Spot Check: Lid's down. But Winnetka's Economic Development Department's got ways to lift your spirits.

On November 20th at 12:01 am, Governor Pritzker went lid down. Tier 3 COVID Resurgence Mitigations are now in effect. TFN.

And what was left of our collective Midwestern can-do took another hit.

Indoor restaurant dining and Thanksgiving's groaning table were replaced by Zoomsgiving and turkeys-for-two. Tablescaping and seasonal place settings? Next year, Pinterest, next year.

Bah, Humbug - Not!

Winnetkans are nothing if not resilient. But admit it, this COVID thing is way beyond old. And that Most Wonderful Time of the Year is at risk. Liz Dechant and Josie Clark, AKA Winnetka’s Economic Development Director and Communications Manager, respectively, say not on their watch. 

They've teamed up with the Winnetka-Northfield Chamber of Commerce and the Winnetka Park District. Masked. Distanced. And numerically responsible.

Your post-COVID-Thanksgiving serotonin hit is here. You can thank them later.

  • Open Air Holiday Market - November 28th/29th, and December 5th/6th. Village Hall Parking Lot. Farmer’s Market-turned bit-of-Europe Holiday Market.  What better place to sport your Pumpkin Spice Latte?

  • Small Business Saturday - November 28th. Can’t take Black Friday manic madness? Try TLC Saturday. Feel-good, stress free shopping for everyone on your list. All three business districts.

  • Holiday Storefront Window Decorating Contest - November 20th to December 6th. Check it out. Then vote: here. 

  • Virtual Tree Lighting on Facebook - December 4th. Log on. Be a part of the magic – light your trees when the Village lights its. Be seen from space.

  • 41st Annual Red Invitation Sale – Officially, Sunday, December 6th. Unofficially pretty much anything a retailer wants to do. Check ‘em out. It'll feel so good to shop where they know your name.

Post holiday, Liz & Co are working on a Take-Out Challenge for restaurants. Take two to go, COVID! 

Way More Than Sparkling Storefronts and Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Fears of what COVID could do to our business community -– not to mention our residents – keep Liz and Josie up at night. They've spent years setting the stage for a vibrant and growing business community. Now it's helping it stay alive.

Think marketing and promotion, special ad sections in North Shore magazines, Business Showcase Videos, website and Yelp help, Twitter/Facebook/Insta campaigns, PPP and BIG help, a pandemic-resources-for-businesses webpage on the Village website, relaxed zoning and liquor laws, deferred utility bill options, late fee waivers.

Plus, they're taking applications for the Village's state sales tax rebate program. So far, $172,500 has gone to 38-plus local businesses. There's still money. Download an application here. Deadline is Tuesday, December 1.

Last but not least, Winnetka's first-ever text-driven loyalty program. Distinctly Winnetka. Businesses sign up, shoppers sign up. “Insider” offers are texted to shoppers twice a month. According to Liz and Josie, so far 55 businesses – 2-3 sign up each month. Sorry, Amazon.

…and those empty storefronts? 

They're on that, too. According to Liz, Winnetka's current vacancy rate for third quarter is approximately 9%. Down from 11% this time a year ago. Even with COVID. She and Josie credit Village Manager Rob Bahan with demanding hard core, data driven processes and programs that bring the right businesses to Winnetka, put them in the right spaces, and help them grow and thrive.

 If the right-for-Winnetka tenant is out there, they'll find it.

 Check out their New Business Toolkit.

...and One Winnetka?

That elephant is still in the room. And still in the courts. Foreclosure. Call for offers. Ten or more suitors - some with good retail chops. Will be interesting. We'll bring it to you.

OK, Winnetka, It's Your Turn

Buy local or bye-bye local. Don't. Let. It. Happen.

Liz and Josie are committed to the walkable and family-friendly Dickens Village-y Winnetka you love coming home to.

They’ve teed it up and given you many – and counting – ways to keep our local economy alive and give us all a little piece of Winnetka magic. This holiday season and beyond.

In our town of 4,100 households, “we’re in this together” is not a cliché. The purchase you make this holiday season is a win-win. Make your list, check it twice. Let's shop, Winnetka!

PS: It's not that they're lonely, but their favorite thing is hearing from you. If you’ve got an idea for a business or an idea that can help a business, contact Liz.

In the meantime, try this fun little piece of interactivity – Winnetka Restaurant location map. Yum.

