USPS to Close Hubbard Woods Post Office
The U.S. Post Office will be closing the Hubbard Woods station on September 25, 2010. Residents may call the Post Office Consumer Affairs phone number at 630-260-5510 to leave their comments.
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Metra Schedule Changes Impact Winnetka Commuters
The Union Pacific North Line schedule went into effect on August 22. The final version has several adjustments from the initially proposed schedule that was released on July 16, based upon concerns raised by passengers, and every attempt was made to address each issue.
The schedule change is necessitated by a project to replace 22 bridges on the north side of Chicago. While the bridges are being constructed, Metra will be required to operate with a single track through the area. In order to maintain the current capacity, schedule adjustments were necessary in order to avoid train meets within the single track. Metra apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause riders.
For more information about the project, or to see the final version of the schedule, please visit metrarail.com. Click on the UP North Line service update and follow the prompts.
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Key Dates for the November 2 General Election
9/23 - First day absentee ballot applications are accepted
10/5 - Last day to register to vote
10/6 - First day of grace period registration and voting
10/12 - First day of Early Voting
10/26 - Last day of grace period registration and voting
10/28 - Last day of Early Voting
10/28 - Last day military and overseas voters may request
an absentee ballot
10/29 - In-person absentee voting begins downtown
and suburban courthouses
November 1 is the last day voted mail-in absentee ballots can be postmarked for acceptance by the Clerk's office & the last day of in-person absentee voting at the Clerk's downtown Chicago office and suburban courthouses. To see a complete list of suburban early voting locations, click here.
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Traffic Signal Timing on Green Bay Road
Curb repairs and asphalt resurfacing along Green Bay Road will temporarily impact traffic signal timing. Sensors and wiring in the pavement that normally detect the presence of vehicles will be inoperable during construction, and the traffic signal controllers will use pre-preprogrammed traffic signal transitions. As a result, drivers approaching a red light at an intersection may experience a short delay before the traffic signal transitions. We appreciate your patience during this construction project. If you have additional questions, please call the Water & Electric Department at 716-3558.
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Status of Village Manager Search
The Village Council has narrowed the field of candidates to three, and is proceeding with second interviews. The finalists are also being interviewed by a blue ribbon committee of past Village Presidents, and by the heads of the Village's various departments.
The Council's goal, of course, is to find the candidate who it feels is most able to assure that the Village continues to provide the high quality of service that all Winnetkans have come to expect.
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Water Main Project – Winnetka Avenue
The installation of a ten-inch water main on Winnetka Avenue at Green Bay is almost complete. Two remaining water services need to be transferred to the new main. This will be followed by the restoration of the sidewalks, curbs and street pavement. We appreciate your patience during the construction process and expect the project to be completed by September 15. If you have questions, please contact Rich Ciesla at 716-3554 or rciesla@winnetka.org.
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Village President Gives State of the Village;
Urges Pension Reform
Village President Jessica Tucker gave a report on the State of the Village at the Annual Spring Town Meeting. and also urged residents to visit the NWMC’s pension website: www.pensionfairness.org to join in lobbying for public pension reform. To see a complete text of President Tucker’s address, click here
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Winnetka Provides Electronic Recycling Program
The Winnetka Public Works Department is happy to partner with the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) to provide free electronic recycling to residents. The program will run until 500,000 lbs. of material has been collected.
Discarded electronics will be accepted at the Public Works Yards at 1390 Willow from 10AM – Noon on Tuesdays, and from 1 – 3PM on Thursdays.
Items that will be accepted include: computers and peripherals, DVD players, fax machines, mobile phones, MP3 players, game consoles, zip drives, printers, televisions and VHS players.
Home appliances will not be accepted. To see a more complete list of items that will and will not be accepted by SWANCC at the drop of facility at 1390 Willow, click here. For additional recycling and waste reduction programs or events, visit www.swancc.org or call 847-724-9205.
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Help Support Physically and Developmentally
Disabled Individuals Earn Income by
Dropping Off Your Small Electronics at Village Hall
The Village of Winnetka is partnering with Recycling Avenue to collect small used electronic devices for recycling.
You can bring your used small electronics to Village Hall during normal business hours; donations are tax-deductible. Large items such as printers, monitors, toner cartridges, desktop computers, TV's, VCR's or stereos will not be accepted. Recycling Avenue is run by and for persons who are physically and developmentally challenged. Learn more about Avenues to Independence recycling activities by clicking here.
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Crime Prevention Videos
Click here to view the videos.
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Wilmette - Attempted Child Abduction on July 10th, 2010
Wilmette Press Release (PDF)
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Village Provides Interactive Mapping
The Village is proud to make an internet mapping service available on its website. The service allows users to search for information in Winnetka regarding school districts, recycling day pickup, voting locations, etc. Aerial photography is also available, plus links to Google Maps Street View and Microsoft Live mapping. The mapping service can be accessed in the Quick Links section under 'Interactive Village Map,' or by clicking here.
