One thing I like about Patch is its commitment to local volunteerism. As a Patch editor, I’m required to volunteer locally at least five hours per year. The west suburban team, of which I am a member, recently pitched in at the West Suburban Humane Society in observance of the 100th Patch site coming on line.

So I’m taking this venue to invite members of local not-for-profits, civic and charitable organizations to let me know about your activities and also about your volunteer needs. The Downers Grove Patch site will have a place for such organizations to post their volunteer needs and I’m planning to profile volunteer organizations regularly on the site.

In the meantime, if your organization has need of volunteer help, send me the specifics in an email at elaine@patch.com. I’m currently looking for volunteer opportunities to include on the site at its September launch.

Thanks!

Go Mustangs!

16-14 Raiders in last year’s opener?  22-20 Mustangs comeback in the playoffs?

Matchups don’t get closer than that.  The last team Bolingbrook faced last year is the first team they face this year as Downers South (2009 9-3) again host the Raiders (2009 9-2) for the Mustangs season opener Friday at 7:30pm.  These two programs have been even matchups for years, and this season looks to continue one of the best west ‘burbs non-conference rivalries.  Both teams will be looking to make statements to each other, and to put the 8A division on notice.  Mustangs have all new defenders that will face an immediate and severe test from B’brook’s traditional punishing ground game.  Raiders face the same Mustang offensive line that moved the pile and the markers for coach Belskis last year.

The Mustangs ran the WSG table 6-0 last year after a halting start, finishing with a gritty quarterfinal playoff loss to offensive juggernaut Glenbard West 7-3.

WEEK 1: As expected, a tough close game featuring a B’brook high powered ground attack. Raider QB Aaron Bailey puts up 244 all purpose yards including a touchdown run of 81 yards and 42 yard run that set up another TD. Not expected, South commits three turnovers,  defense looks confused, and Mustangs never get passing game on track.   Raiders put together  enough ground drives to control the clock and with a late game INT seal the deal to beat the Mustangs 28-21.

Game recap here.

Go Trojans!

Downers North Trojans (2009 1-8) look to get off to a fast start to a new season hosting the Lockport Porters (2009 6-4) this Friday at 7:30.  They won’t be looking back on last year, but will be looking to return to playoff form in the WSS conference.  Working for them, a raft of starting sophomores return to this year’s D as seasoned juniors on a mission, and the offensive line that was a highlight of last year returns largely intact.

WEEK1: Trojan Fred Palma starts the Trojan season with a wild 68 yard TD run on the first play, but Lockport comes in with all cylinders running and leaves the Trojans in the dust with an impressive 42-20 victory.

Game recap here.

Go Broncos!

Did somebody say 5A STATE CHAMPS?

The Montini Broncos (2009 10-4) open their 2009 State Championship title defense…against Joliet Catholic (2009 11-3), the heavily favored team they beat in a never-sit-down, last second, go for it all, win or lose stunning upset 29-28 5A Championship game last fall in Champaign.

Can it get any harder?  You bet…play the legendary Hilltoppers (13 state championships since 1975) in Joliet on their home turf this Friday at 7:30, where they’re waiting to visit revenge upon the Broncos.  Montini brings their full bore four quarter effort, and team leaders with experience in big games.  Broncos will be working hard this season, looking for their 18th straight year in the playoffs.

WEEK 1:   Joliet Catholic (ranked #5 in preseason polls) pounds out 290 yards on the ground and adds two play action TD’s to beat Montini 21-7 on the Hilltoppers home field.  Bronco QB Matt Westerbrook injures shoulder.

Game recap here.

Theresa A. Carlquist of Downers Grove was arrested Aug.21 and charged with embezzling more than $100,000 from the Panther Junior Football organization.

Carlquist, 51, who turned herself into the Downers Grove Police Department, was charged with six felony theft counts. The arrest culminates a nine-month investigation by police into the Panther organization’s finances, police said. Carlquist is a former Panthers treasurer and former member of the Downers Grove Human Service Commission. She resigned in March from the commission, where she had served since May 2005, according to village sources.

The probe began in December 2009 after Panther officials “discovered discrepancies in the funding and account balances for the program,” police said. Carlquist was an immediately suspected and relieved of her duties as treasurer.  The subsequent investigation found she had written checks to herself on the Panther checking account for as much as $8,500.

Police allege Carlquist stole more than $100,000 from the Panthers between February 2008 and December 2009.  She was released after posting a $5,000 bond pending a Sept. 8 court date.

Chief Robert Porter commended DGPD detectives for their investigative work, which involved poring over numerous financial documents.

UPDATE: Carlquist has been charged with two counts of embezzlement and six counts of felony grand theft. If convicted, felonies in Illinois are crimes that can carry a punishment of a year or more in prison.

One in six residents now are classed as working poor, or live in poverty.

