The Village Board of Trustees will hold their regular monthly meeting this evening beginning at 6:30 PM. A copy of the agenda can be viewed here.
Archive for the ‘Cuba Rd Bridge’ Category
Village Board meets tonight
Posted in Agendas, Building Department, County, Cuba Rd Bridge, Heritage and Environs Committee, Kane, Plan Commission, Road construction, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Code, Zoning Board on August 29, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Roads & Bridges Committee meets Thursday
Posted in Agenda, Cuba Rd Bridge, Longmeadow Parkway, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee on August 24, 2016| Leave a Comment »
The Roads & Bridges Committee will hold their monthly meeting tomorrow at 4:00 PM. A copy of the complete agenda can be viewed here.
Bridge opening delayed until Tuesday
Posted in Community Alerts, Cuba Rd Bridge on August 13, 2016| Leave a Comment »
When the Village announced the reopening of the Cuba Road Bridge would occur yesterday, they were likely acting on guidance from Gewalt Hamilton, IDOT or both. Unfortunately, neither bothered to check the weather forecast that had predicted rain yesterday, and that’s not favorable for blacktop paving since the water can prevent adherence between layers of new asphalt.
We understand the bridge is open to foot and bicycle traffic for now, and Tuesday, August 16th, it will finally open to vehicular traffic. Though it is little consolation to residents who are inconvenienced, the contractor will have to reimburse IDOT and Barrington Hills for this latest delay per their contract.
Our thanks go to readers who commented or emailed us updates on the bridge delay.
Cuba Road Bridge to reopen today under new name
Posted in Cuba Rd Bridge, Road construction, Village Board on August 12, 2016| 2 Comments »
The Cuba Road Bridge will be reopening later today under a new name – Veteran’s Crossing.
The Village is inviting residents, especially veterans, to join Village officials in a ribbon cutting ceremony at 6:00 PM at the east end of the new bridge at the intersection of Buckley and Cuba Roads. Veterans are encouraged to arrive fifteen minutes before the ceremony, and they will be the first to cross the bridge, officially making it “Veteran’s Crossing.”
July Village Board meeting recordings released
Posted in Accidents, Audio Recordings, Building Department, Crime, Cuba Rd Bridge, Finance Committee, Financial Reports, Heritage and Environs Committee, Newsletter, Plan Commission, Police Pension Board, Police Reports, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Zoning Board on August 5, 2016| 8 Comments »
Audio recordings from the July 21st meeting of the Board of Trustees were recently posted to the Village website for review. To access the main menu of recordings edited by agenda topic, click here.
The meeting began with awards presentations to members of the Barrington Hills Police Department for their length of service to our community. JoAnne Gumprecht was recognized for 20 years of service, Alice Runvik for 25 years, and Dominic Caputo for 30 years. Their awards are pictured below, and the recording of the presentations can be heard here.
Five residents made remarks during public comment, three of which pertained to a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. One person spoke about Barrington Hills Farm, and the last person referenced what we assume is a suggestion for the renaming of the Cuba Road Bridge.
The forty-five minute Finance report included the approval of the 2015 fiscal year audit. A summary of the results will likely be communicated in the next newsletter, however it’s worth noting the Village general fund increased eight percent in 2015 primarily due to decreased expenses, even with one-time charges associated with migrating the Village 911 service to QuadCom.
During the Roads & Bridges report, Village Engineer Dan Strahan reported that the latest forecast for reopening the Cuba Road Bridge is August 13th. We didn’t notice anyone working at the job site yesterday morning, but we’ll be guardedly optimistic that the bridge will be opening sometime soon.
The Plan Commission will be voting on a final draft of the amended Tree Preservation Ordinance on August 9th. The agenda packet for this special meeting has been released and can be viewed here.
The Administration report included a recommendation from the Heritage & Environs Committee for updates to the overall décor of Village Hall, which has not been touched in decades, including painting, updating the public restrooms to adhere to ADA requirements and replacing worn carpeting and the quarry tile in the front entrance.
Since the total estimated amounts for all that needs to be done is substantial, the board was asked to prioritize what should be done first and come up with a capital expenditure amount for this year not to be exceeded to allow work to begin. After nearly twenty minutes of discussion, the matter was tabled to the August meeting.
Roads & Bridges Committee meets Thursday
Posted in Agenda, Algonquin Rd, Commercial Horse Boarding, County, Cuba Rd Bridge, HARPS, Longmeadow Parkway, McHenry, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee on July 13, 2016| Leave a Comment »
The Roads & Bridges Committee will hold their monthly meeting tomorrow at 4:00 PM. Some of topics for discussion include:
- Cuba Road Bridge update
- 2016 Village road repaving update
- Access to proposed Barrington Hills Farm/HARPS facilities via Village maintained roads, and
- Longmeadow Parkway update
A copy of the agenda can be viewed here.
An ePacket agenda containing the documents to be discussed during the meeting can be viewed and downloaded by clicking here.
June Village Board meeting recordings released
Posted in Accidents, Audio Recordings, Building Department, Commercial Horse Boarding, Crime, Cuba Rd Bridge, Heritage and Environs Committee, Police Reports, Politics, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Springfield, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Code, Zoning Board on July 8, 2016| 6 Comments »
The Village recently posted audio recordings from the June 27th meeting of the Village Board of Trustees. To access the menu of audio recordings edited by agenda topic, click here.
One resident made public comments, and though he did not identify himself, we’re told it was A. Robert Abboud, father of the former president. His prepared remarks can be heard here.
The regular meeting began with the financial reports for approval, and we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize the thoroughness and professionalism of the new village treasurer, Peggy Hirsch. She has presented financial reports she generated from her work at every trustee meeting since her appointment was approved, and is there to answer any immediate questions from the trustees.
