‘This is a hard issue’: Winnetka trustees give final approval to controversial IMEA extension

After more than a year of in-depth talks and heated debates, Winnetka’s Village Council, during its June 17 meeting, approved a new power sales contract and capacity purchase agreement with the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency, which has supplied the Village’s power since 1991.

Tuesday’s nearly two-hour meeting officially put the trustees’ stamp-of-approval on a highly contested decision, which had been preceded by a nearly three-hour Village Council meeting on June 3, as The Record reported.

Although IMEA’s existing contract with the Village does not expire until Sept. 30, 2035, currently coal-dependent IMEA has asked its member communities to renew now for 2035-2055.

On May 14, at a previous session in this series of discussions reported on by The Record, IMEA board member and the Village’s strategic development manager Brian Keys said the impetus behind the push to renew 10 years early is to allow IMEA to prepare to transition from carbon-based to renewable resources. Keys cited IMEA’s goal of “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050.

Ongoing resident concerns

At the latest June 17 meeting, however, several Winnetka residents expressed discontent with the process, reminiscent of concerns already expressed by residents earlier this month at that June 3 meeting and the four other meetings previously held.

“There is still a key part of due diligence that remains: You need to have an independent review of this complex contract by an experienced energy lawyer,” resident King Poor said, who was the first of the public to comment. His statement was echoed by several other residents calling for an independent review.

Poor referenced, too, IMEA’s scheduled board meeting for next week, when its members are set to consider a 60-day extension of the open season for Naperville and St. Charles. He called on Winnetka’s Village Council to seek the same extension, providing extra time for the requested added due diligence.

Behind Naperville and St. Charles’ delay is the question of coal use and how IMEA will transition away from it. IMEA utilizes the Prairie State Coal Plant — no. 12 among the top climate polluters in America, according to an analysis conducted jointly by the Frontier Group, Environment America Research and Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund.

“This is a hard issue. This weighs very heavily to think about the current, the future, all the issues that come into play on this. As it’s been duly noted, it’s complex in all aspects.”
Rob Dearborn, Winnetka Village President

Among those who spoke at the meeting was Resident Ken Bayless, one of the Village Council members who voted to approve the current contract circa 2007 — a decision he calls “a personal failing” of his tenure as village trustee.

“I took some solace in the fact that our marriage to Prairie State might expire in 2035,” Bayless told the Council. “The idea of extending that relationship now to 2025 gives me chills. If the intervening years since the last IMEA contract have taught us anything, it’s this: The predictability of capital costs for coal fire plant construction, coal mine development — it’s all a crapshoot. Prairie State is the poster child. The same might be said for other forms of energy production.”

He continued, “Yet, staying married to coal will not help us to reach the right side of environmental history, and we must reach that side if we are to deliver a healthy planet to our grandchildren. At some point, someone needs to lead, someone needs to take a risk and change direction, because in the direction we’re heading, no one wins.”

In all, 11 Winnetka residents made public comments urging the Winnetka Council to postpone their decision or renounce a renewal with IMEA altogether.

The council’s final call

Village President Robert Dearborn acknowledged residents’ concerns and emphasized the complexity of the decision for Village Council members.

“There are issues that come before this Council that are slam-dunk issues, and I know the folks out here think this is a slam-dunk issue,” Dearborn said. “This is a hard issue. This weighs very heavily to think about the current, the future, all the issues that come into play on this. As it’s been duly noted, it’s complex in all aspects.”

Village Trustee Scott Myers seconded Dearborn’s statement, underscoring the uncertainty of the circumstance and difficulties the council has faced in discerning the Village’s needs 10 or more years into the future.

Myers said he would be in favor of a legal review by an energy attorney.

When asked by Dearborn for clarification on if he would own the approval of the contract if IMEA does not grant an extension for a longer legal review period, Myers elected to reserve comment.

Village Trustee Robert Apatoff pushed back against Myers. He said a legal review would not require an extension and could be done within the next week — an approach with which Myers also agreed.

“It wasn’t taken lightly,” Apatoff said of the entire review process and in defense of the due diligence done by the Village Council. “When words like ‘reckless’ and we’re ‘pro-coal’ and ‘cost is not really a consideration’ (are used), that’s a little frustrating to hear up here, to be honest with you. Nothing could be further from the trust in how we’ve gone after this.”

