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2011

In the April 5, 2011 local election, Kathleen Leitner is running unopposed for re-election as Village President. Incumbents David Parro and Rich Baggett plus Donna Schardt are running for the 3 available Trustee seats. Trustee Scott Merkle is not running for re-election.

2010

	The new Tower Lakes Community Foundation presents it's inaugural Dinner Dance, Saturday Feb 27th, 2010, 6:30 pm at the Onion Pub in Lake Barrington. The dance will be a 1940's theme, featuring the big band sounds of Deerfield. The Dance will honor outstanding citizens Phyllis & Jim (in memoriam) Pfeil. Contact Mike Rigali or Karen Yancey for further information.
	The referendum Feb 2, 2010 on the question of reinstating a garbage collection levy passed by a wide margin, almost 74% yes.
	Census 2010 is coming in March. Click here to visit our Census Page. For more information visit : www.census2010.gov
	Water mains will be flushed Village-wide the week of April 17-23, 2010. It is possible that your water may become discolored during the flushing, however the water IS safe for drinking and cooking. You may wish to restrict clothes washing to evening hours to avoid any chance of discoloration. If you have any questions, please contact our water operators, Manhard Consulting, at 847-325-7270. Thank you for your patience.
	President Leitner has appointed David Blake to serve as the Tower Lakes Emergency Services Director, replacing Mala Filippell. David was sworn in at the April 19, 2010 Village Board Meeting.
	The Plan Commission has completed a draft summary for residents of the results of the 2008 Resident Survey, which is being used as input to the current project to update the Village Comprehensive Plan. A relatively high response rate of over 40% was achieved. Click this link to view the summary.
	The Village will conduct a free brush and branch pick-up May 17, 2010, 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 Wren Rd. in September/ October of 2010.
	The Village will conduct a free brush and branch pick-up Oct 4, 2010, 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.
	President Leitner appointed Kathy Patengale as a new Plan Commission member and she was sworn in in May 2010.
	The Plan Commission has completed a 3 year project to update and rewrite the Village Comprehensive Plan, last updated in 2002. Click on this link for a Draft Copy 2010 Tower Lakes Comprehensive Plan, intended for Resident review and comment. Following a public hearing on Sept 20, 2010, the Village Board adopted this plan with very minor tweaks in Oct 2010. You are encouraged to e-mail comments to any Plan Commission member. Jeff Dehnert, jeff@dehnco.com, is the PC Chairman.
	The Village Board in July 2010 authorized President Leitner to bid at auction for the property at 410 N. Route 59 adjacent to the Village Hall, which was formerly the Tower Lakes School. Given that the current Village Hall is not meeting the space needs foreseen for the present or future, and is approaching the latter stages of it's useful life and that the adjacent property is strategically located, historically significant and also has been for sale at a distressed price, the Board agreed that it would be prudent to acquire control of the property to protect our future options, in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan, if such control could be accomplished at a low price due to this special opportunity. The Village was the successful high bidder on July 20 for $135,000 and closed the sale in early Sept 2010. This price was significantly less than the January 2008 appraisal which valued the property at $255,000. President Leitner intends to appoint a committee to review short and long term options for the site.
	Follow this link to the annual Water Quality Report for Tower Lakes.
	President Leitner reappointed Dan Spies to the Plan Commission on Sept 20, 2010.
	The Village of Tower Lakes is now offering a new communication tool. This technology allows us to send text messages directly to your mobile phone. If you are interested in receiving important community notices you can sign up by texting “votl” to 90210. For those not familiar with texting, use the text message feature on your phone and enter 90210 in the “to” field and type “votl” in the message field and press send. You will receive an auto response message confirming receipt of your text message. Standard text message fees apply. Once you have signed up to receive community notices, you may text “help” for additional information or text “stop” to be removed from this service.

