Home Care In Darien, IL

DARIEN, IL – Hinsdale South High School's principal is expected to leave after this school year.

On Tuesday night, the school board for Algonquin-based School District 300 voted to hire South Principal Patrick Hardy as the new principal of Hampshire High School in Hampshire, which is in Kane County. His first day is July 1.

Nearly 1,900 students are enrolled at Hampshire, compared with about 1,300 at Hinsdale South.

After nearly 11 years at the helm, Hampshire's current principal, Brett Bending, makes $203,000, according to public records. Hardy's salary at Hinsdale South is $176,000.

Hardy, who has his doctorate, became Hinsdale South's principal in July 2022. He has also served as principal of Freeport High School in Freeport, Auburn High School in Rockford and Proviso East High School in Maywood.

Hardy declined to comment on his status as South's principal when Patch reached him Monday.

Hardy follows several District 86 officials who have left the district in recent months. Among them are interim Superintendent Linda Yonke, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Cheryl Moore, Communications Director Chris Jasculca, and school board members Kay Gallo and Debbie Levinthal.

In February, it was revealed that Eric Martzolf, an assistant principal at South, was leaving to become principal of Lisle High School.

Last June, the District 86 board ousted Superintendent Tammy Prentiss. In January, the board voted for a new superintendent, Michael Lach, who is set to start in July.

On Wednesday, the district issued a statement acknowledging Hardy's pending departure. It said the principal announced his resignation to the South community earlier that morning.

"We thank Dr. Hardy for his service and dedication to our students and staff, and wish him well in his new journey. He has made a significant and positive impact at Hinsdale South," the district said. "From amplifying student voice to his community engagement efforts, South is stronger thanks to his leadership."

The statement continued, "We appreciate having Dr. Hardy with us through the conclusion of the school year on June 30, 2024. As he shared in his notes to staff and families, Dr. Hardy fully intends to 'ensure our remaining tasks are completed with fidelity and excellence.'"

DARIEN, IL — Excitement is building in Darien for the April 8 total solar eclipse. We’re not among some 32 million Americans living in the path of totality, but neither will we miss out on the celestial sensation.

In the United States, the path of totality extends from Texas to Maine, but each of the 48 continental states will see some of the solar eclipse, which occurs when the moon slips between our bright star and Earth. In Darien, the moon will cover about 94 percent of the sun at the peak of the eclipse, according to a NASA map that is searchable by ZIP code.

Here are the details for Darien:

The eclipse will last 151 minutes from beginning to end in Darien.

Where to view the solar eclipse

Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago

MSI has a plethora of eclipse activities inside and outside on April 8. Watch the moon cross the path of the sun through outdoor telescopes, watch a NASA livestream with the Museum's own NASA Solar System Ambassador, or take part in family- and student-friendly hands-on activities. In case of cloudy weather, telescope viewing outdoors will not be available. However, a livestream of the total eclipse from southern Illinois will continue in the Giant Dome Theater. Can’t make it to the museum? MSI satellite viewing locations will be available at Millennium Park, the Michigan Avenue bridge, Oak Street Beach, or the DuSable Museum. All activities included with entry fee. Buy tickets online. Eclipse activities are from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive,

Chicago Adler Planetarium is planning a free Eclipse Encounter ’24 event, with activities around the outside of the planetarium where attendees will be encouraged to walk around, hang out, and observe the sky while the eclipse is happening. Features Safe solar viewing and eclipse photography through telescopes on the Telescope Terrace, solar viewer giveaways (while supplies last) and photo ops with Big Solar Eclipse glasses. Tickets are not required for this free outdoor (weather dependent) event. Indoor activities are available inside the planetarium, including the temporary Chasing Eclipses exhibit. Tickets must be purchased online in advance. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Trailside Museum of Natural History, 738 Thatcher Ave., River Forest

The Forest Preserves of Cook County is offering solar viewing at the Trailside Museum of Natural History. Learn about a partial solar eclipse and view the eclipse through a special solar telescope and eclipse glasses (weather permitting). Free. 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, 9800 Willow Springs Rd., Willow Springs. Watch this rare natural phenomenon at the Forest Preserves of Cook County’s Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center. Telescopes ready for viewing, weather permitting. 1 to 3 p.m.

Darien's weather is expected to be partly cloudy.

The total solar eclipse starts in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as small parts of Tennessee and Michigan, before entering Canada in southern Ontario through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton before exiting continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

He said the city "screwed up" by allowing such gambling. But Darien officials said the alderman wasn't on the council for the gambling vote.

Patch Staff

|Updated Wed, Nov 1, 2023 at 1:14 pm CT

DARIEN, IL – Former Darien Alderman Tom Chlystek told Downers Grove officials last week that he regretted his vote to allow video gambling in Darien.

Chlystek, who served as an alderman for eight years, urged the Downers Grove Village Board to oppose such gambling, which he said hurt Darien's reputation.

