Wilmette Board Grants Two Liquor Licenses

The Rock House and The Big Black Dog Tavern and Grill, which is expected to open this fall, both received liquor licenses.

Wilmette trustees approved liquor licenses for The Rock House and The Big Black Dog Tavern Tuesday as part of the consent agenda. The Rock House, which currently serves as a musician practice space, live music venue and coffee shop, plans to begin serving beer and wine in mid- to late-August. The spot plans to meet with brewers in the fall to add a custom microbrew to the menu. Owner Chris Karabas said the goal is to make The Rock House a place where locals can come before or after dinner to have a drink and listen to music. Watch a video of Karabas talking about making his dreams come true. The owner of Gilson’s is behind The Big Black Dog Tavern and Grill, which is under construction now and expected to open this fall in the former …

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Madonna Wallace

9:43 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012

I love Wilmette! Great news! Wilmette will soon be a destination for great restaurants, entertainment and bars. Good luck Rock House & Big Black Dog in your new endeavors! We wish you only the best! Chef Rob and Madonna Wilmette Chop House   more ›

Five Events This Week in Wilmette, Kenilworth

Every Monday, Wilmette-Kenilworth Patch will provide a preview of events and meetings taking place in the community.

Kenilworth Village Board Meeting   Stories in the Park   New Trier Township High School District 203 Board Meeting   Great Age Daytime Programs presents Book Club with Libby Fischer Hellman   Keep Your Garden Green With A Free Watering "Refresher Course" by Chalet Nursery Like this article? Sign up for our newsletter and "like" us on Facebook!  

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Readers Weigh In On District 39's Circus Fundraiser

News of the village's approval of Kelly Miller Cirus fundraiser sparks resident concerns.

After approval was given to Wilmette School District 39's Educational Foundation by Wilmette trustees to hold a circus fundraiser in September, readers commented on Patch about animal cruelty and safety concerns. Read: Wilmette Approves Permit for District 39's Circus Fundraiser Valerie J. Chalcraft, who also brought these concerns to village trustees' attention at last week's meeting, wrote on Patch, "My points at the meeting were that the brutal training NOT SEEN BY THE PUBLIC combined with confinement and travel the animals experience lead to fear, frustration and unpredictable behavior." Patch reader Janie Jenkins wrote," Having a circus at a school fundraiser or anywhere in our community is a bad lesson for kids. We need to teach our …

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Wilmette Approves Permit for District 39's Circus Fundraiser

Wilmette School District 39's Educational Foundation plans to host a circus fundraiser on Sept. 28.

Wilmette trustees approved a temporary use permit Tuesday for Wilmette School District 39's Educational Foundation to hold a circus fundraiser on September 28.  The sixth biennial Kelly Miller circus fundraiser will be held behind the Mikaelian Education Center, 615 Locust Rd. The fundraiser will include a 150-inch circus tent, activities, concessions, and animals such as elephants, llamas, camels, ponies and dogs, according to village document.  Wilmette resident and animial behaviorist Valerie Chalcraft objected to the permit approval, telling trustees that an elephant attack may be likely, given the brutal training methods circuses use, including the use of bull hooks. Resident Concerned About Elephant Attacks  These methods are not …

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Wilmette, Kenilworth Locks in Electricity Supply Rates

Within eight months, residents who participate in the electricity aggregation program could expect to save some $450 and the village as a whole could expect to save more than $4 million in energy costs.

Wilmette and Kenilworth have locked in the lowest energy rate among North Shore communities for its residents and small businesses that participate in the electricity aggregation program.  The Village of Wilmette, which is part of the Lake Shore Power Alliance with the Village of Kenilworth, finalized the electricity purchasing agreement with energy provider mc2 Thursday.  The new rate for Wilmette residents will be 4.035 cents per kilowatt-hour, and 4.11 cents per kilowatt-hour for Kenilworth residents, both prices are locked in through May 31, 2013. The new rate is 46 percent lower than Commonwealth Edison’s summer rate and 54 percent lower than ComEd’s non-summer rate, according to a press release.  Kenilworth trustees approved …

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Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Village Rejects 100% Green Energy Option

Wilmette resident Jan Barshis shares her view on the village's electrical aggregation vote.