He added, “We took a great deal of time over the past 15 months to thoughtfully and transparently study the options and provide measured reasons and responses for these decisions. This was not a rushed decision, even if we don’t like the timing of IMEA on this and what they’ve put on our laps. There is not a trustee or staff member I’ve spoken to who does not want to get to a greener solution for our energy, for our water, for our world.”

The Village Council went into a brief closed session to review amongst themselves before voting.

Upon their return, Dearborn announced the vote would be on a slightly amended version of the ordinance with the following added recital: “Whereas, additionally, IMEA has committed to transition from a carbon-based portfolio to a net-zero generation portfolio by 2050 and to properly plan for this transition while ensuring generation resources are in place to meet future power needs. IMEA has implemented a detailed sustainability plan to achieve zero-carbon status, which requires resource planning and transitioning in the near future to secure favorable renewable energy power purchase agreements.”

Following Dearborn’s announcement of the amendment, likely designed to emphasize the desired push toward greener energy sources, Council members voted unanimously to renew Winnetka’s contract with IMEA from 2035-2055.

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Northfield trustees hope new zoning district is ‘generational change’ to downtown vitality

In a bid to make Northfield’s Central Street business corridor more vibrant, the Village Board at its June 17 meeting created a new zoning category trustees hope can attract more retail and multi-family residential development in much of downtown.

To do so, they agreed to hike the number of stories developers can erect in different areas covered by the new B3 designation, all of which had previously been zoned office research, which prevented residential and some kinds of commercial development.

Trustees agreed with Northfield’s Plan and Zoning commission in doing so. However, most of them also concurred with Community Development Director Steve Gutierrez’s recommendation to increase the building height minimum for construction west of Central Avenue to four stories.

Gutierrez said maintaining the commission’s three-story recommendation would probably limit new residential construction to townhouses rather than denser multi-family construction. That would blunt the kind of positive effects the zoning change is aimed at, which include bringing more residents to an area within a five minute walk of the downtown area, he said.

Board President Tracey Mendrek called the new zoning “an opportunity to make generational change in Northfield. This gives us guidance for two, three, five, 10 years from now.”

The zoning change process began last year as a request from Northfield’s board to the plan and zoning commission, based on what village staff reported as business changes that took place after 2019, particularly the work-from-home shift that started during the COVID-19 pandemic. That almost completely cut demand for office space, according to village staff.

The commission held five public meetings between February and June 2, when the commission unanimously completed their recommendation.

Trustee Todd Fowler, who is the board’s liaison with the plan and zoning commission, said he attended its meetings about the corridor and supported its findings. But he also supported Gutierrez’s four-story recommendation.

Commission member Kathy Estabrooke told trustees the commission’s 3-story limitation on Central’s west side was to help prevent what she called the feeling of “going through a tunnel” of tall buildings on both sides of the street.

The new height limitations aren’t uniform within the district. New development is now limited to four stories west of Central, five stories east of the street and six stories along the expressway.

Trustee Ed Elfmann said the new zoning doesn’t mean developers would have to build four-story projects in the B3 district. Mendrek echoed Elfmann and other trustees, who said the village could control how developers make use of B3 guidelines because projects will have to be reviewed by its architectural commission.

Only Trustee Charles Orth voted against the final decision. Orth backed the commission’s lower three-story guideline, saying “no matter how you shape it, height is height.” He suggested adopting the commission’s recommendations and said the board could consider amendments in the future.

As ultimately approved, the B3 category will allow residential development as a permitted use in the section of downtown Northfield largely bounded by the Edens Expressway to the east, the ComEd right-of-way to the west, Oak Street to the north and south to Maple Street.

It also sets up special uses — which require approval by the board — such as boutique hotels, performing arts and live music venues, and cannabis dispensaries. One part of the zoning change will affect outdoor dining in commercial areas outside the B3 district.

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News Briefs: Wilmette Open Water race; $1 million gift supports vision loss; local grad’s Hollywood internship

Nearly 150 swimmers gathered at Wilmette’s Gillson Beach on Saturday, June 14, for the seventh annual Wilmette Open Water Swim Race.