Purging your inbox? Good idea! Clears the way for stuff like this:

  • E-business sign-up for Winnetka and Northfield businesses

  • The Village's newsletter sign-up - the deals and dos as they happen

  • Village Council Meetings

  • The Village's Quarterly Newsletter

And our fave –

Distinctly Winnetka Text program sign up - the loyalty program X2.

Stay safe. Together we can mask, social-distance, and elbow-bump our way to a Winnetka that’s better than ever!

Spot Check: A Whole Lotta Good News

Nothing like a pandemic to rearrange your priorities. Or your closets, drawers, garage.

 On March 21st, Pritzker shut the state down. Once we realized our world was not going to retest “normal” for a while, Winnetkans masked-up, social-distanced, and attempted to grab victory from the jaws of defeat.

Newly pound-freed puppies pounded pavements. Spandex and cycles flew out the door. Fitbit and iWatch sales went through the roof. iPads, too. Parents became teachers...and jugglers. Zoom became a verb. Backyards became Disneylands. Grubhub and Instacart were put on speed-dial, and every honey-do that could got done.

Everywhere Winnetkans exhibited a level of generosity of spirit unimagined only months ago. Masks were folded, stitched, donated and delivered by the – yes – thousands. Dinners were dropped off, rides and shopping offered to total strangers, food pantries restocked.

COVID's been with us for (gasp!) 6 months. It's time for a reality check. With a nod to John Krasinski's Some Good News, here’s A Whole Lotta Good News. Take that, pandemic!

Not a Single Winnetka Retailer or Restaurant Closed.

In fact, three businesses opened their doors (with several more cued up). Thanks to a combo of super hungry bored-with-cooking shut-ins and super-creative management.

And more than a little help from the Village’s Economic Development Department. Think marketing and promotion, website and Yelp help, Facebook/Insta campaigns, PPP and BIG help, a pandemic-resources-for-businesses webpage on the Village website, relaxed zoning and liquor laws, deferred utility bill options, late fee waivers. And more. So much more.

Village Council Green-Lighted Bucks for Businesses.

Winnetka businesses said 'thanks for the help, but we still need cold, hard, cash. The kind you don’t have to pay back. ASAP.' We hear you, said Village Hall. Let’s find some.

Unlike nearby communities, Winnetka doesn't collect local sales tax. And now didn’t seem like a good time to start. Same for increasing property taxes. But, hey – what about that 1% rebate Winnetka gets from our State sales tax? Bingo.

So, on Tuesday, virtually all thumbs shot enthusiastically up for a 3-tiered Local Business Sales Tax Rebate Program – $2,500 to $10,000 to Winnetka businesses. Sorry, not you, franchises, chains, or home businesses, though.  

Mom-and-pops get to keep their doors open. And President Rintz gets to say “fast-tracked,” one more time.

Rebranding Breathed New Life Into an Old Tradition.

Inside Outside Sidewalk Sale. Shop the store – shop the rack. A welcome serotonin hit for COVID-weary Winnetkans, whatever their risk tolerance. Numbers aren’t out yet, but the event was so popular – way more than in past years – the Chamber’s going in with the Village on monthly Shop & Strolls. Spend the day downtowning Winnetka.

Credit card, giddyup.

Hundreds Bought Local, Got Healthy, Embraced Kale.

Winnetka Northfield Farmer’s Market. More farmers. More produce. And flowers, specialty products, and crafts. And local businesses. No-touch (credit cards only) added a new level of safety. Headcount: 1000-weekly socially-distanced shoppers (up from about 700 at the beginning of summer) got healthy, bought local, and found delicious new ways to help shed their COVID 19.

You’ve got eight more weeks to go for the glow.

Drive-bys and Dixieland Music Made Memories.

Hands down the feel-good event of the summer. Winnetka’s first 4th-of-July-on-Wheels. AKA the July 4th Reverse Parade. Dozen of drive-bys, Dixieland music, and a Valslist soundtrack helped the Park District and Village help hundreds of Winnetkans and their families and friends make memories one creative, safe, fun carload of smiles at a time.

Huge thumbs up for putting it together in record time, Park District and Village!

The Library Was in the Right Place at the Right Time.

More people than ever before test-drove the Winnetka Northfield Public Library. Lookin’ at you, bored teens who got your “Super Smash Brothers” fix and more, little ones who saw local heroes read your favorite books, seniors who learned to Zoom, order groceries online, and enjoy art programs, and the rest of us, who live-streamed One Book Two Villages author interviews, traded our Great Courses subscription for Lynda.com, and tested out the new Found4You program. (Way better than pop-ups.)  

