Has spring sprung? It's hard to tell, what with all the snow on the ground. But there's evidence that warmer weather is on the way: Western Avenue construction is set to begin again on Monday, March 1. This is the second round of reconstruction on Lake Forest's main downtown artery, and it involves the south section from Westminster Road south to Vine Street. It's expected to last five months.  

Construction is planned in three stages to minimize traffic disruption, limit the amount of time Western traffic flow is relegated to one-way, and to keep Western northbound for as long as possible. City engineers said that one of the lessons they learned from Stage 1 construction is to minimize the construction zone to improve traffic flow to the business community. With that in mind, the engineers redesigned the various phases of Stage 2 construction. They also learned from businesses that most traffic comes from the south and moves north on Western toward Market Square and beyond.

"We're trying the best we can to keep traffic moving northbound and to get shoppers to their destination," said Susan Kelsey, the City's economic development coordinator.

Phase One beings Monday and is expected to last through May 15. The work will start on the west side of Western between Westminster and Deerpath. Traffic will be one-way northbound, and detour traffic will be routed through McKinley Road. When that's done, the crews will switch to the east side of the block and traffic will be one-way southbound, and detour traffic will be routed to McKinley Road. If the weather is not cooperative for road work or sidewalk concrete pour, the contractor plans to head over to Bank Lane and Forest Avenue for minor storm water work.

Phase Two is planned for May 15 to June 15. It begins with the construction on the west side of Western Avenue between Deerpath Road and Vine Street. Traffic on Western will be two-way for most of this phase, but east side parking will be eliminated.

Phase Three will commence June 15 and end July 31. It involves the east side of Western between Deerpath and Vine. Traffic will be one-way northbound only. Southbound traffic will be detoured via Green Bay Road, and west side parking [...]

The Lake Forest City Council on Monday, March 1, will focus its 6:30 p.m. Committee of the Whole meeting on the state of the historic downtown depot. The Lake Forest Preservation Foundation will present the "Historic Structure Report" it comissioned and funded for the community. Architect T. Gunny Harboe of Harboe Architects, architectural experts on historic preservation, will describe the study and its findings, including a basic history of the original building; chronology of the building’s construction history and physical changes; a description and evaluation of existing conditions; and recommendations for what should be done to the building to ensure its long-term viability. Constructed in 1900 and designed by Charles Sumner Frost and Alfred Granger, the depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a keystone structure in Market Square. 

The meeting will include an opportunity for public comment.

The City's Committee of the Whole meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. and takes place at City Hall, 220 E. Deerpath Road, Lake Forest. The meeting will be broadcast live on Monday night on Channel 17. You can also watch a re-broadcast of the meeting on Mondays at 5 p.m., on Thursdays after City Council meeting replays, and on the City's website. Click here to read the agenda on the City of Lake Forest website. And a DVD will be on file at the Lake Forest Library.

The Parent Board of the Gorton Children's Drop-In Center is hosting a concert that's open to all members of the community. Here are the details from the Board: 

Calling all Neil Diamond fans and the parents of Gorton Drop-In grads! The Board of the Gorton Children's Drop-In Center invites you and current Drop-In parents to the Denny Diamond Benefit Concert on Friday, March 12, at 7:30 p.m. at Gorton. The event is hosted by the Gorton Children's Drop-In Parent Board and is a fundraiser for the Center, but you don't have to have kids in the program—you don't even have to have kids!–to be a part of this fun event. This is the first time this fabulous Neil Diamond impersonator has performed at Gorton, and we're trying to pack the house.

The concert is a new event for the Parent Board. Past concerts have always been geared toward childen, but this special Benefit Concert was planned for adults to enjoy a fun night out. We're hoping the concert appeals to some of our past Drop-In alumni, as well as supporters of Gorton and/or Neil Diamond fans who want to watch a great performer while also supporting a great cause. 

Now in its 24th year, the Drop-In is the only program of its kind on the North Shore. It's a truly unique resource that provides as-needed childcare. Although parents must be enrolled in program, which is certified by the state, they don't have to reserve a full-time spot for their child, which is how most daycare programs typically operate. Reservations can be made up to two weeks in advance, and depending on how many staff are working, may even be made the same day. Although many of the currently enrolled children are from the Lake Bluff and Lake Forest area, the Drop-In is open to children from all of the surrounding communities.

And so is the benefit concert. Tickets are $35 each and available at www.gortoncenter.org. A cash bar will also be available at the concert. Here's a sample of Denny Diamond:

The following comes from Montessori School of Lake Forest

LAKE FOREST –- Trevor Eissler, author of Montessori Madness!, will speak at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 4, at the Montessori School of Lake Forest, 13700 W. Laurel Drive. All are welcome to hear Mr. Eissler’s passionate appeal for Montessori education. As a parent of three children, he strives to raise awareness of Montessori as an option for childhood education.

The Lake Forest and Lake Bluff communities highly value academic excellence. Further, the surrounding areas offer the choice of exceptional public and private school options. Mr. Eissler will discuss Montessori philosophy as a progressive alternative to traditional approaches to education. His presentation is intended for a well-rounded audience, including not only current Montessori parents (from both the Montessori School of Lake Forest and other area Montessori schools), but also parents who are just beginning the process of exploring local schooling options. Mr. Eissler’s parent-to-parent talk will be lively and will highlight the benefits of Montessori, its history, and the points of difference between it and traditional education.