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Emergency Notification via Telephone
The Winnetka Police and Fire Departments have contracted with a rapid response phone network that allows the Village to quickly send messages to the phone numbers of any Winnetkan in case of emergency, such as the August 23, 2007, storm. To make register your landline and cell phone numbers for Village emergency calls, please click here. For more information please call the Police Department at 847-501-6034.
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Recycling in Winnetka's Business Districts
The Public Works Department provides free recycling to Winnetka’s businesses who are customers of the Village’s refuse services. Any Winnetka business interested in recycling services should call the Public Works Department at 716-3568.
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Explore the Willow Road Study Website
IDOT has created a website to keep the public informed about the many different aspects of the Context Sensitive Solutions policy for the Willow Road corridor. The Village encourages residents to visit the website by clicking here.
To read or download the final report of the Willow Road study, click here.
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Computer Recycling at Your Front Door
SWANCC is providing the At-Home Electronic Recycling Program unwanted electronics and computers to residents who have street-level access to their front doors.
For a fee of $25 you can recycle up to six items; additional items cost only $5 each, and the maximum number of items is 15. Cell phones and calculators are accepted at no cost and do not count towards your item total; however SWANCC will need to know how many you are recycling.
For more information about the at-home pickup program, click here to see SWANCC's website.To schedule an at-home pickup, click here.
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Visit Websites of the Village's Other Taxing Bodies
Winnetka Park District
New Trier Township
Winnetka/Northfield Library District
New Trier High School
Winnetka School District 36
Avoca School District 37
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Construction Update
Metra Commuter Construction Alert
Please be advised that on Monday, September 13th, Phase II of the Winnetka Station rehabilitation project will begin.
After the AM rush, the stairways at Oak Street will be closed and commuters will be directed to use the new stairways up to Elm Street in the evening.
The recently rehabbed station will also open on this date. However, commuters will not be able to access directly from the station to the platform level until Phase 2 is completed, sometime in late November or early December. The only entrance available to the platforms will be via the new Elm Street stairways.
ADA access to the platforms will not be in place at this time. Commuters with disabilities are still urged to use the nearest accessible station – Kenilworth Metra station at 400 Richmond Road, Kenilworth. The station is approximately 1.7 miles south of the Winnetka Metra station, about a 4 minute drive.
Metra, along with the Village of Winnetka, will continue to provide project status updates as needed during the duration of the project. Your patience and support are appreciated.
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Construction Update
Chestnut Street/Alles Road Reconstruction
Week 2: August 30th to September 3rd: On Monday and Tuesday of this week, storm sewers were installed on Chestnut Street between Sunset Road to just south of Mt. Pleasant. Rain in the morning hours prevented work on Wednesday. On Thursday and into Friday, the storm sewer installation is planned to be complted from Willow Road, south to just north of Mt. Pleasant.
Tentative Week 3 schedule: M-T-W, storm sewer laterals and storm services installed between Sunset Road and Willow Road. W-Thu, the existing asphalt surface will be removed from Hill Road to Sunset Road. On Friday, adjustments will be started to the water services lines that will be in conflict with the proposed storm sewer, between Hill and Sunset Road. Those homeowners whose water service will be in conflict with the proposed storm sewer will be notified prior to the water being temporarily turned off. The water will be turned off for as short a period of time as possible so that the service can be relocated and reconnected to the water main. The Village of Winnetka apologizes in advance for this necessary inconvenience and appreciates everyone’s patience and understanding.
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Winnetka PD Warns About Identity Theft
The Winnetka Police Department has received inquires about recent Identity Thefts that received media attention. Based on recent reports made to the Winnetka Police, residents should be aware of the following:
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If you receive unwanted or hang-up phone calls, contact your phone service provider.
- If you are told that your phone line has been forwarded without authorization, you should suspect that you may have been the victim of an identity theft and take the following actions:
- Contact your banking institutions and inquire about recent transactions or attempts.
- Contact one of the three major credit bureaus and request a fraud alert. (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion)
- If you discover unauthorized transactions or attempts, contact the Winnetka Police Department.
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Buildings Research Project
At its meeting on July 20th, the Village Council authorized the Landmark Preservation Commission to begin a Buildings Research Project this fall. The end result of the project will be a report that includes the following information for each building in the Village: 1. Date built; 2. Building type; 3. Building style; 4. Architect; 5. Builder; 6. Whether or not the building has been torn down; 7. A photograph. The final report will be made accessible to the public, as the information contained within is public record. There will be no determination of historical integrity or potential historical significance – this project is simply a compilation of information into a useful format.
Questions may be directed to Ann Klaassen at 847-716-3525 in the Community Development Department.
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Elm Street Train Station Construction Update
The timeline for the Elm Street Train Station rehabilitation anticipates that the first phase of this project, which includes the reopening of the Elm Street ticket office, north stairs & platforms and a new trackside warming shelter, is expected to be operational in early October.
The project's second phase, including the pedestrian bridge, south platforms & stairs and handicap elevators, is anticipated to be completed in December.
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WInnetka, IMEA and the Prairie State Power Plant
Winnetka is one of the 33 members and purchasers of wholesale power from the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA). As such, it is important to clarify several misstatements and misimpressions left by the July 11th Chicago Tribune article on the Prairie State power plant, located in downstate Washington County Illinois.
