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The Winnetka Current 012518
The Winnetka Current 012518
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winnetkacurrent.com news<br />
the winnetka current | January 25, 2018 | 3<br />
Winnetka Village Council<br />
Orthodontist office on Gage Street approved by trustees<br />
Nathan Worcester<br />
Freelance Reporter<br />
In a unanimous effort,<br />
Winnetka trustees approved<br />
a special use permit<br />
for an orthodontics office<br />
at 1075 Gage St., which is<br />
within a C-2 commercial<br />
overlay district, at their<br />
Tuesday, Jan. 16 meeting.<br />
Dr. Alex Figueroa, of<br />
Figueroa Orthodontics<br />
LLC, argued his business<br />
would “[Create] a sense<br />
of community and gives<br />
people a reason to come to<br />
the Hubbard Woods downtown...<br />
They can come to<br />
the orthodontist and also<br />
do some of their shopping.”<br />
Trustee Scott Myers<br />
quipped back, saying “I<br />
always like hanging out at<br />
the orthodontist’s office.”<br />
But, on a more serious<br />
note, Myers described the<br />
approval as a test case.<br />
“What kind of exceptions<br />
are we going to allow<br />
in the downtown area, and<br />
how do those exceptions<br />
impact traffic?” he said.<br />
“Does it add to the energy<br />
of the downtown [or] does<br />
it detract from the energy of<br />
downtown?”<br />
Figueroa faced questions<br />
from Trustee Penny Lanphier,<br />
who expressed concerns<br />
the proposed design<br />
would leave a partial dead<br />
space.<br />
In the proposed layout,<br />
the portion of the office<br />
visible through the western<br />
display window would be<br />
filled with orthodontists’<br />
chairs. For privacy reasons,<br />
that area would have to be<br />
partially obscured from the<br />
street by a solar shade or<br />
some other barrier.<br />
Figueroa explained the<br />
firm and its builder were<br />
still determining the office’s<br />
final layout, but that<br />
if the western side of the<br />
office were devoted to patient<br />
care, patients might<br />
have the option of keeping<br />
windows “open to a point”<br />
if they were comfortable<br />
with it.<br />
Lanphier said she “appreciated<br />
[Figueroa’s]<br />
spirit of cooperation” in designing<br />
the office. She also<br />
stated the office’s location<br />
near shopping destinations<br />
would give bored parents<br />
something to do while their<br />
kids are being treated.<br />
After the meeting,<br />
Figueroa concurred his<br />
business was an important<br />
test case for non-retail development<br />
in the Hubbard<br />
Woods area and expanded<br />
on his commitment to the<br />
area.<br />
“I think the Village of<br />
Winnetka is contemplating<br />
what they want to do with<br />
the Hubbard Woods C-2<br />
overlay district and what<br />
other [non-retail] businesses<br />
they want to open it up<br />
to so that they don’t have<br />
to go through this process<br />
[every time],” he said.<br />
Figueroa, who grew up<br />
in Glencoe, emphasized<br />
he hoped his business,<br />
which has a 10-year lease<br />
with two five-year options,<br />
would be a source of stability<br />
and vibrancy in the area.<br />
“I hope that our future<br />
business will come from<br />
people I grew up with and<br />
had relationships with as<br />
well,” Figueroa said.<br />
Exception to a standard<br />
village bid<br />
Trustees unanimously<br />
approved a resolution to<br />
waive the Village’s normal<br />
bidding process for the<br />
purchase of primary utility<br />
cable for 2018 and agree to<br />
a contract with the Okonite<br />
Company, a present supplier<br />
for Winnetka.<br />
Okonite and Resco<br />
(Prysmium Group) both<br />
submitted bids, but their<br />
bids were both considered<br />
non-responsive from a<br />
legal standpoint because<br />
neither vendor accepted<br />
certain terms in the Village<br />
of Winnetka’s contract. The<br />
language in that contract<br />
was recently overhauled by<br />
the village’s attorney, Holland<br />
& Knight LLP.<br />
Although Resco’s bid<br />
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$2,399,000<br />
was slightly lower than<br />
Okonite’s, their contractual<br />
requirements were more<br />
onerous than Okonite’s.<br />
In particular, Okonite was<br />
unwilling to alter a clause<br />
allowing them to change<br />
prices with only 30-days<br />
notice.<br />
Though he ultimately<br />
approved the resolution,<br />
Trustee Bob Dearborn expressed<br />
concerns.<br />
“It puts us in a bad position<br />
to be dealing with one<br />
vendor,” he said. “I think<br />
it’s a priority to build out<br />
a process that’s far more<br />
competitive.”<br />
Brian Keys, director of<br />
water and electric for Winnetka,<br />
said there were not<br />
many potential vendors he<br />
considered reliable enough<br />
for primary cable, which is<br />
a non-commodity product.<br />
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