In 2016, Lincolnshire officials welcomed various development projects, both on the residential and commercial side, while area schools welcomed significant changes to the school day with a goal toward letting students sleep longer.
Milwaukee Avenue stretch sees changes
After almost three years of dormancy at the former Cubby Bear North, business owner Jazmine Gonzalez started renovating the space in the fall to turn it into a multipurpose event venue for residents and area organizations.
Gonzalez has said she hopes to open the new venue, called Loft 21, by early spring, noting how she already has reservations booked through 2020. The building had been one of the largest vacant spots in Lake County in recent years.
But other storefronts at the CityPark shopping center, located on the opposite of Milwaukee Avenue in Lincolnshire, turned vacant in 2016. Ownership of the CityPark center also changed in hands following an auction in the summer.
Among the vacancies at CityPark in 2016, the combination arcade and bar called Emporium Lake County abruptly closed after only seven months in operation. Following a New Year’s Day opening, the business tried to replicate the success it found in Chicago, where Emporium owners operate two locations.
On Aug. 22, village board members canceled the business’ liquor license, believing Emporium will not re-open in Lincolnshire, Mayor Liz Brandt said at the time. The business has remained closed since August.
Apartments coming to Lincolnshire
After turning down several proposed apartment complexes in the past, village board members deviated from past policy earlier this summer and approved a major renovation project to the Regal Lincolnshire Stadium 21 & IMAX movie theater, located near the end of the parking lot to the CityPark shopping center.
ECD Co., which owns the building that houses the theater, said it would tear down the southern wing of the theater and eliminate six screens. In its place, 302 new apartments in two, four-story buildings would be built to fill the expansive but often empty southeast portion of the parking lot.
Aimed at prosperous and single young adults working at technology companies in Lincolnshire, the 404 Social complex should bring young shoppers with free time and disposable income to the area, the project developer has said.
As housing construction ramps up across the country, Lincolnshire officials debated whether to let developers build high-density townhomes in the area.
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Village trustees sent several proposals back to the drawing board, demanding more open space and fewer units.
In one project at the intersection of Riverside Road and Milwaukee Avenue, a developer earned approval to build numerous townhouses, which are split evenly between the boundaries of Aptakisic-Tripp School District 102, based in Buffalo Grove, and Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103.
Village, labor unions work to settle right-to-work debate
In November, Lincolnshire trustees approved a settlement agreement on two of three lawsuits filed over the town’s controversial right-to-work ordinance aimed at organized labor. But a third lawsuit filed in federal court by the AFL-CIO challenging the village’s right-to-work ordinance remains unresolved.
So-called “right-to-work” legislation lets individuals work for a company in union-protected positions without having to join the union or pay the full share of union dues. In a zone designated right-to-work, non-union employees also get benefits negotiated by a labor union with company management.
The Lincolnshire ordinance approved late last year only applied to private companies within the village and not to public-sector employees, such as police officers.
The two lawsuits questioned procedural matters in connection with the meeting at which Lincolnshire village board members approved the ordinance. One of the lawsuits filed in state court alleged an Open Meetings Act violation, arguing officials prohibited two union supporters from speaking during public comment at the meeting where the ordinance was approved.
The other lawsuit pertained to email exchanges involving village officials following the meeting at which the ordinance was approved, he said.
In exchange for having the two lawsuits dropped, the Liberty Justice Center, which is representing Lincolnshire pro bono in all three lawsuits, agreed to pay $10,000 total to the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 and its individual plaintiffs.
The unresolved lawsuit, filed Feb. 18 in Chicago by the local AFL-CIO chapter and three other labor unions, contends that a municipality in a non-right-to-work state cannot declare itself a right-to-work town. Attorneys representing Lincolnshire have said that both sides have filed for summary judgment but there is no timetable for a decision.
Area schools push back start times
As educators across the country decide what to do with a number of medical studies that show students perform better in school when allowed to sleep longer, two school districts in Lincolnshire went ahead this year and pushed back school start times for their students.
Effective for the first time this current school year, Stevenson High School unveiled later start times, while board members at Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103 decided in December to push back start times at Daniel Wright Junior High School starting in the 2017-18 school year.
Stevenson students began their first classes at 8:30 a.m. this year — 25 minutes later than previous school years. To maintain the length of its school day, Stevenson officials decided to cut each class period shorter by a few minutes.
District 103 will change its starting and ending times next school year to accommodate a later start time at Daniel Wright. The change means younger students at Sprague Elementary will have to start their day about 45 minutes earlier than they do now.
Both districts pointed to medical research from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as reasons for the move.
Daniel Wright students shine on national stage
After winning the state championship for six straight years, the Daniel Wright Junior High School Science Olympiad team secured its first national championship earlier this spring in 2016.
Competing in the junior high division, the Trojans beat competitors from around the nation, bringing several medals in individual competitions back to Lincolnshire and winning the national competition by a 26-point margin over the second place team.
Science Olympiad competitions involve a series of paper-and-pencil tests, on-site construction of structures and a variety of other mental competitions. The 23 categories in the series this past year included building a bridge that weighs little but can support a lot, meteorology, anatomy, astronomy and the science of police work in crime-scene investigation.
After winning the national championship, the Daniel Wright team returned to Lincolnshire, escorted by area police and firefighters, to take part in a victory rally hosted by their classmates.
Twitter @RonnieAtPioneer