Hosted by the Ouilmette Foundation, the event timed participants as they swam a mile in Lake Michigan. This year, Deerfield resident and Rider University swim team member Matthew Borovik was the first-place finisher with a time of 17:05.

The event raises $14,000-15,000 annually to support local causes, including the upkeep of the Wallace Bowl, a nearby outdoor amphitheater; Wilmette Park District’s scholarship fund; and ALS-related causes. Phil Andrew, event co-founder and director, said this year’s total has not been tallied yet as “WOW-els,” the beloved Wilmette Open Water towels that change colors every year, are still being sold.

Andrew launched the race in 2018 after recognizing the robust open water community in the Chicago area. He said the event brings people of all ages and swimming abilities together not only from the North Shore but also from states across the Midwest.

“That’s what I really love about it — that it’s really all these different folks who come together with their love of swimming, their love of our shoreline and a deep appreciation that this is such a valuable asset that it’s there for us to care for and enjoy,” Andrew said. “That really builds community.”

Winnetka nonprofit expands emotional support services for vision loss

Hadley, a Winnetka-based nonprofit that provides help to older adults with vision loss, received a $1 million gift Wednesday, June 18, to establish the Donahoe Center for Support.

Named after longtime Hadley trustee Tom Donahoe, father to John Donahoe, Martha Gallo and Susan Gally who made the $1 million donation, the center will expand Hadley’s emotional support services. These services include social workers, peer connections and multimedia content.

The Donahoe Center will help individuals suffering from the emotional challenges of vision loss including grief, anxiety and isolation. According to the press release, studies have shown that vision loss later in life correlates with depression, anxiety and other mental health concerns. By providing increased emotional support through the Donahoe Center, Hadley hopes to combat these feelings.

“Vision loss affects more than what you see—it impacts confidence, connection, and mental health,” said Johnjoe Farragher, President and CEO of Hadley, in the release. “The Donahoe Center for Support strengthens Hadley’s ability to help individuals rediscover hope, purpose, and belonging.”

Originally founded in 1920 and relaunched in 2020, the nonprofit has reached all 50 states and over 100 countries. With 20 million Americans expected to experience irreversible vision loss over the next five years, according to the National Eye Institute, Hadley has set a goal of aiding one million people by 2030. All of Hadley’s services are available for free online, by phone or by mail.

New Trier alum lands prestigious internship through the Television Academy

Cae Parkhill, a Wilmette resident and 2023 New Trier alum, is stepping into Hollywood this summer.

Parkhill was one of 40 interns selected for the prestigious Television Academy Foundation Internship Program, which places interns at companies in the television industry across the country.

New Trier graduate Cae Parkhill was selected for the prestigious Television Academy Foundation Internship Program.

A rising junior studying visual effects at Savannah College of Art and Design, Parkhill is spending their summer in Los Angeles interning for Barnstorm VFX, an Emmy-nominated visual effects studio. With experience in animation, computer science and stage crew, Parkhill said they have always been working behind the scenes in art.

Parkhill started their internship Monday, June 16, and said so far they have enjoyed meeting department heads and learning more about what it’s like to be in a professional environment.

Parkhill applied to the internship program toward the end of 2024 and was notified of their acceptance in April. The committee who selects the summer interns is the same committee responsible for selecting Emmy Award winners, which Parkhill described as “truly crazy.”

“Those people that are generating the criteria for those movies are looking at me and my work and thinking that it’s good enough to go into the industry and be given this opportunity,” they said. “So that’s just an incredible honor for sure.”

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Wilmette Park District taps top Oak Park leader to become its new executive director

The Wilmette Park District has its next leader.

Park officials announced on Friday, June 20, that Chris Lindgren is the district’s new executive director. Lindgren, who most recently served as the deputy director of properties and planning for the Park District of Oak Park, will officially begin his new role in Wilmette on July 21.

“From the start, the Board was focused on finding a leader who could move our mission forward while staying grounded in the community and its long-term priorities,” Patrick Lahey, president of the Wilmette Park District Board of Commissioners, said in a news release on the park board’s decision.

