Letter: Towns want control but won't annex neighborhood

Regarding the article: "Glenview accuses Prospect Heights of violating boundary deal by pursuing Allstate annexation"

There is more to this story. There is a small neighborhood of roughly eight homes that exists near the corner of Winkelman and Sanders roads that is part of the agreement between Glenview and Prospect Heights. The agreement likewise puts restrictions on residents/landowners who reside within that neighborhood and dictates who can and cannot annex that neighborhood.

The neighborhood has been neglected by both municipalities in the sense that neither wants to annex that neighborhood currently. I have spoken with representatives of Prospect Heights for over a year trying to get annexed. Yet Prospect Heights lays claim to the area with no real intent to annex it.

To complicate matters, there are numerous parcels within the neighborhood that are owned by Allstate as Allstate has purchased these properties and torn down the homes over the years.

Many of the landowners have roots dating back to the 1950s. Basically, a neighborhood lost in time, that no municipality wishes to touch yet wants to control what happens in the area. I find it interesting that the neighborhood cannot be annexed, yet the Allstate Headquarters can.

Not even the Prospect Heights Library District wishes to annex the neighborhood. It seems to be the case that both Glenview and Prospect Heights only care about money and not about people. The true form of local government to help the little people out and improve the community for all.

Local government is not supposed to be just a tool to enrich itself. It is supposed to provide goods and services for all and to do the right thing.

Travis Cody Zimmermann

Northbrook