The Character Education Partnership (CEP) has named Hinsdale Central High School a 2008 National School of Character.  Joe Mazzola, the CEP director, stated that this year was a record setting year for the prestigious national awards program.  They received 149 applications from 27 states.  CEP will award Hinsdale $20,000 at the 15th Annual National Forum on Character Education held in October in Arlington, Virginia.  In the Hinsdale newsletter it says that Hinsdale will use its grant to enhance its program and train and mentor other educators seeking to improve their character education efforts. The school strives to raise the next generation of business leaders with solid ethics.

    The Hinsdale police department have been reaching out to the Hinsdale teen residents with an “Alive at 25″ program.  My daughter, Carly Steuck, turned 16 this past year.  With the pressure of the drivers license and wanting Carly to be extra safe on the roads we encouraged her to sign up for this program.  This driver safety program consists of four hours of classwork with question and answer sessions, video clips, small group discussions, role-playing and lectures.  I don’t want to see any of our teens or residents seriously injured or even killed, so I am hoping that all of those in the village with a teenager will encourage safety and sign them up.  You never know…it may save lives! 

     In the first quarter of 2008 fifty two Hinsdale homes sold at an average of 92% ratio of List Price to Sale Price. The average market time for a home to be on the market before it sold was 316 days for single family homes and 270 days for attached single family homes.  From January 1, 2008 to April 30, 2008 thirteen homes were reported sold in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) of Northern Illinois in the price range under $500,000, twenty one homes were sold in the range from $500,000 to $999,999, and twenty five were sold over one millions dollars.  The highest priced home sold for $4,200,000.  The average selling price was $1,139,057, while the average list price was $1,345,748.

DETACHED SINGLE FAMILY

• 7208 Vine, $325,000, Closed date:  January 19, 2008.
• 741 W. Eighth, $360,000, Closed date:  March 7, 2008.
• 16W751 89th Place, $360,000, Closed date:  January 2, 2008.
• 723 S. Adams Street, $370,000, Closed date:  January 4, 2008.
• 737 S. Bruner Street, $375,000, Closed date:  January 18, 2008.
• 220 S. Grant Street, $415,000, Closed date:  March 25, 2008.
• 408 Briargate Terrace, $430,000, Closed date:  January 25, 2008.
• 948 S. Bruner Street, $450,000, Closed date:  April 30, 2008.
• 831 Jefferson Street, $477,500, Closed date: February 15, 2008.
• 709 S. Grant, $512,000, Closed date:  April 16, 2008.
• 743 Town Place, $524,000, Closed date:  January 18, 2008.
• 316 Justina Street, $550,000, Closed date:  March 7, 2008.
• 13 N. Bruner Street, $560,000, Closed date:  January 31, 2008.
• 415 S. Bruner Street, $580,000, Closed date:  March 14, 2008.
• 139 S. Madison Street, $609,000, Closed date:  March 30, 2008.
• 525 N. Vine Street, $625,000, Closed date:  March 24, 2008.
• 530 Pamela Circle, $710,000, Closed date:  April 7, 2008.
• 423 N. Garfield Street, $717,812, Closed date:  February 29, 2008.
• 607 N. Elm Street, $812,500, Closed date:  March 25, 2008.
• 5630 County Line Road, $815,000, Closed date:  February 7, 2008.
• 628 Lakeside Drive, $850,000, Closed date:  February 25, 2008.
• 9 S. Monroe Street, $850,000, Closed date: April 17, 2008.
• 509 N. Clay Street, $871,733, Closed date:  April 10, 2008.
• 364 Hampton Place, $875,000, Closed date:  April 24, 2008.
• 617 N. Oak Street, $875,000, Closed date:  April 8, 2008.
• 31 S. Bodin Street, $890,000, Closed date: March 20, 2008.
• 112 E. Hickory Street, $917,000, Closed date:  January 31, 2008.
• 136 N. Washington Street, $960,000, Closed date:  March 20, 2008.
• 744 W. 6th Street, $975,000, Closed date: March 24, 2008.
• 320 N. Justina Street, $1,002,400, Closed date:  March 25, 2008.
• 710 N. Elm Street, $1,020,000, Closed date:  January 22, 2008.
• 414 Glendale Road, $1,126,000, Closed date:  March 18, 2008.
• 5620 S. County Line Road, $1,136,000, Closed date:  April 30, 2008.
• 405 S. Bodin Street, $1,170,000, Closed date:  March 13, 2008.
• 613 56th Street, $1,177,000, Closed date:  March 17, 2008.
• 5507 S. Garfield Street, $1,200,000, Closed date:  April 29, 2008.
• 28 S. Adams Street, $1,271,000, Closed date:  April 11, 2008.
• 515 E. First Street, $1,300,000, Closed date:  April 11, 2008.
• 227 W. Hickory Street, $1,437,500, Closed date:  February 15, 2008.
• 311 W. Ninth Street, $1,500,000, Closed date:  March 31, 2008.
• 309 W. Ninth Street, $1,650,000, Closed date:  January 7, 2008.
• 5510 S. Park Street, $1,695,000, Closed date:  January 11, 2008.
• 527 Chicago Avenue, $1,757,777, Closed date:  March 14, 2008.
• 220 S. Clay Street, $1,860,000, Closed date:  March 5, 2008.
• 5500 S. Washington Street, $1,870,000, Closed date:  February 26, 2008.
• 133 N. Washington Street, $2,050,000, Closed date:  March 26, 2008.
• 630 S. Oak Street, $2,450,000, Closed date:  April 2, 2008.
• 750 Wilson Lane, $2,500,000, Closed date:  March 26, 2008.
• 728 Wilson Lane, $2,650,000, Closed date:  March 10, 2008.
• 125 S. Park, $2,900,000, Closed date:  January 31, 2008.
• 836 S. Park, $3,600,000, Closed date:  March 26, 2008.
• 812 S. Garfield Street, $3,630,000, Closed date:  February 22, 2008.
• 704 S. Elm Street, $4,200,000, Closed date:  March 14, 2008.

