VERNON HILLS WELCOMES SOLDIER HOME
February 8, 2010
On Friday, February 5, 2010, US Army Sergeant Jeffrey Thies received a hero’s welcome as he was greeted by friends and family members outside his parent’s home in the Deerpath subdivision. Sgt. Thies arrived via a police and fire escort coordinated through the Village of Vernon Hills’ “Operation Welcome Home” initiative.
Vernon Hills Mayor Roger Bryne presented Sgt. Thies with a proclamation and gift cards from local merchants On The Border and Westfield Hawthorn. Members of the Vernon Hills Police Department also donated a gift card to Thies, thanking him for his service.
Sgt. Thies joined the US Army Reserve in 1997 and was trained as a 74D-CBRN Specialist. He served with the 132nd Brigade Support Battalion and was deployed to Iraq from April 29, 2009 to January 18, 2010 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“This effort is not about getting pats on the back for the Village or the agencies involved,” said Vernon Hills Police Chief Mark Fleischhauer. “We simply want to give our residents who have bravely served our country a proper welcome home.”
Residents of either Vernon Hills or Libertyville with a service member returning home may register for the program by contacting the Vernon Hills Police Department’s Crime Prevention Unit at (847)247-4889.
METRA PARKING INCREASE
February 8, 2010
During the month of January 2010, the Village of Vernon Hills received approval from Metra to increase the parking fee from $1.50 to $1.75 per day for all spaces - daily and long term parking. The bi-monthly pass will increase from $50 to $55, effective on Monday, March 1, 2010, for the March/April 2010 pass.
The Village recognizes that this is not a good time to increase any fees; however, even with the increase the parking lot revenues only cover 57% of the operating and capital costs.
If you have questions on information concerning this change, please contact Mike Allison at (847)918-3540 or mikea@vhills.org.
2010 VERNON HILLS ROAD REHABILITATION
February 2, 2010
This year the Vernon Hills Road Rehabilitation Program will include Aspen Drive, Apollo Court, Alice Drive, Aqua Court, and Abbey Lane. In addition, Evergreen Drive and New Century Street.
Construction will begin in May and end in early August. The work will be done in 2 phases to avoid construction for the 4th of July weekend. A more detailed schedule will be provided after the bid opening and pre-construction conference.
The work includes; asphalt pavement rehabilitation (existing asphalt surface grinding and asphalt surface replacement), curb/gutter repairs, drainage improvements, sidewalk repairs, and other associated improvements necessary to complete this work.
The Construction Hotline (847) 918-3575 will be updated weekly and the Broadcast Email system will also be used to update residents. Affected residents are encouraged to read the “Road Rehab Frequently Asked Questions” posted on the Engineering Division web page.
OAKWOOD ROAD REHABILITATION PROJECT
February 4, 2010
The Village of Vernon Hills will be performing improvements to Oakwood Road between Westmoreland Drive and Rt.45. construction will begin at the end of May and end by early July.
A more detailed schedule will be provided after the bid opening and pre-construction conference.
The work includes; asphalt pavement rehabilitation (existing asphalt surface grinding and asphalt surface replacement), curb/gutter repairs, drainage improvements, sidewalk repairs, and other associated improvements necessary to complete this work.
The Village’s Construction Hotline (847) 918-3575 will be updated weekly and the Broadcast Email system will also be used to update residents. Affected residents are encouraged to read the “Road Rehab Frequently Asked Questions” posted on the Engineering Division web page.
If you have any questions contact Dave Brown at (847) 918-3544/ DaveB@vhills.org, or Lisa Fischbach at (847) 918-3562/ LisaF@vhills.org.
New Businesses in Vernon Hills
February 2, 2010
| Commons At Town Center
Martirano Salon & Spa
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Westfield Hawthorn Center
Tower Wireless
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Estrada Customs
909 Milwaukee (inside Ernie's)
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BIK
300 Center, #100
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Chiropractic Works
300 Center, #109
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Adina's (formerly Angelo's)
906 Rt. 45
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Arrachera Grill
203 Butterfield
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Business IT Source
1000 Butterfield, #1029
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February 2, 2010
Over the past several months, the Village has been finalizing lease agreements with various cell providers for the installation of a telecommunication tower on the Village Hall, Public Works and Police Department properties. As you have probably noticed, the new towers have already been installed at Public Works and the Village Hall. Soon, the existing 100’ tower at the Police Department will be replaced with a 120’ tall tower in generally the same location.
The towers are needed by the Village to accommodate microwave antennas. The microwave facilities are a cost effective solution for the transferring of large data files between Village buildings and monitoring of live video by the Police Department.
In addition to the villages microwave antenna, the towers are designed to accommodate facilities for two additional cell providers. The first company enters into a lease agreement with the Village whereby they agree to construct the mono-pole at their own cost and expense. The Village retains ownership of the mono-pole and the cell provider leases (Rents) space from the Village for its antenna facilities. The cell provider is entitled to withhold a portion of the rent to be credited against the construction costs. The second company enters into a similar lease agreement with the Village except that a rent credit is not granted because they did not incur the cost of constructing the tower. In addition to deferring the initial capital outlay to construct the towers (Approximately $360,000 for all three), the village realizes annual revenue of approximately $42,000 per tower. Once all leases are in place, the village could realize combined annual revenue of $120,000.
For comments and questions, please contact Michael Atkinson, Building Commissioner, at 847-918-3548 or mikeat@vhills.org.
February 1, 2010
Representatives from Loyola University will appear before the COW on February 3 to present their plans for rehabilitation and expansion of the Cuneo Museum. The improvements include providing handicap accessibility to the museum with the addition of new elevator and restrooms, replacement of the heating and electrical systems, windows, roof and existing skylight, renovation and conversion of the existing pool house into a commercial kitchen and restrooms and replacement of the existing tent with a permanent, 300-seat banquet room. They are hoping to begin construction on the banquet room in early summer and be open in early 2011.
Members of the Village’s Building Division and Countryside Fire Department have toured the building with the Loyola staff and their consultants to determine the extent of the rehabilitation needed. The tour revealed that extensive work on the internal systems of the building will be needed. Once the necessary plans and permits are filed, building permits will be issued to allow the repair work to begin immediately.
For the banquet facility, the Village has had initial discussions with Loyola on the placement of the addition, Lake County Public Works requirements for water and sanitary sewer, health department permits, etc. Planning and Zoning Commission and Village Board approvals will ultimately be required for the banquet room addition.
Over the next several months, Loyola will be developing a land use master plan for the property. This plan will be reviewed by Village Board and Planning and Zoning Commission at future, yet to be scheduled, public meetings. Please monitor our website for further information.
Questions? Please contact Assistant Village Manager John Kalmar at 847-918-3550 or johnk@vhills.org
VILLAGE BLOG - January 2010
- Accelerated Retirement Incentive
- Parkway Tree Trimming
VILLAGE BLOG - December 2009
- Budget/Recycling
- Chili's Restaurant
- River's Edge Path
- Seavey Ditch Resoration
- Dick's Sporting Goods
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