The recording of the finance reports and approvals can be heard here.
The Roads and Bridges report and discussion which followed clearly displayed some frustration on the part of some board members, particularly when it came to further delays on the Cuba Road Bridge reconstruction project. The questioning regarding the ongoing delays in the bridge completion was impeded by the fact that Dan Strahan of Gewalt Hamilton was not present at the meeting. Nonetheless, Bob Kosin, village administrator, should have been prepared to address the issues raised, but the recordings bear witness to the fact he could not, or would not.
First, it was reported the Cuba Road Bridge project could be shut down completely by IDOT on June 30th due to their 80% funding of the project, as a result of the then pending budget impasse in Springfield. We did not previously report this possibility due to the political theatre that Springfield has become, and we trust that Trustee Cecola is already fielding calls from residents upset with prolonged delays.
Trustee Konicek pointed out that the original forecasted completion date provided last year by Gewalt Hamilton was May 13th of this year, so the possible IDOT construction shutdown should have been moot. When she questioned who arrived at that forecasted completion date, and why proper oversight of the project was not provided (presumably by Gewalt Hamilton), Bob Kosin stated that, “The oversight (of the project) has never been surrendered to the Village of Barrington Hills, but it’s always been managed by IDOT. Day one, IDOT directed every step of this process. ”
Konicek then asked Kosin, “Then why are we paying Gewalt Hamilton, with all due respect?” Kosin’s answer to this perfectly valid question made little sense to us and can best be told by listening to the recording, but if, in fact, IDOT was in complete charge of the project, we have to wonder where we would stand today if Trustee Cecola didn’t meet with ComEd months ago to expedite the movement of misplaced utilities at the work site?
The recording of the full Cuba Road Bridge discussion can be heard here.
During the Building and Zoning report, it was revealed that the Zoning Board of Appeals members were given “confusing” and erroneous instructions, by counsel and the village administrator, regarding what their duties were as it related to commercial horse boarding codes at their June meeting.
In fact, the Board of Trustees did not instruct the Zoning Board to review the current boarding codes as they were incorrectly advised, but instead they were to address a petition for amendment to those codes submitted in May by a resident. The Village Board itself makes no schedule for hearing of such petitions by the ZBA.
Mary Dickson, the attorney assigned to the Zoning Board, later, after executive session, apologized for the miscommunication to the ZBA. Mr. Kosin, however, chose so sit in silence, as usual.
The Zoning Board report and discussion can be heard here, and according to the Village calendar, the Zoning Board will be holding a hearing on the text amendment petition on July 18th.
The next scheduled meeting of the Board of Trustees is on July 21st.
June Roads & Bridges Committee meeting recordings released
Posted in Animal Welfare, Audio Recordings, Cuba Rd Bridge, Equestrian Commission, HARPS, Politics, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Springfield, VBHPD on June 27, 2016| 6 Comments »
Audio recordings from the June 16th Roads & Bridges meeting have been posted to the Village website. To access the menu of edited recordings by agenda topic, click here.
Two residents made public comments on a variety of topics, and their remarks to the committee can be heard here.
The Cuba Road Bridge reconstruction project update followed and brought news of further delays. Dan Strahan, Village Engineer, reported that the contractor on the project requested the deadline for completion of the bridge be extended due to an error on their part with “shop drawings” and a change in steel support materials.
Both IDOT and the Village refused an extension, and depending on how far beyond the original final date for completion it takes to reopen the bridge, IDOT and the Village will likely get monies back in the form of penalties deducted from the final invoice. The contractual deadline for completion is August 7th.
When Strahan concluded his report, Chairman Cecola remarked that he expected he would be receiving calls from residents regarding what seem like undue further delays. The discussion of the further Cuba Road Bridge SNAFU’s can be heard here.
Updates on the 2016 road programs, including pavement markings for some roads, patching of Ridge Road, drainage issues and the planned roadwork on Helm, Healy, River and Woodcreek Roads, as well as Lakeview, Hawthorne and Tamarack Lanes were then discussed.
Trustee Cecola, who also oversees public safety, concluded the meeting with some comments on recent vehicular accidents in the Village, including one involving one of our officers, and his praise of how our officers have responded to these unfortunate occurrences. His remarks can be heard by clicking here.
Village announces road closure
Posted in Cuba Rd Bridge, Public Safety, Road construction, Traffic on June 18, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Village Hall issued the following Cuba Road Bridge reconstruction traffic update on June 17th:
“The Village of Barrington Hills would like to inform you that to expedite completion of the Cuba Road Bridge, the intersection of Cuba Road and Buckley Road will be closed on Monday, June 20th, and will remain closed until the bridge is reopened to traffic. Thank you for your continued patience.”
June 16th Roads & Bridges Committee meeting agenda posted
Posted in Agenda, Cuba Rd Bridge, Deception, Ethics, Public Safety, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Taxes, Traffic on June 15, 2016| 1 Comment »
The Roads & Bridges Committee meets tomorrow, June 16th, at 4:00 PM. A copy of the agenda can be viewed here.
Unfortunately, the ePacket agenda, which includes documents to be discussed during the meeting, brings more bad news to residents who use the Cuba Road Bridge on a regular basis.
According to these meeting documents, Dan Strahan of Gewalt Hamilton is now stating, “Every effort is being made to reopen the road (bridge) by or before August 7th,” which is a month later than he estimated to the Village Board not long ago during their May 23rd meeting. It should also be noted that Strahan’s original estimate for completion of this project last fall was mid-May.
The ePacket agenda, including Strahan’s Cuba Road Bridge update, can be viewed and downloaded here.
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