La Grange Today

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.

2009 village vehicle licenses required by May 1

The Village of La Grange finance department is reminding residents that all motor vehicles must display before Thursday, May 1, village vehicle licenses for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

Village Hall will be open for extended hours to accommodate last-minute license purchases:

• Saturday, April 25, 9:00 a.m. until noon.
• Thursday, April 30, until 7:00 p.m.

The cost for a passenger vehicle license is $20.00. Rates for trucks, recreational vehicles, motorcycles and mopeds can be accessed via this link to the village website. More information also is available by phone from the finance department at (708) 579-2300.

A late fee applies beginning May 1, 2009.

Feds approve $3.2 million to pay off parking structure

The Federal Highway Administration has authorized $3.2 million in federal transportation funds to retire the outstanding debt financing on the municipal parking structure behind Village Hall, La Grange officials said today.

The monies will be processed through the Illinois Department of Transportation in the form of reimbursements of construction costs. Receipt of the funds is expected in three to four months.

Village officials offered special thanks to retired U.S. Representative William O. Lipinski, who they said "solicited infrastructure projects from the Village and supported the inclusion of the parking structure in the final transportation bill."

They also recognized Lipinski's son, Daniel, the district current Congressman, "for his continued legislative support of the Village's parking structure project, and his efforts to facilitate the reimbursement process."

Peak school parking ban extended on N Stone Ave

Parking along the west side 200 block of N Stone Ave will be prohibited during peak school traffic hours, under an ordinance approved Monday night by the La Grange village board of trustees.

The block, which runs north from Ogden Ave to Brewster Ave, is located between Ogden School and Park Junior High.

No parking will be permitted along the block from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 to 3:45 p.m., Monday through Friday. Similar restrictions already exist on the 100 block of N Stone Ave and the 200 block of N Waiola.

Village Manager Bob Pilipiszyn said that street receives a relatively high amount of vehicular traffic during peak pick-up and drop-off hours. Vehicles parking on both sides of the street make it difficult for buses and vehicles to navigate through the area, he said.

A petition supporting the parking restrictions was signed by every affected resident, Pilipisyzn said. Officials from both schools nearby also expressed no objections.

Man decapitated by IHB freight train ruled a suicide

The death of a 61-year old Lyons man who was run over by a freight train on the Indiana Harbor Belt rail line Friday afternoon has been ruled a suicide, La Grange Police Chief Michael Holub said today.

The victim, Joseph Dubinskas, was decapitated after apparently lying down next to the southbound tracks near Ogden Ave and placing his head inside the rail as the train approached. Although the train was traveling under 10 mph, the engineer was unable to avoid hitting the victim, Holub said.

Footprints the victim left in the snow led to the scene from a stairway descending from the Ogden Ave overpass, Holub said.

Dubinskas, a Marine veteran with a history of mental illness, was tentatively identified when his description matched a missing person report filed with Lyons police by a family relative. Fingerprints later confirmed his identity, Holub said. 

Parking scofflaws now more likely to get booted

Motorists who routinely ignore parking tickets issued by La Grange police likely will soon find something else attached to their vehicles—a boot that makes driving away impossible.

Under an ordinance amended Monday night by La Grange trustees, motorists with five or more unpaid parking tickets will have their names and vehicle license plates added to a list provided to officers patrolling the village's streets and parking lots. When a vehicle on the list is encountered by an officer, on goes a boot.

The boot will be removed only after the vehicle's owner has paid a $60 fine, along with all outstanding tickets. If the matter is not settled within 48 hours, the vehicle will be towed and impounded, incurring additional costs to the owner.

La Grange Police Chief Michael Holub said the law is not targeted at motorists who forget to pay a ticket or two, but at scofflaws who regularly ignore village parking restrictions and the tickets that result.

There are "about half a dozen" vehicles on the list at this time, Holub said.

Every motorist on the list will be mailed a warning notice before the law is enforced, and have five days to pay up or request a hearing.

Before the ordinance was amended, police first had to obtain a court judgment before a vehicle could be booted.