TribLocal Hinsdale - 09 2 September 2010
TRIBLOCAL.COM
Community House cancels longtime annual antique show Hinsdale Central gives defending champs a scare
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Hinsdale | Clarendon Hills | Oak Brook La Grange Park | Western Springs | La Grange
VOICE OF THE TOWN
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SEPTEMBER 2-8, 2010 | SPONSORED BY THE
Towns could share public safety services
By Victoria Pierce
SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE
With municipal finances squeezed during tough economic times, three western suburbs are studying whether they should consolidate their police, fire and dispatch departments to save money and perhaps improve service. The villages of La Grange, La Grange Park and Western Springs are working with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and the MacArthur Foundation on the study, which is set to start early in September and finish by the end of the year. Municipal officials will then discuss the results and make recommendations early in 2011. “Intergovernmental cooperation is nothing new for the three communities,” said La Grange Village Manager Robert Pilipiszyn. Each town is contributing \$7,500 for the study, which will be conducted by consultant William Balling, the former village manager of Buffalo Grove. Many Illinois municipalities have laid off employees, cut services and spent down reserves to stay afloat as the state finances flounder. “There is a tremendous duplication of efforts being done,” said La Grange Park Police Chief Daniel McCollum. “The driving force is saving money, but you can’t short services.”
McCollum said the villages could agree to share equipment such as the fire departments’ costly aerial ladder trucks. Or, a canine unit could be shared among police departments. Those types of arrangements would likely be the minimum if any consolidation is pursued, Pilipiszyn said. At the other end of the spectrum is the possibility of a full integration of emergency services into one regional department with a central lockup facility and dispatch center, he said. But there will be numerous issues to examine before such a big step is taken, and the public would have ample opportunity to comment, Pilipiszyn said. Bargaining units would also be consulted, and many different policies and practices would have to be reconciled. For example, McCollum said, in La Grange Park police help citizens if they are locked out of their cars. Not every town offers that service and La Grange Park residents may not be willing to give up that kind of personal service. He also noted that La Grange Park has an active Adopt A Cop collaboration with the schools that is also important to the community. “It’s going to require a buy-in from the constituency,” McCollum said.
PLEASE SEE SHARE, PAGE 3
Shoppers scan produce at Evergreen Farms’ tent at the Hinsdale Farmer’s Market.
TribLocal photo by Bridget Doyle
Vendors say sales wilting at Hinsdale Farmers Market
By Bridget Doyle
TRIBLOCAL REPORTER
With only a little more than a month left in its 34th season, a number of vendors at the Hinsdale Farmer’s Market have noticed a decline in sales for the 2010 season. But what’s to blame for the slow summer isn’t a unanimous speculation across the
dozen or so vendors at the Monday morning market. “With open air markets, the weather is critical,” said Jeff Morlock of the Watervliet, Mich.-based JW Morlock and Girls. “The storms earlier this year combined with the heat hurt crops.” Jan Anderson, executive director of the
PLEASE SEE MARKET, PAGE 6
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