Chlystek spoke at the same meeting as video gambling supporter Robert Taft, owner of Q Bars in Darien, Downers Grove and Aurora. Hours later, Taft sent Chlystek vulgar emails, for which Taft later apologized.

They were among dozens of residents speaking about video gambling, with the Downers Grove board yet to decide on the issue.

In his comments, Chlystek told Downers Grove officials that Darien approved gambling at first for a couple of businesses.

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But then the Darien City Council expanded gambling, with the intention of avoiding the charge of picking winners and losers, Chlystek said.

As a result, more businesses approached the city with "sob stories" and aldermen would feel bad for them, he said.

"Where we screwed up in Darien is by allowing gaming. We sort of changed the ecosystem," said Chlystek, who moved to Downers Grove after losing his bid for re-election in April. "This year, we had a Smoke Bank come in. Why? Because if you game, that's the same demographic that is more likely to drink. It's the same demographic that is likely to buy tobacco."

He continued, "So for me as a new resident here, it's not the business owner. It's not the revenue. It's how are you going to change your town, and you can't control it. Trust me. We tried controlling it. We just couldn't."

He named a few businesses, including Q Bar, that are near Darien's gateways that have video gambling.

"Eventually, some of us were embarrassed being in Darien, that we allowed this to come in, just for a couple of bucks," Chlystek said.

Darien's response

In response to Chlystek's comments, City Administrator Bryon Vana and Joseph Marchese released a statement to Patch on Wednesday. They said video gambling has had no negative impact on the city. They said allowing video gambling was a way to keep Darien competitive with other towns that allow such an activity.

"It was disappointing to hear the disparaging remarks Tom made about the City of Darien," the officials said. "We don’t recall ever hearing Tom talk about video gaming issues. Staff looked back at the goal-setting survey Tom completed in November of 2022, and he never made mention of concerns related to video gaming. During Tom’s negative comments about Darien, he provided no factual or statistical basis for his comments about video gaming."

They disagreed with Chlystek's assertion that the city "lost control" of gambling when, in fact, they said the ordinance has maintained tight control of the activity. They said a number of new restaurants have come in seeking liquor licenses without requesting gambling.

"The truth is Tom was not even on the city council when the gaming ordinance was approved in 2013," they said. "Tom also inaccurately commented that video gaming started with two locations and then spread from there."

Instead, the officials said when the gambling ordinance was approved, any retail establishment pouring, mixing or otherwise serving liquor on premises was eligible to have video gambling.

"In all our years of public service we have never seen a council member talk highly of a community, lose an aldermanic election, and then talk so negatively about the community he used to live in," the mayor and city administrator said. "You would have to talk with Tom about the motivation for his comments and his inaccurate comments."

A gambling advocate's case

Taft, who spoke earlier in the meeting, said Downers Grove residents had waited two years for a decision from the village.

All six of the board's commissioners, he said, supported video gambling in their campaigns. He said it was their job to vote in line with the positions they took before voters decided.

He described two commissioners as being the strongest no votes. Both of them, he said, claimed the overwhelming majority of residents oppose video gambling.

At the same time, Taft said, those same commissioners voted against the will of the unanimous local opposition to a recent zoning request.

"They are at best disingenuous or more likely hypocritical as they have ignored the public's opinion in the past," Taft said.

After state and local gambling taxes, Darien's Q Bar made nearly $440,000 from gambling in 2022.

Darien has 11 video gambling establishments. In 2022, Darien received $308,891 in video gambling taxes, including $33,107 from Q Bar.

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The club says it's embarrassed by its restaurant, while the restaurant owner accuses the club of interfering with its business.

Patch Staff

|Updated Tue, Nov 28, 2023 at 8:49 am CT

DARIEN, IL – The owners of the two businesses at Carriage Greens Country Club in Darien don't get along. But they continue to work near each other.

A couple of months ago, the owners of Carriage Greens Country Club tried to force out the company that runs the Sandtrap Grill and banquet facility at its club.

In August, employees of the company, Carriage Greens F and B LLC, were told that the operators of a new restaurant were taking over.

But Heidi Revelis, the owner of F and B, has yet to leave, saying the club is breaching its contract with her. Now she is seeking a contract extension through 2029.

The country club's owners, Brian and Adriana Broderick, are mincing few words about their view of Revelis.

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In a statement to Patch on Monday, they said they were "embarrassed" to be associated with the restaurant and banquet department as they currently stand. They did not give specifics.

Through a public records request with the city of Darien, Patch obtained the country club's lawsuit last month to evict Revelis as well as her counterclaim. (Darien became involved because of a liquor license dispute between the parties.)

Both sides claim the other owes hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In an affidavit, Revelis contended the Brodericks have sought to undercut her business.

She accuses them of eliminating information about her services on the club's Facebook page and on a major wedding planning website.

