Condell, village: Listen to residents
On Jan. 22, the Libertyville board approved a master plan which provides overall guidance for Condell Medical Center's future expansion and a "bed tower" soon to be built, northwest of the current facilities. Your report covering the village review meeting mentions neighborhood concerns but it lacks the specifics Libertyville residents should understand.
For sure, Condell's neighbors favor its efforts to become a first-class facility for Lake County. They just object to a 104-foot tall glass tower in their backyard, to house additional patient rooms.
Condell's 77-acre campus provides ample space for expansion consistent with the current complex, i.e., going out rather than up. In December 2007, 70 of Condell's immediate neighbors petitioned the planning commission not to recommend approval of the tower, as proposed. Nevertheless, the Libertyville trustees, very content with the "improved" dialog with Condell, blessed the proposed bed tower.
The proposed tower would be within feet of the south side of Cleveland Avenue making it a nuisance for the residents north of it. No amount of landscaping can hide a tower that tall, or abate the 24/7 noise which, despite the architect's claim, will emanate from two chillers and a diesel generator placed on top of it. To wit, Condell has been in violation of Libertyville's noise ordinances since last expansion, with machinery located on top of much lower buildings….
Lastly, the homes north and west of the tower will experience, every night, the glare radiating from the glass structure.
Over the last year, while planning for additional patient rooms, Condell could have consulted its neighbors and incorporated their input in the plan. Unfortunately, Condell repeatedly places our officials in the position to either deny approval of a project, and be the "bad guys," or approve it as proposed.
Competition, state requirements and schedules always seem to dictate prompt approval, with no options for consideration. The latest example is the emergency room expansion currently under way. In 2006, the planning commission told Condell they would no longer consider proposals that were not part of a rational master plan. Yet, in June 2007, the emergency room project was rushed through, with variations in setback and landscaping ordinances, and without a master plan supporting the logic behind the proposal.
The approval, which Condell received on Jan. 22, leaves openings in the yet-to-be-written, reviewed and board-approved ordinances needed to control the implementation of the bed tower At the least, the roof-mounted mechanical equipment must be moved underground or, if at ground level, be away from residences and well insulated. This would reduce the tower effective height, and go a long way in addressing the neighbors' concerns.
It is certainly hoped that our elected officials will seize the occasion.
Francois Bertaud
Libertyville