If ever there was a local zoning issue that needed a court to resolve it, it is the ongoing upset between Elgin Avenue neighbors and both the village of Forest Park and the very noisy car wash across the alley on Harlem.
There is a legitimate problem with the 24 free-use vacuums that line up behind the Crystal Car Wash along a narrow, shared alley between Harlem and Elgin. These infernal machines run for long hours every day of the year. Frustrated neighbors are unable to use their yards and decks and are limited in their access to their alley.
A trio of those neighbors have been attempting to work with the village and the car wash to find a solution. They first hired an attorney earlier this year. He crafted a compelling argument that involves a detailed case that the new car wash, built several years ago on the site of a previous car wash should never have been grandfathered in under village zoning code.
When that legal salvo did not gain a reaction from village government or a compromise with the car wash, the neighbors upped the ante and just filed a lawsuit aimed at bringing some relief to the neighborhood. The suit names village government and two of its top staffers along with the car wash.
While it is unfortunate that legal action proved necessary, the suit will bring all parties to the table and force some sort of resolution. We applaud the neighbors for taking on the expense and the stress of this lawsuit.
A ‘commendable’ D91
There is cause for celebration at the District 91 Forest Park elementary schools as each of its four schools has received “commendable” designations in the recent Illinois State Report Card process.
A year ago, Field Stevenson Intermediate School fell a notch and became a “targeted” school, requiring a specific action plan for remediation. Focus has been given to that school by the school board, top administrators and at the school level, too. Progress has been made.
Robert Hubbird, the interim superintendent, was right when he told the Review’s Hope Baker that there is room for both celebration and improvement in the district. While it is affirming to have all four schools in the commendable category in the state’s rankings, there is work to be done on test scores and chronic truancy. The latter has been a major issue in schools nationwide since COVID-19. This district’s focus on seeing truancy as a problem to solve through outreach to families is the right approach.