On Tuesday, June 12, at the Wilmette Village Board meeting, 5 of the 7 Village trustees voted down the proposal to commit the Village to 100% green energy through the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits (REC’s) in its electrical aggregation decision. The Board selected MC2 as Wilmette’s energy provider and opted for the minimum state requirement , (7% renewable energy), with individuals being able to choose 50% or 100% renewable energy through REC’s for a slight extra cost. Unfortunately, rarely more than 3% of the population takes advantage of this individual choice plan, according to Mark Pruitt, the Village aggregation consultant. Despite more than 850 signatures and emails sent to the Village asking for the larger percentages of …

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Wilmette Selects Supplier for its Electricity Aggregation Program

Village expects to switch over to new electricity supplier mc2 in August.

Wilmette trustees approved a three-year contract with mc2 to supply electricity for the village’s Power Purchasing Program Tuesday.  The Chicago-based energy supplier will provide residents the lowest price option, which includes the statuary minimum of 7 percent renewable energy, while also offering residents the option of purchasing 100 percent renewable energy credits.  “We are optimistic that we could put residents in the position of being able to save somewhere between $340 and $400 (between now and May 2013),” Village Manager Tim Frenzer said during the meeting. “If you think about multiplying that to just over 10,000 households you are talking between $3 to $4 million wealth saved for the community.”  Residents who want to choose …

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Resident Sues Village, Developer over Marriott’s Plan in Wilmette

A neighbor of the Residence Inn by Marriott is seeking an injunction against the project, which is scheduled to break ground this summer.

A neighbor of a planned Marriott hotel in Wilmette filed a lawsuit May 30, claiming the project was inappropriately approved, according to TribLocal. In April, the Village Board approved the six-story, 130 room Residence Inn by Marriott hotel, 3201 Old Glenview Road, despite objections from neighbors. Wilmette residents who oppose the development say it does not match the character of the existing neighborhood and could affect property values. Wilmette resident Larry Rogers alleges in the lawsuit that the village did not comply with procedures or local ordinances regarding the planned unit development process, TribLocal reported. For the full story, visit: Triblocal.com/Wilmette-Kenilworth Several residents also raised this point during …

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Willie Wilmette

1:46 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012

I am assuming that there is reasonable setback from the residential area.   more ›

Wilmette Trustees: Lot too Small for Big House

The Village of Wilmette rejected zoning variances for a proposed house at 400 8th St.

The majority of Wilmette trustees rejected a request for zoning variances to build a new house at 400 8th St., saying the proposed structure is too large for the small lot. Trustee Mike Basil was the sole vote in favor of the zoning variances. Trustee Cameron Krueger was not present at the May 22 meeting. Richard Trojan made the requests so he could build a home with a lot coverage of 1,549-square-feet on the property, located in the village’s R1-district for single family detached residences. The zoning ordinance limits the lot coverage to 1,430 square-feet. Trojan also proposed the home would have total floor area of 2,652 square-feet, a variance was also needed because the zoning ordinance limits total floor area to 2,369 square-feet. …

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Wilmette Residents Urge Village to Purchase 100% Renewable Energy

Trustees approved Wilmette Power Purchasing Program’s plan of governance. Earliest residents could participate in the program is late August.

With Wilmette Power Purchasing Program’s plan of governance approved, residents are urging trustees to select an electricity vendor that provides 100 percent renewable energy community wide. Residents will see savings on their electricity bill regardless of the percentage of renewable energy selected. Homeowners would pay $1 to $2 per month extra for electricity supply from 100 percent renewable sources when compared to the state minimum requirement of 7 percent, experts said. “The reason Wilmette needs to adopt 100 percent renewable on a community-wide basis is because just like with second-hand smoke, if you adopt clean energy but your neighbors on either side do not, you are not going to get the benefit,” said Wilmette resident Joel …

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