“Chris Lindgren stood out as a clear choice. He is strategic, communicative, and leads with the values that matter to this district,” Lahey continued. “We are grateful for all of the work Commissioner (Kara) Kosloskus put into leading this search for the Board.”

Steve Wilson, Wilmette Park District’s last executive director, resigned from his position in January after he was the subject of an internal investigation in the fall of 2023. Amid accusations of misconduct, the park board reviewed his hiring and promotional practices, The Record previously reported.

Lindgren’s appointment comes after an “extensive recruitment process,” park officials said. The board reviewed applications of over 50 qualified candidates across the country, according to the release.

Lindgren, a graduate of River Forest’s Concordia University, has more than 25 years of experience, including a dozen with the Park District of Oak Park.

In his role there, Lindgren oversaw major capital projects, the construction of two net-zero buildings, secured grant funding for the Park District of Oak Park to expand access and sustainability in public spaces and helped work to reduce electricity usage across district facilities, according to the release.

“What really drew me to Wilmette was the passion I saw in the people, both in the organization and the community,” Lindgren said in a statement.

“I look forward to listening, learning and working together to shape a future that keeps Wilmette’s parks, facilities and programs thriving for everyone,” he continued.

Park officials added that Lindgren’s arrival “marks an exciting new chapter for the Wilmette Park District,” noting that his “clear focus on innovation, expanding recreational opportunities, sustainability and community connection” will help build on the district’s “legacy of excellence in parks and recreation.”

The Wilmette Park Board and members of the audience give a round of applause to Executive Director Steve Wilson during his last meeting with the district.

Wilson, who had been Wilmette Park District’s executive director since 2011 and a district employee since 2007, was placed on a performance improvement plan before the board approved a separation agreement and he resigned on Jan. 31, The Record previously reported.

The internal investigation was sparked in part by allegations from the district’s former Superintendent of Human Resources, Liz Cox, that Wilson was in an inappropriate relationship with and gave preferential treatment to a subordinate and that Wilson retaliated against Cox for investigating the relationship.

Following Cox’s death in December 2023, the claims became the subject of a lawsuit against Wilson and the park district that was filed by her family.

At least nine manager-level staffers left the organization between May 2023 and May 2024. In addition, the district’s administrative team of nine turned over two-thirds of its team since 2020.

A Cook County judge earlier this spring dismissed a civil lawsuit that was filed against the Wilmette Park District and Wilson, The Record reported.

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Highland Park man shot and killed by police after he reportedly ‘charged’ officers with a knife

Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek has released the identity of a Highland Park man who was shot and killed by police officers early Friday morning after he reportedly approached officers with a knife.

The man was identified as Brent Bucholtz, 59. He died from multiple gunshot wounds, his autopsy indicated.

Officers responded around 4:55 a.m. on June 20 to the 900 block of Half Day Road to check on the well-being of a man in the roadway, according to a news release posted on the City of Highland Park website.

A concerned driver reported to police earlier that someone lying in the roadway was nearly struck by a vehicle, according to city officials. The caller reportedly told police they saw the individual stand up and then stumble into a residence in the 900 block of Half Day Road.

When Highland Park police officers arrived at the scene, they did not locate the man outside. Officers knocked on the door of the address provided by the caller and Bucholtz “abruptly exited the home armed with a knife,” according to a news release from the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.

Officers “immediately retreated and gave the man multiple instructions to drop the knife,” but the man then “advanced toward them with the knife raised,” according to police.

Bucholtz “continued charging at the officers, threatening them with the knife. The officers subsequently discharged their firearms, striking the man,” according to police.

Highland Park police reportedly requested paramedics and rendered life-saving aid. The Highland Park Fire Department arrived on scene at 5:05 a.m. but the officers’ and paramedics’ efforts were unsuccessful. Bucholtz was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

Bucholtz lived at the residence on Half Day Road that police responded to, according to city officials.

The Highland Park Police Department reportedly called in the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force after the shooting to conduct an independent investigation. Per state law, Lake County will assume responsibility for the investigation and will provide further updates.

According to the city, there is now no threat to public safety, but police asked people to avoid the area if possible to allow investigators to work. The 900 block of Half Day Road between Western and Compton Avenue was closed Friday morning but was opened again with minimal police presence by 3 p.m.

