News Journal du lieu suivant : Chicago, Illinois • Page 1

r-PLAZA PLANS Villages split vote on mental health referendum At Monday's village board meeting architect William Dring of Harry Weese and Associates revealed the plans for the $4 million civic center plaza that Oak Park hopes to construct at Madison and Lombard. The structure, which is built around an open air plaza is to house the offices of the municipal departments. Oak Park residents voted two-to-one in favor of a township mental health referendum, while River Forest voters rejected the proposal by the same margin. According to unofficial results, in Oak Park the vote was 7,160 for and 3,231 against for the measure which calls for the township to establish a mental health district governed by a seven member board. The township will have the power to levy a tax of up to one-tenth of one cent per $100 assessed valuation to provide treatment for alcohol and drug abuse, mental health and mental retardation.

The mental health board is tr evaluate the existing programs. determine the community's mental health needs and distribute the funds, which could amount to $250,000. In River Forest, voters refused to give the township permission to tax for mental health services and facilities with 805 residents voting against and 481 voting for the referendum. Mental health and retardation services are currently provided to both communities by several agencies including the Family Services Oak Community school, Community Nursing service and Oak Park-River Forest Day nursery. Each of the agencies would probably be eligible for some funds.

"It will be up to the board to decide how to distribute the funds and see that they are restricted to programs open to Oak Park residents," pointed out Bob Martens, associate director of Family Services. "Right now the whole question of what to do for River F'orest is up in the air." Martens said that services to River Forest would not stop, but the village should look at possible ways to provide funds to develop its own programs. Approximately 25 to 38 per cent of Family Services' clients are from River Forest he added. According to another resident who worked for the passage of the mental health referendum, "River Forest has closed a door to a new money source. There's no question that the money (to be raised through the mental health tax) will be spent in Oak Park.

The board will undoubtedly guarantee The referendum proponent agreed that services would not be cut in River Forest. "Any agency with a capacity to operate on a walk in, pay as you go basis will still be able to help River Forest people," he said. "It's just too bad in this case that River Forest didn't go along with Oak Park, because the services would have been greatly improved." River Forest township still has the option to hold another referendum on the issue, but no effort lias yet been made to promote a second balloting. OAK PARK RIVER FOREST VOL. 3 NO.

44 SUNDAY, APRILS, 1973 Single copy 15c The site plan for the civic center shows a division of the square block of property into sections for the office building, buffered parking area and small park. The triangular shaped structure, semi-detached from the building (shown at lower right) will house the village council chambers. Gear en refutes char i in suburban land dea 3KETC1 Interior sketch of one wing of the proposed municipal building shows division of space into glass-walled corridors opening onto outer office space, leading to two levels of private and semi-private work areas. See story inside for more details. By VICKI GIAMMONA Retiring Oak Park Village President John J.

Gearen asserted Thursday that suburban land sales linked to investigations of the so-called "Keane combine" was nothing more than an ordinary series of real estate transactions. Allegations in a Chicago paper charge that a syndicate of investors headed by Gearen and including at least two other Oak Parkers realized a 100 per cent profit on the deal within months of the sale. Aid. Thomas Keane, Mayer Daley's floor leader in the Chicago city council reportedly engineered the sale of 148 acres of municipal land at Harlem and Cermak in 1964. Keane allegedly pushed the sale through the city council recommending that the highest bid be accepted for the land, which had been the site of the Municipal Tuberculosis sanitarium, even though an appraisal had not been made to set a minimum price for the property.

Eight bidders had answered the city's Feb. 1 advertisement of the sale and offers reportedly ranged from a low bid of $150,000 to a high of $2,177,000 made by the industrial real estate firm of Nicolson, Porter and List, 101 S. Wacker. Gearen is the executive vice president of the firm, which represented him and six other associates in a real estate partnership called ENCEE. The participants remained unnnamed at the time.

After Keane allegedly frustrated an attempt by Aid. Leon Despres to delay the sale until an appraisal could be made, the Nicholson firm acquired title to the land, June 9,1964. The estate firm, representing the ENCEE land trust reportedly then sold 79 of the 148 acres, adjoining the Cermak Shopping plaza, to the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and another 10 acres to Morton West High School. The Lutheran church which operates Concordia Teachers college later sold the land to a shopping center developer. The transaction reportedly returned about half of the owners' origianl $2.1 million investment.

Over the next few years the group sold or leased all but 14 acres of the land for development of a shopping center and warehouse complex. The remaining land is reported on the market at $100,000 an acre. Gearen answered the charge that the land purchase was improper because the property was not appraised by saying, "Market value is a question of what one is willing to pay for it at any given time. The activity was completely proper. We submitted a sealed bid along with seven others after the sale was advertised.

The bids were opened in public and we were the highest bidders." The best way to establish land value is "by competitive bidding," Gearen said. "An appraisal is the opinion of one person, who may be a professional, but in my experience what someone is willing to pay is the best way to determine its value." Gearen commented that the reports of the land sale were "erroneous and misleading" especially where they compared land prices of surrounding property. "The tract we purchased was zoned residential at that time," he said, "while they were comparing prices of commercial land nearby." Gearen said he discussed the possibility of purchasing the land with Anton P. Mourek of Riverside soon after they learned through the city's advertisement, that it was available. "There were three or four people concerned with acquiring the area and to bid for it we needed the $2 million in cash," Gearen said.

