Vol. 21, No. 7 - Dec 1999� eerf field T�4LfS
December 1999 - VOL. 21 NO.7
Happy H®Cidays
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REDUCTION IN TALC LEVY
At their December 20te meeting, the Village Board will
pass the Real Estate Tax Levy for 1999. For the eighth
year in a row, the amount levied for Village purposes
will be less than the previous year.
However, please note that the Village receives less
than 7% of the total property taxes paid, so our
• decrease may not have an appreciable effect on your
next bill. In any event, we're pleased to announce this
reduction even though, as a Home Rule community,
there are no limits on the amount the Village can levy.
CITIZENS HONORED
At this year's Thanksgiving Interfaith Service, Gilbert
Antokal and LisaRouse (posthumously) were
recognized as recipients of the 1999 Human Relations
Award. Both made outstanding contributions to the
community
CHRISTMAS TREE PICK-UP
The Village's scavenger service contractor will pick up
Christmas trees and other organic holiday decorations
on TUESDAY, JANUARY 4TH AND TUESDAY,
JANUARY IITH. Trees and other organic greenery
will be picked up at your curb IF all bags, metal
(including tinsel) and other decorations are removed.
• SCAVENGER SERVICE
Scavenger service will not be affected by the
Christmas or New Year's holidays.
COMMUNITY EMERGENCY FUND
The Deerfield Community Emergency Fund is a
community -based program created to help meet the
needs of area residents who are experiencing financial
crisis resulting from loss of work, family problems,
and other circumstances. Our community spirit is what
sets Deerfield apart! Please consider donating to the
fund that helps our own neighbors when they face hard
times. If you need further information, contact West
Deerfield Township Supervisor Julie Morrison at 945-
0614.
Donations can be sent to: Deerfield Village Hall, 850
Waukegan Road, Deerfield, IL 60015 or West
Deerfield Township, 858 Waukegan Road, Deerfield,
IL 60015
CLUBS/ORGANIZATIONS
In the September issue of D-Tales, we had provided a
list of some ,of the clubs/organizations in the
community, and invited other groups to contact us if
they were interested in being included in a future issue.
We received calls from the following:
❑ Knights of Columbus — Jim Hurley — 9454812
❑ Deerfield Area Branch, American Association of
University Women — Jayne Bryant — 948-7398
❑ Townley Club — Sharon Carani — 948-5504
IMPORTANT Y2K INFORMATION
INSIDE!
Year 2000 Readiness Disclosure
For over a year and a half, the Village of
Deerfield has taken steps to address Y2k related
issues in order to avoid potential disruptions on
January 1st and into the year 2000. Although
taking the matter very seriously, we believe that
the millennium weekend may bring only a bump
in the road, not a major meltdown.
At the November 1s' Village Board
meeting, Police Chief Pat Anderson gave a
presentation on the status of the Village's
compliance efforts. We feel we will be able to
enter the new millennium with all of our systems
operating smoothly. Below is a summary of the
actions the Village has taken in its efforts to
develop a Y2K Preparedness Plan.
MISSION:
1) Assess and correct internal Y2k risks.
2) Provide public information updates to
residents and businesses to accomplish the
following:
■ Explain the Y2k problem,
■ Offer prevention and coping strategies
to lessen or eliminate Y2k problems,
and
■ Provide updates on the Village's Y2k
compliance efforts and contingency
plan.
3) Develop a contingency plan that prepares
the Village government to address both internal
and external Y2k related failures, and thus
minimize the Y2k disruptions experienced by the
residents and businesses.
RESULTS:
We are Y2k ready! The Village has
performed an assessment of each of its critical
systems. This includes emergency systems such as
911, police & fire communications, and water &
sewer systems. We detected few compliance
issues and addressed those we did find.
The major utility companies such as
ComEd, AT&T, Ameritech, North Shore Gas,
NiGas, and the Regional Transportation Agency
have informed us that their systems have been
checked, tested and are compliant.