Check back with The Record for updates to this developing story.

Highwood commission votes against Fort Sheridan music school seeking to build new concert hall, raising bar for final city approval

The Highwood Planning and Zoning Commission voted on Wednesday against a local music conservatory’s plans to build a new concert hall adjacent to the Fort Sheridan neighborhood, delivering a temporary sigh of relief to area residents who argued the proposed development bears too many risks.

Commissioners voted 8-1 on June 18 to recommend denial of a request by the Midwest Young Artist Conservatory to rezone a four-acre plot of vacant land next to their headquarters from residential to commercial.

The petition will now appear before Highwood City Council on another date but require a supermajority vote from council members to receive approval, meaning at least four would need to support the music school’s proposal to override the commission’s negative recommendation.

The council could also vote to offer a final denial to the current plan for the concert hall that MYAC President Allan Dennis said is needed for its students.

The Wednesday evening meeting in Oak Terrace Elementary School ran four-and-half hours, drew approximately 150 people in attendance and more than 30 individuals to the public comment section — the majority of whom spoke out against MYAC’s plan.

Numerous speakers who identified themselves as Fort Sheridan residents reiterated they support the arts and MYAC’s educational mission, but argued that the proposed 728-seat concert hall building does not fit the setting and stated that the nonprofit music school has failed to address a host of concerns about its plan.

Tensions appeared to run high in the Oak Terrace auditorium as the public comment section that began at 6 p.m. on June 18 again stretched past 10 p.m. | SAMUEL LISEC/THE RECORD NORTH SHORE

Speakers argued that MYAC’s traffic studies did not take into account Friday and Saturday evenings when the already dense Highwood is more busy, that increased congestion will hinder local EMS access, that the school’s outline for how often the venue will be used is unreliable and that residents moved to Fort Sheridan with the expectation it would remain residential.

“It takes less than two minutes for someone to bleed out from traumatic or arterial bleeding,” resident Barbie Oliff said. “By adding a large venue on an unpassable single-lane street, two blocks from a railroad crossing, two and a half miles from the nearest fire department, MYAC have you considered safety first?”

Speakers also argued the venue does not appear to have a business plan, an expanded parking lot will exacerbate existing storm water runoff issues, its proposed grass pavers won’t last, the tree buffer proposed to obscure the venue from the neighborhood view won’t grow out for 10 years, birds will hit its wide-glass windows, a concrete facade won’t match the nearby yellow-brick homes, a long-burnt-out light bulb in its parking lot indicates MYAC doesn’t maintain its current facility and that overall, the music school has ignored community feedback.

MYAC hosts about 450 students every weekend throughout the academic year for instructing a variety of ensembles, but its headquarters cannot accommodate its 100-plus musician orchestras on stage.

Appropriately-sized venues like Ravinia or Northwestern University’s Pick-Staiger Hall have become less available in recent time, making MYAC’s 900 enrollees in need of their own space to practice and perform, Dennis said.

“We continue to believe in the value this project will bring to our students, to Highwood, and to the broader North Shore arts community,” Dennis said in an email to The Record.

“As we work through this process, we remain focused on our core mission — providing the best learning environment for young musicians,” he continued.

The blueprint for the new concert hall building MYAC submitted to the commission shows it would boast a total of 41,702 square feet across four stories on a footprint of 23,000 square feet.

By sinking the concert hall in the ground, the venue would sit at the same height as its nearby headquarters, Dennis said.

The proposed MYAC concert hall would sit adjacent to the music school’s 13,256-square-foot headquarters located at 878 Lyster Road in Highwood. | Image by Booth Hansen

MYAC has incorporated multiple rounds of feedback from neighbors into its site plan, Karen Dennis, Allan’s wife and MYAC’s administrative director told The Record.

That included a 2013 meeting with Fort Sheridan residents after the school first bought the site, a fall 2021 public meeting where MYAC heard its proposed seven-floor concert hall plan was too tall and an August 2024 public meeting where it presented the revised and current blueprint.

Addressing the commission on Wednesday, Dennis said MYAC has discussed gaining its own venue with “everybody” since it first moved to Fort Sheridan in 2000.

