Hinsdale Paddle

Just in from Comedy Central ...

http://paddlepro.com/news2006/08-23-06.shtml

One hour into their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, the Hinsdale Board of Trustees discussed the 8:00 AM to 9:30 PM paddle curfew proposed by Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso. Once again about two dozen Hinsdale paddle players were in attendance to listen to their elected officials. They found the Board of Trustees virtually united in a reluctance to have Hinsdale parks policy be determined by remote control.




The attempt to impose a curfew at Katherine Legge Memorial Park follows a recent success for Mayor Grasso (pictured grinning) in imposing martial law over Willowbrook Community Park. But the effort to control Hinsdale has been met with fierce resistance. "It's classic Hinsdale arrogance", explained Lee Marcheschi of 700 Gregford Road to the Suburban Life storyteller who overheard that three million Burr Ridge residents attended the meeting. SuburbanLifeFrontPage.doc

Hinsdale President Woerner opened up the paddle topic by reading a list of seven measures to be taken to molify the three Burr Ridge residents who had complained last week. The seven new measures to be taken by Hinsdale are as follows:

(1) Increase police patrols at KLM to enforce limits on lights, noise, and alchohol use.
(2) Review of lighting system.
(3) Replacement of lost trees and addition of more trees on the east.
(4) Construction of a giant berm and tree line on the south lot line.
(5) Use of the automatic timers to override light switch.
(6) Requirement for deposit that's forfeited for rules violations.
(7) Installation of many, many signs.

It turns out that only three residents of Burr Ridge responded to the 150 invitations mailed by the Village of Hinsdale and none could return for a second meeting. One other Burr Ridge resident did turn up Tuesday night and shared his thoughts. The remaining 146 appear to be unclear why the concept of adults using a park for sports is so unpopular in their 'hood. Computer scientists at Google Labs suggested that the reason might be that sounds from KLM might be overpowered for many Laurie Lane residents by Hinsdale's other oasis.



Hinsdale's multitude of efforts will come at a cost, though. The initial estimates for Hinsdale's actions have a berm, trees, and windscreens running about $25,000. Woerner said that if this latest intiatives do not satisfy Burr Ridge, then Hinsdale would keep throwing money at the problem until it was solved. (I'm not making that up).

The agenda for Tuesday evening's Village Board meeting includes the issue raised by a few residents of Burr Ridge about an early curfew for KLM Paddle. Players available to attend Tuesday's meeting are encouraged to arrive at 7:30 PM at the Memorial Building.

We were thrilled to see two dozen supporters at last Monday's ACA meeting. With only 8 hours notice for many of us! Thanks to Andy Bizub, Bob Borchardt, Gary Doten, Ed Dunphy, Sam Hart, Jim Mercurio, Kevin McClear, Steve McClary, Bill O'Brien, Bob Schultz, Charlie Usher, Ed Usher, Mont Wickham, and probably a few people I'm forgetting at the moment. (My apologies.) Also, a big thank you to the Parks Commission members who went to yet another meeting to ensure the vitality of our fair Village, including Lynn Isselib, David Lee, Keith Medick, and especially chair Paul Sigfusson. You guys ROCK!

Scene:
Inside the Memorial Building. It's 7:30 PM on a Monday night in the summer. Three Village of Hinsdale trustees and three Village employees sit at a grand table in the front of room. A crowd of 35 people sit crammed as their audience. The press table is empty.

Fast forward to about 8:15 PM ...
In the midst of an hour-long meeting on Monday night a 43-year Hinsdale resident summed it up perfectly with an incisive question:

Why are we here tonight (at yet another Village of Hinsdale meeting to discuss park hours)?

And like so many grest questions, the answers are much more complicated than the question.

A well-spoken King Brauwert resident and several homeowners on Laurie Lane expressed gratitude for the nine accommodations Hinsdale made last year. They are apparently without exception working as intended. And then each of the Burr Ridge attendees proceeded to ask for further consideration from Hinsdale for this year. Depending on the person, one theme was for lights to go off automatically at 9:00 PM or 9:30 PM or 10:00 PM or 10:10 PM or 10:30 PM except on schools when it has to be before their children go to bed. Never mind that during April through July, little leaguers from age 8 are playing baseball until 10:00 PM or 10:30 PM in Burr Ridge's own Harvester Park. That's NIMBY. A second theme was to hide the lights before they are shut out from their view, an idea that had been tried repeatedly but proved unworkable.

But let's go back to opening minutes of the meeting at 7:40 PM ...
One attendee who described herself as living at the "wrinkle ranch" had come to the Memorial Building to entertain and to offend. She called the facility "an abomination" and the "worst eyesore I've ever seen". Then, apparently in a moment of loneliness she tells the gathering that there are only 1 or 2 men living in KB and invites anyone to visit her bedroom to get a better view of KLM.

Next, the Mayor of Burr Ridge moves to microphone to speak. Oops. It's not the mayor afterall. It's the Village Administrator instead, but he's passing on the Mayor's opinion that Hinsdale ought to shut its parks 30 to 60 minutes ahead of his own town's parks closing.



Well, a whole lot more discussion ensues, but in the end, a sub-committee does what it does and passes the topic along to the next committee.

What's next?

Village of Hinsdale Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, August 15, at 7:30 PM



And after that meeting winds up, then the ACA has scheduled another discussion of parks hours at KLM for January 2007. Does a 4th round of discussions on the same topic mean that production will take the form of a George Lucas prequel?