the daily

47th St sidewalk now extends into Sedgwick Park

Pedestrians who access Sedgwick Park from the south side of 47th St will find that the sidewalk now extends into the park itself.

A contractor hired by the Park District of La Grange Oct. 5 installed a concrete parkway that connects with the park's network of gravel paths and also provides direct access to the park's tennis courts.

With a budget of $7400 for the job, PDLG Executive Director Dean Bissias said he initially intended to make the walkway from asphalt but was delighted to discover a contractor willing to pour concrete for the same price.

The new walkway replaces a gravel pathway that frequently was washed out by water runoff, Bissias said.

Hospital's shocking gift may save commuters' lives

Commuters who use the La Grange Rd train station will soon have the means to provide immediate advanced treatment to victims of sudden cardiac arrest.

Village President Elizabeth Asperger Monday night announced that an automated external defibrillator—AED for short--will be installed at the station, one of the village's most heavily used locations.

The portable device, which delivers an electric shock to restore normal heart rhythm in cases of cardiac arrest, was donated by Adventist Health Systems in conjunction with St Jude Medical. Adventist owns and operates La Grange Memorial Hospital.

"The reality is that 150,000 people in this country [this year] will drop dead of a heart problem without any symptoms," Ted Paarlberg, regional executive for the Adventist Cardiovascular Network told village trustees at their Monday night meeting. Fewer than eight percent of victims survive because immediate treatment is not provided.

"To have this type of technology available is an absolute first step in recognizing that we really need to educate the public to the resources available to ameliorate these sorts of situations," Paarlberg said.

He noted that Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn in February called for AEDs to be readily available in all public places.

Mark Hermes, of Cardiac Science Inc, demonstrated for trustees how its AED can be used by almost anyone who follows simple step-by-step audio instructions that the device provides.

"It is our privilege and pleasure to make this donation to the community," Rick Wright, CEO of Adventist La Grange, said. "Much of our volume we get in our hospital comes through the ER [emergency room]. As a result of that, we are very dependent on a good working relationship [with the village and the public.]

Watch the video below to view highlights of the presentation and a demonstration of the AED.

Streetscrape: Planter crushed in hit-and-run

A large vehicle apparently struck and heavily damaged a streetscape planter in front of the La Grange Pointe development shortly before 3 p.m. today.

When police arrived, the vehicle and driver were nowhere in sight, nor were there any eyewitnesses present.

Click photo for larger image

But a motorist who drove past the scene just after the accident happened said later that he saw a gravel-hauling truck headed north on La Grange Rd near Village Hall with a tilted trailer and visible damage to its tandem axle.

Fresh tire tracks, fitting the size and dimension of a tandem truck, indicated the vehicle ran over the curb and planter while turning north onto La Grange Rd from Cossitt Ave.

A village public works crew arrived within minutes to clear debris from the street.

One visitor to the scene was Pat Benjamin, the village's development director, who viewed the damage not with distress but a smile.

Benjamin explained his demeanor, saying that the village has been in talks with the developer of La Grange Pointe to reduce its size before the village officially takes possession of it. The walled planter, constructed by the developer a year ago apparently without the village's full blessing, is more than three times the size of similar streetscape planters found elsewhere in the downtown district.

UPDATE: On Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 30, La Grange police said the incident still is under investigation. No arrests have been made nor citations issued.

Village board OK's three pedestrian safety projects, and engages in public dialogue with Matt Cook

The La Grange village board last Monday night moved forward on three projects designed to enhance pedestrian safety along 47th St and other village thoroughfares, approving three engineering services agreements with the village's traffic consultant, Kenig, Lindgren, O'Hara, Aboona, Inc. (KLOA) of Rosemont.