Will Tippens, a member of MYAC’s building committee, said the City of Highwood designated the vacant plot of land by the school’s headquarters as public/semi-public during the drafting of the city’s 2013 comprehensive plan in support of the school eventually expanding.

But MYAC “didn’t mobilize until relatively recently” for this project after it started to get so difficult to find available performance space, Dennis said.

The school was waiting to start fundraising for the $29-40 million needed to build it until gaining city approval first and wouldn’t start construction until it had the money, he said.

Other members of the public who voiced support on Wednesday for the MYAC plan argued that the bigger venue would better support its students, which may be a more important mission than preserving local flora and fauna, and that it would be a net positive for Highwood to gain more visitors.

The Wednesday session was a continuation of a May 21 Highwood Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on the MYAC plan that ended without a vote after about three hours of public comment.

Tensions ran high in the Oak Terrace auditorium as the public comment section that began at 6 p.m. again stretched past 10 p.m. Some audience members booed or hissed when speakers showed support of the MYAC plan.

Chris Meyer, chair of the Highwood Planning and Zoning Commission, repeatedly asked public speakers not to repeat concerns others had already stated about the concert hall and to focus comments on the building itself.

At one point, when a woman speaking in favor of the MYAC plan for more than 15 minutes ignored calls to step aside, Meyer asked if there was a police officer available.

If Highwood City Council rejects MYAC’s request to rezone the proposed build site, there is no provision preventing the music school from filing a new petition. That said, the school will have to start the process from the beginning again with a review from the Highwood Planning and Zoning commission.

Shortly after the commission delivered its decision, opponents of the project rejoiced.

“We’re elated, we’re grateful,” Susan Lazar, president of Friends of Historic Fort Sheridan, a volunteer group that formed in 2024 to organize opposition to the MYAC development, said after the vote.

“We’re ready to go immediately into strategy planning to walk into city council and help them understand what we believe and why they should continue with the vote in the direction that the planning and zoning committee just voted,” she continued.

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With sights set on a more sustainable future, Glencoe trustees greenlight development of sustainability action plan

Glencoe officials have approved an agreement with a Minnesota-based consulting firm to help develop a sustainability action plan for the village as it continues its goal to become a more sustainable community.

Village trustees unanimously approved a $50,000 contract Wednesday, June 18, with paleBLUEdot LLC, of Maplewood, Minnesota, at their regular meeting following a brief presentation and discussion.

Jeff Mawdsley, the village’s public works management analyst, said Glencoe has long embraced sustainability, and in 2016, formed the Sustainability Task Force (STF).

“Since that time, the (Sustainability Task Force) has developed several initiatives that have met (sustainability) goals,” Mawdsley said. “However, the STF has lacked a cohesive approach to these initiatives and the STF also has limited needs to measure their effectiveness.”

In a village memo, Mawdsley noted that the task force “has made significant progress in educating residents on how to adopt more sustainable habits and has influenced the Village to implement more sustainable operations.”

But Mawdsley added that many of the village’s sustainability initiatives to date “have been carried out in an ad hoc manner, without a cohesive vision to guide them.”

Mawdsley told the board that the village’s Sustainability Vision Plan, which was created in 2023, recommended creating a sustainability action plan “as a way to establish baseline metrics and develop a cohesive approach to sustainability efforts.”

Officials said paleBLUEdot was recommended for a number of reasons, including their work with Northbrook and Skokie on their own action plans, and the organization’s use of “robust data sets that utilize a proprietary database of sustainability solutions tailored to support the village’s goals.”

According to paleBLUEdot’s website, it is a “leading provider of thoughtful and comprehensive carbon, climate change, sustainability, and renewable energy planning and services.”

In addition to sustainability consulting, paleBLUEdot also offers a carbon neutral certification program, climate planning and consulting, and renewable energy planning.

Their mission is to “hasten the transition to an authentically sustainable, no carbon economy and to elevate the public discourse.”

Mawdsley added that paleBLUEdot has a four-step approach to planning, which includes baseline research and documentation; collaborative planning; inclusive community engagement, and providing implementation tools.

The action plan would reportedly take about a year to develop.