"We. contacted friends and acquaintances who might be interested in investing and it turned out to be a far-flung group." Reports listed Gearen's interest as $511,000, but he pointed out his personal holdings at the time of the purchase were about 2.25 per cent representing about $48,000. He acted as trustee for other investors who put up the remainder of the money credited to him. Other initial ENCEE investors, who also represented other individuals and their investments were: Harry Hoffman, 901 Ontario, Oak Park, Ira Joseph, 1206 N. Kenilworth, John M.

Leonard Jr. Hinsdale, Bernard Feinberg; i a a I. Rothschild, Highland Park, and Mourek, $110,000. Gearen of 812 S. Kenilworth, said his present capital invested in the property- is close to $25,000.

The Nicolson firm was chosen to represent the group "because it was the only real estate firm involved and influenced putting the syndicate together," Gearen said. "The firm has been involved in other cases where it has bought, developed and sold land as a trust." Gearen pointed to that in land investments "there is nothing secret or nefarious about land trusts. At least 50 per cent of the industrial and commercial properly in Chicago, and maybe more, have their titles held in land trusts. It is just one of the most advantageous ways for people to buy property." Gearen said that "to my knowledge Aid. Keane was not involved with the transaction or in the ownership of land.

I have never to my knowledge owned any property with him." Gearen said he knows Keane and has "spoken with him casually but not in the past several years." Park district of Oak Park has scheduled a budget hearing Monday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m., in the district headquarters, 621 a i Copies of the budget will be available at the meeting. Triton student opposes 3 incumbent trustees A 21-year-old Triton student is seeking a seat on the Triton Board of Trustees, as are the three incumbents currently on the board. Wayne W. Wagner, of Franklin Park, who has top spot on the ballot, will try to unseat one of the current board members seeking reelection April 14. Seeking to be reelected are: Larry Bauer, 32, of Franklin Park; Robert Collins, 36, of 2529 Davisson, River Grove; and William Pearson, 33, of Bellwood.

Wagner, who is a pre-law student at Triton, said he is running for the board "so that the students can have a small voice and a vote on the Board of Trustees." He would like to see student participation in decisions such as the construction of buildings, the raising of rates and the changing of courses. Wagner contends that the voting members of the board have no direct outlet to the students because none of the members are of college age. 'Your Township'party wins All but one candidate of Your Township party were elected to positions in Oak Park township after Tuesday's election. The Republican-backed slate won all but the township collector's race. Nonpartisan Tbwnship party candidate Fred C.

Thompson, the incumbent collector, won with 5,482 votes over opponent Francis I. Butler of Your Township party with 4,142. In the close race for town supervisor, Nancy C. Follett with 5,143 beat Ruth F. Cima, with 4,571.

Your Township party candidate for clerk Marshall T. Kuehn, the incumbent, earned the largest margin of victory with 5,188 votes to his opponent Pauline Geraldi's, 4,381. Dean J. Sodaro upset incumbent assessor Charles J. Ryan.

Sodaro received 5,226 votes, while Ryan, assessor for the last 20 years and force behind the formation of the Nonpartisan party, received 4,635. Your Township party auditors elected were Donald L. Meier with William H. Shafer with incumbent Redd F. Griffin, with and Richard G.

Washick with 4,737. The defeated Nonpartisan party candidates are: Eileen Murtaugh with Theodore Londos with Walter M. Ketchum with and Thomas E. Nelson, with 4,304. Write in candidate George Kormos received 16 votes for supervisor; four for clerk; two for assessor; and six for auditor.

None of the three incumbents feel a student should be a member of the Board of Trustees. Bauer said he feels a college community is run by a variety of interest groups, which the board must listen to but be removed from. He said students are one of those interest groups. Collins said he feels the board should be representative of the community and the people who pay taxes to the district's upkeep. Pearson said the competition is good but added, "Whoever runs has to be prepared to spend alot of time" working on college affairs.

He also said there might be additional strain put on Wagner's instructors if he were to win the election. Pearson added that there could be a conflict when confidential matters concerning personnel are discussed among board members. All three incumbents agree that the major problem which is facing the Triton college Board of Trustees is one of finances. "Our real concern is directed towards spring," said Bauer. He said the board is trying to get more funds from the state for operation and building costs.

With the completion of the Cernan Space center and the Learning Resource center, only two buildings will remain to be constructed under the college's master plan. However, according to Collins, skyrocketing construction costs are making it financially difficult for the college to complete the buildings on schedule. Rescue team Suburban teens observing Earth Week, April 9-15 animals on a recent trip through the woods are; rescue refugee domestic rabbit and duck left to (left to right) Beth Dorsett, David Ditchfield and starve to, death in local Forest Preserve. The young Jan Affleck of River Forest, suburbanites, who came across the unfortunate.