2009

	The Tower Lakes Police Department will be sponsoring a CPR class for interested residents from 6-9 pm on Feb 25, 2009. Class size is limited to 20. Location will be at the Wauconda Fire Dept. Call the Police Chief (847-526-0444) or the Village Office (847-526-0488) to sign up.
	Jobs are now available for Census 2010 workers. Qualifying tests will be held at Island Lake Sr Center, 3720 Greenleaf Ave, Island Lake Wednesdays Feb 4, 11, 18, & 25 at 1:30 pm. Bring a passport or an original SS card or original birth cert. for ID. For more info call 866-861-2010 or see http://www.census.gov/2010censusjobs/index.php
	The 8th annual Cuba & Barrington Townships Have a Heart food drive will be held from 9 to noon Saturday Feb 14, 2009 at the Barrington Fire Station #1, 400 N. Northwest Highway in Barrington. Please bring packaged or canned non-perishable food items or checks. All donations stay in the Barrington area.
	In the April 7, 2009 municipal election, incumbent Trustees Tom Bolger, Sophia Chen-deVries and Mike Rolfs were elected to the 3 available Village Trustee positions.
	The Village will conduct a free brush and branch pick-up May 18 (postponed from May 11), 2009, 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.
	In June 2009, a new tornado siren, funded by the Village and a grant from Cuba Township, was placed in operation at Rt. 59 and Indian Trail Rd. Monthly testing of this unit can be done silently.
	In July 2009, following Plan Commission recommendations and a Public Hearing, the Village Board passed an amendment to the Zoning Ordinances adding impervious surface limits on lots in the Village aimed at reducing storm water runoff issues, including the affect on lake water quality.
	Dan Spies and Tom Kubala have resigned from the Plan Commission in June/ July 2009 for personal reasons. President Leitner and the Village Board thank them for their excellent and productive years of public service.
	The TLPD passed the triennial State Police audit conducted in July 2009.
	Attention residents on South Hills Dr., Tomahawk Ln. Esther Dr., Raleigh Pl. and the last 2 blocks of West Lake Shore Dr.: a major resurfacing project is planned for this summer on the above streets. The timing is approximately September 2009. Watch for announcements with more specifics as the schedule firms up. For any questions on work in progress, you can contact the Cuba Township Road District at 847-381-7793, who are organizing the project for us. Their website has an e-mail link for comments, requests or questions.
	President Leitner has appointed Jacqueline Skurla as a new Plan Commission member and she was sworn in at the September 2009 Village Board Meeting.
	President Leitner has appointed Andy Hay to fill a vacancy on the Zoning Board of Appeals and he was sworn in at the September 2009 Village Board Meeting.
	Click here for the latest local information on H1N1 Flu Virus protection as of Oct 19, 2009.
	Water mains will be flushed Village-wide October 20-22, 2009. You may wish to restrict clothes washing to evening hours to avoid any chance of discoloration.
	Tom Hannagan has left the Plan Commission. He will continue as Chairman of the Tree Commission., The Village Board deeply appreciates Tom's service a Plan Commissioner.
	The Village Board voted to place a referendum on the ballot for the Feb 2, 2010 election on the question of reinstating a refuse collection levy.
	The Plan Commission has completed a draft summary for residents of the results of the 2008 Resident Survey, which is being used as input to the current project to update the Village Comprehensive Plan. A relatively high response rate of over 40% was achieved. The summary is expected to be published and distributed via several means in early 2010.
	The Village will conduct a free brush and branch pick-up Oct 26-27, 2009, 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.

2008

	President Leitner has named Mala Filippell to replace Ali Widmar as the Village Emergency & Disaster Services Director. We thank Mrs. Widmar for her enthusiastic years of volunteer service to the Village.
	Tower Lakes has joined a coalition of neighboring communities to try to protect our interests in the proposed CN railroad purchase of the EJ&E railway, which will dramatically increase freight train traffic through Barrington and surrounding areas. We invite you to review the Barrington Communities Against CN Rail Congestion Coalition Fact Sheet and other details on the website www.fightrailcongestion.com. The US Surface Transportation Board will render the approval decision, perhaps with conditions, following an impact study. Visit the Surface Transportation Board's website, stb.dot.gov. Please refer to STB Finance Docket No. 35087 in all correspondence. You can also call the toll-free project information line, 1-800-347-0689. You should also read the letter to residents from the coalition mayors, and the statement to the STB from our President Leitner.
	Cuba Township has generously awarded Tower Lakes a grant of $5,000 to be used toward the future installation of a tornado warning siren within the Village borders. The Village is studying means for raising the additional funds necessary for construction.
	At the July 2008 Village Board Meeting, Marilyn Parro was sworn in as the new Village Clerk. President Leitner and the Board would like to thank outgoing Clerk Gale Peterson for her valuable service to the community.
	At the November 2008 Village Board Meeting, with the consent of the Board, President Leitner appointed Mike Rolfs as a new Village Trustee, replacing Tom Fitzgibbons, who resigned just before the meeting for personal reasons. Mike was sworn in to fill out the term of Trustee Fitzgibbons, which expires in May 2009. The Village of Tower Lakes would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to Tom for his years of outstanding service. Mike will be assuming Tom's role as Building & Zoning Committee Chairman.

2007

The next local elections are Tuesday April 17, 2007. Kathleen Leitner is running for Village President. Rich Baggett and David Parro are running for re-election as Trustees. Scott Merkle is running for the Trustee position vacated by Brian Gidley. Brian has announced he will not seek election to continue as President. Please come out and vote on April 17.

Lake County has announced a plan to close and consolidate over a third of the polling places in the county, including the one in Tower Lakes, in spring 2007. Under the plan, voters in Precinct 66 (Tower Lakes) would have to go to a polling place at the Lake Barrington Village Hall. Tower Lakes officials, along with many others, have protested this plan to our County Board member Steve Mountsier. Watch this page for further details.

