Posted in Animal Welfare, BCFPD on April 21, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Barrington-Countryside firefighters and paramedics responded about 12:10 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, 2021 to a call for help to rescue a horse in the block of 100 West County Line Road in Barrington Hills.
Firefighters received a report that the horse’s leg was stuck in a hole in the ground, and was injured.
Posted in 220, BCFPD, Cook, County, Land Use, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, School Districts, Traffic on July 23, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Cook County Zoning Board of Appeals members are expected to make a recommendation in September on whether Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District should be allowed to build a new station its leaders say is needed to improve service on the agency’s east side.
The zoning panel Wednesday concluded a two-session public hearing that featured testimony on the proposal, which calls for a 10,000-square-foot station on roughly 5 acres at 1004 S. Hough St. The land sits just outside the borders of Barrington Hills and Barrington in unincorporated Cook County.
The advisory panel is being asked to recommend a special-use permit allowing the station in a residential neighborhood zoned for single-family homes.
Barrington Hills resident Thomas McGrath, whose Hawthorne Road house is on the western border of the site, submitted a petition signed by fellow homeowners opposed to the proposal.
“Believe me, the 50 people who signed the petition who live in the exact location they want to put this fire station do not believe it will increase their happiness or their well-being, so (the district) does not meet that standard of (county) approval,” McGrath said.
Read more here.
Posted in 220, BCFPD, Cook, County, Politics, School Districts on July 4, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District officials want to build a new station on this unincorporated Cook County property at 1004 S. Hough St. It would be just outside Barrington and Barrington Hills village limits.
Citing concerns about increased noise and traffic, several homeowners are opposing Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District’s second attempt to build a new station.
Fire Chief James Kreher said the proposal is part of the district’s longtime desire for a third station that would improve response times for residents in Inverness and nearby areas.
However, Barrington Hills resident Thomas McGrath said about 50 village residents — representing nearly all homeowners living in the area immediately surrounding the site where the station would be built — have signed a petition against the fire district’s plan that will go before the Cook County Zoning Board of Appeals.
“The 24-hour operations with increased noise, emergency vehicle traffic and 24-hour lighting is absolutely out of place for a residential area,” said McGrath, whose Hawthorne Road house is on the western border of where the fire district wants to build.
Before construction can occur, Barrington Countryside must start with an online public hearing before the zoning panel at 10 a.m. Wednesday. The district needs a special-use permit for the firehouse because the Hough Street land is zoned for single-family homes.
Read more here.
Posted in BCFPD, Cook, County, Guest Essay, Land Use, Politics, Property Taxes, Topics Of Interest on July 2, 2020| Leave a Comment »
The Cook County Zoning Board of Appeals has posted their July 8th meeting agenda, including the following:
SPECIAL USE
SU-20-01 Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District has petitioned the Cook County Zoning Board of Appeals for a Special Use in the R-3 Single Family Residential District. The Special Use is requested to construct a Fire/EMS Station. The subject property is located within the 15th District, with the common address 1004 S. Hough Street, Lake Barrington, Illinois 60010.
The public hearing will be at 10:00 AM, and will be conducted remotely. A copy of the complete agenda can be accessed here.
Written public comments on this item will be accepted until 3:00 PM on July 6, 2020, at ZBA.Emails@cookcountyil.gov. All comments will be read aloud at the meeting with three minutes allotted for each commenter, though every effort will be made to read statements in their entirety.
Related: “Village posts unofficial notice of Cook County Zoning Board public hearing regarding proposed Hough Street fire station,” “Here we go again!”, “New Fire Station to Help Save Lives, Protect Property”
Posted in BCFPD, VBHPD on July 1, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Several area police departments say they’ve seen increases of up to 300 percent in the number of noise complaints they have received for fireworks.
As the Fourth of July holiday nears, several police departments in the north and northwest suburbs say they’ve seen increases of up to 300 percent in the number of noise complaints they have received for fireworks.
Although officials say the actual number of complaints is nowhere near what Chicago police are seeing, they say the percentage increases in fireworks complaints when compared to last year are worth noting in Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights, Highland Park and Barrington.
Barrington Assistant Police Chief John Burke reports nine fireworks complaints since March 1, and of those complaints, seven have been since June 6. When looking at the same time period from last year, Burke said the village received only two fireworks complaints between March 1, 2019, and June 29, 2019.
He said no citations had been issued as of June 29. The citations are processed through an administrative process, he said, and fines are $250 per citation. All fireworks are confiscated by police, Burke said, and turned over to the Cook County Bomb Squad.
Read more here.
