Our Village Board of Trustees meets tomorrow evening at 6:30 PM. Some of the topics on their agenda include:
[Vote] An Ordinance Granting an Amendment to an Existing Special Use Permit to Allow an Addition to Countryside Elementary School, 205 W. County Line Road Ordinance 22 –
[Vote] A Resolution Adopting an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Cook County Assessor’s Office to Facilitate Access to GIS Data Resolution 22 –
[Vote] Plan Commission Appointment: Maggie Topping, term expires 2024
A copy of their agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.
“After being crowned Mrs. Illinois America in 2021, local resident, Darby Hills, is moving into local government after being sworn in as a new Village of Barrington Hills – Government Trustee on January 13th.
Hills will fill the unexpired term of Trustee Debra Buettner, whose death created a vacancy, with a term expiring April 2023. Hills was appointed by President Brian D. Cecola at a special Board Meeting in early January.
Hills brings her legal knowledge to the Village Board from her experiences as an arbitrator, mediator, and a Cook County State’s attorney concentrating on child welfare, and from her days as a labor and employment attorney with Jackson Lewis, LLP, working on behalf of corporations. ‘I am humbled and honored to accept this responsibility and excited to represent such an exceptional group of people, our residents, in the governance of the Village of Barrington Hills,’ said Hills.”
Joy Wagner and Connor Stickney get ready to ride downtown on BraveHearts’ Winston and Gunnar.
NeuroBalance Center’s founder and driving force is Joy Wagner, someone who has walked in the footsteps of the clients who seek her center’s services. A pediatric nurse, Wagner was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2001. As the single mom of two daughters who were very young at the time, she was knocked off her feet with the MS diagnosis. For four months she could not walk, drive, or read. She gave up her nursing job and needed help to manage the day to day.
Since that diagnosis, Wagner was determined to find ways to help herself, and then others, so she founded fitMS, a specialized exercise program that was offered in many locations. Later the services would grow into fitMS NeuroBalance, an exercise program for a greater pool of people with the mobility issues associated with MS, Parkinson’s Disease, Crohn’s, Celiac, fibromyalgia, stroke, and much more. In time, the services Wagner was offering people became NeuroBalance, a nonprofit services entity. An ADA and mobility friendly services facility was built in Barrington with the support of the community—a first of its kind.
Today, NeuroBalance Center (NBC) offers a lifeline of services for people whose conventional and insurance-supported rehabilitation services end. “People come to us when everyday life does not look the same anymore,” Wagner says. “They don’t know where to go and they might graduate from therapy, but it’s to the couch, to depression. We are their post-graduate program, and we help them maximize their quality of life. They’re creating a new normal and we can help their health condition progress much more slowly.”
Connor Stickney, a Barrington native, didn’t seem to be a typical client for NeuroBalance thought his dad, Jon. But after a conversation with Wagner at the NeuroBalance Center, Jon Stickney learned NBC was ideal for his son’s long-term recovery from a motorcycle accident whereby he lost a portion of his leg. The young man eventually agreed to take physical therapy there, and Wagner had the idea of taking a new pilot program offsite and employing horses for the therapy. The idea of a ride into downtown Barrington from the center arose from this pilot program. “What a great way to showcase our work and offer a heartfelt surprise for the Stickney family and honor our organizations’ supportive bank team,” Wagner said.
Barrington Community Unit District 220 is raising pay for substitute teachers to help ensure there are enough educators for each classroom.
“The most pressing concern is staffing and our ability to staff and keep our teachers healthy … so we can be able to open school every single day,” Superintendent Robert Hunt said during this week’s District 220 school board meeting.
Hunt asked for a temporary rate increase from $110 per day to $135.
“If we look at how we compare to other districts, I would say we’re on the low side of that range paying $110. It goes as high as $175,” he said. Hunt said the recommendation is prompted by a large number of teachers being out due to COVID-19 following winter break. “We had a significant number of absences coming into the week,” he said.
To keep the students in school, Hunt said the district has “instituted as many creative options as possible,” including splitting up classes and allowing teachers who are at home but not symptomatic to teach virtually. The increase in substitute pay is “one more tool to help us staff and keep students in school,” he said.
Hunt said his recommendation is for a temporary increase to help get through the latest surge.
“We would obviously come back to the board and have any conversations about anything more long-term,” he said.
The increase will be covered by federal pandemic relief funding.
Last Friday, I communicated that there was a change in guidance from the CDC regarding the length of quarantine for students and staff, and referenced forthcoming guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Last night this guidance was released, as well as this FAQ which provides additional clarity.
District leaders have been reviewing this information, along with superintendents from other Lake County school districts and representatives from the Lake County Health Department. Our staff will work to implement necessary changes and continue to provide in-person learning. Although not a comprehensive list, below are a few important items that are being implemented:
Individuals who have tested positive for COVID will be required to isolate for at least 5 days following the start of symptoms or test date if asymptomatic.
Individuals who are identified as a close contact will be required to quarantine for 5 days following the last date of exposure. See page 20 & 21 of the ISBE Guidance to review the definition of a close contact.
