Buffalo Grove board split over security at proposed dance club

The issue of security remains the only substantial hurdle preventing the Buffalo Grove village board from approving a dance club at the eSkape entertainment center, 350 McHenry Road.

"Conceptually we are fine on everything but that," said eSkape's managing partner, Bill Feldgreber, at Monday's village board meeting.

The board held its fifth hearing Monday on the proposal by the bowling and entertainment center to replace a 3,400-square-foot laser tag area in the 64,000-square-foot facility with an area for special events, including dancing for teens and young adults on Fridays and Saturdays.

The security issue centers mainly on Buffalo Grove police Chief Steve Balinski's preference for having at least two Buffalo Grove police officers provide extra security, particularly in the parking lot of the Town Center mall. Balinski is concerned that a dance club at eSkape would serve as a magnet for criminal activity, especially from out-of-town visitors.

Feldgreber has balked at the cost of $68 per hour per officer, proposing instead to have a private security firm handle those duties at roughly half the cost. He said one of the two firms in the running has a Buffalo Grove connection, since it is run by two former Buffalo Grove police officers, Richard Clyburn and Ed Szos.

On Monday, board members appeared willing to bend a little to Feldgreber's wishes, proposing a compromise that would allow Feldgreber to hire the private firm. Under the compromise, however, a violation would give the village board the right to revoke its approval, while an incident or a pattern of incidents would activate a trigger requiring Feldgreber to hire the police officers.

A polling of board members Monday showed a split on the board. Board members Jeffrey Berman, Lisa Stone and Steven Trilling seemed willing to entertain the compromise.

Stone said, "I take the drug and gang issue very seriously," but she also said she wanted to balance that against living a life dictated by fear, "I'm just feeling Bill would hardly be wanting his business to turn into a gang-infested, drug-infested business." She noted that the two Buffalo Grove police officers are well connected to the community. She also expressed concerned that "$68 an hour obviously is going to paralyze him and he won't be able to start his business."

Trilling said he was concerned that not having police there initially would encourage bad behavior.

Berman said, "Having people dance in eSkape is not going to compromise the health, safety, morals and welfare of the community. The question is whether this is really a nuisance and has the potential to be a nuisance." Although the concerns raised are legitimate, he said, "They are not materially different from those of other locations or activities," noting in particular a neighboring pool establishment in the Town Center. Berman initially floated the idea that later developed into the compromise.

Balinski raised several objections. He said a security firm does not have the authority to make arrests. He also said its personnel do not necessarily have the most current training on such issues as gangs and the use of force. They do not have the ability to network with other agencies, he said, nor do they have the ability to use the LEADS criminal database.

When Berman asked, "Can't they pick up the phone and call you? Certainly our retired police officers know how to get hold of your department," Balinski replied that they would not be authorized to make that call, because it would violate an existing agreement governing the use of LEADS.

Balinski said he has been in contact with the police chief of Vernon Hills, who related his village's recent experience with teen nights at a local lounge. The chief detailed such problems with fights, gangs, criminal damage to property, noise and an increase in traffic accidents, Balinski said. Most alarming, Balinski said, was a survey that revealed that 85 percent of the teens attending were from outside the community.

Trustee DeAnn Glover said she wanted the policemen on site. "I'm not willing to give on that," she said. Trustee Beverly Sussman, who, when polled said she didn't want the dance club there, agreed. "I believe we have to start with Buffalo Grove police." A former teacher, Sussman added, "It's like being in a classroom. - You can go from strict to nice very easily. But it's very hard to go from sweet and nice to very strict."

Trustee Jeffrey Braiman, citing his experience as an attorney whose client operated a dance club in Des Plaines and the Vernon Hills experience, declared his opposition. "I think we're creating an environment that's ripe for gangs, (for) drug abuse (and for) alcohol."

Village President Elliott Hartstein, who, if necessary, would be casting the tiebreaking vote, said if the compromise has strong enough language about what would trigger a police presence, he would consider supporting it.

Feldgreber asked the board to give him a three-month trial period to prove he could handle the security issue on his own. He said it is misleading to compare eSkape with other facilities. He said he is constantly on site. He added that he has invested seven years of his life in eSkape and is not going to "give it away for a dance party."

The hearing was continued to Jan. 18