First, the Prairie State project has not doubled in cost since IMEA’s members decided to join the Prairie State project in 2007. At that time, the project was estimated to cost approximately $4 billion. While costs for any such complicated project can go up, Prairie State’s costs are not anywhere near having doubled since IMEA became involved in 2007. The reporter’s use of a 2001 cost estimate is not relevant, as IMEA’s decision to participate in 2007 was based on the estimated costs at that time.
Second, the story incorrectly implied that IMEA’s wholesale costs in 2013 would be up some 30% compared to 2007 exclusively due to IMEA’s participation Prairie State and the new Kentucky facility, Trimble County 2. Instead, the projected cost changes from 2007 to 2013 include all of IMEA’s costs, not just Prairie State and Trimble County. Other projected increases related to IMEA’s purchased power arrangements include:
- the replacement of lower cost power supply arrangements that expired around 2007 with contracts based on current market rates;
- IMEA’s new 70 MW wind energy purchase;
- IMEA’s new energy efficiency program; and
- all the other cost increases related to IMEA’s entire power supply portfolio (including increases in fuel costs).
Thus, characterizing all increases as being due to Prairie State and Trimble County 2 is incorrect.
Prairie State is only 20% of IMEA’s total capacity projected to be needed in 2013. As such, IMEA estimates the cost increases that the project has experienced will raise the wholesale power costs for its members by about 4.5% over the agency’s original projections. This can hardly be characterized as a doubling of costs.
The article overlooks the fact that the Midwest is served primarily by electricity generated from fossil fuels, so the impact of any new federal laws or regulations to requiring the purchase of allowances for the emission of greenhouse gases will not be unique to Prairie State. Every consumer in Illinois (even those with nuclear power plants as part of their supply) will be paying those costs since the cost of allowances will be a part of the market cost of power in both the state’s regional transmission organizations; PJM and MISO. That means that if IMEA were to buy off the open market rather than as an owner of Prairie State, the agency would still pay those costs as well as any other cost increases related to market purchases. In short, Prairie State will be only one of the many facilities that will be impacted by such law or regulation.
Alternative technologies are not less expensive. IGCC (shorthand for “integrated gasification combined cycle”) takes coal and treats it by heat and other means to create a gas and then uses that gas to fuel a power plant. To assert that Prairie State is now as expensive as an IGCC plant in incorrect. For example, a recent article in the Indianapolis Business Journal notes that a planned IGCC plant being built by Duke Power in Indiana, which at 618 MW is less than half the size of Prairie State, is currently expected to cost approximately $3 billion. Initial estimates of the Duke IGCC project’s costs were under $2 billion.
Finally, it is important to understand that IMEA’s share of the costs of Prairie State are not a debt of the Village of Winnetka. Winnetka will contribute to the payment of IMEA’s share of the Prairie State costs only through its purchase of power from IMEA pursuant to power purchase agreements.
Prairie State is one piece of IMEA’s diversified power supply portfolio, which includes wind generation and energy efficiency, and is designed to provide long-term, stably-priced, environmentally responsible power to IMEA’s members. Prairie State is a component, but only a component, of that portfolio and it will provide benefits to IMEA and its members for many years to come.
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Winnetka Police Department Does not Solicit Donations
Some residents report receiving calls for donations from the Winnetka Police Department. These calls are in fact coming from the police union, and the Winnetka Police Department does not benefit from these donations. For more detailed information, click here and then scroll down the page for information about "Police" telephone solicitations.
Summer Safety
Summer is the peak time of year for door-to-door sales. While some solicitors are authorized and legitimate, many are not. The Winnetka Police
Department encourages all residents to take some basic precautions when
dealing with unknown solicitors. To view the complete list of recommendations, please click here.
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Upcoming Saturday Electronic Recycling
Since 1999, the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) has provided electronic recycling programs for residents in its member communities. To ensure convenient recycling opportunities are available, Saturday events are periodically scheduled, in addition to the weekly drop-off locations.
October 2, Rolling Meadows
9 am - 12 pm
Public Works Building
3900 Berdnick Street
(In conjunction with the Document Destruction Event)
Only the following items will be allowed at the drop-off events:
Computers - PCs and laptops - and periopherals
Computer Monitors
DVD Players
Fax Machines
Mobile Phones
PDAs
Printers
Scanners
Televisions
Video Game Consoles
VHS players
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Council Meetings Rebroadcast on Cable TV
Winnetka viewers with Comcast service can watch regular Council Meetings on Channel 18 on Monday, Friday and Sunday at 7AM and 7PM or on Channel 10, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 7;00 PM. Meeting videos may also be viewed on demand on this website by clicking on the "Council" tab and selecting "Meetings Webcast."
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Web Site HIGHLIGHTS
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Streetscape Committee
To review the Revised Streetscape Report, click below.
Executive Summary
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Priority 1 Plans
Priority 2 Plans
Section 4
Section 5
Appendix A
To review the Implementation Plan, click here
To read the Village President's February 15, 2010 Streetscapeletter, click here.
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