	We have a new Village Clerk. Gale Johnson was appointed by President Gidley, with the unanimous consent of the Board, to replace Kathleen Leitner who has resigned after many outstanding years of service to the Village. Gale was sworn in at the February 19, 2007 Village Board meeting. Thank you Kathleen and welcome Gale!
	In 2007, the Village will consider adopting an ordinance requiring a Village Stamp at the closing of each real estate sale in the Village. This practice is common to most of our surrounding municipalities. The idea would be to use the occasion of home sales to enforce the new Illinois CO detector law and also to make sure delinquent water bills are paid up.
	As of April 9, 2007, Tower Lakes police are once again directing traffic at the entrance to North Barrington School at the beginning and end of the school day. Tower Lakes and the Lake County Sheriff had combined to provide this service several years ago, but the patrols were discontinued after the $400,000 improvement was made by IDOT to the Grandview Dr. intersection in 2001. In early 2007, parent groups complained that the intersection has grown dangerous again due to increased congestion. The officer is additional to the Village patrol, so no coverage in the Village is lost. Tower Lakes is one of 3 Villages which send students to NBS. The other two - Lake Barrington and North Barrington - are closer to the site but do not have their own police forces. North Barrington and Lake Barrington are helping Tower Lakes to pay for the officer's time. All three Villages plus CUSD 220 are working together to lobby IDOT to improve signage and reduce speed limits on Rt. 59.
	At the April 16, 2007 Village Board meeting, the Board accepted the recommendation of the Utilities Committee to raise the fixed portion of the quarterly water rates by $75. The funds will be used to help defray the costs of several expensive repairs in progress and planned, and in the future will be used to build up a reserve fund for future equipment replacement in compliance with current accounting requirements.
	On April 16, 2007 following a competitive bidding process, the Village Board approved the recommendation of the Utilities Committee to award a contract to Deverey Engineering to conduct studies and make recommendations on the modernization of the water system, including larger mains in some areas and an additional well or well refurbishment, as well as recommending financing options for such improvements.
	At the April 16, 2007 Village Board meeting, acting President Gidley announced that he is appointing Randy Young of West Lake Shore Dr to fill a vacancy on the Plan Commission, created by the departure of Karen Yancey.
	The April 17, 2007 municipal election results are: former Village Clerk Kathleen Leitner was elected unopposed as the next Tower Lakes Village President. Trustees David Parro and Rich Baggett were re-elected unopposed to third and second terms, respectively. Scott Merkle was elected unopposed to fill the Trustee position vacated by T. Brian Gidley. All will be sworn in at the May 21 Village Board meeting.
	The Village will run a free Village-wide brush & branch pick-up the week of May 7, 2007. Please stack branches with the butt end at the street. Do not include weeds or other soft materials or any non-natural garbage. Also, there is now 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.
	On May 21, 2007, President Leitner appointed Tom Hannagan as Village Tree Commissioner. He will help the Board plan tree planting programs and will rule on citizen requests to trim or remove live trees in the Village right-of-way.
	Aqua Illinois informed the Village that they would decline to renew the contract to operate the water system. After a lengthy search for a new management firm, the Village Board accepted the recommendation of the Utilities Committee to hire Manhard Consulting to manage the system. Residents will see a change in the appearance of their bills in the last half of 2007. Payments will now be made to the Village of Tower Lakes rather than to Aqua Illinois. The new 24 hr service phone number will be 847-325-7270.

2006

	Village Trustee Richard Baggett has resigned as of April 2006 due to conflicts with his work schedule. President Kuskowski will nominate a replacement to fill out the remainder of Trustee Baggett's term of office. The Village thanks Rich for the hundreds of hours of volunteer work he contributed to the operation of the Village.
	Household Chemical Waste Collection days have been scheduled by SWALCO for March 25, April 22, May 6 and May 20, 2006. See our events calendar for times and locations.
	The Village will run a free brush & branch pick-up the week of May 8, 2006, 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. There will also be a second pick-up in the fall, after the TLIA fall clean-up.
	The Plan Commission in spring 2006 will be considering changes to the zoning ordinance to update and clarify building setback requirements.
	The Village was given notice in March 2006 by Aqua Illinois of the possibility it may discontinue managing the Village's water system. Trustee De Vries led an effort to find other qualified candidates to take over the management contract. Aqua Illinois subsequently agreed to continue with the contract for one more year.
	Senator Barak Obama held a town hall meeting at noon Monday April 17, 2006 in the Barrington High School Auditorium. The public was invited along with local officials and BHS students. Tower Lakes Trustee Brian Gidley and the BACOG Presidents met privately with Sen. Obama before the Town Hall to discuss the BACOG legislative agenda and our local needs and concerns.
	President Kuskowski has appointed Scott Nelms to the Tower Lakes Zoning Board of Appeals effective April 2006, replacing Grant Stewart, who has moved.
	At the May 2006 Village Board meeting, President Kuskowski announced his intent to appoint Tom Bolger to replace Trustee Baggett on the Village Board. The board members enthusiastically approved of this nomination and it is expected that Tom will be sworn in at the June meeting.
	The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO), of which Tower Lakes is a member, has begun a free document shredding service. Documents to be shredded can be dropped off from 8 am to 2 pm on the first Saturday of each month at Records Management, Inc., 101 E. Maple Ave., Mundelein (near the intersection of Rt. 176 & US Hwy 45). For more information, call 847-949-8500.
	The Plan Commission monthly meeting will move from 7:30 PM to 7:00 PM on the second Thursday of each month, starting June 2006.
	The Village Office will be experimenting with longer hours one day a week this summer in an effort to provide more convenient service. The office will have normal hours of 8:30-12:30 Mon, Wed & Th, but will be open 10-6 on Tue and will be closed on Fri.
	It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Village President Leonard J. Kuskowski on June 10, 2006. Len served the Village as Trustee from 1995 to 2000 and as President from 2000 to 2006, donating countless thousands of hours of his time to managing the business affairs of the community. The last several years he continued his selfless volunteering in spite of his battle with terminal illness. He also served a term as President of the Barrington Area Council of Governments. One of his many accomplishments was convincing the County to construct a bridge/ bike path around the north end of the main lake, providing a long-sought safety amenity for Tower Lakes and saving the community over $600,000. Visitation will be at Davenport Funeral Home in Barrington Tue & Wed June 13-14 and a service will be held at St. Anne's at 10:00 AM Thurs June 15. Burial will be in New York.
	The entry monument at the North Lake entrance, which was destroyed in a recent car accident, has been replaced. Since the bricks used in the original are no longer made, we are taking this opportunity to give the monuments a new stone veneer so they will again be a matched pair and also hopefully result in an enhanced, more upscale, entry. Marsha Fitzgibbons and Debbie Baggett have volunteered to coordinate the upgrade, which will include new lights and signage. Please provide any feedback, positive or constructive, to the Village office.
	At the July 2006 Village Board meeting, the Village Board elected Trustee T. Brian Gidley to be Acting President until the next municipal election in April 2007.
	The Plan Commission will be holding public hearings on the changes they are proposing to the zoning regulations regarding setbacks and demolition procedures. Watch the calendar.
	New and updated info will be coming soon to the Building page on this site to help make it easier for homeowners planning projects to understand the latest ordinances and procedures.
	Water mains will be flushed Village-wide the week of July 10-17. You may wish to restrict clothes washing to evening hours to avoid any chance of discoloration.
	At the July 2006 Village Board meeting, Trustee David Frey reluctantly submitted his letter of resignation. He is moving out of town. The Village thanks Dave for the hundreds of hours of volunteer work he contributed to the operation of the TLIA and the Village, especially as Chairman of the Police Committee. He had served on the Village Board since Nov 2004.
	Acting President Gidley advised the Board at the July meeting of his intent to appoint former Trustee Rich Baggett to rejoin the Board, replacing Dave Frey, in view of Rich's experience and his new more flexible work hours. The board voted it's unanimous consent and Rich is expected be re-sworn in during July 2006. Rich will assume Dave's Police Committee position. This leaves just one open position on the Board.
	A lightning detector has been obtained by the Village at no cost and given to the TLIA to install at the beach in August 2006. This equipment is state of the art and has the ability to give a verbal warning instead of sirens.
	East Entry Carving

