The Village Equestrian Commission will meet for the first time this year at 6:30 PM at Village Hall. A copy of their agenda and minutes from their last meeting on August 13, 2019 can be viewed and downloaded here.
Archive for the ‘Friends of Forest Preserves’ Category
Equestrian Commission meets tonight
Posted in Agendas, Animal Welfare, BH Polo Club, Equestrian Commission, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, Friends of Forest Preserves, FRVPC, Horizon Farms, Horse Boarding, Land Use, Riding Club of BH on June 1, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Yup, they’re going there. “Open Burning Ordinance” on tonight’s BOT agenda.
Posted in ePacket Agendas, Friends of Forest Preserves, Land Use, OP/Ed, Uncategorized, Village Board, Zoning Board on April 27, 2020| 1 Comment »
Our Village Board of Trustees meets this evening, and one of the topics on their agenda is the, “Open Burning Ordinance.” We have the sneaking suspicion this might me the first of many occasions this subject will appear in their and other’s agendas.
Many residents have shared their thoughts and frustrations on this ordinance since it was first passed around the turn of the century. It rarely comes up in public discussion even though open burning of “bonfires” is a daily occurrence somewhere in Barrington Hills.
Since it will be discussed tonight, here are some of our collective thoughts on what we see as the two primary components of contention of the ordinance:
Bonfire size:
The code states, “A bonfire shall not be more than 5 ft X 5 ft X 5 ft in dimension.”
Our experience is that few residents gather a bonfire for the purposes of roasting weenies and s’mores. When tree limbs and other debris are stacked on their five-acre property, can it be assumed that residents are following code or is it more likely that their bonfires are “illegal” due to the size?
Clearly there needs to be limits to the limits of the burn pile (our technical term), but the current limits are too low and unrealistic in most cases.
Hours and duration burning is allowed:
No bonfire shall be started or maintained other than between the hours of 10:00 AM. to 10:00 PM and for a maximum duration of 3 hours per day:
Experience shows winds are almost always calmest in the early morning and late evening hours. On any given day, by 7:00 – 8:00 AM, if you cannot see some neighborhoods with smoke rising, you will likely smell it some days.
Then, depending on the season, by 6:00 PM people are outdoors enjoying their property from barbecues to bocce, and they likely do not appreciate the smell of smoke other than that from their own grills. Also, in the spring and fall, who does not want to open their windows for fresh, cool air?
Summarizing, when it comes to size and time/duration of bonfires, although in most cases inadvertently, residents are breaking the law. If the codes are deemed acceptable, they should be enforced. If not, the need to be amended.
The Board of Trustees meeting is at 6:30, and a link to the remote proceedings can be accessed here.
Morrison, Mussman host virtual COVID-19 town hall
Posted in Cook, County, FPDCC, Friends of Forest Preserves, Horizon Farms, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Politics, Spring Creek Stewards, Spring Creek Watershed on April 22, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Cook County Commissioner Kevin B. Morrison and State Rep. Michelle Mussman will host a COVID-19 virtual town hall at noon Friday to discuss the county and state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resources available to residents and businesses.
The meeting will be live streamed on their Facebook pages and at bit.ly/2VppIC1. Residents can submit questions beforehand to District15@cookcountyil.gov.
Morrison’s 15th District includes Barrington Township, and his contact information can be found here. He is a voting member of the Forest Preserve District Board which oversees Crabtree Nature Center, Horizon Farm and Spring Lake preserves.
Guided walking tour October 19: Spring Creek Forest Preserve
Posted in FPDCC, Friends of Forest Preserves on September 29, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Get outside and walk with us!
Starting at Penny Road Pond in Spring Creek Forest Preserve, Friends of the Forest Preserve staff and local land managers will lead our group through one of Cook County’s most unique grassland preserves. The walk will include information about native plants and wildlife, local hiking opportunities, a brief stop to collect wildflower seeds, and all the beauty of an Illinois prairie!
This walk is approximately 2.5 miles and begins at noon, October 19th. While not a very difficult trip, it will involve a hill and mowed grass trails. Please be prepared with sturdy footwear, long pants, and water bottles.
To register click here, or for more information, please contact Peter Whitney at peter@fotfp.org.
Community festival in Barrington Hills raises support for village police officer battling ALS
Posted in BACT, Friends of Forest Preserves, Heritage Fest, News Media, Organizations, Resident Spotlights, Riding Club of BH, Topics Of Interest, Uncategorized on October 3, 2018| Leave a Comment »
When Barrington Hills Village President Martin McLaughlin volunteered to participate in a dunk tank during the recent “The Hills are Alive Fall Festival,” he did so with a village police officer in mind.
Shortly after he situated himself in the dunk tank on Sept. 30., youngster Susie Bongiorno hit the target and dunked McLaughlin into the water below.
Proceeds this year from the dunk tank, as well as food and beverage sales during the village’s annual fall community festival, went to an ongoing effort to raise funds for Jeremy Hensler, a police officer in Barrington Hills who recently was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
“(Bongiorno) threw a strike. I coached her on our softball team,” McLaughlin said of the dunk tank experience, adding how an estimated crowd of 600 attended the festival. “We think that’s pretty good attendance for a village with 1,100 homes.”
But the featured element of Barrington Hills’ sixth annual fall festival was supporting Hensler, who also is a member of the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System — a group of suburban police departments in the Chicago area, officials said.
“He was one of our highest-trained, well-qualified officers,” McLaughlin said of Hensler.
McLaughlin said the Dunk Tank ended up generating about $500 in proceeds. Organizers also collected donations through vendors’ food and beverage sales at the event, he said. Timmerman’s Equestrian Drill Team, of Island Lake, also performed for the festivalgoers.
Other activities included a climbing rock wall, an interactive animal show and a make-your-own ice cream area, organizers said.
The entire Barrington Courier-Review article can be seen here.
Forest preserve opens $14.5 million Horizon Farms site to the public
Posted in BACT, Cook, County, FPDCC, Friends of Forest Preserves, Horizon Farms, Riding Club of BH on June 25, 2015| 4 Comments »
Horizon Farms, the nearly 400-acre former equestrian estate in Barrington Hills, was opened to the public by the Forest Preserves of Cook County this month, although some of the property’s features remain off-limits.
Dave Kircher, a chief landscape architect for the forest preserve, said about 4 miles of multi-use trails are open to hikers, bicyclists and horse riders, while plans continue for the rest of property’s unique features.
Read more here.