Mt. Prospect compromises on charitable solicitations

Mount Prospect trustees voted this week to limit streets and highways where charitable groups can solicit donations.

It was the culmination of several discussions that included input from local charitable organizations.

The following are permitted intersections:

Wolf Road at Euclid Avenue and Kensington Road.

Elmhurst Road (Route 83) at Rand Road, Kensington Road, Northwest Highway, Prospect Avenue and Central Road.

Rand Road at Kensington Road, Mount Prospect Road, and Central Road.

Central Road at Prospect Avenue, Northwest Highway, Mount Prospect Road

Northwest Highway at Emerson Street and Mount Prospect Road.

Busse Road at Golf Road, Dempster Street and Algonquin Road.

The list of permitted intersections originally was shorter, but charitable groups objected to eliminating places where they had success raising funds.

Police Chief John Dahlberg said he recommended the revised list with reservations about the Rand-Route 83-Kensington junction, as well as the intersection of Rand, Central and Mount Prospect roads.

Comparing it to the Golf Road/Algonquin Road corner in Rolling Meadows, where all solicitation is prohibited, Dahlberg said the intersections’ character, volume, approaches and surrounding uses “all provide motorists with ample distractions.”

He was particularly concerned about additional queues blocking traffic as a result of improvements on Kensington Road and additional traffic associated with the new Randhurst Village.

Already, he said, at midday northbound traffic on Route 83 at Kensington has to wait two cycles of the traffic light to get through.

But, he added, “I am completely sensitive to the fact that the original proposal all but eliminated the most productive intersections from local charitable groups.”

He said the village intends to reassess the intersections.

Two of the intersections on the permitted list, Rand at Central roads and Northwest Highway at Mount Prospect Road, are half Mount Prospect, half Des Plaines.

Trustee Michael Zadel wanted to eliminate intersections with split jurisdictions.

He said that as improvements to the shopping center at Central and Rand proceed, “We’re going to see more traffic bombarding that intersection.”

But trustees decided to pass what had been recommended, leaving the ordinance open to possible revisions in the future if needed.

Trustee Paul Hoefert said he didn’t discount the safety factor but was concerned about talking the issue to death.

“We can never predict the future,” he said. “But we haven’t had any real issues in the past (at Central and Rand).

“The world is becoming, in my mind, so sanitary. We’re trying to protect everybody from everything.”

Ronald Matella of the Knights of Columbus, one of the groups that was consulted, was pleased with the final result, saying it preserves the group’s most productive corners.

“I’m glad somebody was listening,” he said.