Tower Lakes News

(Newest items at bottom) 
 

	Agenda   The agenda for regular Village Board meetings is normally available during the latter part of the week prior to each monthly meeting. It is posted here and on the bulletin board outside the door of the Village Office for 24 hr access. For the current agenda of the Village Board, click here.
	Curfew for persons under 17 years of age is generally midnight to 6AM Friday and Saturday nights, and 11PM to 6AM Sunday through Thursday nights. There are new exceptions to this curfew in 2004, which are covered in the detailed description on the Police page. The fine for violation is not less than $100.
	Follow this Link to an Archive of old News items from this web page.
	The Emergency Management Agency of Tower Lakes is a group of volunteers organized to assist the community in preparing for, mitigating, responding to and assisting in a disaster situation. Watch for their periodic educational campaigns and refer to the following useful emergency preparedness links: www.cdc.gov, www.ready.illinois.gov, www.iema.illinois.gov, www.ready.gov, www.arizonaredcross.org/page.aspx?id=27, www.idph.state.il.us/swine_flu.
	Help! The Village of Tower Lakes and the TLIA are collecting historical information on Tower Lakes for our files and for sharing on our web sites. If you have any of the following, please consider donating or even loaning them to the Village: Photographs from the 80's or earlier Newsletters from 1947-49 or earlier, 1952-64 Old phone directories (any prior to present) Realty Ads Postcards Newspaper clippings Anything related to the Davlin/Tower Lakes School Arrowheads, etc. found locally House medallions from the 20's/30's Old beach tags Letters, stories or any shared memories/ anecdotes of life here in past decades Contact the Village Office or Village Historian Dave Parro.
	We have historical research and clerical tasks to be done which could qualify as community service credits for any interested BHS student volunteers with a good eye for detail. Please contact Trustee Dave Parro at towerlakes@comcast.net.

