SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017

COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

When water was rising in Grandwood Park Lake during the recent flood event that began on July 12th, the new weir plates in the dam held! The good news is that the dam itself did what it was supposed to do. The bad news is that water raising multiple feet per hour in one day was too much to be contained.

The current configuration and elevation of the lakeshore created massive flooding through Lake Park.  With high water scouring the dam culvert, bridge deck, tennis and sports courts, and neighbors yards it didn't take long for significant damage to occur.  Friday, July 21st, the Executive Director of Lake County Stormwater Management, Mike Warner, and Harlan Doland of McClure Engineering were onsite to evaluate the situation. By Friday afternoon, Warren Township Highway Department, Peter Campanella, and a group of volunteers had joined them to sandbag areas with sandbags provided by the township and Lake County Public Works, and deposit stone in an effort to save the dam, the sports courts and neighbors property. The volunteers continued working on Saturday morning, filling sandbags and placing them where needed. The risk of further damage was over. It took another 10 days for the water to recede. The Warren Township Highway Department, headed by Amy Sarver, continued to support our community by disposing of dead fish from the sewers, and washing down flood streets.

On Sunday August 13th the sandbags were removed by a small group of volunteers.  Again, Warren Township Highway Department pitched in to help move the pallets of contaminated sandbags to an authorized landfill. A landscaping clean up will take place before the end of this summer.

The bridge over the dam will remained closed to pedestrial traffic until an evaluation of the structure deems it safe.

The Park District is now working with Lake County SMC, IDNR, and McClure Engineering to develop plans for the dam and lakeshore to manage high water events. More information will be communicated when it is available.  Lake County SMC has submitted a grant application for the needed work. If approved, work will begin next spring.

The Park District would like to extend a sincere THANK YOU to everyone that came out to help stabilize our dam and redirect the flood waters! 

Mike Warner, Executive Director of
    Stormwater Management
Harlan Doland, McClure Engineering
Amy Sarver & crew, Warren Township
    Highway Department
Peter Campanella
Lake County Public Works

And, all of our HARD WORKING, DEDICATED volunteers that came out on very short notice!!

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It's Spaghetti Dinner time again!!

Mark your calendars for Friday, September 15th from 5:00-8:00pm for our Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser. This event will be held at the Park District Community Center, located at 36630 N. Hutchins Rd. Dinner will consist of salad, rolls, pasta & sauce, meatballs, and desserts.

Dinner prices:  Adults $9, Seniors $8, Children 3-12 $6, Children 2 and under are free

There will be beverages available for purchase to compliment your meal.

             TAKE  OUT  ORDERS  AVAILABLE!!

All proceeds benefit the Grandwood Park Civic Association events. We appreciate your support...hope to see you there!

*** We are looking for volunteers to serve the dinners, and dessert bakers to fill our sweet table.

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Tuesday, September 19th at 6:00pm, the Board of Commissioners along with Mike Warner, Executive Director of Stormwater Management, and Harlan Doland of McClure Engineering, will update the community on the recent flood event and Grandwood Lake and Grandwood Lake Dam Rehabilitation Project.

This meeting will be held at the Park District Community Center located at 36630 N. Hutchins Rd.

We hope you will join us!

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Want to be involved in the community? Have ideas to share for community events?

The terms of the Vice President, Treasurer, and Seargent-at-Arms will be up in November. If you'd like to join the Civic Association and help out in the community, now is the time!

Nominations will be taken at the October 11th meeting - just come to the meeting and throw your hat into the ring!! The appointments will be made at the November 8th meeting.

GPCA meetings are held the 1st Wednesday of every month at 7pm in the Park District Community Center conference room.

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BUTTER BRAIDS ARE BACK – you can order those favorite yummy pastries from the Little Learners Preschool September 28 through October 16 with delivery on October 27th. 

Cost - only $14.00 each 

NEW THIS YEAR – 4 cheese & herb. 

Other flavors you can choose from include caramel roll, cream cheese, raspberry, apple and strawberry cream cheese.  Great for holiday brunches or a special dessert!

Contact the preschool by phone at 847-356-1296, or email them at preschool@grandwoodpark.net to find out how you can order.

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The Civic Association is busy making plans for Oktoberfest, but could use some help.

If you'd like to be on the planning committee, come to their next Board meeting on September 6th beginning at 7pm. The meeting will be held in the Park District Community Center conference room. And, watch the calendar on the park district website for Oktoberfest meeting dates.

Everyone is welcome!!!!!!

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Please watch your speed driving through the community.

     The speed limit is 25!!

Kids are back in school and are walking to and from bus stops, and standing on corners. Please be aware and watch for them - sometimes they do veer off into the street. Let's keep our streets and kids safe!!

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Our school year has just begun and we are enjoying seeing our old friends and making new friends. 

We will be busy learning about safe play outside, including safety signs (stop sign, pedestrian and railroad crossing). Manners are a big part of our school day including please, thank you, excuse me etc.  We also expect all students and adults to be respectful in our school. 

