Late 'Night Mayor' would be proud of constituents

The late Jimmy Kacheres would certainly approve of the effort. Or at least he'd understand where the "concerned neighbors" were coming from and why they were, well, concerned.

Kacheres, known by many as the "Night Mayor" of St. Charles for his years of involvement in the city's business matters, would likely be applauding some news of this past week.

A group calling itself the Near West Neighborhood Association is raising some questions about the proposed Shodeen Construction Company project called St. Charles Towne Center on the site of the leveled St. Charles Mall. Basically, they want area residents to get involved, much in the same manner that east side residents fought, and eventually knocked out, a proposal for an expanded Wal-Mart just north and east of Charlestowne Mall.

His concern was mostly about keeping downtown businesses, many of them his own, alive and well. But Kacheres actually blazed this sort of trail of opposition for St. Charles residents nearly 20 years ago when he encouraged the city council to hold off on approving a new grocery store and commercial development along Kirk Road near Main Street.

The council backed the downtown business owners who were concerned about what that kind of development could do to places like Blue Goose and the many mom-and-pop operations in town.

Over time, it became apparent that there was no stopping big-box retail development and the downtown businesses would have to change to find their own niche.

This time, it's a little different. In a press release issued by NWNA, a major emphasis is questioning the residential portions of the project and what effect it will have on the schools in that area.

As this group picks up steam, we'll also hear more about traffic in and around the neighborhood, and how the zoning and current TIF district status would come into play.

It is amazing that discussions like this are taking place in this economy. And it would all have Jimmy Kacheres asking a lot of questions and giving out plenty of advice.

Task at hand: "Your mission, if you decide to accept it, is to stage the annual Batavia fireworks show on the high school property, even though that area is somewhat like a war zone at this time. This tape will self destruct in seconds -"

OK, so some of you out there are too young to remember the lead-in to the TV show "Mission: Impossible," but it sure would have fit in during the recent meeting in Batavia to discuss where the July 4 fireworks show could be held in light of the massive construction mess that is Batavia High School right now.

The committee members took a tune from "None But the Brave" in stating they wanted to try to figure out how to keep the show at the high school.

So there will be plenty of brainpower being used in the coming months to figure out the logistics of working around the high school expansion project and staging a safe fireworks show for a big crowd - because the Fourth falls on a Saturday this year.

Hats off to those Batavians who are willing to take on this challenge. There has been so much dreary economic news these days, we didn't want to hear more bad news about the Batavia show being shelved.

Driving on washboard: Stories about winter's wrath on our roads are starting to make the rounds, and there is no doubt this winter is doing a number on our highways and byways.

It can be summed up quite simply: Most of us are driving on the equivalent of a washboard these days. My least favorite "washboard" spots right now are on Fabyan Parkway between Western Avenue and the Fox River bridge; and Route 38 heading east out of Geneva toward West Chicago and Wheaton.

We know how much traffic clogs these streets, so you can imagine the fun we are in for when crews start fixing these roads.

And it's not just the main roads having trouble. I have absorbed those annoying "washboard" jolts on the streets near my own neighborhood.

A west side story: Animal control expert Phil Zavitz of St. Charles and his wife, Joan Arteberry, were telling people that some coyote tracks were turning up in their neighborhood near Haines Middle School and Richmond Elementary on the city's west side.

The news came as no surprise to neighbors in that area. In fact, some told me they had seen the coyote and had an idea of where it slept at night.

And I thought coyotes enjoyed hanging out around wetlands or wooded areas. The word of warning should be pretty clear for those with small pets.

Their own pond: Three youngsters were the lone ice skaters taking advantage of slightly warmer weather and the green flag (for safe skating) on Batavia's Depot Pond last weekend. It was a kid's dream - an entire skating pond to himself.

Also noticed on that same walk through Batavia's Riverwalk: The brick work along the riverwalk has held up well through the years, a testament to the craftsmanship and hard work of the city's volunteers who built this special place. There are a few bricks cracking, of course, but nary a one with the engraved names of sponsors and donors.

dheun@sbcglobal.net