Posted in BCFPD, Politics, Public Safety Committee, Resident Spotlights on June 24, 2020| 7 Comments »
Barrington Hills officials are exploring whether changes are needed in the village’s open burning regulations after hearing from residents on several sides of the issue.
Resident Nina Chandel recently told the village’s public safety committee the ordinance for residential property needs a definition for habitat restoration open burning. She also suggested a modification for approved habitat restoration open burning days to be available based on wind speed and the air quality index.
Chandel said the current burning policy is hindering her ability to restore 4 acres of forest to natural health near her home.
“I now have masses of invasive brush on my residential property that cannot be removed or chipped or mulched,” Chandel said. “And it cannot reasonably be burned within the three-hour, five-foot single location limits that are in the current ordinance. Right now, this massive invasive brush presents health and safety hazards for the forest plants and wildlife and for us.”
Resident Justin Pawlik questioned Barrington Hills’ 10 p.m. cutoff time for a fire during the village board’s public safety committee last Thursday.
Read more here.
Posted in BCFPD, Cook, County, Politics, Property Taxes, Topics Of Interest on June 23, 2020| Leave a Comment »
The Village posted the following notice today on their website:
A special use petition is the subject of a public hearing to be held on Wednesday, July 8, 2020, at 10:00 AM. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency, the ZBA will be holding virtual meetings until further notice. Attendance at this meeting is required by remote means only.
PREMISES AFFECTED: 1004 S. Hough Street, Barrington, IL 60010
SUBJECT: Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District has petitioned the Cook County Zoning Board of Appeals for a Special Use in the R-3 Single Family Residential District. The Special Use is required to construct a Fire/EMS Station.
Permanent Index Number: 01-01-308-039 & 01-01-308-040
In compliance with President Preckwinkle’s Executive Orders 2020-11, attendance at this meeting will be by remote means only. Written public comments on this item will be accepted until 3:00 PM on July 6, 2020, at ZBA.Emails@cookcountyil.gov. All comments will be read aloud at the meeting with three minutes allotted for each commenter, though every effort will be made to read statements in their entirety.
Copies of the Agenda for the July 8, 2020 ZBA Public Hearing and items to be considered at this meeting will be made available electronically on the Cook County website on June 29, 2020, at https://www.cookcountyil.gov/agency/zoning-board-appeals-0.
Note: County Administrative Building, 69 W. Washington St, Chicago IL 60602 will be open to the public starting July 6, 2020, under COVID-19 Guidelines consistent with the State’s “Restore Illinois Plan.”
*This is not the official notice. For the exact information, please refer to Cook County’s ZBA website or call the ZBA directly at 312-603-5040.
Related: “Here we go again!”, “New Fire Station to Help Save Lives, Protect Property”
Posted in BCFPD, Public Safety Committee on June 18, 2020| Leave a Comment »
The Public Safety Committee meets this afternoon at 4:30 at Village Hall. Topics on the agenda include:
A copy of their agenda, including instructions on participating remotely, can be viewed and downloaded here.
Related: “Yup, they’re going there. “Open Burning Ordinance” on tonight’s BOT agenda.”
Posted in BCFPD on June 14, 2020| Leave a Comment »
A 3-alarm fire severely damaged a home in the 1-100 block of Steeplechase Road in Barrington Hills early Sunday morning | Photo: Benjamin Lundquist.
No injuries were reported, but residents were displaced after fire destroyed a home early Sunday morning in Barrington Hills.
Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District called to the 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom home in the 0-100 block of Steeplechase Road at about 4:01 a.m. arrived less than five minutes later to find a fully involved fire, with most of the blaze concentrated in the rear of the house, officials said.
Firefighters established command at the front of the house and fought the fire from outside, since it was fully involved. The area has no fire hydrants, so 20 tenders trucks supplied water to the scene.
In all, firefighters from 33 suburban departments assisted the Barrington Countryside district with the massive fire.
Read more here.
Posted in BCFPD, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA) on June 11, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Grayslake Fire Protection District Chief John Christian on the scene of a major call in 2015. (Bob Susnjara | Staff Photographer, 2015)
Barrington officials announced Thursday the hire of John Christian as the village’s new fire chief, effective next month.
Christian comes to Barrington from the Grayslake Fire Protection District, where he’s been chief since 2009. He replaces Jim Arie, who retired as Barrington’s fire chief in March after leading the department since 2003.
Christian started 33 years ago at the Grayslake fire district, which covers about 25 square miles in Grayslake, Third Lake, Round Lake Park, Round Lake Beach and unincorporated areas of Lake County. He has experience in heading a fire department that sometimes must navigate train blockages to handle emergency calls — a longtime issue in Barrington.
Read more here.
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