Welcome to the Barrington Hills
Community News and Information Website
Barrington Hills is an equestrian community approximately 40 miles northwest of Chicago, Illinois straddling across parts of four counties - Cook, Kane, Lake and McHenry. The estimated population in 2008 was 4,354. The village has roots from early settlers in the 1830s and incorporated as a Village in 1957. Residential properties of 5 acre zoning with agricultural and horse farms welcomed within the community.
Welcome and thank you for visiting the Barrington Hills Village News and Information Home Page. If you have suggestions for content, news and photos to share, please send e-mail to the Village Clerk at clerk@barringtonhills-il.gov. We want to hear from you! Share our email address and the Village Mega Portal address www.barringtonhills-il.gov, with friends and family members. The Mega Portal Page is our front door to Barrington Hills Government, Village News and Information, and the Police Department.
September - photo courtesy of Pam Cools
September Reminders
Barrington Polo Club Annual Event
The Riding Club of Barrington Hills and the Barrington Hills Polo Club request the pleasure of your company at the Kalaway Memorial Landowners Polo Match Saturday, September 11th, at the Oakwood Farm polo field on Deepwood Road. For complete information go to the Community Event Page. Click Here for more info.
ZBA Concludes
10-Month Lighting Ordinance Review
The Barrington Hills Zoning Board of Appeals concluded ten months of public hearings, studies and testimony concerning the Planning Commission's proposed Lighting Ordinance. The Barrington Courier Review story was posted online August 19 following Wednesday night's final vote at Countryside School.
Transcripts will be completed, and the legal staff will edit the draft Lighting Ordinance to match the final language and agreements which were voted upon by all but two ZBA members who were absent. The next step is for the Ordinance to pass to the Village Board of Trustees which will review the recommended text most likely at their September 27 Board Meeting.
The Courier Review quoted Chairman Jonathon Knight: "Knight said he believes the board ended up with an amendment that is consistent with the village's comprehensive plan and also addresses residents' concerns about limits on security lighting and does not penalize those who made lighting investments on their properties under previous lighting guidelines."
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Looking for instructions on how to plant and grow the Echinacea seeds you picked up at the
Police Open House?
Click Here
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BACOG and Safe Drinking Water Test Kits
Most of the Barrington area residents drink water that is drawn from the shallow aquifers and bedrock that lie within the first several hundred feet below ground surface. The state requires public water supplies to be tested for a wide range of contaminants on a routine basis, but with private wells that serve just one or two households, there is no regulation requirement for routine testing on existing wells– that means you are responsible for making sure your water is safe to drink!
Households with private wells are advised to test for bacteria and nitrates on an annual basis to detect these invisible, odorless contaminants. These contaminants can result from animal or human waste or fertilizer components reaching the well water and can cause illness in humans. The test is fast, easy and inexpensive, and the Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG) is working with Lake County Health Department to make it even easier.
Homeowners can pick up a drinking water test kit with instructions for $16 at your BACOG member’s village or township hall during regular office hours between September 13th and September 27th. Water samples need to be tested within 24 hours of collection – that means your water sample must be collected immediately before you drop it off on September 27th between 3:00 and 9:00 pm. Drop off will occur ONLY at the Good Shepherd Hospital Health & Fitness Center, 1301 S. Barrington Road, Barrington. Samples will be refrigerated overnight and transported to the Lake County Environmental Laboratory by BACOG the following day. The test results will be mailed to homeowners within two weeks. Homeowners with positive results for total coliform, E.coli bacteria or elevated nitrate levels will receive a phone call from the Lake County Health Department.
Drop off your sample at 7:00 pm on September 27th at the Good Shepherd Hospital Health and Fitness Center, 1301 S Barrington Road, Barrington, to join water professionals for short presentations and the opportunity to ask questions of a panel of experts on well and septic, water quality issues, and water supply. You will also hear about opportunities to test your water for other contaminants through BACOG’s Water Quality Testing Network.
For additional information visit www.bacog.org or call the BACOG office at (847) 381-7871.
All Village residents need to be informed that beginning May 3rd road construction projects will be taking place throughout the spring and summer. Current construction information can help everyone adjust travel times and plan possible alternate routes when necessary. Click here for IDOT State and Village Road News and Information.
Culvert Cleaning and Replacement Project
The last week of August and the first week of September culvert replacement and cleaning projects will commence along village owned and maintained roads. Go to the Roads Page for more details and to link to an article that can guide private lane owners with fall and winter clean up programs.
Village Roads and Bridges Commission
Your Feedback Requested for Local Drainage Priorities
Click here for full article ROADS and BRIDGES.
McHenry County Approves 2030 Plan
First Approved Comprehensive Plan since 1993
The McHenry County 2030 Plan, which sets the tone for the future direction of the county for the next twenty years, was passed April 21, 2010 at the end of a seven-hour long meeting, with the inclusion of several amendments proposed by Barrington Hills.
