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Archive for the ‘Barrington Hills Park District’ Category
Editorial: Before adding new rules on homelessness, let’s enforce the ones we have
Posted in Barrington Hills Park District, Chicago Tribune, New Normal?, OP/Ed, Politics, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes on April 15, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Tents sit near a burned section of ground in a homeless person encampment in Legion Park in the North Park neighborhood on March 4, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune
Homelessness is punishing in itself without the fear of being fined or arrested simply for surviving outdoors. On the other hand, abandoning public spaces — such as parks — to lawless tent encampments isn’t fair to residents, either.
That’s why we’re concerned about a bill making its way through the statehouse. While well intentioned, House Bill 1429 would restrict when governments can impose fines or criminal penalties on unhoused people for certain “life-sustaining activities” on public property — and in doing so may actually make it harder to address encampments in public parks.
Some Chicago neighbors who have been fighting to resolve sprawling tent cities compassionately view this seemingly well-intentioned legislation — House Bill 1429 — as another potential obstacle. The bill wouldn’t bar cities from clearing encampments or moving people, but it does prohibit ticketing or arresting unsheltered individuals for basic survival activities, broadly termed “life-sustaining activities” in the legislation.
It defines “life-sustaining activities” expansively to cover essentially all basic human behaviors required to survive outdoors, such as sleeping and eating. But it also goes beyond basic survival to include storing personal property, which in practice is how encampments form and persist, as well as “protecting oneself from the elements,” which is incredibly broad and could create ambiguity around enforcement of activities like using propane tanks or open flames in the parks.
The bill also would require advance notice (generally seven days) and outreach before enforcement, absent an emergency, creating “a system where action can only be taken after a problem occurs, instead of allowing communities to prevent issues before they escalate,” said Restore Gompers Park Coalition’s Lynn Burmeister, whose group has long advocated for housing and services for people living in the encampments in addition to safety for neighbors.
Meanwhile, the encampment problem on the Northwest Side has become unsafe, untenable and unchanging. When the city clears one encampment, another pops up, often nearby.
With these settlements come reports of unsanitary and dangerous conditions, including reports of public sex, drug and alcohol use, and fecal matter in the parks.
Editorial continues here.
Related: “Illinois bill would override local law to allow homeless living in all public parks”
Illinois bill would override local law to allow homeless living in all public parks
Posted in Barrington Hills Park District, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), New Normal?, Politics, Property Taxes, Springfield, Wirepoints on April 14, 2026| 2 Comments »
Get ready to see homeless camps in parks across Illinois if a bill gaining traction in the Illinois House becomes law. It would override local restrictions to allow homeless encampments in all public parks. Local towns, park districts, cities, forest preserves and all other municipalities of any kind would have their home rule authority on the matter stripped away.
It’s House Bill 1429, the Local Regulation of Unsheltered Homelessness Act, which says local governments wouldn’t be able to establish or enforce a rule fining or criminally punishing homeless people for participating in “life sustaining activities.”
But “life sustaining activities,” under the bill’s definition, means most anything people routinely do. It would include, but not be limited to, “moving, resting, sitting, standing, lying down, sleeping, protecting oneself from the elements, eating, drinking 5(excluding alcohol), and storing personal property as needed to shelter oneself.”
It has 21 sponsors to date including House Speaker Chris Welch, and 872 homeless advocates and organizations have filed witness slips supporting the bill. An April 15 Housing Committee hearing is the next step.
Article continues here.
*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints.
Barrington Hills Park District (Riding Cult) meets tonight
Posted in Agendas, Algonquin Rd, Animal Welfare, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, BCFPD, Bicyclists, Big Red, BraveHearts, Commercial Horse Boarding, Countryside Elementary School, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Don't Change Barrington Hills, Ethics, Financial Statements, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, FRVPC, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Lighting Ordinance, Mad Cows, Massbach Hounds, Open Meetings Act, Overhead, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club Commission, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Save 5 Acres, Simple Minds, SOS Party, Taxes, The Other Half, Transparency, Unions, Well Water Quality, Your Barrington Hills on April 8, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The Barrington Hills Park District Board/Riding Cult of Barrington Hills will hold their monthly meeting this evening in person and via Zoom at 6:00 PM. Some topics on their agenda include:
- Advisory Committee Report
- Emergency Stabling at the Riding Center
- Payment Alternatives to Cash/Checks (Ozempic)
- Administrator’s Report
- Closed Session for Employee Matters & Contracts/Agreements
A copy of their agenda can be viewed here. Instructions for accessing the meeting remotely can be found here.
Special Equestrian Commission (Riding Club) meets tonight
Posted in Agendas, Animal Welfare, Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, BraveHearts, Commercial Horse Boarding, County, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, Goat Rodeo, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Lighting Ordinance, Massbach Hounds, McHenry, Open Meetings Act, Organizations, Overhead, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Riding Club Commission, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, The Land Conservancy of McHenry County, The Other Half, Unions, Well Water Quality on March 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The Equestrian Commission/Riding Club will be meeting this evening at 6:30 PM. Topics on their agenda include:
- McHenry County Conservation District’s Comprehensive Plan
- Animal Disaster Preparedness Plan, and
- Equestrian Signage
A copy of the agenda can be viewed here.