In late September or early October we will be visiting Krolls Farm in Waukegan, Illinois.  We are looking forward to seeing all the farm animals, taking a hay ride through the corn fields and a walk through the corn maze. 

It’s not too late to sign your child up for preschool.  Our students have fun learning, playing, laughing, and making lifelong friends while getting ready for Kindergarten. 

We offer 2 programs:  Our three year old class meets on Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00-11:30am, and our 4 year old class meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9-11:30am.    

For more information on our program please visit the website at www.grandwoodpark.net, call us at 847-356-1296 or email us at preschool@grandwoodpark.net. 

We welcome students and families from all communities, so please feel free to pass the word about our program.

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The Warren Township Highway Department's annual leaf collection program begins the week of Monday, October 23, 2017, and runs through the week beginning Monday, November 27, 2017.

Your leaves will be picked up by Waste Management, which will make six trips along each street during this timeframe. Once the vacuum truck makes its final run in your neighborhood, it will not return to collect additional leaves. Waste Management makes every effort to collect leaves along each roadway every week.  However, factors such as poor weather or large volumes may slow down the collection process.

If you have any questions, please call the Warren Township Highway Department at 847-244-1101 ext.3

Leaves should:   

• Be raked to the curb, beginning at the edge of the pavement and be no more than five feet in width.
• Not block culverts or storm sewer openings, which could pose a drainage problem in heavy rains or snow
• Not include other debris such as cans, paper, rocks, logs, brush or construction material as they could damage equipment and cause injury to the crew.

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Seeing the flocks of flamingos coloring our lawns around the neighborhood brings such joy to our hearts!! WE LOVE flamingos AND it's a great fundraiser for the Civic Association. So c'mon, folks, let's get those birds a flyin' and alightin' and bring more smiles to the neighborhood. Besides, there are no leftover presents like Canadian geese grace us with - win-win!

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Grandwood Drive
Rae Lane
Streamwood Court
Streamwood Drive
Traer Terrace

Warren Township Highway Department’s 2017 Sidewalk Improvement Contractor will be repairing damaged sidewalks in the Grandwood Park Subdivision on the above mentioned roads only.    
                    
Weather permitting, work will begin middle to late September which will focus on removing damaged sidewalk. Information pertaining to this project that you will need to know:

1. Driveway Access and Repairs
Driveway access may be interrupted due to sidewalk removal; however, this inconvenience will be kept to a minimum.  Residents unable to enter their driveways due to construction must park their vehicles on adjacent side streets or elsewhere to accommodate construction activities.  Repairs to homeowner’s driveways due to construction will be made following the sidewalk repairs.  Please note only the driveway area impacted by construction will be repaired.  The work will take place Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and occasionally on Saturdays.

2. Parking
All parking signs and regulations must be complied with when parking on adjacent streets.  Any parking restrictions will be waived to those unable to access their driveway.  Vehicles impeding the construction will be ticketed and towed at the vehicles owner’s expense.

3. Encroachment
Construction may also affect any private lawn features within the Township Right-of-Way.  Items such as gardens, lawn sprinklers, hedges, driveway timber/concrete edges etc. are the homeowner’s responsibility to remove or identify to avoid unintentional damage due to the construction.

4. Restoration
Repairs to grass in the parkways due to construction will be made following the sidewalk repairs.  Please note only the parkway area impacted by construction will be repaired by the Highway Department.  In an effort to keep the Township “Clean and Green”, we appreciate your efforts to water and maintain the new seed.

5. Contact
We look forward to working with you in having our Contractor complete this project in a professional and timely manner.  Should you require further information regarding this project, please contact the Highway Department office at (847) 244-1101 ext. 3

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and patience during this sidewalk improvement project.

Amy Sarver
Warren Township Highway Commissioner

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A big thank you to all those who participated in the Penn Station fundraiser. For $20 we were able to provide $25 worth of coupons for some very tasty food from Penn Station. We have a terrific shop owner who is supporting our community with his generous donations of the food from his establishment.

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Calling all Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and 4H'ers...the Civic Association is looking for helpers for our events. Can you provide a few hours of your time? We'd truly appreciate it!!

Contact us by telephone at 224-469-9933, or by email at civicassociation@grandwoodpark.net.

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Trick-or-Treating in the community will be on Tuesday, October 31st from 5-8pm.

If you want to participate in distributing treats for all the ghosts & goblins, please leave your porch light on during trick-or-treating hours.

For those new to the community ... if a porch light is on, stop at the house for a treat.  If no light is on, please move on to the next house.

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Life happens.  Please share with us the milestones in your life and those of your family. Let us know about graduations, marriages, special recognitions, births and deaths.

We'll do our best to make sure that your special news is recognized.

Contact Dianne Oller by telephone at (847) 356-3669 (please leave a message), via email at communitycare@grandwoodpark.net, or by completing our Contact Form on the park district website at http://www.grandwoodpark.net/contact-us/.  Use the Questions/Comments/Suggestions box to supply the pertinent information on what you'd like to share.

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Check out the park district website at http://www.grandwoodpark.net/rentals-community-center/ to see details on pricing, what is included with your rental, etc. 

Also - check out our new reduced pricing for Sundays!

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