FYI, the library’s studio’s not seeing prime time until it can restaff or figure out social distancing and attendance metering, but the main floor is open. (Northfield’s still closed.) Limited hours. Metered admits. Browsing and computers allowed. Hanging out, not so much. Curbside pickup. Masks. And new rules for returning stuff.

Adventures in Learning Went Virtual - and Rodent-free.

You know who you are. Reluctant parent of an Adventures in Learning end-of-the-season guinea pig, bunny, hamster. This was not that Adventures in Learning. Three weeks. Eleven classes. One-hundred kids. A re-imagined, totally virtual, synchronous, reptile– and rodent-less– success. Good times, good times.

District 36 Went Hybrid - With Options.

Teachable moment. D36 best-cased with a combination of in-person and on-line learning. But recognized risk tolerance is personal. Parents can go virtual if that's what works for them. No judgement. No fallout. The district wants to make it work for everyone. On everyone’s terms.  

Read about it here. Watch it here. 

While we’re at it, the District says if your decision isn't working for you, you can switch at the end of the semester. Here’s the latest from the CDC and a nifty checklist to help you decide.

Best For Last…

Trading one wild life for another, coyote sightings are once again taking top billing on the local newsfeed. COVID v coyotes? Our money's on the coyotes.

Stay safe. Together we can mask, social-distance, and elbow-bump our way to a Winnetka that’s better than ever!

Spot Check: COVID-19 got you down? Winnetka Park District's got you covered.

On Saturday, March 21st, Illinois shut down. Just as parents and kids got to know each other about as well as they wanted to, summer hit. And with it, frayed nerves and mushy mid-sections. The digital lifestyle had not been good to our town of Type A's. It was time for some not-so-virtual reality. 

Oh, Park District...!

As the taxing body charged with our collective mental and physical well-being, the Winnetka Park District was on it. Even though nobody was quite sure what 'it' was. How was the virus spread? Was the great outdoors good for you, or just another viral war zone? And then droplets. Size mattered. Who knew? 

John Peterson knew. Appointed Executive Director of the Winnetka Park District smack in the middle of the pandemic, this long-time Winnetka resident, former Parks Board Commissioner and VP, was as qualified as anyone to crunch the conflicting data and address the needs of residents growing more desperate by the shelter-in-place minute.

With summer programs coming to an end, seemed like a good time to ask how that was working for him. He took our call.

The Governor’s stay-at-home order meant no Park District services or programs in March and April. How’d you reboot?

"During those months, the staff re-grouped to determine how programming and services would evolve to meet the needs of the residents, within the COVID-19 guidelines.

"Our terrific staff worked closely with the Village of Winnetka, the Winnetka Police Department, and the Winnetka Fire Department to ensure best practices and consistent policies within Winnetka. 

"We opened for golf on May 1st, and outdoor tennis on May 12th. We strictly followed the Restore Illinois guidelines and managed the physical distancing requirements. With tennis, it was singles only, and using every other court. With golf, only twosomes, with reservations every 15 minutes.  

"We also limited the ice arena to no-touch – physically-distanced activities, such as hockey skills sessions, freestyle skating lessons, or figure skating lessons.  

"Since then soccer, baseball, lacrosse and hockey have re-opened, along with some new programming."  

New programming…?

"The latest addition – Yoga Sculpt – was proposed by District residents through Teresa Claybrook, a WPD commissioner. The classes are held each Tuesday and Thursday morning. We’re excited by the significant enrollment in each session – approximately 40 attendees per session!

"We’ve added “Tidal Wave Thursdays” to the beach activities and “Wednesdays in the Woods” to park activities, and outdoor concerts for kids."  

The “reverse parade” on the 4th of July was a huge hit.

"A big tip of the cap goes to Kelsey Raftery and Chris Varner, along with the marketing colleagues at the Village of Winnetka. This is yet another example of the various departments and Districts working well together. The event was planned and executed in less than two weeks – amazing!" 

The beaches. With the shut-down, guidelines and restrictions just kept coming. How’d you get beach-ready?

"In late May, we were in Phase Two of Restore Illinois. Its health guidelines significantly restricted the WPD’s ability to certify lifeguards through the three-week training process. Meanwhile, demand for sunshine was driving more people to the lakefront. For about 10 days, the WPD’s administrative staff patrolled the beaches to make sure people were safe – no lifeguards yet – and to explain the beach guidelines.  

"I never thought I’d be patrolling a beach, but it became such a great way to meet the residents and non-residents interested in the sun, sand, and surf.

"Once Phase Three was reached, lifeguards were added, and beachgoers began swimming in the lake."  