Barbara Rose takes an in-depth look at Poverty In DuPage as part of Elmhurst College’s year-long investigation into the subject (and victims) of a hidden malaise.

Unable to wait for the official launch, we took the opportunity to scope out the place at closing time Saturday night. And we liked what we saw (and what we purchased).

The store reminds me of a big-city specialty grocer: compact, visually pleasing and with lots of goodies artfully arranged in a compact space. There’s a fresh meat and fish counter, a very nice and competitively priced produce section, really good wine (including chilled whites) and liquor choices (Limoncello!), a nice cheese selection, plus a coffee bar.

The prepared foods department was closed by the time we got there, but I managed to snag some grilled asparagus and roasted vegetables — very nice. I noticed a lobster roll on the menu, which I would have liked to enjoy with a glass of wine at one of the outdoor tables. Maybe next time.

The store’s staffers (full disclosure: my kid is a part-timer there) are welcoming and knowledgeable. On the recommendation of Dennis, we bought a couple of bottles of wine, as well as a block of cheddar cheese, plus some whole wheat croccantini crackers and grapes to accompany it. Not a bad (late) evening repast.

(We weren’t alone in our positive response to the Lemon Tree. Wine from the store figured prominently in the offerings at a cocktail party I attended Friday evening.)

Looking forward to a return visit soon.

• Paid in the three fiscal years from 2004/5 through 2006/7 for meetings and negotiations- $241,061
• Paid in the three fiscal years from 2006/7 through 2009-10 for trial and appeal- $526,058

Total legal costs up through this weeks meeting: $767,119

Add that into Woodridge’s estimated costs of $800,000 and the bill comes to well over $1.5 million.

The District 99 school board voted unanimously Aug. 11 to accept an Appellate Court’s rulings upholding Woodridge’s right to obtain by eminent domain a 45-acre parcel owned by the district.

The board met in closed session before returning to open session to vote on the motion:

Move not to seek review of the Appellate Court’s decision in the Village of Woodridge condemnation litigation and to direct the Board’s attorney to obtain the release of the $14.2 million award in favor of the District, plus the accrued interest.  The award to be used to meet the capital needs of the District.

The district will now petition the judge to release $14.2 million that has been held in escrow since 2008, when a lower court set that amount as the value of the land. Interest will add another $550,000 to the district’s proceeds.

The district announced the decision tonight, quoting Board President Julia Kennedy Beckman: “Board members believe that this decision not to continue this case and its ensuing costs is in the best interests of District 99 students and taxpayers. I also believe all of the board’s decisions in these long proceedings have been based on its fiduciary responsibility to the district’s constituents.”

As indicated in the motion, board plans to use the proceeds of the sale for capital improvements.

Really?

The exception to the OMA clearly states PENDING litigation, not decided litigation.  The Appellate Court did not find Error, Remand, Modify or Reverse the Circuit Court’s decision; it Affirmed.  So is the board weighing whether to waste even more tax dollars in appealing to the Illinois Supreme Court?  Or file a different appeal?

(2) “Litigation, when an action against, affecting, or on behalf of the particular public body has been filed and is pending in a court or administrative tribunal, or when the public body finds that such an action is probable or imminent, in which case the basis for the finding shall be recorded and entered into the minutes of the closed meeting.” 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(11). [Note: This exception operates to bring back under the Act certain gatherings which were excepted by the Appellate Court in People ex rel. Hopf v. Barger, 30 Ill. App. 3d 525 (Second Dist. 1975). The exception does not authorize the closing of a meeting merely because an attorney is present and/or legal issues are to be discussed. Litigation must be probable, imminent or pending before the exception can be used. The term "litigation" does not encompass deliberations of a public body acting in a quasi-judicial capacity on matters before it for decision. See 1983 Ill. Att'y Gen. Op. 10; but see 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(4). The phrase "probable or imminent" means "likely to occur." See 1983 Ill. Att'y Gen. Op. 82.]

Emphasis are mine.

As far as adequacy of a motion to go into closed session over litigation?  From the Illinois Association of School Boards website, citation of this case as an example:

Henry v. Anderson (v. Champaign Community Unit School District No. 4), 827 N.E.2d 522 (Ill.App.4, 4-18-05).

The second meeting being scrutinized violated the Open Meetings Act because the reason given for going into closed session – “litigation” – was not supported by required information. Said the court: “The ‘litigation’ exception is a forked path. If the litigation has been filed and is pending, the public body need only announce that in the proposed closed meeting, it will discuss litigation that has been filed and is pending. If the litigation has not yet been filed, the public body must (1) find that the litigation is probable or imminent and (2) record and enter into the minutes the basis for that finding. Evidently, the legislature intended to prevent public bodies from using the distant possibility of litigation as a pretext for closing their meetings to the public.” The court remanded the case to the trial court for a remedy determination.