In November 2005, we lost the two great oaks at the east entrance to the Village. These ancient trees formed the entrance to Tower Lakes for 81 years and were the subject of many pictures, ads and even Christmas cards as shown elsewhere on this website. Before Tower Lakes, they were the entry to the Davlin farm for nearly 90 years and were a landmark on the Indian trail for decades before that. Sadly, both of them had begun to show many dead branches in recent years and when the southern one was hit by a truck on Halloween 2005, the President decided to remove them both for safety. In hopes of preserving some vestige of the value and legacy of the "entry" trees, the lower trunk of the northern tree was temporarily saved from the saws to see if it could be put to some positive use.

After seven months of soliciting suggestions, there were very few opinions put forward. Then, we found Mike Bihlmaier, a Marengo, IL artist and member of the Echo national chainsaw carving team, who agreed to carve the stump into a whimsical Welcome sign for a price only a couple hundred more than the cost of removal and grinding. Mike has won awards for his art in shows and competitions as far away as Washington state. Everyone is invited to come and see him in action the week of July 17, 2006.

We will seek comments on the results of this experiment over the next several months and decide by next year if this is a "keeper" or a "throw it back". Hopefully, this will be a constructive use of the chainsaw in contrast to the tens of thousands of dollars we spend annually on destructive chainsaw applications. And maybe we can give one of our old icons a few more years of marking the entrance to this place.

	Hopefully many of our residents saw the two wonderful August articles in the Chicago Tribune (August 2, 2006 Tempo Section) and Quintessential Barrington (July/August 2006 cover story, pp 40-44) on Tower Lakes' own international opera star, Jennifer Larmore. Jennifer and her husband William Powers have lived in the Country Club Estates subdivision in Tower Lakes since 1988.
	President Gidley has announced weekly office hours when he will be available, preferably by appointment. They are Wednesday evenings from 7-8:30 PM.
	The streets in the Fenview Estates subdivision are being resurfaced during July & August 2006. The Village formed an alliance with the Cuba Township Highway Dept and the Village of Lake Barrington to save money by combining multiple paving projects for the three governments. The Cuba Twp HD helped coordinate the engineering, bidding and supervising. IDOT approved the specifications, qualified the bidders and oversaw the bidding process. The lowest of three similar bidders was selected and the low price for the Tower Lakes portion of the package was approximately $212,000 or about $22,000 more than our engineers estimated. While we had budgeted this amount for 2006, we had hoped, based on previous projects, that this money would cover about twice the mileage of the Fenview streets. Two main reasons for the price per mile being drastically higher than in 2000 were a) the higher price of crude oil from which asphalt is derived and b) a 2005 state law which forces contractors to certify that they will pay union scale wages (regardless of whether the workers are union or not) for all projects which use gasoline tax funds. The Fenview streets were the oldest pavement surface in Tower Lakes, and although they were not the worst condition of our streets, our engineers recommended that we will get an optimum bang for our buck by resurfacing such "medium" condition roads. We also intend to correct a drainage/ slope issue on Blue Stem Court. We will look at doing a few blocks of "poorest" condition streets later this year or early next year with CTHD's in-house equipment if we can get a better price on asphalt. We have established a prioritized list. According to the USA Today, local governments in every state are deferring paving projects due to the unplanned spike in asphalt costs, so we're not alone. However, we will have to reconsider our rate of savings and funding strategies for future resurfacing. Residents having any questions or concerns regarding the Fenview project are asked to call Cuba Township Hwy Commissioner Tom Gooch at 847-381-7793.
	The Plan Commission voted preliminary approval of the plans for the unincorporated Legacy subdivision of 14 homes on 40 acres on Tara Ct. The homes will be clustered on lots as small as 0.7 acres, as allowed by the County 2 acre zoning, with some large parcels of open space. At it's August 2006 meeting, the Plan Commission voted to recommend to the Village Board that final approval be given. This was accepted by a majority of the Village Board (1 vote against) on Aug 21, and the County Zoning Board will be so advised.
	Sgt. Fred Kubas has decided to retire from active duty after 13 years with the Tower Lakes Police Dept. We thank Fred from the bottom of our hearts for his many years of dedicated service and leadership in the command structure of our public safety force. An appreciation dinner in his honor was held in August, 2006 at Cucina Bella restaurant in Algonquin.
	Water mains will be flushed Village-wide the week of Sept 5-8. You may wish to restrict clothes washing to evening hours to avoid any chance of discoloration.
	The Village will run a free Village-wide brush & branch pick-up the week of October 2-6. Please stack branches with the butt end at the street. Do not include weeds or other soft materials or any non-natural garbage.
	There was a dedication ceremony Saturday Oct 28, 2006 at 3 pm for the Kuskowski monument at Roberts Rd. & N. Lake Shore Dr. A large crowd of nearly a hundred attended the ceremony, which was followed by a reception at the home of Village Clerk Leitner. The Village, with the blessing of the Lake Co. Highway Dept, named the bridge & bike path along Roberts Rd. Kuskowski's Pathway after the late Village President Len Kuskowski who was the force behind its creation. Most of the money, material & labor for the monument was raised through donations. A nice article on this event appeared in the Sunday Oct 29, 2006 Barrington Daily Herald.
	Residents are encouraged to visit the following US Dept of Health and Human Services website to learn up to date information about the avian flu threat and recommended steps to take to be prepared: www.pandemicflu.gov The Lake County Health Dept also has checklists for emergency preparedness and other info at: www.co.lake.il.us/health/chs/influenza

