The last days of one year and the first days of the next are traditionally a time to analyze events of the past 12 months and set goals and expectations for those to come in the next 12 months.
Today we offer a fusion of both, with a look at what we observed in 2019 and what we hope to see in 2020.
2019: Laurel Haarlow is elected to serve on the Hinsdale Village Board, becoming the first woman to join the group in two years.
2020: More women are elected to the board, creating a governing body that is more representative of the village’s population — and the 21st century.
Oh, wait. The next municipal election isn’t until 2021. We’ll have to be patient on this one.
2019: Rumors swirl that the long vacant former Institute of Basic Life Principles on Ogden Avenue is on the market.
2020: Lucasfilm purchases the site as its global production center for Baby Yoda merchandise. The market what it wants, give.
2019: Trinity Sober Living files a federal lawsuit claiming the Village of Hinsdale is discriminating against residents of The Sober House at 111 N. Grant St. after the village files a complaint in DuPage County Court seeking to prevent its use as a sober living facility.
2020: The village and Trinity find a way to work together to find an appropriate location for a facility that meets the needs of those who are recovering from an illness.
2019: Community Revue cast members offer a 30-minute retrospective look at 20 years worth of performances at The Community House patron party.
2020: Community Revue cast members perform in the biggest production yet, raising record-breaking sums to support The Community House and all the good work it does.
2019: Hinsdale High School District 86 officials and residents clash over the plan to switch the science sequence at Hinsdale Central from biology-chemistry-physics to physics-chemistry-biology.
2020: The administration’s decision to delay implementation gives everyone time to review and discuss this decision in a calm and rational manner.
2019: The village and District 181 finally reach agreement on building a parking deck for hundreds of cars adjacent to Hinsdale Middle School.
2020: Upon the deck’s opening in June, employees of downtown businesses choose to park there instead of prime on-street spots, coin-operated meters are shut off, and people use the time they used to spend hunting for a spot volunteering with a local nonprofit (see Page 5).
2019: The Illinois Tollway commenced work on its multi-year project to expand the Central Tri-State, which will include a temporary shoo-fly railway while the BNSF bridge over the tollway is reconstructed.
2020: Disruption to village activities will be minimal, with the section of the bypass passing through Veeck Park presenting new sporting opportunities, like shoo-fly soccer and, uh, well that’s it.
2019: The referendum authorizing $140 million in improvements to District 86’s two high schools passed, and school board members subsequently voiced support for a bigger pool at Hinsdale Central than had been envisioned.
2020: The group of residents raising funds to help cover the cost of the larger Central pool enlist a certain coffee purveyor as a sponsor for a promise to call the facility the FrapPOOLchino.
