DES PLAINES
Firm chosen to upgrade Forest Preserve trail
The City Council has selected an engineering firm to prepare plans to upgrade a section of the Des Plaines River Trail in Cook County.
The 3-mile dirt trail runs mostly through Cook County Forest Preserve District property within Des Plaines, between Touhy Avenue and Golf Road.
Plans call for construction of a 12-foot-wide crushed limestone trail for cyclists and pedestrians, with dirt shoulders for horseback riders. The project also will add benches, point-of-interest placards and other signs, and lighting at intersections, City Engineer Tim Oakley said.
At a meeting Monday, aldermen approved a contract with Itasca-based Civiltech Engineering Inc. for design work at a cost of nearly $292,000. The city’s share is about $58,000, with a federal grant covering the rest.
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City officials hope construction of the trail will be completed by late 2009.
— Mark Shuman
PALATINE
Council approves plan to build new restaurant
The Village Council has approved a plan to build a 5,300-square-foot restaurant at the northwest corner of Rand Road and Spruce Drive.
Tore & Luke’s Restaurant would be open from 10:30 a.m. to midnight and is expected to employ 12 people, said Sam Trakas, assistant village manager. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
At a meeting Monday, council members also approved a request for a drive-through lane for the restaurant.
Two residents and a lawyer for the nearby 100-unit Fox Cove Condominiums voiced concerns about the proposal, citing the possibility of increased traffic.
— Jeff Borgardt
HOFFMAN ESTATES
RV show gets final OK for Sears Centre lot
The Village Board has approved plans for an outdoor recreational vehicle show at the Sears Centre, the first event scheduled to be held in the arena’s parking lots.
The request for the event, scheduled for Aug. 1 to 3, won approval Monday from trustees.
A request for a second event is expected to come next week to the board’s Planning, Building and Zoning Committee. The RV show won’t feature amplified music or announcements, but an outdoor cooking show proposed for Sept. 13 would include blues and jazz groups, Trustee Gary Pilafas said.
Pilafas said he believes Sears Centre officials will have to come up with a noise-monitoring plan similar to that requested by the village for the planned Prairie Creek outdoor amphitheater to appease residents living south of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway.
Some residents had opposed a decision by the board to allow outdoor events at the Sears Centre, 5333 Prairie Stone Pkwy., citing concerns about noise. Although the Sears Centre was allowed to schedule events in its parking lots, the board must approve each event for the first year.
— Ken Manson
SCHOOL DISTRICT 46
Board raises lunch fee to cover fuel, supplies
School board members in Elgin-based School District U-46 opted Monday night to increase the price of school lunches this fall by more than the 20 cents recommended by staff.
Instead, the cost of a lunch will increase by 30 cents for the 2008-09 school year, to $2.40 from $2.10.
Officials said the increase is needed to cover the rising costs of the lunch program, including increases in food and labor, a 37 percent increase in fuel prices and fuel surcharges imposed by vendors.
Board members also wanted the increase to generate revenue needed to cover the cost of maintaining and replacing food service equipment such as freezers and storage units.
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The cost of school lunches are examined on an annual basis. Nearby districts’ prices for school lunches range from $1.75 to $3.10, officials said.
— Amanda Marrazzo