2005

	About 400 people of all ages rang in the new year at the community dance in a heated tent on the soccer field. A good time was had by all.
	The April 5, 2005 elections in Tower Lakes will fill Village President and 3 Trustee seats. Persons interested in running for office can pick up a packet from the Village Clerk. Petitions can be circulated through Jan 29, 2005.
	There will be a special Village Board meeting Thursday Jan 27, 2005 at 6:30 at the Village Office. The only agenda item will be to vote on final specific language for the tax referendum ordinance which was agreed in principle at the December meeting.
	Donations for Tsunami Relief are being accepted starting Jan 3, 2005 at the Village Hall. Call 847-526-0488 between 8:30- 12:30 weekdays for more information or drop by the Village Hall. Cash or M.O. only. Make checks out to the Red Cross International Response Fund.
	The date for the March 2005 Village Board Meeting has been moved from March 21 to March 14 due to a scheduling conflict. The TLIA Board meeting scheduled for March 14 will be moved to March 7.
	The April 5, 2005 elections in Tower Lakes will fill the Village President and 3 Trustee seats. Incumbents are running unopposed in all 4 races. There will also be a referendum on a small property tax increase in Tower Lakes. This is a repeat of the referendum which failed in the Nov 2004 election. The Village Board believes that a yes vote will reduce the severity of service cuts and postpone the need for other types of (non-deductible) tax increases.
	Tower Lakes has once again been named a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation. Arbor Day is the last Friday in April (April 29, 2005).
	The property tax referendum for Tower Lakes was passed at the April 5, 2005 election. The vote was 221(64%) yes, 125 (36%) no, with a turnout of about 40% of registered voters, which was high for a non-national election. President Kuskowski and Trustees DeVries, Baggett and Fitzgibbons were re-elected unopposed. The 1/2% Lake County sales tax increase for road improvements failed county-wide by about 3%.
	Water mains will be flushed Village-wide the week of April 18-22. You may wish to restrict clothes washing to evening hours to avoid any chance of discoloration.
	The Lake County Highway Department is constructing a pedestrian walkway/ bike path along Roberts Road in Tower Lakes, extending from North Lake Shore Dr to East Lake Shore Dr. Preliminary work took place in 2003, and main construction in summer 2004, with landscaping to be finished in spring 2005. The path will involve painting a crosswalk at Circle Dr, widening the Roberts Road bridge along the north end of the lake, paving a path along Roberts from North Lake Shore Dr. to East Lake Shore Dr. and wetland remediation. This will greatly improve pedestrian safety for people walking around the lake between the West side and the East side and for those crossing Roberts Rd to/from North Lake. The Village, the TLIA and two other affected property owners have cooperated with planning and easements. Funding, including over $500,000 for design and construction plus all future maintenance, are provided entirely by the County. Plan details and sketches are available for public review at the Village Office.
	The Village of Tower Lakes notes with sadness the passing of former Village President (1979-1983) George H. Simmons Jr.
	Water mains will be flushed around the Village the week of July 25, 2005. You may notice some discoloration and may want to consider bypassing your water softener and/or limiting laundry to evening hours. However, the water will remain safe to drink.
	A ceremony was held at 3:00 PM on June 18, 2005 to formally open the new bridge/ bike path along Roberts Rd between North Lake Shore Dr and East Lake Shore Dr and to thank those responsible, including Village President Kuskowski, the Lake County Dept. of Transportation, and TLIA Presidents Burnidge and Shircel.
	The Barrington Farmer's Market and the Barrington vintage car Cruise Night are being held every Thursday afternoon/evening this summer in downtown Barrington. Please support these fine events.
	Plan commissioners Greg Valicka and Randy Spiess resigned in June 2005, leaving two vacancies. Village President Kuskowski has appointed commissioner Jeff Dehnert to succeed Greg Valicka as Chairman of the Plan Commission.
	The annexation ordinance which has been under consideration for several months for two parcels on Rt. 59 was passed 3-2 at the July 2005 Village Board meeting. The properties are in A-4 zoning (2 acre minimum).
	At the August Village Board meeting, the Village Board agreed to hire a finance company to refinance the SSA #2 (Water System) bonds this fall. It is expected that it will be possible to reduce the interest rate paid by over 1.7%, leading to the potential to reduce the tax levy by somewhere in the range of $40/year per home for the remaining 10 years. Final numbers will be known in the next two months. It should be noted that the water system still has needs for significant additional capital for refurbishment and improvements, but the savings on the refinancing cannot be used to pay for system improvements, only to change the rate of repayment of the debt. Therefore, it was decided to lower the SSA tax levy now and to look at other means of financing the remaining improvements through some combination of grants, water rate adjustments or separate borrowing.
	The Village has been awarded a $35,000 grant from the State to expand the Village Hall to improve, among other things, the facilities for records storage. Thanks to our State Rep. Mark Beaubien for sponsoring this grant. Follow this link to the State's press release.
	President Kuskowski appointed two residents in September to fill vacancies on the Village Plan Commission. The new Commissioners are Dan Spies and Bob Brown.
	At the September 2005 Village Board meeting an ordinance was passed, in conjunction with the planned refinancing of the Water System bonds, to lower the annual payment of 396 households from $438 to $385 per year, or 12.1%. This reduction of $53 per year will appear on your 2006 tax bills for 2005. The Board also expects the refinancing to potentially result in retiring the debt one year ahead of schedule in 2014.
	Thanks to Chief Sinacore, we have a new tool starting in 2005 which supplements, and in some ways is better than, the Amber Alert that can help the Police Department find a missing child in Tower Lakes. When a person is reported missing to the police, the officer calls in the description and last known location to our service and a personalized alert message is telephoned out to homes in the specific area where the child was lost. This system can place 1,000 calls in 60 seconds. Tower Lakes has obtained this program at no cost. This is a very exciting tool and it is already in effect in our village. For more details, read this link or visit our Police page.
	The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO), of which Tower Lakes is a member, will hold a residential electronics collection event on Saturday Oct 22, 2005 from 8 am to 2:30 pm at the Lake Forest High School athletic campus, on Waukegan Rd, just south of Rt 60. Computer eguipment, office equipment, televisions and small appliances will be accepted. Batteries, chemical wastes and software will not be accepted.
	The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) agreed in Nov 2005 with the Village of Tower Lakes' petition to lower the speed limit on the part of IL Rt. 59 that runs near and through Tower Lakes. New signage has been installed lowering the speed limit from 55 to 50 mph. This is a victory for Village President Len Kuskowski, who spent considerable time assembling data to make the case that based on the intersections, driveways, and businesses, the limit should be at least as low if not lower than the stretch south of Lake Barrington Shores, which has been 50 mph for some time. This change will lower noise levels in our town and improve safety on a stretch of highway which our children travel daily to school.
	A new official Village map was updated in Dec 2005. The new map can be seen by clicking the above link, or go to the Maps section of the Village Information page. Color copies of the new map are included with the current Village telephone directories, and those maps include the additional information on TLIA boat landings. Larger color copies are also available by request from the Village Office for a small fee.
	There will be a meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals at 9:00 am on Sat. Dec 31, 2005 to consider a possible setback variance for the Bernat property at 201 East Gateway Dr.