Laurie Tuchman, co-chair of the Sustainability Task Force, encouraged trustees to support the agreement with paleBLUEdot.

“We just wanted to say that we’re looking forward to having this established,” she said.

According to officials, the sustainability action plan will offer several benefits to the community, including allowing the village to measure progress on sustainability efforts and a more cohesive and strategic approach to future initiatives. It will, officials said, also allow Glencoe to establish a current baseline and develop metrics to further track progress.

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Here’s Your Sign: Rag & bone coming to Plaza del Lago

Continuing a trend of quiet arrivals, New York-based clothing brand rag & bone has installed signage at Plaza del Lago.

The Plaza del Lago location — 1515 Sheridan Road Suite 25, which is listed on the business’s website — will be rag & bone’s second in Illinois — its other at 25 E. Delaware Place in downtown Chicago.

Most of the store’s locations are in the New York area (15 locations) and Los Angeles area (9 locations).

The 20-year-old brand has “a commitment to doing (things) the right way, not the easy way. To making things that are as original as they are timeless,” and says its items combine “the easy elegance of classic British tailoring, the authenticity of American workwear, and the originality of our home city, New York.”

Rag & bone will occupy Suite 25 in the plaza’s northwest building that includes anchor store CVS. Its neighbor to the west will be another newcomer, Jenni Kayne.

It is not clear when rag & bone will open. The shopping center is still undergoing renovations; though, Jenni Kayne has promoted a June opening.

What’s happening at the Plaza

Rag & bone is the fourth publicly announced new tenant, along with Hermès, Jenni Kayne and James Perse, joining Plaza del Lago under its new owner as of 2022, WS Development.

While open, the historic shopping center is currently under construction for facade, signage, parking and other improvements. WS Development President Samantha David told The Record more about plans for Plaza del Lago’s future in an exclusive interview in January.

Community members are eagerly awaiting more tenant announcements. Spaces are open with the departure of several former Plaza businesses, including Yellow Bird Stationery, Chantilly Lace (both of which moved to downtown Wilmette), Cluckers Charcoal Chicken and Rosati’s.

To that end, WS Development has kept its cards close to the vest. David said in January, “There is going to be stuff that people love of all different price points — some high price points, some low price points, some local, some national. All different things. It is going to be a very eclectic mix.”

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Wilmette teen creates mini art galleries to spread joy throughout North Shore communities

Outside The Wilmette Theatre, a white box on a black pole no taller than four feet stands nestled inside a planter.

The box’s outside reads “Wilmette Little Free Art Gallery,” and a glass door displays about a dozen miniature art pieces contained inside. Fifteen minutes away, another setup stands outside Thee Old Fishbowl Art Gallery in Evanston.

Rising New Trier sophomore Clara Swibel had the idea for these mini art galleries more than a year ago and completed her first project in May.

“My whole purpose is to build community, spread joy, an appreciation of art and make it accessible since free art is not something you find a lot,” she said.

Swibel said she has always had an interest in art, adding that she started taking art classes outside of school in sixth grade.

Her idea for the mini galleries was inspired by small, free libraries she had seen around town.

To get each gallery started, Swibel created a variety of crafts, from ceramics to canvases, for the inside. Every week, she refills the galleries with homemade art. The galleries’ sides, which read “Create Art, Take Art, Leave Art,” encourage passersby to contribute too.

So far, people have been taking art from the galleries and leaving their own works behind just as Swibel hoped.

Clara’s mother, Ruthie Swibel, said people of all ages have engaged with the galleries. Both Ruthie and Clara have seen canvases signed with children’s names and ages and watercolor paintings of birds added by a woman who was unsure if her art was “good enough.”

A screenshot from @littlefreeartgallery_windycity on Instagram of Clara setting up the mini gallery for Thee Old Fish Bowl.

“It’s an open invitation to everyone and anyone to just create and share what they created,” Ruthie said.

When Clara first broached the idea to her mother, Ruthie offered her full support. But her mother said the idea did not get off the ground without a little “daydreaming and planning.”

Clara had to coordinate with the village of Wilmette to get a permit for the gallery’s Wilmette Theatre location. Amy Falkowski, program director at The Wilmette Theatre, said Clara was “a go-getter” and handled communication with the village herself.