With 3 of the 5 beaches closed to residents because of last winter’s storms, and more residents fed up with sheltering in place, you limited access to season-only passes. Why?

"As we entered June, it was clear we would be operating with 60% less beach capacity due to the high water level affecting Elder Lane Beach, Centennial Beach, and Lloyd Beach. The combination of lower-than-normal beach supply and higher-than-normal beach demand put enormous pressure on the two open beaches, Tower Road Beach and Maple Street Beach.  

"Because the demand for beach services requires keen attention to operating safely and managing spacing for those who are using the beach on any given day, offering only season passes helped the WPD team keep better track of the number of beach goers."  

Summer camps were considered an essential service by many stressed-out parents. How successful was the program this year?

"The WPD is thrilled with the results to date. More than 500 campers attended the programs. All counselors were trained to use COVID-19 health and social distancing standards. It’s been great watching all of the outdoor activities and lots of water play. The feedback has been very good." 

COVID-19 cases in Illinois are ticking back up. Especially in the suburbs. Is the Park District ready for tighter guidelines?

"The staff is fully committed to looking for programming and services that will best utilize the WPD resources and serve the community in a COVID-safe environment. Governor Pritzker’s new restrictions on youth activities, as issued July 29th, requires the WPD to further evolve. We are up for the task!" 

Elephant in the room. Budget?

"Because of COVID-19, 25% of WPD’s 2020 program revenue evaporated. The team rallied to adjust the timeline for near-term operating capital by pushing improvements to future months and years. We also held on as long as possible before making staff adjustments. Finally, we aggressively managed operating expenses to account for changes in the revenue line. 

"On a related note, the WPD issued general obligation park bonds to raise capital for significant improvements, notably along the shoreline. In that process, and despite the previously referenced revenue issues, the WPD maintained its Moody’s Investor Service rating of Aa1, which is a great recognition of the staff’s management through the fluid environment presented by COVID-19." 

Speaking of which…?

"We’re very proud of our current and proposed major capital improvements for the five parks and beaches along the lakefront. 

"Great work’s been done at Tower Road to help residents get to the beach from street level. And the extensive breakwater system at Lloyd Beach will stabilize the shoreline there and help save our bluffs."

The #1 thing you want our readers to know about the WPD?

"The Winnetka Park District staff is always mindful of the safety of our residents, and of being great stewards of the taxpayers’ money. We truly want residents to be proud of its Winnetka Park District. We always welcome input, commentary, suggestions, etc. because we always want to know of opportunities to improve." 

While you’re at it:

Spot Check: Making it Job #1 to Be #1

It’s out. Wall Street 24/7 declared Winnetka to be the nation’s #2 most livable community. Behind Manhattan Beach. Sure, Manhattan Beach has 286 days of sunshine, 2.1 miles of pristine beachfront, and that laid-back so-cal vibe. 

But we’ve got grit. Midwestern, winter-weather-hardened grit. Exactly the stuff that could make it Job 1 to make Manhattan Beach Number 2. Enjoy your – single – year in the sun, MB. It’s game on.

Stormwater. Government at its Best.

So much for it couldn’t be done. On Thursday, February 27th, the Winnetka Park District signed the last of the Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs) needed for the Forest Preserve (FPDCC) to take our stormwater. Take that, flooded mancaves, curb trash, and washed-out landscaping.

Wait, what?

We have rain. With no place to put it. The FPDCC has a place to put it. After two years of negotiations, they said they’d take some – but not all – of it. If we agreed to help with a couple of their projects. And if we collected it, stored it, and released it to them, squeaky clean.

From land the Village didn’t own. 

That kick-started 18 months of intergovernmental sausage-making between the Village and New Trier, District 36, and the Winnetka Park District. Worth every minute when the next 100-year flood comes 98 years early. Kudos, Trustee Cripe and President Rintz. 

Next it's back to FPDCC for head-nods and go-aheads. And an IGA between the Village and FPDCC. Then design, engineering, cost-outs, neighborhood input. Shovel-to-dirt: Spring 2021. Crossing fingers.

Deals and how-they-got-theirs:

New Trier

  • Gave 14.2 acre-feet of underground stormwater storage under the lacrosse/soccer fields.

  • Got reno’d playfields, better drainage, new potties, batting cages, and nets so that the first thing a visitor to our Village is greeted by is not some JV’s foul ball.

District 36

  • Gave 10.8 acre-feet of stormwater storage under the open play area in the southern portion of Crow Island’s property.

  • Got potential zoning relief and compensatory storage should it decide to expand Crow Island School.