2004

	The Village has been requested to consider a possible proposal to lease a small parcel of public property along Rt 59 to allow T-Mobile to erect a cell tower in exchange for lease revenue to the Village. This is not a Village initiative, but the Village has been asked to respond to the inquiry from representatives of T-Mobile. There are several potential concerns, so the matter was referred to the Plan Commission. The Plan Commission gathered information and held a town meeting before forming a recommendation to the Village Board on how to respond to the offer. A town meeting was held March 4. Thanks for the huge turnout. The Village Board followed the Plan Commission's recommendation to draft ordinances regulating cell towers which are as restrictive as legally feasible and which take into account the majority wish to preserve the scenic character of the Village per the Comprehensive Plan. As of June 21, 2004, the Village Attorney and the Village's consulting attorney have presented a draft set of ordinance and zoning changes to the Board. The Village Board passed the drafts without comment back to the Plan Commission for study. The Plan Commission held a public hearing on the ordinance changes Sept 16 and then recommended final text changes to the Village Board, which will vote on the new regulations later this year. If a formal proposal from a service provider comes in at any time in the future, it would have to comply with the new regulations and go through public Zoning Board hearings before any approval could be considered.
	The Village thanks Mr. & Mrs. Richard Gillette for recommending the donation of two automatic Defibrillators to the Police Dept. They will be placed in squad cars and are a significant safety improvement for our residents. The Village also thanks the Wauconda Fire Protection District for the donation of an upgraded vehicle for the Tower Lakes K-9 unit.
	Stop by and take a look at our Village sign near the flagpole at the Village Office. The old one had delaminated and come to the end of its useful life. Thanks to President Kuskowski for commissioning a handsome new one with the Village logo carved right into the wood, and at a very low cost.
	Tower Lakes has been named a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation for 2004, marking the 11th straight year Tower Lakes has received this national recognition.
	The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO), of which Tower Lakes is a member, is sponsoring a rebate program for residents who construct decks made out of Carefree Xteriors HDPE Decking Systems made from recycled plastic. Rebate will be up to $3.25/ ft2. Some restrictions apply. More info, including a list of stores which carry this material, is available at the Village Office, 847-526-0488.
	The Village has been awarded a $35,000 grant from the State to expand the Village Hall to improve, among other things, the facilities for records storage. Thanks to our State Rep. Mark Beaubien for sponsoring this grant. Follow this link to the State's press release.
	Thanks to Chief Sam Sinacore for arranging for the creation of our first-ever Village Flag. It was installed June 2, 2004 in a formal flag ceremony with the Chicago Highland Rifles pipe band serving as the color guard.