The projects to be handled by KLOA include:

• Designing improvements for pedestrian crosswalks at 47 th St at 9th Ave, 47th St at Waiola Ave and La Grange Rd at 52nd St. KLOA also will secure the necessary approvals for the crosswalks from the Illinois Department of Transportation.
• Assessing current speed conditions along 47th St and conducting an "origin-destination study" to better understand the travel patterns of motorists using the thoroughfare.
• Studying the feasibility of installing traffic signals at the intersection of 47th St & East Ave.

All three projects are part of an effort by village officials to respond to a public outcry for pedestrian safety improvements following an accident May 19 in which Cary Cook, a young mother and Countryside resident, was struck and killed by a motorist while crossing 47 the St at 8th Ave with her two small children.

In recent weeks, the village also has realigned the curb cuts at 6th, 7th and 8th Aves to account for the offsets that exist as those north-south roadways cross 47th St.

Click here to read the staff reports on all three projects.

Matt Cook, husband of Cari, used the public comment portion of Monday night's meeting to address other safety concerns regarding 47th and village thoroughfares, including police enforcement of speed limits.

Cook also asked about a suggestion made by Village Trustee Mike Horvath to create a village commission on pedestrian safety. Cook, along with family members and friends, have formed their own ad-hoc committee to address the matter.

The lengthy dialogue between Cook and village officials can be viewed in the two-part video below.

Click here to view our complete coverage of the accident and its aftermath.

Motorist in Cari Cook death pleads guilty to traffic charges at early hearing without Cook family present

The motorist charged with two minor traffic offenses resulting from an accident in which a young Countryside mother was struck and killed May 19 while crossing 47th St with her two small children pled guilty Monday to both charges in Cook County Circuit Court in Bridgeview.

But family members and friends of Cari Cook, the 29-year-old woman who died in the accident, were not in attendance when the motorist, Mary McPhillips, 45, of Chicago, pled guilty at a traffic division hearing before Judge Maureen Feerick for failing to exercise due care for a pedestrian and improper lane usage.

Although the Cook group, numbering about a dozen, arrived in time for the scheduled hearing at 10:30 a.m., McPhillips and her attorney had arrived earlier and persuaded the judge to conduct the hearing during the court's 9:00 a.m. session.

La Grange Police Chief Mike Holub today said officers planning to attend the 10:30 hearing also were not informed of the switch.

In response to McPhillips' guilty pleas, Judge Feerick assessed her court costs and granted supervision, according to John Kenney, the village prosecutor, who was present at the hearing. Kenney said he did not recall that any additional fines were imposed and explained that supervision involves a period of time during which a motorist must maintain a clean driving record or face further court action. He said he also did not recall how long a period of supervision was ordered by the judge.

The hearing concluded and McPhillips departed before the group arrived at the courthouse, Matt Cook, Cari's husband, said today.

Cook said he others in the group were "extremely disappointed" at missing the hearing.

"We were denied the closure that the family really needed," he said. "It is what we really expected to have, some closure. We wanted to be there to support my wife and close the door on this chapter."

Kenney said that traffic court operates under different rules than those used in criminal cases, where a victim's family has the right to express their feelings and concerns before a sentence is meted out.

Although McPhillips was found responsible for Cook's death, she was not charged with any criminal counts in the accident. An investigation by state, county and village police determined that McPhillips had not acted in reckless or negligent manner resulting in Cook's death, Kenney said.

Nonetheless, Matt Cook said he is troubled by a legal system that addresses traffic violations without taking into account the full scope of the tragedy that resulted. "The traffic violations may be minor, but a loss of life is not," he said.

Court supervision is not adequate, Cook said. But he was at a loss to suggest might further penalties should have been imposed.

Asked to comment on what McPhillips told the judge upon entering her guilty pleas, Kenney said that her demeanor was "serious" befitting the occasion. But Kenney said he did not hear any expressions of remorse from McPhillips regarding Cari Cook's death.

"If she did say something it was out of my earshot," Kenney said.

McPhillips' guilty pleas likely open the door for a civil lawsuit seeking compensation related to the accident. Matt Cook today declined to comment on whether further legal action was planned.

