Library Likely to Delay Shift to Autonomy Through Agreement with City

The Evanston Public Library will likely not transition to an autonomous library fund model until 2013, but an agreement with the city will still provide the library board with increased control.

More than a year after the Evanston Public Library Board of Trustees voted to adopt a library fund model to become an autonomous governing body rather than an advisory group, the board endorsed a tentative agreement with the City of Evanston that would keep the library as part of the city until 2013. As recently as two weeks back, the library board planned to switch to the new governance model at the end of 2011. But at the board’s Wednesday night meeting, Evanston City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz proposed an agreement between the two sides that would instead gradually transfer some governing authority to the library board over the course of the next six months. Bobkiewicz said the move was preferable to the board’s original plan because an …

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Library Board Split Over 2012 Budget, Community Engagement Librarian Position

The Evanston Public Library Board of Trustees has to decide on a 2012 budget by Sept. 21, but two core issues are making consensus illusive.

The Evanston Public Library Board of Trustees has a lot on its plate. The group just received a proposed strategic plan outlining the library’s core goals through 2014 and is currently operating without a permanent library director (the person who directs staff, manages library services, and advises the board), all while attempting to use its newfound responsibility as a potentially autonomous governing body to create a reasonable 2012 budget that both addresses public concern over scarce neighborhood services and doesn’t raise property taxes too high for residents. How to balance these challenges and in what order to address them were the contentious questions of the divisive, muddled and, at times, heated debate at Wednesday night’s …

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Nine-Story, Mixed-Use Building Proposed for Chicago and Main Site

Evanston residents met with property developers and city officials to discuss a proposed nine-story office and retail building that would be built on the southeast corner of the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Main Street.

The lot on the southeast corner of the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Main Street has sat vacant for almost four years, but may soon be the site of a new nine-story, mixed-use retail and office building. The proposed building and its potential effects on the surrounding neighborhood were the focuses of a community meeting held Thursday night at Lincoln Elementary School, 910 Forest Ave. The assembly opened up the property’s owner, architect and leasing agent to the questions, concerns, and complaints of about 80 Evanston residents in attendance. Designs on display at the meeting showed a basement level employee parking lot, a first floor with two storefronts and a building lobby, three levels of public parking and five stories of …

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City Debuts Emergency Notification System

The system will start Tuesday, in time for the expected massive blizzard.

If you see the city manager's office show up on your caller ID Tuesday, it's probably not Wally Bobkiewicz calling to say hi. The city manager's number is the default for the city's new emergency notification system, which will send out its first alert Tuesday in the event of a snow emergency. Land lines and numbers registered in Evanston have been entered into the system automatically, but the city is encouraging residents to add cell numbers and e-mail contact information so they can be reached in a variety of ways. There is an easy registration form on the city's website. All users will be signed up for the emergency alerts, and residents can choose geographic areas of interest so they can also be informed about situations near their …

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About Town

City Manager of Evanston, Wally Bobkiewicz

Someone you should know.

I recently posted my opinion (based on very little information) about the City of Evanston's new 3-1-1 Call System.  I'm still digging around, trying to find out what it is and how it's going to improve life Around Town. The City Manager of Evanston, Wally Bobkiewicz, contacted me and offered to talk about the new system anytime.  In preparation for our discussion, I emailed him a few questions, which he recently answered: Q:  Is the 3-1-1 Call System really going to make our lives in Evanston easier?  If yes, how? A:  Yes it will. It will simplify resident and business access to non-emergency City services and information. Currently, residents/businesses have to go through multiple channels to get desired information or request city …

Evanston Residents Receive Wrong Water Bill Envelopes

City manager says Evanston's print and mail vendor made a mistake.

More than 800 residents received water bills this month with return envelopes that directed their payments to the Village of Berkeley rather than Evanston. City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz said in a city-wide email that the envelopes were a mistake on behalf of the city's print and mail vendor and should be discarded. To make water bill payments, residents can either use their own envelope or pay online or by phone. The correct mailing address is: City of Evanston Water Department P.O. Box 4007 Carol Stream, IL 60197-4007   Payments can be made by phone by calling (847) 866-2941 or online at http://www.cityofevanston.org/utilities/water-ebilling/.