Community Notices

Village Hall Hours The office of the Village of Riverwoods is open 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM, Monday through Friday. It is a concern of the Board of Trustees that there may be some residents who are unable to come to the office during those hours. However, it is not cost effective to have a full staff at the Village Hall for longer hours if there is no need. As an experiment, and in an effort to accommodate all our residents, we would like to suggest the following. If you need to conduct business at the Village Hall - and cannot possibly get there during our established hours, please call the Village Hall (847) 945.3990 during hours. We will (try to) arrange a time for someone to meet you at the office. This could be after hours, before hours, or on Saturday. Half Day Bridge Reconstruction The eastbound side of the bridge on Half Day Road has been closed for demolition and reconstruction work. All traffic has been shifted to the westbound bridge and one lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction throughout construction. The left-hand turn lanes will remain open in each direction for Half Day Road traffic entering I-94. The bridge work is being coordinated with the Illinois Department of Transportation and officials from Lake County, Cook County, and the villages of Deerfield, Riverwoods, Lincolnshire and Bannockburn to minimize the impact to drivers, however delays are expected. Back to School All good things come to an end, and so summer will also. Following is a list of the area schools websites and back to school dates. Bannockburn www.bannockburnschool.org First full day of school August 28. Laura Sprague www.sprague.district103.k12.il.us First full day of school August 28. Deerfield Public Schools www.dps109.org Kipling, South Park, Wilmot, Caruso, Sheperd and Walden First day of school is August 26. Township High School District #113 www.dist113.org Deerfield High School and Highland Park High School First full day of school is August 27. Stevenson High School www.district125.k12.il.us First full day of school is August 23. The RRA always needs volunteers! For Cleanup Day, please call Carol Magnuson at: 847-945-9455. For the Plant Sale, please call Marge Kaul at: 847-945-5131 Village Pots, Before and After Photos. Halloween 2008 Photos. Village Garden 2008 Photos. Family Day 2008 Photos. Annual Barbeque and Plant Sale 2007 pictures. Citizen of the Year Awards pictures. Halloween 2006 pictures. Annual Barbeque 2006 pictures. Archives Annual Barbeque, Plant Sale, Clean-up Day, Earth Day Celebration 2005 and Arts & Riverwoods pictures. Riverwoods Preservation Council Meetings are scheduled at 7:30pm at Village Hall. For more informations, please visit www.riverwoodsrpc.org or email questions@riverwoodsrpc.org. Residential Associations Stay in the Loop The Village is once again seeking to update its list of Riverwoods homeowner associations so that it can keep them informed regarding issues that might have an impact on their neighborhoods. Make sure that we have your most up-to-date information. Send along your association's name, address, phone number and e-mail, as well as a contact name to Cheryl at 847-945-3990 or e-mail chadley@riverwoods-il.net. You can also fax the list to 847-945-4059.

Electronics Recycling Program The City of Highland Park, in partnership with the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County, is pleased to announce a new year-round drop-off program for outdated, broken, or unwanted household electronics. The new program will accept electronic equipment beginning on November 6th. The drop-off collection will be open each week on Tuesdays and Fridays, from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Firearms Training Center, 1180 Half Day Road. The events are open to household electronics only; no commercial, governmental, or institutional materials will be accepted. Click Here (PDF) for a list of items accepted at Electronics Recycling Collection Events. In addition, the City will accept fluorescent bulbs during these times as part of a pilot project. Fluorescent bulbs and fluorescent tubes up to 48 inches in length will be accepted. Visit SWALCO for a list of additional collection events throughout Lake County. For more information, please contact Bob McCraren, Facilities Manager, at (847) 432-0807. Senior Rewards from the Village of Riverwoods! Are you age 62 or over and a Riverwoods resident? If so, you qualify for our new program, "Riverwoods Rewards". Come in to the Village Hall, M-F, 8:30am - 1:30pm to sign up for your Rewards card which entitles you to discounts and specials at several local merchants such as, Jimmy's Charhouse, McDonald's, Pearle Vision Center, Riverwoods Auto Center, Ranalli's, Cy's Crab House, and many, many more! In addition to your "Rewards" card, seniors are also entitled to several other benefits, including: Dial-A-Ride $3.00 discounts on 303 Cab Rides Household chore assistance by local High School students Temporary Handicap Parking Placard (with physician's completed form) "Home Alone" daily check-in calls AARP Driving Courses Special Luncheons And much more! Brentwood North www.boulevardhealthcare.com "At Your Service Club" FREE services for our neighbors age 55 and older in the 60015 zip code. Services are available Monday through Friday from 9:00am until 3:00pm (unless otherwise noted) and include: Copies (limit 10 per week) Faxes (limit 5 local per week) Notary services Complimentary coffee and pastries Blood pressure screenings on Wednesdays, 9:00am to 11:00am Come by to receive your MEMBERSHIP CARD! For more information, please call Marilyn or Laura at (847) 459-1200 Note: Proof of age (55+) and residency (60015 zip) required. Brentwood North reserves the right to discontinue this program after one month trial basis. Honor Flight Chicago Honors WWII, Korean and Viet Nam Vets Honor Flight Chicago needs your assistance to locating WWII, Korean and Vietnam veterans, along with any terminally ill veterans of Korea and/or Vietnam. Honor Flight Chicago was formed in early 2008 with the specific purpose of taking our veterans—WWII, Korean, Viet Nam and beyond—to Washington DC, as our guests, to see their memorials. There is absolutely no cost to the veterans for any part of this trip. They have given more than enough to a country that now has the opportunity to thank them in this very special way. They will have an exciting and very emotional day as they visit the WWII Memorial, followed by the Iwo Jim, Korean and Viet Nam Memorials. As time allows, they will tour DC before the return flight to Chicago. We are asking for help to locate WWII veterans, as they are our priority. Visit www.honorflightchicago.org to view an 11 minute movie that tells the story. Honor flight Chicago asks everyone to spread the word about this program.