Click here to view our complete coverage of the accident and its aftermath.

Countdown crosswalk signals make downtown debut

Work was completed today on the first installation of crosswalk countdown signals that soon should help make signalized intersections throughout the village of La Grange safer for pedestrians.

The signals, which consist of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), display a visual countdown from 10 or 15 seconds to zero, letting pedestrians know how much time remains before the traffic signal for motorists turns yellow, Ryan Gillingham, village public works director said.

New countdown signals are now in place on all four corners at the intersection of La Grange Rd and Harris Ave, next to Village Hall. It will take about two months to complete installation at all of the village's signalized intersections, including those where jurisidiction is shared with neighboring communities, Gillingham said.

In addition to the new crosswalk signals, work crews also are replacing the overhead, incandescent traffic signals for motorists with LED devices. The LED signals use less power and should be easier for motorists to recognize, Gillingham said.

The LED signals also eventually will have a battery backup system so that traffic lights will continue to operate even when electrical power is lost, he said.

The cost of the new system is $214,000, all but $47,000 of which will be paid by two grants from the State of Illinois, Gillingham said.

Asperger urges residents to contact state reps to express support of efforts to improve 47th St safety

La Grange residents who are seeking ways to contribute to the village's effort to improve safety along 47th St can begin by contacting the two state representatives whose districts include portions of the village, President Elizabeth Asperger said Monday night at a scheduled meeting of the village board of trustees.

Asperger acknowledged the personal involvement of Reps. Michael Zalewski and Jim Durkin in eliciting a swift response from officials at the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). They arranged and attended a meeting June 16 between village officials and IDOT Secretary Gary Hannig, where a list of safety modifications for 47th St and other village thoroughfares was discussed, Asperger said.

"Their involvement in this process has made it more effective," Asperger said. "They are working hard on your behalf. Their knowledge that you are aware of that will continue to encourage them to stand by our side and pursue these improvements."

Below are links to the state-maintained web pages for both representatives, along with links to PDFs displaying the boundaries of each of their districts:

• Michael Zalewski (21st Dist.), Contact Info, Map of District
• Jim Durkin (82nd Dist), Contact Info, Map of District

Asperger also invited residents to contact village officials with their ideas and concerns.

"There are no absolutes and your feedback is welcome and important," she said.

Click here to read full coverage of the Cari Lyn Cook accident and its aftermath.

New curb cuts are first step towards 47th St safety

New curb cuts will be made along E 47th St where it intersects with 6th, 7th and 8th Aves as part of an effort by village and state officials to improve pedestrian safety along the heavily traveled thoroughfare, La Grange President Elizabeth Asperger announced Monday night at a regular session of the village board of trustees.

Village public works crews will begin work on the project Wednesday (June 24), Asperger said.

The new mid-block curb cuts should make it safer for pedestrians who choose to cross E 47th St at those three intersections, where the avenues and sidewalks that run north-south are not aligned from side of E 47th St to the other.

In the case of the 8th Ave intersection, where Countryside resident Cari Lyn Cook was struck and killed by a motorist May 19, the sidewalks on either side of E 47th St are offset some 50 feet from each other.

The absence of an aligned curb cut may have been a factor in that accident. Cook was struck as she lifted her daughter's stroller up onto the curb on the south side of 47th St. She apparently had entered the roadway using a sidewalk cub cut on the road's north side, but there was no corresponding curb cut directly across from it.

But while the new curb cuts should make crossing at those intersections somewhat safer, Asperger hopes that pedestrians will avoid using them. Instead, village officials are encouraging pedestrians to cross E 47th St only at 9th Ave, where there is a marked pedestrian crosswalk with signage to alert motorists, or to use the intersection at La Grange Rd, which has full traffic signals.

As a subliminal means of encouraging that behavior, Asperger said the village will not paint crosswalks connecting the new curb cuts at 6th, 7th and 8th Aves. Instead, crosswalks will painted east to west connecting the sidewalks on either side of E 47th St that cross those three avenues.

