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the glencoe anchor | April 12, 2018 | 3
Glencoe District 35
Alltown Bus Service remains the provider for D35
Margaret Tazioli
Freelance Reporter
Despite a search for a
new bus service, District
35 elementary schools will
continue using Alltown
Bus Service.
In the past, Alltown Bus
Service hasn’t been perfect,
according to District
35 Director of Finance and
Operations Jason Edelheit.
So with the end of Alltown’s
contract, Edelheit
sought new bids for bus
services.
Of the 20 companies
solicited, three companies
bid. The district, however,
has some tough criteria,
like buses in the fleet must
be an average of four years
old and can’t be older than
eight years. All buses in
D35 must also have safety
belts equipped, but not all
buses come with safety
belts.
Septran bid $121 per run
for daily services if they
can deploy up to 12-yearold
buses, Compass Transportation
bid $170 per run
for daily service but would
meet all district requirements.
However, neither
company came close to the
$81 per run bid of Alltown
Bus Service for daily services.
Board member Marc
Gale questioned why the
bid Edelheit recommended
was so much lower than
the other two.
Edelheit suggested it is
because Alltown already
has the infrastructure in
place to provide service so
their startup cost would be
minimal.
“If I felt some of those
higher prices would give
us better service, I would
have recommended it,”
Edelheit said. “We wound
up where we were before,
but the process was worthwhile
and hopefully it will
incite Alltown to continue
to improve their service.”
The district is continuing
to work with Alltown
to get a GPS tracking system
on the buses — a newer
version of GPS equipment
on buses was part of
the new contract.
The district’s issue with
Alltown alerting the district
when there will be a
substitute driver has been
resolved. The business
office checks in with Alltown
every morning and
sends out an alert to bus
routes that will be having a
sub that day. This was the
biggest service issue the
district was having with
the bus service.
Since November, the
performance of Alltown
has improved according to
Edelheit.
“Almost back to what
we were used to,” Edelheit
said. “They were able to
execute a driver transition
with very minimal interruption
to regular service.
I do feel confident that this
is the right move for our
district.”
Substitute teachers
approved for a raise
Another move Edelheit
recommended was
for District 35 to give its
substitute teachers a pay
raise starting next fall. Ultimately,
the Board of Education
approved it during
the meeting.
Substitutes will be paid
$125 per day, a $10 per
day raise from current
rates, starting next fall.
“This puts us at the top
of the range for substitute
pay,” Edelheit said. “It
won’t solve all our substitute
issues, but it will help
the morale of our current
substitutes.”
Additionally, substitute
teachers who accept longterm
assignments will receive
a higher rate of pay
at the outset instead of
needing to wait a period of
days. Long-term subs will
receive a $50 per week
bonus at the end of their
assignment in order to incentive
acceptance and
completion of long-term
teacher associate substitute
assignments.
FROM THE VILLAGE
Vehicle and animal license
renewals
The renewal process for 2018
vehicle and animal licenses is
now well underway. You can
get started on your renewals
through the online portal on the
Village’s website. The 2018 renewal
deadline is May 1.
Please note that the Village
recently learned that some residents
did not receive accurate
vehicle license renewals – in
some cases, residents who qualify
for the senior rate were not
billed at the senior rate, and in
other cases, not all vehicles
owned by the resident displayed
in the online payment portal. If
you experienced either issue,
please click here for simple
instructions to correct your renewal
application. We apologize
for the inconvenience that
these errors may cause you, and
appreciate your patience and cooperation.
Combined yard waste and
composting program kicks off
The Village’s new, combined
curbside yard waste and composting
service allows residents
to dispose of compostable materials
(such as fruit and vegetable
peels, egg shells, coffee grounds
and paper napkins) with their
yard waste in biodegradable paper
yard waste bags, or curbside
bins.
Participate by bringing your
yard waste and/or compost to
the curb on Wednesdays between
April 1-Dec. 15. To pay
for the program, residents must
either purchase yard waste stickers
(for $2.25 each available at
Village Hall and the Grand Food
Center) or an annual subscription
(for a fee of $125). Call
Lakeshore Recycling Systems
at (773) 685-8811 to subscribe.
Spring Clean-Up Day
New this year, Spring Clean-
Up Day for bulk items (unwanted
furniture, appliances, etc.)
will take place on the same day
for all households on May 2. A
second day will be held for all
households in October.
Street Sweeping Program
underway
With the start of spring weather,
the Village has resumed its
annual street sweeping program.
Help by parking vehicles in your
driveway when possible.
Changes to Village Water Rates
Effective with the March
2018 billing cycle, residents will
see changes to the Village’s water
rate structure to help sustain
water utility costs.
The Village Board approved
a volumetric rate of $4.500 per
100 cubic feet (about 750 gallons),
as well as a new fixed
charge based on water meter
size. Learn about how this
change impacts your home by
visiting the Village’s website.
Information regarding water
rate changes was included in the
Village’s first “Budget in Brief”
document, which was mailed
at the beginning of March to
all households. Copies are also
available at Village Hall.
From the Village is compiled from
Village eNews.
Ceramics Sale features residents’ work
Submitted Content
BlackSheep General Store is
hosting a Handmade in Glencoe
Ceramics Sale featuring work
from the Glencoe Park District
Ceramics Studio.
From April 2-22, the store is
selling unique, handmade ceramic
pieces produced in Glencoe at
346 Park Ave., Glencoe.
Natalie Steinmetz, the director
of the Glencoe Ceramics
program, has developed a ceramics
program for students and
artists from a range of ages and
abilities. Her vision of a studio
that nourishes exploration and
individuality, alongside technical
instruction, has resulted in a
special, creative community. The
students and artists produce functional,
sculptural and conceptual
pieces.
Limited opportunity to acquire
ceramic art from a local artist.
For more info on the sale, contact
Sonya Choe Miller at (847)
778-3613. For more on the Glencoe
Park District Ceramics Studio,
contact Natalie Steinmetz at
(630) 776-7286.
The Glencoe
Ceramics
Sale will
run through
April 22 at
BlackSheep
General
Store
featuring
residents’
artwork.
Photo
submitted