The 2009 Village of Riverwoods Election Process is Underway

On Saturday, December 13, the Nominating Committee of the Riverwoods Caucus held interviews with all prospective candidates (applicants) for the upcoming 2009 Village positions. The meeting was advertised village-wide and open to all Village residents. At the conclusion of the interviewing process the committee met and made their selection for nomination. The nominees are: John Norris for the position of Mayor; Bill Svatik, Cheryl Chamberlain, and Rich Koomjian for the trustee positions; and Mike Ford for the position of Village Clerk.

Town Hall Caucus Meeting
On January 12, 2009, at 7:30p.m. in Village Hall, all residents who are registered voters, are invited as the Riverwoods Caucus Party elects its candidates from among the Nominating Committee selections and any other eligible candidates whose names may be placed in nomination from the floor.

Our Caucus System - How It Works

By Cheryl Chamberlain, Chair 2006-2007
Riverwoods Caucus Nominating Committee

The caucus process is a part of the election system used by smaller towns as an alternative to conducting a primary election for local offices. While the process itself is run locally, much of the basic structure and timing is governed by state law.

How does the caucus begin?
In Riverwoods, the process begins when the Caucus Advisory Council selects a nominating committee. The Council selects one member from each of the geographic areas in Riverwoods: one member who is retired or retiring from office as an elected official, one member of either the Plan Commission or Zoning Board of Appeals, one member of the RRA, and three members at large. Once the committee is formed, the committee then selects its own officers.

What does the Nominating Committee do?
The Nominating Committee has two major functions. First, it identifies issues that are relevant to Riverwoods residents for the upcoming election. Those issues become part of a questionnaire given to prospective candidates for office. Second, the committee seeks qualified candidates for the open positions, and then interviews them to determine the best applicants for those positions. At all times, the committee members are encouraged to seek input and ideas from their Riverwoods neighbors.

How does the Nominating Committee work?
The Nominating Committee begins its work (within the constraints of state law and caucus party bylaws) by establishing a schedule and then notifying residents of important dates. In past years, the committee has mailed a postcard to all residents listing the election date, candidate application deadline date, candidate interview date, and town meeting date. The Nominating Committee also holds several meetings to prepare a questionnaire of important Riverwoods issues which is made available to prospective candidates. After giving the candidates time to complete the questionnaire, the Nominating Committee holds interviews for prospective candidates. This interview process is open to the public, and anyone may ask to be interviewed. While generally sparsely attended, this is actually the best opportunity for residents to learn about prospective candidates. At the close of the interviews, the Nominating Committee meets to make their selections for nomination to the offices open for election.

How does the Caucus Town Meeting work?
Candidates are actually selected at the Caucus Town Meeting. This is an open meeting of the Riverwoods Caucus Party which is held on a particular Monday in January as specified by state law. Riverwoods residents who are registered voters may declare themselves members of the party. However, only those who make this declaration by signing an affidavit are allowed to vote. The Nominating Committee has the responsibility of setting procedures for the meeting, presiding over the meeting, and nominating the persons selected from the interview process.

At this meeting, the Nominating Committee nominates the prospective candidates selected through the interview process. Any eligible Caucus Party members may also make a nomination from the floor. For this reason, the Nominating Committee does not know in advance of the meeting the actual identity or number of nominated candidates for election. This inability to identify nominated candidates in advance makes proxy and absentee voting impractical. In recent years, the Nominating Committee has allowed for speeches, but no rule requires them. These speeches are often limited to a few minutes in an effort to keep the meeting within manageable time limits. At the conclusion of the meeting, Caucus Party members vote and candidates for election are declared. After candidates have been selected, the candidatesŐ names are placed on the ballot.

Can a defeated candidate still run in the election?
Candidates who participated in the caucus process and were defeated are not eligible to have their names placed on the ballot. However, persons who did not participate can seek election by petitioning to have his/her name put on the ballot and running as a part of another political party. The number of signatures required on the petition is determined by a percentage of those who voted in the previous election.

SWALCO is a Valuable Resource for Recycling and So Much More

SWALCO, (Solid Waster Agency of Lake County) Offers various events for Lake County residents to minimize impacts on the solid waste stream. Please visit their website (www.co.lake.il.us/swalco/events/) to find out more about electronics disposal, household chemical waste, disposal of tires, batteries and major appliances and yard waste. It is important to dispose of these and many other items properly to protect the environment.

Swalco also offers excellent advice and programs on recycling. In order to "close the loop" in recycling, consumers need to look for and purchase goods made from materials they put in the recycling bin. If we do not purchase goods made from recyclable items, then recycling cannot expand and be self-sustaining. Recently SWALCO's Reuse-A-Shoe program collected 20,000 pairs of athletic shoes which will be ground down and made into sports surfaces and playgrounds.

If you would like to find out more about a program or would like to find out how your group can participate, please contact Merleanne Rampale at (847) 336-9340. You may also like to sign up to receive email reminders of collection dates throughout the year.