Trustee Rameshs’ amendments strengthened the language concerning equestrian activity and equestrian heritage within the county; inserted the name of our village where it had been omitted; removed language which encouraged increasing density within municipalities of multi-acre properties; and added language to indicate that low density development was an option for future growth of as yet undeveloped land where previously only conservation design (cluster housing) was stressed.
To obtain this favorable outcome, Trustees Ramesh and Mallen attended and spoke out at a series of meetings in Woodstock. They coordinated with our District 1 representatives who proffered and voted for our amendments to the Plan. While working on this matter, ties were strengthened within our County representatives and new lines of communication were opened with Bull Valley.
Votes from our District 1 representatives were essential to ensuring our change requests were placed into the final packet for consideration and approval. This is a major milestone for Barrington Hills and for McHenry County.
For a reminder of how to formally register a complaint, please go to the Hot Topics Page. Every complaint is IMPORTANT!
Police Updates
The Police Website Main Page has recent news and links to Police Awards and Public Safety Information. Coverage includes advice from the most recent Neighborhood Watch meetings, and Police Investigations around the Village. Forms are available for Home Watch and more. Check it out! Lt. Joe Colditz is the main contact for information posted to the Police Website.
Barrington Hills Police Department Enforces
Seat Belt and Speeding Law
Chief Michael Murphy announced a tough new speed enforcement blitz for the Village of Barrington Hills under the tagline: "Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine." The intensified enforcement effort against speeding drivers underscores the severity of the problem both locally and across the nation. Officers will be on the road ticketing and checking for teen drivers without seat belts. Drivers are cautioned to be cognizent of school bus traffic. Enforcement is designed to save lives whether the students are in cars or on buses. Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of fatalities among 16 to 20 year olds in the United States. Road construction has not ended; trains are crossing our local roads more frequently. Everyone needs to wear seat belts and remember "Click It or Ticket."
Barrington Police arrest two school computer equipment burglars and recover the equipment
Barrington Police arrested the two burglars responsible for the theft of over $20,000 in computer and technology equipment from Barrington Middle School Prairie Campus last month. The computers and equipment were reported stolen on June 21, 2010 from the school at 40 E. Dundee Road in Barrington.
Responding to an alarm at the school on Wednesday June 30th at about 2:40 AM, the patrol officers found a man hiding in some bushes. The man fled and the officer chased him into a wooded area. Fellow officers from the department arrived and were also assisted by the Barrington Hills Police. Officers cordoned off the area and quickly found the man. He was arrested without incident.
Further investigation led to the arrest of a second suspect later that same day. Detectives also recovered fifteen of the twenty-two computers reported stolen. Also recovered were video projectors, monitors, video cameras and miscellaneous equipment that were stolen from the school. They were found at homes in Palatine and DeKalb, Illinois.
The investigation is continuing into the remaining missing equipment and police are hopeful it will be recovered.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Village of Barrington, 847-304-3300
The Village has a camera monitoring the major intersection near the Village Hall. The Police Department uses the camera to assist motorists and help dispatchers see what is happening on our busiest intersection along Routes 62 and 59. The camera has already been instrumental in helping motorists involved in accidents to remain calm and stay in their vehicles until help arrives. Technology is improving within vehicles to help drivers and their vehicles communicate with emergency personnel during an incident. Added Police Department Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) technology over the next few years will be bringing video, texts and images from cell phones, vehicles and other devices directly into the Police Dispatch centers.
Biker - photo courtesy of Debbie Stone
Bicycle Safety
Spring weather brings more bicyclists horse riders, and joggers onto the Village Roads. For the continued safety of our residents and visitors to the area, please be mindful of the Bicycle Safety Ordinance that is in effect all year long. Leave space for horses and riders to react properly with all road traffic. Vehicles towing trailers need proper distance to share the road with bicyclists. Local and State bicycle safety rules are designed to allow everyone to enjoy the open spaces and the beautiful views from our narrow country roads. Skate boards are not permitted on village roads.
http://www.vbhcomm.info/community/resident.php
http://sterling.webiness.com/codebook/index.php.
Heavy Load Permits
The Village Roads have 10 ton load limits in effect during the transitional season from winter to summer to protect the road base. To allow limited traffic to enable you, your contractors and delivery people to drive on the roads during this time, check in with the Police Department for a permit.
Police Department: Lighting and Security
The Barrington Hills Police Department is in favor of lighting for the purpose of crime prevention and security, when that lighting is strategically placed, and illumination levels are set to be the most effective in order to provide a feeling of security to the homeowner. Additional levels of security for residents recommended to protect their family and their home include: using an alarm system and activate it when home or away, using yard signs and window stickers indicating that you have an alarm system, using a back-up alarm, using indoor light timers and computer software that controls lights, using CCTV or IP Cameras, having a dog, using an operational gate at the entrance.
State of Illinois
Voluntary Emergency Notification System
Go to Police Page via this link to voluntarily sign up for the Illinois Secretary of State's Emergency Contact Database. This confidential database is available for individuals to set up emergency notification.
Barrington Hills History and Photos
A significant part of the beauty and social aspect of the village is reflected on History Pages. The Village Photo Gallery has photos from village events current and past.
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