Swibel also researched ways to make the design durable throughout Chicago weather and worked with a local artisan to build the galleries’ structure.

“Clara really took the initiative on this,” Ruthie Swibel said. “I was just really a cheerleader.”

Throughout the building and installation process, Clara has drawn attention to her galleries through her Instagram page (@littlefreeartgallery_windycity) where she posted videos of her painting the outside of the gallery boxes and setting up the insides.

Since launching the Evanston gallery in May and the Wilmette gallery in June, Clara has received encouraging feedback.

“People will come up to me and just tell me, ‘This was such a great idea. I’m having so much fun making art and seeing the art that’s there,’ and I think it’s really added a big sense of community to these different areas,” Swibel said. “It’s added a lot of joy.”

People at the theater have also commented to Falkowski about how much they enjoy the mini art gallery and what a creative idea it is — and Falkowski always gives Clara her credit.

Falkowski has added to the gallery too. After noticing it looked empty following a weekend of birthday parties, she and two staff members created small drawings to hang inside the gallery.

“Without art, in every sense, we don’t have community,” Falkowski said.

While the Wilmette and Evanston galleries have shown early signs of success, Swibel said she has already contacted other places in hopes of installing more mini galleries and expanding their reach.

“It’s just such a great way to make community through pieces of art. Pieces of art that I’ve made at my house are now in other people’s homes. I love that,” Swibel said. “I can spread the creating process and encourage other people to create.”

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Athlete of the Week: 10 questions with Hans Huber, New Trier lacrosse

Hans Huber is a senior attacker for New Trier lacrosse who was the team’s scoring leader. Huber was also a state champion New Trier hockey player and he is bound for Miami University (Ohio).

1. Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?

I usually drink a Red Bull, but as far as superstitions, I am the last person out of the locker room. That is my main thing.

2. Why Miami of Ohio?

I have a lot of older teammates and friends that go there right now and I just heard great things out of there. It’s a good spot. I visited and it’s super beautiful and I’ve heard great things about the academics and it’s a lot of fun. It felt right.

3. What is your dream job?

I would have to say something with investment management. That’s what my dad did and I’ve followed in his footsteps. He taught me everything I know. But really, if I were able to do anything, I’d be a professional athlete.

4. If you could try another sport, what would it be?

Growing up I played a lot of football and I wanted to play in high school but my parents wanted me to focus on lacrosse and hockey. I’d probably say that.

5. Why’d you get into lacrosse?

I got into it because I had a few siblings and friendly playing. It’s more fast paced and I liked the physicality. It’s very similar to hockey. I really like the physical part of it, I like the speed of the game.

6. What has been your top sports highlight so far?

I would have to say, of course, winning state in hockey junior and senior year. Junior year, having two goals in the United Center in the state championship and this hockey season, scoring the game-winning goal to send us to the United Center. And most recently, the Loyola lacrosse game is definitely up there.

7. What is your favorite thing to do off the field?

Of course hanging out with friends. In terms of hobbies, really right now I’m into golfing and I’m a huge outdoors guy — fishing and hunting. I like to fish around here, but definitely when given the chance I love fly fishing down in Colorado.

8. If you’re in Walgreens with a couple of bucks, what are you buying?

I am getting a yellow Gatorade and I think I gotta go with hot Cheetos, if I’m not playing any athletics that day.

9. What is something people don’t know about you?

I have six brothers and sisters. My oldest brother is John in Minnesota. I have another older brother Brock working in South Dakota. My oldest sister, Ella, just graduated from Minnesota and was playing hockey there, and the second oldest sister, Mary, is now a senior at TCU, and then it’s me and two younger sisters (Ingrid and Theresa), both attend a hockey school in Minnesota.

10. What has been the keys to this lacrosse team’s success?

We have a number of leaders on this team that all give everything to the team. At least for me and another teammate, Ian (Schnizlein), who made it freshman year, it’s been three years of tough seasons, losing to Loyola in the sectional final. So we were going through this season with a chip on our shoulder and trying to get back to where New Trier was five years ago, focusing on dominating every game and bringing a winning culture back.

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