Students/staff members who are identified as close contacts, but who do not meet criteria for being exempt from quarantine (outlined in #48 in the FAQ) may have the option to engage in a test-to-stay protocol.
Students who were exposed during lunch may now be eligible for test-to-stay. Impacted families will receive information on requirements for remaining in school during the contact tracing process.
Windows for return to athletics and extracurricular activities are different, and longer than the isolation/quarantine windows required for return to work or school; asymptomatic students who are in isolation or quarantine may return to practice/rehearsals following Day 5, but must remain masked through Day 10 and may not participate in competitions/performances until a 10 day window is completed.
Home tests are not accepted as proof of infection. All students and staff (regardless of vaccination status) excluded with COVID-19-like symptoms should be diagnostically tested with a PCR or rapid antigen or molecular test with emergency use authorization by the FDA. See #43 in the FAQ for more information.
In addition to this updated guidance, I wanted to make you aware that this morning the district was notified of a change in rostering of students that recently opted in to SHIELD testing. This has impacted students being tested this week. We are currently working on this and anticipate it will be resolved for next week’s testing schedule. If you would like to make changes regarding your child’s SHIELD testing status, please note that it may take up to seven days for those changes to go into effect.
I want to thank our entire staff as they have all stepped forward to manage changes and work to keep students at school. I appreciate your ongoing support.”
The Barrington Hills Park District Board will hold their, “Annual Budget and Appropriation Hearing,” via Zoom and in person this evening at 6:45 PM. A copy of their agenda absent of any financial information can be viewed here.
At 7:00 PM, the District will be conducting their regular monthly meeting. A copy of their agenda can be viewed here.
The Park District is located at 361 Bateman Road. Information on how to join the Zoom meetings tonight can be found here.
Some northwest suburban village, park and library boards are returning to holding remote meetings while others are still mulling their options in light of an uptick in COVID-19 infections.
During the last year, many boards relied on Zoom, YouTube or Facebook Live social media platforms to livestream meetings, in an effort to keep the public engaged but also exercise public health mitigations due to the pandemic.
Although the remote options were not a favorite of some village officials and residents who preferred face-to-face interaction and participation, many village officials say they found them to be the safest way to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus in gatherings both large and small.
“The village of Barrington will continue in-person meetings, as we have since very early on in the pandemic,” said Amy Seklecki, events and marketing manager for the village of Barrington. “Our meeting room is set up to be appropriately distanced and the Board appreciates the ability to communicate in-person to the greatest extent possible.”
However, the Barrington Park District is planning a virtual meeting this month. Carla Smothers, superintendent of administrative services, said residents interested in receiving the Zoom link to the next park district remote meeting must email her to get the link information.
The Barrington Area Library board returned to virtual meetings back in October, said library spokeswoman Karen McBride, knowing that people might be seeing family more during the holidays and have more contact, risking virus transmission.
“It was some foresight,” McBride said of the board’s early decision.
The District 220 Board of Education meets this evening at 7:00 PM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street. A copy of the agenda can be viewed here.
The meeting will be livestreamed on the district YouTube channel.
FRVH-MH Huntsman Mark Murphy, Emily McHugh, Larry and Laura Ekstrom, Linda Fox, Jane Clement, Ronda Ewing, Maggie and Ross Bogue (Photography by Linda M. Barrett)
On Saturday, November 20, 2021 members and guests gathered for the 2021 Hunt Ball at Barrington Hills Country Club. Adults, young adults, and teens were welcomed for an evening of silent and live auctions, a raffle, cocktails, dinner, dancing, and recounting another season of riding together.
State Rep. Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills) argues Gov. J.B. Pritzker still has much to learn when it comes to getting a handle on the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, and it starts with seeking other perspectives.
“At a time of crisis, I believe true leaders ask for more input from their Council, their commissioners and legislators and not less,” McLaughlin, who served as Barrington Hills’ village president up until assuming his seat in Springfield last year, said at a recent news conference on the issue. “We stayed open throughout the COVID crisis without incident using common-sense safety measures. As a mayor, I had a unique perspective of witnessing firsthand exactly how the viruses and the mandates were affecting local businesses.”
McLaughlin argues Pritzker’s new COVID-19 proof-of-vaccine requirements for businesses and park districts across state demonstrate his ignorance.
“I have been fervently advocating for common sense and local control since May of 2020,” he said. “As mayor in my town I was offered the same emergency, unilateral control opportunity from legal counsel, but I rejected it.”
Across Cook County, the proof-of-vaccine rule will apply to everyone age 5 and older and include such establishments as restaurants, bars, gyms and other venues like sports and entertainment arenas, NBC5 reported.
McLaughlin argues it only serves to increase suffering for many Illinois residents.
“The executive mandate from the county forced our citizens to stay within their homes, out of our schools, out of our places of worship and closed an assortment of businesses,” he said. However, big box stores were allowed to remain open with record profits while devastating our main-street businesses in our community. As we enter 2022, the mayor of Chicago, the Board President of Cook County and Gov. Pritzker continue unconstitutional use of these mandates on private citizens.”