	A revised leaf burning ordinance was passed in August 2002 after several months of public hearings and study. Burning of leaves is now permitted only from 9 am to 4 pm Oct. 1 through Dec. 15 and April 1 through May 31. Fires must be constantly attended. Other restrictions apply. Contact the Village Office or read the newsletter for more info. Please be considerate of your neighbors who may have health concerns with smoke. Do not burn wet material and do not burn during high winds. Recreational fires, as defined by Village Ordinance, are not prohibited. Please consider subscribing to the low cost yard waste service provided by our waste hauling contractor as an alternative to burning leaves.
	Did you know: you can download a Building Permit Application right here on-line? Just go to Village Information/ Building Information or click on this link, then click on the Building Permit image and you will get a document that you can print out and send in with your check.
	Building Inspector office hours are now Thursdays from 8:30-9:30 am at the Village Office. Please call the office during regular hours (weekday mornings) to leave a question or arrange an appointment. You can also leave a voice mail message for the Building Inspector when the office is closed.
	The TLIA is requesting every resident to switch their lawn fertilizer to formulations that contain 0% phosphates, and to ask their lawn care companies to do the same. Phosphate-free fertilizer is available at most garden centers and through all major lawn care companies. This will help reduce weed and algae growth in our lakes, even if you do not live on the lake.
	A state law effective Jan 1, 2007 requires at least one carbon monoxide alarm in every residence.  At least one CO alarm is required within 15 feet of each room used for sleeping. Failure to install or maintain such alarms is a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a fine up to $1500. Enforcement inspections may be done by fire or emergency personnel if called to a residence for an emergency, or by the building inspector in the course of inspections for building permits.
	The Village of Tower lakes has acquired the Connect-CTY® service, a village-to-resident notification system, sometimes referred to as Reverse 911. With this service, police and village leaders can send voice or text messages to residents and businesses within minutes with information about severe storm warnings, boil orders, road closures or any other time-sensitive information. The Connect-CTY® service is used to supplement other communication plans and augment public safety services. Contact the Village Office or click on the link in the left margin if you want to add your e-mail or additional phone numbers to your profile. We know your mobile and work numbers and e-mails change from time to time, so a secure on-line tool for number maintenance is shown below and on the main pages of this site. Please take a moment to sign up and remember to update your data as it changes so you will not miss important government or public safety announcements.
	The Village of Tower Lakes is pleased to announce the launch of the Connect-CTY® service, our new village-to-resident notification system. With this service, village leaders can send personalized voice messages to residents and businesses within minutes with specific information about time-sensitive or common-interest issues such as emergencies and local community matters.  The Connect-CTY service will be used to supplement our current communication plans and augment public safety/first responder services. Please accept our invitation to participate in this great service. We know that your personal information is important, and rest assured that we will not share it with anyone. If you have NOT already received a test phone call from us, or you would like to provide additional contact information, click the Connect-CTY image to sign up.
	Don't miss the two outstanding articles about our town, Barrington's Best Kept Secret, Jan/Feb 2008 issue of Quintessential Barrington magazine on pages 42-43, and Tower Lakes: Fun with Future Stewards, May/June 2009 issue on page 64, both written by Village President Kathleen Leitner.
	The new garbage collection contract has been signed and has the enhanced option of larger 70 gallon wheeled recycle tote bins, which are available for rent for $1.75/ month from Waste Management. To obtain one, please contact Waste Management directly at 1-800-796-9696.
	The Tower Lakes Police Department is now able to offer residents bike helmets at the very affordable cost of $3.75 each, available in a variety of sizes and colors. Contact Chief Sinacore to place an order.
	Matt Voska has replaced Chris Merkle as Editor of the Tower Lakes News. Matt can be reached at 847-526-2376 or at towerlakesnews@gmail.com if you have news items, comments or suggestions.
	The latest (2009) Tower Lakes Village street map has been published and can be viewed or downloaded on our Maps page.
	IMPORTANT: The Tower Lakes Police Dept. is encouraging disabled or special needs residents to participate in the Illinois Premise Alert Program (PAP). Disabled or special needs residents can give their personal information to the Tower Lakes Police Dept, who will then share the information with their 911 emergency dispatch center. The confidential information will be stored in a computer database so first responders such as police and fire personnel will have immediate access to it in the event of an emergency situation. This program is also available to parents, family members, guardians and caregivers on behalf of a disabled or special needs resident. The Premise Alert Program form can be downloaded from this link and is also available at the Tower Lakes Police Dept. The forms can be mailed or dropped off at the TL Police Dept. at 400 N. IL Rt. 59, Tower Lakes, IL 60010.
	Tower Lakes Police Dept is now on Twitter. You can follow this link and also find the link on the Police Page.  This is one more way to enhance communications during emergency or other situations.
	In the April 5, 2011 local election, Kathleen Leitner was re-elected unopposed for a second term as Village President. Incumbent David Parro was re-elected for a 4th term as Trustee and incumbent Rich Baggett was also re-elected as Trustee. Former TLIA Treasurer Donna Schardt was elected to her first term as Trustee. All were unopposed. The Village Board would like to thank outgoing Trustee Scott Merkle for his outstanding four years of service on the Board as Chairman of the Finance Committee.
	The Village will conduct a free brush and branch pick-up May 16, 2011, Village-wide. Please stack branches with the butt end at the street. Do not include weeds or other soft materials or any non-natural garbage as this may cause your entire load to be skipped due to landfill regulations. Also, there is a limit on the size of the piles that will be collected. Each house is allowed a total of 10 feet in length by 4 ft high. Please respect this limit as it allows us to continue the service in a cost effective manner.
	The Village is resurfacing the remainder of West Lake Shore Dr. in the summer of 2011, completing the blocks not done in 2009. We have budgeted over $300,000 for this major maintenance project and related improvements. The project will include significant drainage improvements and replacement of the fence at Summit Dr. with a steel reinforced wooden guardrail. Extensive pothole patching will also be carried out throughout the Village. Bidding and scheduling will take place in May. Watch this space for updates on schedules. The County will also be working on Roberts Rd this summer.

News Archive

1977 illustration by former TL resident Vern McKissack