Winnetka Park District

  • Gave 65 or so acre-feet on the golf course and under Little Duke field.

  • Got – in the mother of all gets – a totally renovated golf course with improved fairways and restored bunkers, improved grading designed by one of the country’s pre-eminent course designers, and potential zoning relief for any Little Duke field expansion.

In. The. Hole.

Want more? We've been on this from the beginning. Here you go.

Lakefront Reno. Beaches, Bluffs, and a Stake in the Sand.

Talk about grit. The Winnetka Park District had just started Phase 1 of its long-awaited and ambitious 2030 Lakefront Master Plan to make our beaches the envy of the Great Lakes, when Mother Nature threw a fit times two. Twenty-foot high waves and 35 mph sustainables left two of our five beaches without, well, beaches. And threw our shoreline, bluffs and the people who live there into a world of hurt.

 With sleeves firmly rolled up, the Park District throttled into full crisis mode.  

Describing the situation as “fluid,” the District will keep going with two projects already in the works: Better access to Tower Road Beach – the one that's still in good shape – and shoreline breakwater protection at Lloyd Beach – the hardest hit.

 How hard? Take a look.

Winnetka is not the place where dreams go to die. That 2030 thing may take a little longer, look a little different, and be more of a work in progress than the Park Board hoped, but they're on it.

Follow the progress here.

Stay on top of beach closings here.

Downtown Reno. Hot Spots and Help for Retailers.

 You’ve noticed. That corner of Chestnut and Elm. It’s now a thing. New pavers. New lighting. Benches. Planters. They’re going for charm, Winnetka-style. And with the introduction of 21 new trees and the replanting 5 existing trees, they say you’ll get it. 

Streetscape and Signage Plan Phase 1, done.

Teed up for March, Phase 2, east of Chestnut. Then it’s Lincoln Avenue, north of Elm Street. Watch for more planters, more trees, bridges that make you want to cross them, more ped-friendly crosswalks. A more “village-y” feeling to our Village.

The idea is that a more walkable and energetic downtown will build traffic for existing retailers, and convince new stores and restaurants that Winnetka can be their BFF. Cappuccinos, canines, and Instagrammable kids in strollers just can’t be bad for business, right?

It’s all a part of the Downtown Master Plan to bring Winnetka – infrastructure, zoning, design, etc. – into the self-driving, 5G 21st Century. With charm.

Hey, Retailers, You’ve Got a Person.

 Smart towns make sure downtown renos deliver more than pretty planters and cute cobblestone crosswalks. 

Winnetka’s smart: It hired a new Economic Development Coordinator. Her name's Liz Dechant.

Point-person on all things local business, her job is to help retailers build awareness and traffic for their stores, merch, and services, help them fast-track permits, make sure they’re up to speed on zoning, policies and procedures, and help them make the most of things like the awareness and foot traffic generated by the rollout of the Downtown Master Plan.

Stay on top of Downtown. Sign up for eDevelopments newsletter.

Get to know your retailers. Thank you, Village Hall!

One Winnetka. Not-So-Deja-Vu.

 Nothing defines that corner of Lincoln and Elm better than "beleaguered." Hoping to make that past tense, in early January, the developers presented a much-scaled-back concept to the Village Council.

Ninety units – yup, density is up, but also up for grabs, depending on market analysis closer to shovel to dirt. More parking – all underground. The Village gets to keep its parking lot. And predictably, the developers say they want to work with the Village to make sure Phase 3 of the Streetscape Plan gets done.

The Village Council gave them an A for effort – the overall design nods to neighborhood vernacular, and height is within the Village code – and even a little extra credit to explore “Tudor-esque” rather than stick to strict Tudor. Some of the trustees aren't sure what that means, anyway.

Next up, it's around the horn. Plan Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, Design Review Board, then back to the Council.

 Everybody wants something on that corner – probably no one more than the developers who’ve already sunk big bucks into getting to no – several times. But this time, their restraint and common sense could get them close to where they need to be. Cautious. Optimism.

Had enough, Manhattan Beach? We’re just getting started. Keep an eye on our Music Festival, July 4th parade and fireworks, a potential Spring 2021 shot-in-the-arm for our schools, and the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

Speaking of which…

You own Winnetka – the County Assessor just told you how much. Now own it. The 2040 Comprehensive Plan – the one that makes Winnetka Winnetka – is in full-on planning mode. Put your mouth where your money is and get the village that works for you.

 First Open House

Wednesday, March 18

6:30-8:30pm

North Shore Country Day School | Library

Sign up – show up – speak up – spread the word!