	Dorothy Pratt and Phyllis Pfeil have announced that they are retiring as editors of the Tower Lakes News after decades of outstanding and faithful work keeping us all informed. Both were recognized with gifts from the Village and the TLIA at the July 4, 2004 ceremonies. Chris Burgoon has assumed the role of editor of the Tower Lakes News effective with the September 2004 issue.
	President Kuskowski appointed Bob Crimmins of Melrose Dr. in July 2004 to fill the vacancy on the Zoning Board of Appeals left by the departure of Scott Kochaney.
	President Kuskowski, with the consent of the Village Board, appointed Sophia deVries in August 2004 to fill the vacancy on the Village Board left by the departure of Trustee Kent Adams.
	The Village Board voted unanimously at the August meeting to put the question of a small property tax hike on a referendum in the November 2, 2004 election. This proposed increase would be approximately $69,000 to the "Corporate" levy (one of several), which translates to about a $158 increase on an average house. The increase would be enough to close the projected budget deficits but not enough to replenish the General Fund reserves significantly. The Board hopes to eventually restore prudent reserves through continued expense management as well as possibly increasing other revenue sources. Two Town Meetings to share information and answer questions regarding the upcoming Tower Lakes tax referendum were held Sept 30 and Oct 21.
	Don't forget to sign up for the New Year's Eve tent party, to be held in a heated tent on the soccer field. Every resident is invited, along with their friends and relatives. There will be all day fun activities and then dancing to a DJ in the evening. Reservations must be prepaid and must be sent to the TLIA c/o Pati Schaefer. The deadline has been extended but will expire in Nov, so hurry!
	Tower Lakes curfew ordinances have been updated to protect First Amendment rights in accordance with 2004 Federal court rulings. In summary, curfew for persons younger than 17 is still midnight (12:01 am) to 6 am Saturday and Sunday, and 11 pm Sunday to Thursday inclusive until 6 am the following day. Specific exceptions are provided if the person is 1) accompanied by the child's parent or guardian, 2) accompanied by a person at least 18 years old with the written approval of the child's parent or guardian, 3) participating in, going to, or returning from a) lawful employment, b) an activity sanctioned by their school, c) a religious event, d) an emergency involving the protection of a person or property from imminent threat of serious injury or damage, e) an activity involving the exercise of the child's First Amendment rights, f) an activity conducted by a non-profit or governmental entity that provides recreation, education, training or other care under the supervision of one or more adults, or 4) engaged in interstate travel from a location outside Illinois to another location outside Illinois.

Tower Lakes law also enforces School Hours. It is unlawful for any person under age 18 who is enrolled in any school to be in any public place other than school during any hours when his or her school is in session during the regular school term unless he or she is a) traveling to or from school, b) engaged in an activity sanctioned by the school, c) engaged in personal business including employment, medical care, educational or religious activities with prior notice to the school, d) participating in, going to, or returning from an activity as described in 3b-e above, or e) engaged in interstate travel from a location outside Illinois to another location outside Illinois. The entire ordinance is posted on the Police page.

	Trustee Tom Aitken, the Tower Lakes Police Committee Chairman, has tendered his resignation, effective Nov 1, 2004. President Kuskowski said "He has served faithfully until recently when work commitments forced him to be unable to attend meetings. We will miss his adherence to fiscal responsibility and his dedication to keeping police costs in line with our budgets."
	On Nov 2, 2004, the referendum for a small property tax hike in Tower Lakes was narrowly defeated by a vote of 388 - 325. The Village Board will consider the available alternatives to solve the projected deficit. These include a likely moratorium on drainage and other improvement projects, plus fee hikes and possibly utility taxes or a repeat of the referendum.
	President Kuskowski, with the unanimous consent of the Village Board, appointed David Frey to fill the vacancy on the Village Board left by the departure of Trustee Aitken. Dave was sworn in at the Nov. 15, 2004 Village Board Meeting. Dave is a patent attorney and retired Navy officer who has been active in community events.

Trustee Parro testified at the Nov 20 LCDOT public hearing in Wauconda. The hearing was called to get input on traffic congestion priorities in Lake County. Tower Lakes expressed opposition to any future plans to widen Roberts Rd. through Tower Lakes. Materials presented at the meeting show Roberts Rd. widening is NOT in the county 5 year plan, nor is it in the 2020 plan, which is largely unfunded anyway. Tower Lakes also expressed opposition to the 2020 plan for IDOT widening Rt. 59 to 4 lanes and supported the item in the 2020 plan calling for Pace bus service addition between Wauconda and the Barrington Metra station as a means of relieving some pressure on Rt. 59.

In November 2004, the Lake County board adopted the final version of the latest Regional Framework Plan. This document, last updated in 1994, is the comprehensive plan that provides guidelines for development in Lake County. This includes policies and goals for land use, infrastructure, housing, employment, natural features and open space, transportation and community design. The planning process included a series of regional forums over 3 years, in which municipal officials and other interested groups participated. Trustee Parro represented Tower Lakes at the regional forums. The plan is available at www.co.lake.il.us/planning/framework.