Again, emphasis mine.

Woodridge has said their legal bills topped $800,000.  D99 so far has been mum on the total legal costs.

FOIA request e-filed Tuesday August 3

I filed an email FOIA request for a listing of the legal invoices (just the list and amounts, not copies of each bill), and have yet to hear anything back even though state law requires some sort of response within 5 business days.  Note the time stamp on the reply.

Acknowledged and ignored. Business as usual.

I guess today is technically the fifth day if you ignore the day it was sent, so I could still get a response…or maybe they can’t give that complete listing because they’re not done running up the legal bills, which some have estimated at over $1,000,000 and climbing.

Might be less than that, might be more.  We’ll see, but right now it looks like each member of the Gang 0f Five have cost D99 taxpayers $360,000 each; a possible $1.8 million dollars, not one dime of which was spent on anything to do with education.

Remember that come election time.

UPDATE: DGreport reader Dan Slayden and two other attorneys who choose not to comment publicly mention the decision has a 30 day period before being final.  Tonight the D99 BOE chose to accept that decision.

Clarendon Hills does some neat stuff.  When they built their new Clarendon Hills Middle School, they partnered with their Park District and came up with a multi-use facility where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.  That’s thinking creatively and cooperatively.

3-6 kwh output, zero emissions

This wind turbine that is just now going on-line, along with seven previously installed solar panels, is another example.  Jim Cox is a retired science teacher who guided this small wind turbine project through, and again Clarendon Hills residents did some creative thinking: financing came through the Education Association and the PTO’s so the school district budget didn’t bear the burden.  The $33,000 turbine is a vertical axis, two stage design.  The smaller “can” blades in the middle begin producing energy in winds as low as 3.5 mph, the larger “egg beater” blades kick in at higher wind speeds and add to power output, which for this design is rated at 3-6 kilowatts per hour (kw/h).  That’s roughly half the energy a Clarendon Hills house uses.  The Middle School building also has 7 PV solar panels so far, and more are planned.

Mr. Cox vision is to see the entire building someday be able to produce its complete daytime energy needs.  The open area on the south side of the building, and the southern facing roof elements, make that eminently doable.  Students and interested residents will be able to monitor power output of the energy systems in class and on-line so they can study how wind and sun translate directly into energy that creates no pollutants.  On the way, they are permanently bending down the cost curve for energy.

Locations of existing PV array and turbine location

Renewable energy isn’t cheap, it’s not quite there yet.  Energy isn’t getting cheaper, though, and the price paths of the two types, renewable and burn-to-create, are closing.  Students who study the system and learn hands on will also be able to study financing of renewable energy projects, from grants and funding available from state and federal agencies, to certifying and selling the carbon offset credits that “green” energy generates in addition to electricity.

What does this have to do with Downers Grove?  The village installed hybrid PV/helix turbine street lights earlier this year that seem to be doing the job.  They are also installing solar air heaters later this year we’ll write more about.  Schools have predictably heavy power needs during daytime hours that PV solar can address, and large unobstructed rooftops where they can be installed.

I’m not saying District 58 might consider spending some of that $3 million they have burning a hole in their pockets installing renewable power systems that will pay off over 15 years, last 25+ year (Germany has some installed systems now 30+ years old that work as new), bend down the cost curve of their energy bills, and provide relevant educational opportunities for students and residents.

Maybe someone else will though, someone who has the same kind of vision as Clarendon Hills’ Jim Cox.

Two items that look to be approved this week involve applying for grants for projects through the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference.

The application to the DuPage Mayors & Managers Conference (DMMC) is for the 2011 Surface Transportation Program (STP) for highway project funding.

In addition, a resolution has been prepared with the Village serving as co-applicant to the DuPage County’s application for STP funds for the construction of a multi-use trail on 31st Street from Highland Avenue to Meyers Road.

Federal funds would pay for 70% of the construction costs, over $619,000 of fiscal help if approved.  Design, engineering, and the remaining 30% would fall on the village.  These projects, if approved, would be designed and built out in 2011 and 2012.  STP funded projects must meet certain criteria.  Upon submission they are reviewed and ranked with other submitted projects throughout the County.  The highest need projects are filled in order of available funds. There is no obligation to proceed with the project if grants are not awarded.

In the past the DMMC STP funds have helped fund and make possible several village projects.  Prairie Avenue’s end-to-end reconstruction is one example where STP funds have helped the village.

On July 6th council took a pass on paying $ $36,776.40 to re-up membership in DMMC.  At that time some on council cited the DMMC as a confrontational entity that served little purpose due to their fighting to keep the DuPage Water Commission from being absorbed into the county via state Senate Bill SB580.  That decision should not affect DMMC’s efforts to advocate for these two projects should they score high enough to be included.

The e-sheets are here.