In summary, the . Village feels that we are
prepared for Y2k and any emergency situation that
may arise. The Village has updated or replaced all
critical hardware, software and embedded
systems. We are confident that Village equipment
will be ready to serve the public on January 1 st
CONTINGENCY PLAN:
The Y2k Contingency Plan calls for:
1) Increased staffing for the Police, Fire, and
Public Works Departments over the
weekend,
2) The opening of an Emergency Operation
Center,
3) The opening of redundant 911 lines
through Ameritech's local switching
station,
4) Operating a redundant 200 megahertz
emergency radio network,
5) Operating a telephone information center,
and,
6) Providing for LIVE, cable broadcasts from
the Village Hall on December 31s` on
channel 10 starting at 9:15 p.m. and every
15 minutes after the hour as necessary.
TRIGGER EFFECT:
The Village has
been asked to pass along
one important message —
both Federal and State
officials are concerned about what is called the
"Trigger Affect". In essence, this is a surge in
utility usage, due to customer doubt about
reliability.
In other words, if every homeowner turns
on his water or calls his neighbor to check on the
availability of phone services at midnight, there
may well be a breakdown of the system. We want
to advise the community to resist this temptation. •
Instead, you may want to designate two people to
check on family members and friends.
What To Do If Electrical Power is Lost
.......nothing is better than "home sweet home"....
Disruption of electricity
can occur as a result of many
things including high winds,
ice & heavy snow, and
equipment failure. During the
Police and Fire Departments'
audit of critical resources and facilities, we
confirmed that only the Fire Department, Village
Hall complex, and the Public Works building were
found to have self-sustaining generator systems.
Finding that the schools, public buildings,
and hotels are only capable of providing limited
emergency heat and light during a winter power
outage and understanding that shelters, no matter
how well equipped, cannot provide the amenities
found in a citizen's own residence, the opening of
shelters made little sense.
The Village of Deerfield, following
guidance from Federal and State Disaster response
agencies, strongly recommends that citizens,
facing a loss of power, remain in the safest and
best prepared shelter available to them, their own
homes.
The Public's Responsibility to Prepare for Y2k
You may want to consider preparing your
own household for possible Y2k problems. This
includes assembling basic foods and supplies as
well as checking essential computer controlled
devices such as heating and cooling systems. By
preparing, you increase the odds that Y2k will
have a minimal affect and you will reduce the
burden on community resources if there are
widespread Y2k problems. This kind of
preparation can act as a practice session in helping
you. to prepare for any kind of emergency
situation.
' If you have any questions or
concerns regarding Y2K issues
relating to the Village, please
contact Diane Mikula at 945-5000.
zL M I
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-THINGS TO CONSIDER -
FOOD RELATED:
❑ Water — One gallon per person per day, for 3
days.
❑ Dry & Canned Goods — 3 to 5 days worth per
person.
❑ Ready to eat Meats, Fruits & Vegetables
❑ Grill or Camp Stove
❑ Propane, Charcoal or Sterno
❑ Non -electric Can Opener
❑ Waterproof Matches & Lighters
❑ Paper plates & Cups, Plastic Utensils
DOCUMENTATION/COMPUTER/
FINANCE:
❑ Make Copies of All Important Documents:
Personal, Insurance, Financial, Social
Security, Medical etc. and store in fire-
resistant container
❑ Cash or Travelers Checks to cover a few days
o Make sure your computer is Y2k ready. Make
backups of your files.
❑ You may want to prepay January bills. Keep
proof of payment.
FA MIL MHOME:
❑ Battery operated AM/FM radio & flashlights
with extra batteries
❑ Special Items for infants, elderly & disabled
persons — remember to refill medications.
❑ Water enough for sanitation & washing
❑ First -Aid Kit
❑ Fire Extinguisher
❑ Cellular phone with backup battery charged &
a non -portable phone
❑ Toilet paper, toiletries & personal need items
❑ Unplug all non -essential electrical appliances
❑ Check with your alarm service providers to
insure security and fire alarm compliance
AUTOMOBILE:
❑ Do not store gasoline or propane in an unsafe
manner. Store gasoline outside of the house
in approved containers.
