Resident urges village to press North Shore Water Reclamation District over unfinished punch list at Lake Bluff beach

Longtime Lake Bluff resident George Russell used the meeting's public‑comment period to press the village on outstanding items from a recent $20 million North Shore Water Reclamation District project at Lake Bluff beach. Russell listed items he says remain unaddressed, including nine middle fence posts left in the Center Avenue parkway, loose barbed wire behind the yacht club compound and improperly planted vegetation whose root‑ball canvas he said had been sunk. “It's very, very frustrating,” Russell said. Russell asked whether the board could invite North Shore leadership to explain delays. A staff member replied that North Shore has a punch list and is working through items and that Mike Crook had spoken with Steve Waters about the schedule; staff said “they have every intention of doing them all.” Russell said he has volunteered since retirement to help improve the beach and asked the village to ensure the minor landscaping items are completed. The exchange concluded without a formal board motion; Russell asked that the district be asked to explain remaining work at a future meeting. The record shows staff and a resident exchanged specifics about what had been done (some ropes and planting issues addressed) and what remains, but no binding directive or formal assignment to invite North Shore leadership was recorded in the minutes.