Barrington updates residents on CN fight, development

Barrington officials Thursday brought residents up to speed on a variety of issues ranging from the village's ongoing legal battle with Canadian National to plans for more sidewalks and bikeways.

The village's fifth town hall meeting since May 2009 drew only 16 residents, but people deeply interested in the progress of economic development and infrastructure improvements.

Village President Karen Darch reported that there would be oral arguments Nov. 9 in Washington, D.C., in Barrington's appeal of the Surface Transportation Board's approval of Canadian National's purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern railroad for increased freight train traffic.

The village is simultaneously working toward establishment of a quiet zone prohibiting the use of train horns at night along Route 59, she said.

And for commuter train passengers, Trustee Paul Hunt reported that the current parking lot fare boxes that accept smart cards will be replaced the first week of November with boxes accepting only coins, bills and credit cards.

Trustee Beth Raseman spoke on the progress of the village's economic development and the public input leading up to next spring's revision of the comprehensive land-use plan.

The building that formerly housed the John Charles hair salon across from the Catlow Theater will be torn down soon due to maintenance issues that can't be cost-effectively fixed, she said.

But Cook Street Plaza in the heart of the downtown is now fully occupied in its retail space and upper floor condos.

Both the Adco property the village bought in 2001 and the former Champion Dodge dealership on Route 14 are being aggressively marketed to developers, Raseman said.

The village recently got input from 268 residents over eight neighborhood meetings seeking input on the comprehensive plan. A desire for more sidewalks and bikeways was strongly expressed, as well as a preference to maintain the current three-story maximum height in the downtown.

Following on from the recent upgrade of the village's website, Trustee Tim Roberts announced the arrival of an electronic message sign on the south side of Main Street north of the Metra tracks to announce community events and emergency alerts. "We're very excited about it," Roberts said. "It's going to be a great tool to communicate with our residents."