	At the TLIA's Nov 17, 2004 Annual Meeting, Mark Shircel was elected the new President of the homeowner's association, narrowly beating incumbent David Burnidge 89-81. Congratulations to Mark.
	The Lake County Health Department has set up a flu prevention hotline, 847-377-8470 and web page www.co.lake.il.us/health. Click on this link to view a flyer on 2004/2005 flu information. This flyer is also posted at the Village Hall door.
	At the Dec 20, 2004 Village Board meeting, President Kuskowski, with the unanimous consent of the Village Board, appointed Carol Rolfs to fill the vacant Village Treasurer position.

2003

	Thanks to generous donations from many sources, the Tower Lakes Police Dept. now has the Barrington/Lake Zurich/ Wauconda area's first K-9 unit. Officer Luke, a specially trained German Shepherd, and his handler, Corporal Antonio Colatorti, are now on patrol prepared to search for drugs or missing persons. The various donations, including a bullet proof vest from the Wauconda FOP Lodge, a specially fitted car and 16 weeks of training, are estimated to be worth tens of thousands of dollars. The team will be available to assist neighboring departments.
	The Lake County Highway Department is constructing a pedestrian walkway/ bike path along Roberts Road in Tower Lakes, extending from North Lake Shore Dr to East Lake Shore Dr. Preliminary work took place in 2003, and main construction in summer 2004. The path will involve painting a crosswalk at Circle Dr, widening the Roberts Road bridge along the north end of the lake, paving a path along Roberts from North Lake Shore Dr. to East Lake Shore Dr. and wetland remediation. This will greatly improve pedestrian safety for people walking around the lake between the West side and the East side and for those crossing Roberts Rd to/from North Lake. The Village, the TLIA and two other affected property owners have cooperated with planning and easements. Funding, including over $500,000 for design and construction plus all future maintenance, are provided entirely by the County. Plan details and sketches are available for public review at the Village Office.
	There was a brush fire on April 27, 2003 which got out of control in the high winds and consumed most of the Wagner Fen. Thanks to the cooperative efforts of over 40 fire units from as far away as Fox Lake, Lincolnshire and Long Grove, no damage was sustained to the many Tower Lakes and Lake Barrington homes bordering the Fen, and there were no injuries.
	A new official Village map was completed in 2003, the first update in 10 years. Many dozens of additions, improvements and corrections have been made. The new map can be seen by clicking the above link, or go to the Maps section of the Village Information page. Copies of the new map will be distributed with future Village telephone directories. Color copies are also available by request from the Village Office for a small fee.
	Trustee Tony Cantieri stepped down from the Village Board, effective July 31, 2003 after serving for over 6 years. A replacement, Tom Fitzgibbons of Pebble Creek Dr, was appointed by President Kuskowski August 18. Welcome Tom!
	Tony Cantieri was appointed the Village's new Building Inspector by President Kuskowski as of August 2003.
	The Village of Tower Lakes supplied a memorial brick for the Sept 11, 2003 dedication of the new Public Safety Memorial Park on Hough St. in Barrington. Chief Sinacore, Sgt. Kubas and Trustee Parro represented the Village at the dedication ceremony. The inscription on the Tower Lakes brick reads "THE VILLAGE OF TOWER LAKES BOARD AND RESIDENTS ARE PROUD TO HONOR OUR LOCAL POLICE OFFICERS AND FIREFIGHTERS WHO FAITHFULLY SERVE US EVERY DAY". Have a look next time you are in downtown Barrington.
	Comcast is now offering high speed cable internet access in Tower Lakes. Watch for more info in your mailbox, or call Comcast or you can sign up at retail outlets including Circuit City and Best Buy. They are also now offering additional digital services including HD TV.
	Officer Luke, of the Tower Lakes Police K-9 unit, was instrumental in tracking and capturing a suspected car thief in Wauconda in December when our unit was called in to assist the Wauconda Police Dept. Congratulations and a big treat for Luke!
	NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS: The Village Office has an new e-mail address. It is towerlakes@comcast.net. Please make a note of it. The old address towerlakes@core.com has been discontinued.

2002

	There is now an emergency phone outside the Village Office. It is located in a red box between the front door and the Police (North) door. A single button will connect the caller to the 911 dispatcher. This will provide 24 hr access to emergency services for joggers, bikers and drivers whose cars break down near Rt. 59, even when our part-time force is not present at the office.
	Our Police force has a new community policing tool: a retro-looking PT Cruiser! This vehicle was donated to the Village by two generous residents, Rob & Rocco Massarelli, who own Richard Chrysler Jeep in St. Charles. Please say hi when it drives by your house!
	A revised leaf burning ordinance was passed in August 2002 after several months of public hearings and study. Burning of leaves will be 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.

2001

Lake County is updating it's Regional Framework Plan. This document, last updated in 1994, is the comprehensive plan that provides guidelines for development in Lake County. This includes policies and goals for land use, infrastructure, housing, employment, natural features and open space, transportation and community design. The planning process includes a series of regional forums, in which municipal officials and other interested groups participate. Trustee Parro is representing Tower Lakes at the regional forums for the Cuba Township area. There will also be a series of public forums to gather input from the community at large through 2004.

The 2000 census is done! Your participation helps Tower Lakes get our fair share of county, state and federal funds. Results indicate we lost 23 people since 1990, for a total of 1310. Click here for a demographic breakdown from the 2000 census of Tower Lakes.

2000

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

The Village of Tower Lakes, on behalf of the 3 homeowner's associations, applied for and received recognition as a United States Millennium Community. This was a program sponsored by the White House to recognize local activities marking the new millennium. Click here for the press release explaining this award.