald feature, click here.

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New leader for Barrington-area government group

Posted in BACOG, News Media, Press Release, Uncategorized on July 19, 2017| Leave a Comment »

bacog-sign-2Barrington Area Council of Governments has a new leader for 2017-18. Tower Lakes Village President David R. Parro recently was selected as chairman of the executive board. Lake Barrington Village President Kevin Richardson was re-elected as vice chairman. In addition, retired Cuba Township Supervisor David Nelson was honored for his 13 years of service to the organization. The Barrington Area Council of Governments is a regional membership organization that plans for development, legislation, environmental protection and services through intergovernmental cooperation. Members are the villages of Barrington, Barrington Hills, Lake Barrington, North Barrington, South Barrington and Tower Lakes and the townships of Barrington and Cuba. You can view the Daily Herald article here.

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McHenry County Board picks Christopher Spoerl to fill vacancy

Posted in Uncategorized on July 17, 2017| Leave a Comment »

gmpixafe With few fireworks and little fanfare, the McHenry County Board appointed Christopher Spoerl to fill its vacant seat.

Board members voted at a special meeting Thursday, 20-2, to appoint the Republican from Cary to fill the remaining term of Andrew Gasser, who stepped down in May after his election as Algonquin Township highway commissioner.

…Board members Michael Walkup, R-Crystal Lake, and Tom Wilbeck, R-Barrington Hills, voted “no.” Member Yvonne Barnes, R-Cary, did not vote, citing a financial conflict of interest.

Board Chairman Jack Franks, D-Marengo, chose Spoerl from a pool of six applicants. He announced the pick Monday.

A last-minute endorsement of Spoerl by McHenry County Republican Party leadership blunted criticism and what otherwise could have been a closer vote. Spoerl was advanced by Franks over the two candidatesthe party recommended. But a mother-daughter political duo and a County Board member raised opposition to Spoerl’s selection.

Former Republican board member Lou Anne Majewski, who lives in Barrington Hills in District 1, accused GOP board members during public comment of playing into the Democratic board chairman’s hands, and said she was so infuriated over it that she couldn’t read her notes. She was joined by her daughter, Coroner Anne Majewski, who expressed anger that District 1 board members were not involved in the selection process.

“Why can’t you vote what you know is right? Vote your conscience. Go down and be in the minority. There’s nothing wrong with that. Go home and be able to say you did the right thing,” Lou Anne Majewski said.

To read the full Northwest Herald article, click here.

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Zoning Board meets today

Posted in Uncategorized on July 17, 2017| Leave a Comment »

VBH__Logo The Zoning Board of Appeals meets today at 6:30 PM at Village Hall.  The agenda and e-Packet materials can be viewed here.

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Storm related road closures announced

Posted in Barrington Hills Park District, Community Alerts, News Media, Topics Of Interest, Traffic, Uncategorized on July 12, 2017| Leave a Comment »

VBHPD

The following reverse-911/Blackboard emergency alert was issued by the Village of Barrington Hills Police Department at 2:00 this afternoon in the wake of the storms passing through the area today:

The Barrington Hills Police Department would like to notify you of the following road closures within the Village. Otis Road is closed between Old Sutton Road and Brinker Road due to flooding. Dundee Lane is closed north of Route 68 due to flooding. Oak Knoll Road is closed between Paganica Drive and Buckley Road due to flooding. Buckley Road is closed due to a downed power line. Please use extreme caution while travelling on all roadways. Contact the police department at 847-551-3006 with any questions or concerns.

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