❑ Fill your vehicle with a full tank of gas
❑ Make sure you can operate your garage door
manually.
We would like to, take this opportunty to thank the following residents who are
volunteering their time to serve the community on various boards/commissions:
Appearance Review
Commission
Richard Coen, Ch.
Jules Beskin, Lisa Cummings,
James Landaker, Philip
Rosborough
Board of Building Appeals
Ted Galvani, Patrick Gattari,
Walter Hallford, Richard R.
Osman, Berton Ring, Steven
Welch
Board of Police Commissioners
Athur Rollin, Ch.
James Marovitz, James Warren
Board of Zoning Appeals
Bob Speckmann, Ch.
Leonard Adams, Herbert
Kessel, Theodore Kuczek,
Michael Lewitz, Bruce
Robbins, Karen Scott
Cable & Telecommunications
Commission
Jesse L. Rotman, Ch.
Neil Charak, Paul Diambri,
Mary Ehlers, Phillip Elbling,
Jeremiah Madden, Steven
Robinson, John Satmer
Cemetery Association
John Willman, Ch.
Maynard Grossman, Laura
Kempf
Electrical Commission
James Brown, Ted Galvani,
Richard R. Osman, James
Quirm, Michael Rouse
Energy Advisory & Resource
Recovery Commission
Robin Stone, Ch.
Donald Anderson, Marc Brown,
Laurence Ratner, Glenn
Schwartz
Emergencv Services & Disaster
Stan Rundell, Coordinator
David Arnold, John Chaput,
Kalman Kahn, Mark Kramer,
Gregory Lapin, Tim McQuire
Fine Arts Commission
Maer Davis, Ch.
Jill Burstein, Dorothy Fiedler,
James Golding, Connie Kieffer,
Sharon Laney, Jeffrey Marks,
Edwin Seidman
Human Relations Commission
John Grage, Ch.
Penina Frankel, Andrea
Lansing, Thelma LeVeaux, Lori
Zwart
Manpower Commission
Richard Strauss, Ch.
Jules Crystal, Julie Morrison,
Jean Reuther, Susie Wexler
Plan Commission
Robert Benton, Ch.
Martin Becker, James Feldman,
Gail Gussis, Bruce Heitzinger,
David Marks, Joseph Pugliese
VILLAGE OF DEERFIELD
850 Waukegan Road
Deerfield, Illinois 60015
Fire Department..............................911
Fire Department Non -Emergency .............945-4066
Police Department.............................911
Police Department Non -Emergency ............945-8636
Village Hall.............................945-5000
Public Works............................317-7245
Web Page.......................www.deerfield-il.org
BERNARD FORREST, Mayor
TRUSTEES
Steven M. Harris John H. Heuberger Derek Ragona
Harriet Rosenthal William S. Seiden Vernon E. Swanson
Robert D. Franz, Village Manager
Printed on Recycled Paper
Printed at SPS, The Printing Company, Inc. (847) 498-6126
Police Pension Board
Mark Anfenson, Robert
Davenport
Safety Council
Sheila Stanger, Ch.
Alan Bromberg, Rick
Cervarich, Thomas Elliott,
William Keefe Herbert
Nicholson, Lance Weiss
Sister City Committee
Edward Bohrer, Else Kuerten,
Kenneth Nylund, Ruth Schiffels
Stormwater Management
Bill Davis, Ch.
Thomas Jester, Franklin
Kulhanek, Lee S. Rose
Villaee Center Development
Michael LeTourneau, Ch.
Oscar Adler, Gary Cooper,
Alan H. Garfield, Joanne
Leslie, Joan Reed, Julie
Sherman, Barbara Struthers,
Jannes Zobus
Youth Council
Patricia Bornor, Ch.
Jeanne Becker, .Ida Greenfield,
Jeffrey Marks, John Palen,
Barbara Reich, Jeffrey Rivlin,
Lawrence Tracey
Bulk Rate
U.S.POSTAGE
PAID
Permit No. 1
Deerfield, Illinois
CAR/PRE-SORT
POSTAL CUSTOMER
DEERFIELD, ILLINOIS 60015
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