Neighbor's Complaints Against Hinsdale School 'Legitimate'

HINSDALE, IL – A Hinsdale trustee on Tuesday called a neighbor's complaints against Hinsdale Middle School's lighting "legitimate," saying the school district hasn't followed through on a commitment.

The issue came up when the Village Board was discussing Hinsdale School District 181's request for exceptions at the middle school to the village's sign code.

That was when resident James Oles complained about the school's lighting. He said he was speaking for the neighborhood. It was an issue that had been apparently discussed at previous village committee meetings.

Oles said the school was "lit up like a Christmas tree" all the time. And he said the lights at the loading dock were a particular problem. None of the other schools, he said, are lit up that way.

In the planning stages, the district made a commitment to deal with the lighting but has not done so, Oles said.

In response, Trustee Luke Stifflear, who was presiding over the meeting in the village president's absence, said lighting can be intrusive to neighbors. He described himself as sympathetic to Oles' concerns.

Representing the district, Michael Duggan, the director of facilities, said a study found the school was within the guidelines.

Stifflear countered, "But that doesn't match the commitment you made in the planning stage."

Duggan said he didn't know what commitment Stifflear was talking about. He said the district has finally found a contractor to help fix the devices that control when the lights are on.

Trustee Michelle Fisher said she would like the school to get at least the loading dock lighting taken care of.

"That would drive me bananas," she said.

Stifflear said the village and the district need to reach a solution that sticks.

Otherwise, he said, neighbors are going to continue to make "legitimate complaints and not be heard."

Village Manager Kathleen Gargano proposed that village officials meet with Oles and district officials to find a solution. That way, the school would comply with commitments made at the start of the process, she said.

Trustees agreed with that idea.

The board voted 5-1 for the school's request for exceptions to the sign code. Trustee Neale Byrnes dissented, saying he disagreed with the placement of a flagpole.