The Village of Northbrook and the village Park District are asking residents to help plan everything from how to save energy to managing open space over the next decade.
“I think this is really going to give us some structure as to how we move forward over the next five or 10 years with some of our sustainability efforts,” said Phil Kiraly, assistant village manager. “That’s what we’re looking for, the structure and the road map.”
The plan aims to realistically encompass the community’s vision for environmental awareness, acknowledging the possible challenges and opportunities, as well as what the village already is doing, he said.
The village and Park District met with residents about the plan on Oct. 3, and another meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Park District leisure center at 3323 Walters Ave.
“There’s always ideas out there as to what the community should be doing and how we should be doing it,” Kiraly said.
At the first meeting, residents broke up into small groups and discussed goals for the plan, including energy, refuse recycling, transportation, storm water management, open space and ecosystems and community development, among other things. The village has brought in consultants with The Delta Institute, a Chicago-based environmental consulting company, to help gather information and put the plan together.
“The concept was to be fairly broad in the topic areas and just really pull information from people based on what they think are important areas they think the community should focus on,” Kiraly said. “That’s not to say all these goals are going to make it into the draft plan. But it is something that’s helping us to formulate what this plan’s going to look like.”
Resident Jeremy Reynolds called the first meeting productive.
“It was a good place to start getting ideas on paper and to give the environmental consultants ideas as to what the community wants to focus on,” said Reynolds, an environmental consultant who chairs Northbrook’s environmental quality commission.
“The consultants want to get their ear to the rail so they get a sense as to what the community’s priorities are, to try and drill down to see what people are concerned with,” he said.
When completed by the end of the year, the plan will include suggestions for how the park district and village can reinforce sustainability through purchasing practices of paint, pesticides and herbicides, Kiraly said.
Reynolds said he hopes for a good community turnout at the Oct. 30 meeting.
“If you don’t show up, you can’t have your voice heard, and you can’t do any complaining later on,” he said. “Locals issues are a key to residents’ well-being.”