Asperger hopes the east-west crosswalks will draw pedestrians towards the safer crossing points.

The new curb cuts were among several safety improvements for 47th St and other village roadways proposed by village officials during a meeting June 16 with Gary Hannig, director of the Illinois Department of Transportation. The meeting was arranged by State Reps. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) and Michael Zalewski (D-Chicago), who also attended.

Other proposed improvements include:

• Installing flashing yellow beacon lights on both sides of the existing pedestrian crosswalk at the 9th Ave intersection, facing in both directions, that could be activated by a pedestrian pushing a button. Advance warning signage and pavement markings also will be added to alert motorists approaching the crosswalk.
• Installing a second similarly enhanced pedestrian crossing at the intersection of La Grange Rd and 52nd St, and possibly a third along 47th St near Waiola Park.
• Prohibiting right turns on red lights at 47th St and Edgewood Ave when pedestrians are present.
• Reducing the speed limit along 47th St from 35 mph to 25 mph. A similar reduction would apply to La Grange Rd south of 47th St. The speed limit along Ogden Ave also would be reduced to 25 mph, including the bridge portion that crosses over the Indiana Harbor Belt raliroad.

Approval from IDOT for the curb cuts was immediately granted, but the village still is awaiting a green light for the remaining changes, Asperger said. However, she described Hannig as "very responsive" and said that she and Village Manager Robert Pilipiszyn left the meeting feeling "very optimistic."

Asperger said the village's goal is to have all safety improvements in place by the beginning of the upcoming school year.

Asperger said traffic enforcement by police throughout the village also would be re-evaluated, possibly resulting in the deployment of additional patrol cars. Several residents attending special village meeting held June 2 expressed concern that traffic policing was lax and grumbled when Police Chief Michael Holub revealed that generally no more than four patrol cars are on the streets at any given time.

Click here to read full coverage of both the accident and the aftermath.

Driver in Cari Cook death ticketed for two violations

A motorist who struck and killed Cari Lyn Cook as she crossed 47th St May 19 has been issued two traffic tickets related to the accident, La Grange police said Thursday.

Mary McPhillips, 45, of Chicago, was issued traffic citations for "failing to exercise due care to a pedestrian" and "improper lane usage," according to a press release issued by police.

McPhillips posted bond on the tickets and was assigned an Aug. 4 court date at the 5th District Municipal Court in Bridgeview.

The tickets were issued following a month-long investigation of the accident by La Grange Police, Illinois State Police, the Cook County Sheriff's Office and the State's Attorney's Office.

No evidence indicated the use of drugs or alcohol by McPhillips, police said.

Cook, a 30-year-old mother from Countryside, was struck by an SUV driven by McPhillips as she lifted a stroller containing her two-year-old daughter, Ellie, onto the southside curb of the road. The girl was unharmed. However, Cook's four-month-old son, Carson, who was strapped to his mother in a front carrier, suffered a fractured leg in the accident.

Cook's death triggered an outcry from residents regarding the need to address pedestrian safety along the heavily traveled thoroughfare. At a community meeting held June 2, village and state representatives promised to take action.

Click here to read full coverage of both the accident and the aftermath.

Special Report: Fixing 47th St - What to do & when?

In the aftermath of the death of Cary Lyn Cook, a 30-year-old wife and mother who was struck and killed by a vehicle May 19 while crossing 47th St with her two small children and the family dog, village officials have pledged to step up long-held plans to improve pedestrian safety along the thoroughfare.

In a special meeting held June 2, village received input from some three dozen citizens out of more than 200 that filled the chairs and lined the walls of the Seventh St School gymnasium.

To help you stay on top of the story, we're compiling a special report where you can find links to all the posts as they are added to this newsblog, along with additional information.

You also are invited to post your comments in the space provided below this post.

Click here to go to our special report.