Inspiration

Teasel Masters

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Harvey Lease, Marie Borg, and Lee Bassett with their awards

Harvey Lease, Marie Borg, and Lee Bassett with their awards

The Long Grove Park District held their second annual “For the Birds” event this past weekend at Reed-Turner Woodland.  Mother Nature herself cooperated, and served up nearly perfect weather for hiking and observing our native wildflowers and birds.  A birdhouse competition was held, with many creative and clever entries crafted by a variety of residents vying for the grand-prize title.  The culmination of the event was a reception held today, to honor three special Village volunteers.  Harvey Lease, Bob Borg, and Lee Bassett were celebrated for the many contributions that they have made to Long Grove through service to the Park District, Historical Society, and Village government.  I have known these men for years in working together with them on the Historical Society Board, and both Bob and Lee have served for many years on the Conservancy and Scenic Corridor Commission for the Village.  But the Park District knows them best as “Teasel Masters.”  Bob, Lee and Harvey have put in numerous hours as stewards to the Reed-Turner Woodland, and are known throughout the community for their passion towards eradicating (or at least trying to control) this invasive species.  Sadly, Bob Borg passed away earlier this month, and he will be greatly missed by all those in our town whom he has touched over the years.

But the legacy of Bob’s volunteer service (and that of Lee and Harvey as well) lives on, and I hope that it can serve as an inspiration to our current residents.  In Lee’s remarks today, he touched on the fact that Long Grove has long been a community that greatly relies on volunteers.  Past Village President Maria Rodriguez spoke about the importance for our community to pull together with one another and work cooperatively, as we have in recent years.  Every day I see the results of so many residents, past and present, each doing what they can to make a difference.  It was heartwarming today, to be surrounded by so many of the community leaders who are currently doing good works in a variety of areas–Arts & Music Council, Rotary, Lions Club, Historical Society, Park District, Village Board & Commissions, the list goes on….Maybe we can’t all be “Teasel Masters,” but we can let the volunteer spirit shown to us by Harvey, Lee, and Bob be an example for the generations to come.

Someone To Look Up To

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I had been dreading last night’s Village Board meeting for months, because my favorite Trustee was retiring after 25 years of public service.  But then I realized yesterday, I had actually been given a gift.  Because out of the four different Village Presidents that Joe Barry has served under, I was the one who got the privilege of honoring him.

Joe started his Long Grove service as a member of the Ecology subcommittee of the Plan Commission in 1987.  He then moved on to serve as a Plan Commissioner, Village Clerk, and Trustee, an office he has held since 1995.  Joe has been instrumental in establishing so many great things in our Village over the years:  our Tree Preservation Ordinance, many new subdivisions (including my neighborhood, Stonehaven), the Menards development, and Sunset Plaza just to name a few.  But his real passion is for environmental concerns, with a special interest in seeing our Village Pathway system expanded.  I first met Joe over 10 years ago when I joined the Pathways committee, and he relentlessly recruited me to join the Village Board.  He has become my “elder statesman” not because of his age, but because of his wisdom and experience in all Long Grove matters.  Whenever I need advice, I know that Joe is always willing to hit a local trail to walk and talk it out with me.

We all wish Joe the best in his retirement, and realize that he has left us with some very big shoes to fill.  I know that I can count on seeing him around our open spaces for years to come, sporting his teasel backpack, spraying invasive species.  Joe Barry is one of those special people who just enriches your life by being a part of it.  And we are so grateful that he has chosen to enrich the lives of everyone in Long Grove for the past 25 years!

The Best Part of My Job

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Having a chat with Barbara Turner

Having a chat with Barbara Turner

It has been suggested that I write about a typical day in my job as Village President. I have been mulling this over for some time now, because truthfully, no day in this job is typical. Many of my activities are exactly what you would expect: attending meetings, interacting with staff and county officials, dealing with resident complaints. But this past December, I had a day in which I was reminded three times over of the very best part of my job. Meeting with residents one-on-one, getting to know them, and working together with them to solve problems or implement new ideas is what I truly love. Whether old or young or in-between, our residents never fail to inspire me, to remind me of the reasons to persevere, and to give me hope for the future.

INSPIRATION

My day started out by paying a visit to one of my favorite long-time residents, Barbara Turner. Barbara is familiar to most of us as the namesake of Reed-Turner Woodland, and the force behind the ongoing stewardship of this treasure, as part of the Long Grove Park District. Over coffee and cookies, I had a chance to learn a little bit more about Barbara’s background, and her thoughts on some current challenges.

In addition to her environmental work, Barbara has always been interested in history and books. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Art History, and a Masters in Library Science from Rosary College in River Forest. For her independent project to qualify for her Masters, Barbara did a multi-media study in Long Grove history, parts of which were incorporated into the book “Long Grove Lore and Legend,” which she co-wrote with Virginia Park. Barbara worked for many years as a librarian at Kildeer School, and served as the curator of the Long Grove Historical Society along with Dorie Hoyne.

Our conversation also included some of the recent changes in Long Grove, and those coming in the near future. Barbara has been mindful of the upcoming widening planned for the downtown crossroads, and is grateful that none of the historic buildings will be lost on this “unique country corner.” Her love for the character of our Village is apparent.

Even though Barbara is in her 90’s now, she still makes it a priority to keep up with current events in Long Grove, and mentioned to me that she misses not being able to attend Village Board meetings as she had in the past. I, for one, can say that Barbara is always present, as an inspiration to me.

Wearing my pink hard-hat, courtesy of Darren Boundy and ComEd.

Wearing my pink hard-hat, courtesy of Darren Boundy and ComEd.

PURPOSE

My day continued on to a lunch meeting at Smokin’ T’s with our municipal representative from Com Ed, Darren Boundy. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Darren and his family live right here in Long Grove, and that he grew up in Central Illinois in a farming town not far from my own hometown. After discussing ways in which our two agencies can work even more efficiently together, Darren had one more surprise for me–a pink hard hat! Worn by the Com Ed crews in October, these hats showed support and solidarity with all those affected by breast cancer. A meaningful memento, to be sure.

 

HOPE

To round out the day, I had the honor of presiding over a special Village Board meeting that afternoon, at Reed-Turner Nature Center. Eight students from the University of Illinois drove up from Champaign to give a final presentation on a semester-long project. Some background on this….Sam Quinn, a resident who is a Senior at U of I contacted me over the summer with an idea. He is a member of Illinois Business Consulting (IBC), a student consulting organization which undertakes projects for Fortune 500 companies, middle market, and non-profit clients. Sam wanted to know if he could do something to help revitalize our historic downtown, and if the Village would be willing to participate in a project with his student organization to explore some ways to do this. During the Fall semester, a series of meetings and weekly conference calls resulted in an area-wide survey. An analysis of the results was done to understand the market demand and potential, with final recommendations to the Village on actions to increase our business district appeal.

Working with these students was a joy. But more importantly, it gives me hope. Not just for the future of our downtown shops & restaurants, which of course I want to see flourish. But for our community. Because if young adults like Sam have enough passion and concern about our Village that they are willing to get involved, in whichever way they can, then how can we not be optimistic about the years to come?