Revelis also said the club has allowed golfers to bring their own food and beverages and use her leased premises. And she asserted the club has redirected customers away from her reservation system and booked events in competition. She provided a document in which the club appeared to do just that.

Her lawsuit also revealed a letter sent in late August to her company's employees. It said the operators of a new restaurant were "excited" to announce that Sandtrap was transitioning to On Par Sports Bar & Grill.

On Par's representatives asked the employees to fill out paperwork and informed them they could continue wearing the same uniform.

"We apologize for the abrupt change, but due to legal reasons, we were not able to communicate with the current staff until now," the On Par representatives said. "Most importantly, all of you will remain employed if you choose while we make the transition and get to know each other."

In their statement to Patch, the Brodericks said, "It is of utmost importance for readers of this article to know that the point of this eviction is to upgrade the facility of Carriage Greens and the management to levels never seen before."

The club's lawsuit said Revelis has been "unjustly enriched" with $658,433, including for rent, sales taxes, website costs and interest.

Revelis' counterclaim said the club owes her company $608,378 and that she does not owe for rent.

She pointed to offsets on the rent such as $42,000 in food and beverages that she provided to the Brodericks, their family and friends. She also noted $550,378 in charges that the club collected for the restaurant's food and beverages for golf outings.

Revelis' lawsuit also contended the country club pocketed net video gambling proceeds in violation of the lease.

She further alleged the club falsely informed vendors she was going out of business. In a letter included in the lawsuit, one vendor said club owner Adriana Broderick notified the vendor on Sept. 1 that Revelis would leave in 30 days.

In recent times, the lawsuit said, unusual things have happened – computer cables cut, police called to evict Revelis, urinals clogged with cement, bathroom water pressure turned off and destruction of a printer delivered to the pro shop.

Revelis' lawyer, Fred Roth, told Patch that club owner Brian Broderick at one point offered Revelis $15,000 to walk away.

"She doesn't want to entertain that," Roth said in an interview. "She believes that she is owed money and wants to continue the operation. She appreciates the support from the community."

He said the club keeps changing its story on what it claims Revelis owes.

"We have been consistent with the information that we have provided," Roth said. "We think their attempts to interrupt or interfere with the business is a violation of the terms of the lease."

In their statement, the club's owners said they would never disappoint or cancel any events regardless of who booked them.

"We have been doing this since 1980, and we plan on keeping the tradition going strong," the owners said.

No trial date has been set.

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DARIEN, IL – A divided Darien City Council on Monday approved a subdivision of duplexes on 87th Street, although neighbors expressed concerns about flooding, among other things.

Previously, two Darien committees recommended the Woodland Glen project, which is set for the 2900 block of 87th Street.

The developer plans to market the duplexes for those 55 or older. Prices for the homes would start in the upper $500,000 range, the developer said. It would require the demolition of at least a couple of older houses.

Resident Tony Antiporek said he and his neighbors don't want the area to change, asking for aldermen to have their backs.

"They just want to be in their neighborhood like they have for a very long time," Antiporek said. "Let (the developer) take down the three houses and put up six houses and there could be $2 million a house."

Alderwoman Mary Sullivan asked Scott Stevens, vice president of Donven Homes, whether the company could remove one or two of the 17 duplexes from the plan.

Stevens said that with all the site work, it would not be economically viable to remove any of them.

"There is excessive per-unit cost for the site improvement work alone," he said. "That means removing any dwelling units would cause a problem where we would not be able to do the community."

Residents have argued they already have a flooding issue and that it would get worse with the duplexes.

But Jim Healy, the developer's lawyer, said it was hard for people to understand that the project's retention pond would slow down the water flowing to nearby homes.

Alderman Joe Kenny asked whether the flooding problem should be fixed before construction begins. Audience members said, "Yes, yes, yes."

Mayor Joseph Marchese said it was DuPage County's responsibility because the nearby properties were in an unincorporated area.

"We're going to build something that's going to help them, not hurt them," the mayor said.

The audience disagreed, with one woman saying it would help the developer.

Sullivan added, "It's still a slow drip, but it's going to get there."

Alderman Eric Gustafson, whose Ward 6 includes the area in question, said with more concrete, the flooding problem would likely get worse.

He also said his biggest concern was the safety of drivers going in and out of the subdivision onto 87th Street.

Marchese countered that a similar situation existed across the street, but no one seemed concerned about that.

"To me, it seems like we're being hypocritical here," the mayor said.

Gustafson said the new subdivision would add to the problem.

Sullivan agreed with Gustafson's traffic concerns. The speed limit on 87th is 40 mph, but she said virtually everyone goes faster than that.

A 4-3 council majority backed the concept for the development. Tom Belczak, Ted Schauer, Ralph Stompanato and Gerry Leganski supported it, while Sullivan, Gustafson and Kenny dissented.

Officials said the final plans would come before the council later.