ATTACHED SINGLE FAMILY

• 5A Kingery Quarters, $123,000, Closed date:  January 25, 2008.
• 13A Kingery Quarters, $139,000, Closed date:  March 14, 2008.
• 11S474 Rachael Court, Emeral Ridge, $237,000, Closed date:  February 28, 2008.
• 202 Racquet Club, Racquet Club, $370,312, Closed date:  January 11, 2008.
• 420 Ashbury Drive, Ashbury Woods, $500,000, Closed date: February 21, 2008.
• 1431 Fox Lane, Graue Mill, $600,000.  Closed date:  March 22, 2008.
• 1217 Hawthorne Court, Graue Mill, $1,100,000, Closed date:  April 29, 2008.

My family has enjoyed the Hinsdale pool now for 16 years.  The summer is full of fun in Hinsdale at this 50 meter pool.  The pool is “L” shaped and has a depth of 3.5 to 5 feet.  The wading pool is most popular with the young families, where toddlers can enjoy a slide and other water play features along with a sand play area just for them.  The diving board section of the pool also has a larger slide for the older kids. The pool is very clean and well maintained.  There is a separate sunbathing area, bathhouse with locker rooms and a concession area.

The pool is open daily from noon till 9:00pm to the public.  There are swim lessons in the mornings. The pool is only closed for swim meets on occasional Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays throughout the summer.

If you are interested in a pool pass, please contact the Parks and Recreation office at 630-789-7090.

With its tree-lined streets, numerous transportation options and top-ranked schools, Hinsdale, located 18 miles from Chicago, is one of the most desirable suburbs and home to nearly 17,000 residents. Hinsdale is an affluent Chicago suburb with a quaint downtown that contains chain stores, as well as, sophisticated boutique shops, antique shops, a variety of restaurants from cafes to gourmet, and is a 20-minute train ride to downtown Chicago on the BNSF Railway Line. Hinsdale is well known for its excellent public school system, ranked among the best on all levels in the state of Illinois.