North Cook News

Village of South Barrington President and Board of Trustees Met May 27.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

CALL TO ORDER

President McCombie called the Board meeting to order at 9:32 a.m. Clerk Wood took roll: Present: President: Paula McCombie

Trustees: Joseph Abbate, Edgar Alvarado, Bernard Kerman, Anthony Stagno Absent: Trustees: Steve Guranovich, Hina Patel

A quorum was present. Also present were Village Administrator Robert Palmer, Executive Assistant/Deputy Clerk Melissa Moeller and Police Chief Tom Roman.

Audience members that chose to be named in the minutes were Jacob Sadoff, Vicki Jones, Judy Sadoff, Susan Slapke, Mary Beth Pinda, Nancy Ebner, and Matt Ohlsen. There were many other people in the audience as well.

DISCUSSION OF PENNY ROAD TRUCK TRAFFIC

President McCombie announced that this Special Board meeting was called to discuss the recent increase in truck traffic, and noise, along Penny Road.

She introduced Village Administrator Robert Palmer, who has been in contact on the matter with Cook County. Administrator Palmer explained that Penny Road is a County road, and so the Village has no control over it. He has spoken with various people at the County, all the way up to the department head, and has been told that they follow Illinois Department of Transportation regulations on Penny, as pertain to speed limits, weight limits, stop sign locations, etc. They are preparing a formal response. Administrator Palmer also called one of the frequently seen truck companies to explain the problems, and was transferred to an answering message in the logistics department and he is awaiting their call back.

President McCombie then asked Police Chief Thomas Roman to speak on the matter. Chief Roman said that in the past, the Village had asked Cook County about changing weight limits on roads, and that at that time the County was not interested in changing anything. He stated that any requests for changes to the rules would require data and time for the County to do an analysis. He said that while the Police Department has no control over the rules, they will pay attention to traffic on Penny to be sure no one is speeding or following too closely, etc.

President McCombie then opened discussion to the audience, with Board questions and comments interspersed. Jacob Sadoff thanked his fellow residents for coming to the meeting this morning, and the Board for calling the meeting so quickly. He offered to take the lead in any resident actions. He and other residents gave examples of the frequency and noise of the trucks and explained how detrimental it was to their families. Many offered suggestions on what might help alleviate the problems.

There were many examples of how frequently trucks went by (e.g., 13 dump trucks and a fully loaded trailer between 8:30 and 8:45 Tuesday morning at Bartlett & Penny), and how disturbing the noise is. In response to Board questions on frequency, residents said the traffic starts at 7 a.m. and continues all day. Many residents said that they moved to South Barrington for the peace and quiet. Residents expressed concern for walking, jogging and biking on the road, especially for their children. There is also the concern that Penny Road is not wide enough to avoid any problems that occur, compounded by the fact it takes trucks a longer time to stop. Adding to the danger, there are several blind spots along Penny at several subdivisions and at Witt Road (also a park site). There was concern about the damage from truck traffic throwing off rocks. Noise and air pollution from all the truck traffic was another issue. One resident summarized his situation as having moved to South Barrington along a residential road, not a truck route.

Audience suggestions for reducing the problem included:

∙ the hope that the County might be more agreeable to a temporary reprieve, e.g., only local traffic for a short period

∙ stressing to the County that Algonquin Road and Route 59 are more suited to the heavy traffic and these roads would be less damaged than Penny (Penny seems to be being used as a short cut to a building project to the east of town)

∙ approaching the company which is the pick-up site of the trucks as a good neighbor, speaking with the head of the company to explain the impact on the effected residents, and suggesting other routes

∙ establishing or strengthening a noise ordinance

∙ asking the Rose PTO for their concerns, as Rose School is on Penny Road

∙ using cameras and license plate data to document the volume of trucks

∙ checking with the County to see if some requests are easier to change, e.g., easier to change speed limit than put in a stop sign

∙ requesting speed tables imbedded into Penny Road

∙ having the Police monitor for overweight trucks

∙ looking into the situation on Long Grove Road where there is a section of one-lane traffic

∙ the possibility of the Village buying the road from Cook County

President McCombie noted that in addressing government problems, a helpful approach is to get your research done and then start moving up the ladder in the agencies concerned. She assured the audience that the Village will not drop this issue, and will go to the County Commissioner if necessary. She will also talk to the company where the trucks are picking up their loads. She will talk to the Village attorneys to see if a Village noise ordinance would be effective on a County road. And she noted that in the meantime, the Police will be watching the traffic on Penny to be sure the trucks, and cars, are obeying the rules that do exist. President McCombie stated that she, too, wants South Barrington to be a peaceful community.

Residents addressing the Board thanked the Village for listening to their concerns, and the Board thanked the audience for attending the meeting and sharing their ideas.

President McCombie asked if there were any other comments on the matter; there were none.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

President McCombie asked if anyone in the audience would now like to address the Board on other matters.

Residents asked about two different properties in the Village that were vacant or in disrepair. Brief discussion ensued on required maintenance of properties. President McCombie will have the Building Officer look into one site, and encouraged neighbors to call the Village as soon as the other owner lets the grass grow over 8” or violates other discussed standards.

MAYOR’S REPORT

President McCombie spoke briefly on new businesses going in around the Village, and on the number of calls she receives from developers interested in high-density projects. She noted that the Village recently hired a land-planning consultant.

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION to ADJOURN was made by Trustee Abbate.

SECONDED by Trustee Stagno.

There was no further discussion. By unanimous voice vote, the motion carried, and the meeting adjourned at 10:55 a.m.

https://southbarrington.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021.05-27-min-sp-bd.pdf