To learn more about the Montessori School of Lake Forest, and to arrange for a tour, please telephone 847-918-1000, or visit www.mslf.org.

The following "local moment" was brought to you by Rommy Lopat of Lake Forest. GazeboNews encourages readers to share your "local moments" by sending in photos, quotations, poems, snippets of conversations and other short features that capture life in our 'burbs.

By Rommy Lopat

Last Thursday dawned as a sunny, warm-ish day in an otherwise gray winter. Across the street from my house, a small stream–the distant start of a long ravine emptying into Lake Michigan–flows through a remnant oak woods. I am constantly drawn to the stream's simplicity. Nothing except time's erosion has altered its course or its flow. Ever. An added attraction is that animal footprints abound. Deer, fox, squirrels, rabbits–they love it too.

Late winter photo by Rommy Lopat 

The Friends of the Lake Bluff Library will host a Winter Party at the library from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010. There will be a balloon artist, crafts, and refreshments. At 2 p.m., Susanne Hales, dramatist, will present the book The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan. The party is a thank you to the community for the great support given to the library.

This photo shows a balloon artist sharing his talents at last year's Library party.

Maggie is a black English cocker spaniel with white spots. She was staying with a dog sitter in a Lake Forest home near Southpark when she went missing on Feb. 23. She’s from a Highland Park family, and she is very much missed. Please forward this around, and if you see her call 773-909-9087.

By Adrienne Fawcett

Lake Forest School District 67 is not renewing the contracts of 61 teachers, aids and other certified positions for the 2010-11 school year, and District 115 is not renewing about 40 contracts.
Thirteen of the District 67 jobs are held by by part-time staff members and the remaining 48 are positions held by first through third year, full-time, non-tenured staff. District 115, meanwhile, is not renewing 27 full-time, non-tenured teachers and aids and about a dozen part-time teachers and aids.

The reasons are similar to the issues next door in Lake Bluff District 65: declining revenues and declining enrollment. At the same time, District 67 has 18 tenured teachers on leave who have not yet informed the District about their plans to return to work.

Class sizes at Lake Forest High School are expected to increase slightly from an average of 19.3 students to 20.1 students, and classes with fewer than 12 students will be canceled and/or offered every other year rather than yearly. Classes with 12 to 15 students also may get cut, depending on how things shake out. 

GazeboNews talked with District 67 and District 115 Superintendent Harry Griffith at length to get the story, and the back story. 

Dr. Griffith said the number of non-renewed contracts at District 67 is significantly higher than last year’s 10, but it doesn’t mean the positions are being eliminated or that the non-tenured professionals won’t have jobs in the District come fall. He also said this isn’t a new scenario for District 67.  

Up until about four years ago, District 67 usually did not renew contracts of probationary staff as a matter of course. ”This was the normal process for many years,” he said. “We would select which teachers we wanted to invite back, or we would open up other positions for teachers to re-apply, and we would open to recruiting. That became less and less of an issue because we significantly improved the recruiting process over last several years.” 

He conceded that this year’s non-renewal process is different from that of previous years. It’s driven in part by enrollment, which in District 67 is expected to decline about 7.5% over the next five years. Enrollment at LFHS over the next five years is expected to decline 5.5%. 

To illustrate the enrollment issues, Dr. Griffith cited next year’s fifth grade class at Deerpath Middle School; based on current enrollment it’s expected to be 38 students less [...]

Shields Township has awarded $98,000 in grants to eight social-services agencies and organizations. At the same time, the Township board has cut its spending in the discretionary social service line item by $48,000 from last year, a 40% decrease, and has selected to fund agencies that serve the needy in a more cost-effective way than if the Township provided the services directly.

The board conducted two interview sessions in which agencies that had applied for grants were invited to present. The Board judged applications on how well the agency was able to document the need as well as metrics on the population served and the financial and social impact on the community.

“In total, we reviewed 12 very worthwhile programs that do an outstanding job of serving the needs of Shields Township residents, from North Chicago to Lake Forest,” said Supervisor Gale Strenger Wayne in a press release. “We chose those programs that we felt best reflect the Township’s mandate to provide general assistance/emergency assistance to residents who might not be able to receive the help they need in any other way. In addition, many of these are

(more…)

The following was submitted by the Forest Bluff Montessori School:

Families with expectant mothers and/or young children up to age three are invited to attend Forest Bluff Montessori School’s Spring Parent Child Program beginning March 2 at 8:45 a.m.

The program provides an introduction to Montessori education through a series of six lectures and practical sessions led by AMI Montessori trained Assistants to Infancy Lynn Jessen and Paula Preschlack. Lectures focus on key aspects of Montessori theory such as independence, the development of the hand, and language acquisition. During practical sessions, Mrs. Jessen and Mrs. Preschlack work with each parent/child couple, offering developmentally appropriate advice and attending to parent questions and concerns. 

Home consultations are offered for parents who wish to receive customized suggestions for improving their young child’s home environment.
The program will take place on March 2; April 6, 13, and 27; and May 11 and 18 at 8:45 a.m. 

Forest Bluff, an AMI accredited Montessori school serving children through the age of 14, is conveniently located near downtown Lake Bluff and Lake Forest.
Space is limited. Please call 847-295-8338 for more information or to make a reservation. To learn more about Forest Bluff School, please visit Forest Bluff's website.