Committees

The Village Trustees have Boards, Commissions and Committees using Volunteers from the ranks of Residents. Each of these groups have a Mission and/or Charter approved by the Board of Trustees. Terms are limited and residents are asked to serve. Formal minutes are required and all groups abide by the State of Illinois Open Meetings Act. Newsworthy information will be shared on this Page as it becomes available.

ZBA Commission

Cell Tower Application

At its regular meeting on August 18, 2008, the ZBA approved a special use permit request to permit Cricket Communications to install a cellular communications antenna on top of the silos on Otis Road near the EJ&E tracks. There currently are several antennas already at that site, some belonging to T-Mobile and the others to the Village’s Police Department. The Board included conditions related to acceptable landscaping and maintenance at the site, and sent it on to the Village Board for either approval or rejection.

Building Permits

Finally, as residents are likely aware, the residential real estate market is in a bit of a somnolent phase. Building permits for single family residents in the village have declined substantially over the pace of several years ago. We issued eleven such permits in 2007 (one was withdrawn before construction began) and only three thru the first six months of 2008. The average home size for these 14 permits was 9,138 square feet, with four of the homes being between 10,200 and 12,400 square feet and one for a 20,900 square foot home. On average, 64% of the allowable floor area ratios was used for these homes.

Special Use Permit LeCompte Residence

The ZBA met July 21, 2008 and the main focus was the petition for special use permit for the Barrington Hills Polo Club to use the private residence of the Le Compte family at 350 Bateman Road to continue its practice and competition activities, especially the annual Kalaway Landowners Cup Polo match for the 2008 season. The Zoning Board of Appeals held three meetings related to the special use permit. Over seven hours of testimony was taken before the ZBA made the unanimous formal recommendation to the Board of Trustees to allow the permit with 10 conditions.

The Trustees addressed the ZBA recommendation for over 2 hours at their July 28, 2008 meeting. Added conditions were levied and the timeframe was changed, for a total of 12 conditions. There is a requirements for measurable data to be gathered in the ensuing months. The Special Permit was approved as amended at the Trustee Meeting. The Kalaway Landowners Cup in 2008 will proceed.

Principal conditions include:
(1) a significant reduction in noise and advertising promotion of events;
(2) requirements for traffic and crowd control;
(3) use of the easterly-most 720 feet of Deepwood Road for access to the Polo Field will be permitted, however an alternative access must be arranged prior to the start of the 2009 polo season;
(4.) a limit of five weekend events may be held and those must be on Saturdays; and
(5) a maximum of two practices a week will be permitted.

Beautification Committee

July 28, 2008

P. Denise Israel

Carolyn and Bill Springer, Anne Horwath, Elizabeth Bramsen, Jan Sheppard and Chairperson P. Denise Israel have been appointed to the new Beautification Committee. The committee sees as its primary focus:

• To inform and energize residents about the importance of beautification efforts in our community.
• To recruit Neighborhood Captains to help share this vision with their friends and Neighbors.
• To spread the word to volunteer groups such as Boy and Girl Scout troops, Churches, the Parent Teacher Organizations, Park District, Fire and Police Departments, and clubs, with special emphasis on roadside and public area cleanup, and to aid residents who need assistance.
• To establish special trash pick up dates to coincide with Make a Difference Day (fall) and Earth Day (spring).

Our kickoff date for 2008 is Make a Difference Day, October 25, and Earth Day in 2009 is April 22. Check the Village website for event details later in September. Comments, information and volunteers can reach the committee at: pdenisei@hotmail.com or (847) 381-9487

Roads and Bridges Committee

Elaine Ramesh
Trustee

Signs Along Brinker Headed to Lake Cook Road by Countryside School

Railroad Crossing Sign along Otis Road

2008 Road Program

Note: Oak Knoll Road Road resurfacing is in progress. Take care to avoid using that road as much as possible during the construction period which started in August and is expected to complete in September.

Wildlife Crossing Sign along Otis Road

Roads: Contact Information

If you have a question or concern about the 2008 Road program, or would like to report road conditions which you believe should be addressed, kindly contact the Village Hall at 847-551-3000. Refer to the Resident Information part of this website for information on which roads are controlled by the Village and which ones are the responsibility of the State and Counties and Private Residents.

Plan Commission

Kenneth Bosworth
Chairman Plan Commission

June 2008

At the Plan Commission meeting on Monday June 9, 2008, revisions to the Comprehensive Plan were introduced at a public hearing. In addition, Commissioners discussed lighting. Mary Bradford-White introduced information related to the negative affects of excessive lighting. For information from the presentation go to Lighting Choices in a Modern World.

Plan Commission Reference Material for Village Comprehensive Plan:
"Lighting Choices in a Modern World"

Nancy Schumm-Burgess
Executive Director Barrington Area Conservation Trust

The advantages to living in a semi-rural community are enhanced by our partnership with the natural world. Privacy, the sense of being in the country, and the quiet nature of our neighborhoods as the birds whistle to each other and the wind rushes through the trees are just some of the sensory ways that we appreciate our community. Recent studies have shown that that partnership can be threatened by the over use of inappropriate landscape lighting.

Do lights in our landscaping really have an impact on nature? Actually, they do. Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources recently published a study of the new lighting trends for landscaping have found that light pollution can have a negative effect on birds, tree growth, and our carbon footprint.

For birds, the lighting affects, not only migratory patterns, but also affects the nesting habits of the birds and animals that rely upon trees for their homes. The nesting habits are affected because trees themselves are highly affected by unusual light patterns. Lighting signifies to trees the time of day, and the season of the year. When the trees receive the wrong signals, they respond by producing odd leaf sizes, entering dormancy when it is too late in the season, and flowering at the wrong time to be pollinated. All these problems can reduce the lifespan of the trees and make them vulnerable to disease and pollution.

In a community that is defined by its beautiful trees and natural features, following the dark sky recommendations in the comprehensive plan can ensure that those features remain for future generations. More information can be found at http://www.darksky.org/.

Technology Committee

Chairman Kevin Colosia

May 2008

The Technology Review Committee was chartered by the Barrington Hills Village Board in May 2006 to evaluate Communications, IT, and various other technology issues. To date, the Committee has been involved in several areas, including a review of the Village’s IT network, and discussions with Comcast regarding availability of cable service.

In October, 2006 the Village Board charged the Committee with finding ways to improve cellular service. Meetings were held with each cell carrier to determine the underserved areas of the Village, followed by a review of potential alternatives and then preparation of recommendations for coverage improvement. Discussions have also been held with interested site property owners. One application for a site to be shared by the carriers was withdrawn prior to a Village Board vote. This project is still ongoing.

In 2007, the Committee also assisted the Zoning Board in the preparation of an ordinance regarding communications towers.

Equestrian Commission

Equestrian Commission the Zoning Board of Appeals
Address Commercial Horse Boarding

Chairman Dan Lundmark

Note: The Recommendati