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"The Lake Bluff Village Board on Jan. 8 unanimously approved a construction contract not to exceed $430,000 for renovations to the village's Metra station. Under an intergovernmental agreement, Metra is responsible for $400,000 of planned refurbishments that include reshingling the roof, tuckpointing, masonry, painting, renovating a bathroom and light fixture replacement. While the village isn't responsible for the bulk of construction costs, it had approve the contract because it will pay an additional $30,000 for renovations. Work is expected to start in March and last four to five months, according to Mike Croak, the village's building code supervisor. He said this would be the first renovation of the station in nearly 30 years. Metra was originally slated to pay $300,000 for the project, but bids came in higher than expected and the commuter rail agency agreed to raise its commitment to $400,000, Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said. Meanwhile, trustees approved pilot programs that will allow a small number of residents to keep either chickens or bees on their properties. Trustees voted 4-1 to allow beekeeping, and 4-2 to allow chickens, with Trustee Aaron Towle absent. Both programs are scheduled to run through March 2021. Village President Kathleen O'Hara cast the fourth vote that Village Attorney Peter Friedman said was necessary in order to adopt the pilot program under municipal law. Trustee Barbara Ankenman voted against allowing chickens, saying she feared the presence of predatory animals, as well as disease and noise. Chickens must be kept in predator- and rodent-proof cages, sanitary conditions must be upheld, and roosters will not be allowed due to the noise associated with them, according to Assistant to the Village Administrator Glen Cole. For bees, Cole said containment rules are in place to prevent bees from going into other yards, and residents must place warning signage about the bees that is visible from public paths. Most village board members said they believed both programs were worth a try. \"If managed properly, these things should be fine,\" Trustee Eric Grenier said. However, Trustee Paul Lemieux voted against each idea. \"I just think our community is way too dense to allow these activities,\" he said. Only five permits will be allowed for each program. Participating residents must pay an annual $50 permit fee, cannot keep either bees or chickens on a lot smaller than 7,000 square feet, and their facilities will be subject to village inspection, according to Cole. Trustees added a provision allowing residents to have only have one type of permit, for either bees or chickens. However, Village Administrator Drew Irvin said he was not aware of any resident who wanted to keep both. Residents could be able to get permits as early as March, Cole said. Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelancer for Pioneer Press"
<https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-forest/ct-lfr-metra-reno-tl-0118-20180110-story.html>