Barrington Hills Park District (Riding Cult) meets tonight
Posted in Agendas, Algonquin Rd, Animal Welfare, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, BraveHearts, Commercial Horse Boarding, Cost of Living, Countryside Elementary School, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, FRVPC, HARPS, Horizon Farm, Immigration, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Lighting Ordinance, Massbach Hounds, Overhead, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club Commission, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Taxes, The Other Half, Transparency, Unions on March 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The Barrington Hills Park District Board/Riding Cult of Barrington Hills will hold their monthly meeting this evening in person and via Zoom at 6:00 PM. Some topics on their agenda include:
- Horse Statues
- Park Board Advocacy Protocol
A copy of their agenda can be viewed here. Instructions for accessing the meeting remotely can be found here.
RCBH Lecture by Laurel Bradley, Attorney: Sales, Leases, Premise Liability, and putting your horse in a trust/will – 2/22/2026 1:30-3:30pm
Posted in Barrington Hills Park District, Organizations, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Topics Of Interest, Unions on February 21, 2026| 1 Comment »
By Tomasz Helenowski | Riding Club of Barrington Hills
The Riding Club of Barrington Hills presents Laurel Bradley Attorney with specialty in Equine Law
Legal Topics for Horse Owners: Sales, Leases, Premise Liability, and putting your horse in a trust/will
Seats are limited. $15 Riding Club members / $20 non-members
Click here for more info and to register.
Riding Club fenagles private summit with IDOT Route 62 Study officials Tuesday
Posted in Algonquin Rd, Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Bicyclists, Big Red, Clown Car, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Don't Change Barrington Hills, Equestrian Commission, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, FRVPC, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Longmeadow Parkway, Massbach Hounds, New Normal?, Open Meetings Act, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, SOS Party, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Traffic, Transparency, Unions, Village Engineer, WTF on December 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“The CAG is a collection of community representatives and serves as the focal point for the exchange of information between government entities and the local community. The CAG is made up of representatives of diverse community interests, local government officials, community representatives, property owners and residents, and stakeholders with technical expertise. The CAG assists IDOT in making better decisions on transportation related projects that benefit the community and environment. Members are invited based upon who they represent with the goal being an even distribution from each interest area.
The application window for the Community Advisory Group is now closed.
CAG Meeting #6 was held on Tuesday, December 9, 2025 from 10am-12pm. Materials from CAG Meeting #6 are available below.
CAG Meeting #6
Exhibits
- Welcome
- Project Schedule
- CAG Ground Rules
- Environmental Resource Map Overview
- Environmental Resource Map (Bateman to Old Sutton)
- Preferred Alternative Location Map
- Preferred Alternative Typical Sections
- Preferred Alternative Scroll Map
Presentation
Editorial notes: The reader who was kind enough to forward this tip noted: “Of considerable note are the currently proposed designs for the Bateman Road and Old Sutton Road intersections: non-signalized Right-In/Right-Out with a U-turn, as depicted (below):”
(Click on image to enlarge)
Also, to appease the Riding Clan, IDOT included a graphic of a, “Potential Pedestrian Underpass,” as seen below:
Last, it’s unclear if the current Village Roads & Bridges Chair (A.B.) was invited to the meeting. We highly doubt it (for obvious reasons).
Barrington Hills Park District (Riding Club) meets tonight
Posted in Agendas, Animal Welfare, Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Big Red, BraveHearts, Commercial Horse Boarding, Countryside Elementary School, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Don't Change Barrington Hills, Ethics, Fools and their money, Fox River Valley Hunt, FRVPC, Goat Rodeo, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Lighting Ordinance, Look For The Union Label, Mad Cows, Open Meetings Act, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club Commission, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Save 5 Acres, SOS Party, Taxes, Transparency, Unions, Your Barrington Hills on December 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »
The Barrington Hills Park District Board/Riding Club of Barrington Hills will hold their monthly meeting this evening in person and via Zoom at 6:00 PM. Some topics on their agenda include:
- Treasurer’s Report Review & Approval of the November 2025 Park District Financials
- Riding Center Advisory Committee Report
- In-District & Out-of-District Rental Agreements & Rates
- Review of Cooperative Agreements
- Facility Rentals (Carriage Club Rental)
A copy of their agenda can be viewed here. Instructions for accessing the meeting remotely can be found here.
Note: “Requests for a qualified interpreter require at least five working days advance notice.”
Equestrian Commission/Riding Club meets tonight
Posted in Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Farm, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Bicyclists, BraveHearts, Clown Car, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Don't Change Barrington Hills, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, Frau Blücher, FRVPC, FUBAR, Goat Rodeo, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, LeCompte/Anderson Commercial Horse boarding amendment, Lighting Ordinance, Look For The Union Label, Mad Cows, Massbach Hounds, Open Meetings Act, Overhead, Plan Commission, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Riding Club Commission, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Save 5 Acres, SOUL Harbour Ranch, Taxes, The Other Half, Traffic, Transparency, Unions, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Well Water Quality, Your Barrington Hills on December 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »
The Equestrian Commission/Riding Club will be meeting this evening at 6:30 PM. Though scheduled to meet quarterly, their last meeting was over a year ago on August 7, 2024.
Topics on their agenda include:
- Commission Member Introductions (“Getting To Know You”)
- Acorn Corner Subdivision Equestrian Trail (Recommendation)
- Equestrian-Related Signage, and
- Non-Permitted Fireworks: Effect on Equines
A copy of the agenda can be viewed here.
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