With a popular fundraiser on hiatus due to permit issues, some Westmont organizers are scrambling for other options.

The annual Angel Haven Foundation benefit yard sale provides gently used clothing, toys, furniture and other materials for local residents in need. Village officials said the event has become too big for a residential area and needs to be moved elsewhere to alleviate traffic, noise and safety concerns.

Items donated to the sale are available for local families in need, who in turn make donations to the foundation. These donations are then given to families in need from the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia.

Organizer and resident Barbara Roos, who has held the four-day sale at her home on Lindley Avenue for eight years, came to the Westmont Village Board meeting June 15 to ask for a permit to hold the sale June 25 to June 28.

“I have done the same thing every year for the past few years — going to the meeting before the sale — and have never had an issue.” she said.

This year, however, the board denied her the permit after officials said there were complaints following last year’s sale.

The action was not formally voted on because the item was not on the agenda for the meeting. Roos asked for the permit during the public comment section of the meeting, which she claims she has always done without any problems.

Permission from the board is needed because the sale runs for four days. Normal yard sale permits are issued for three days. Roos is now considering a three-day sale.
Village Trustee Sue Senicka, who headed up the meeting due to the absence of Mayor Bill Rahn, said the sale has grown very popular and has been very successful, but has bought with it more crowds — too many for a residential area.

“We’d also like to put the item on agenda for the next meeting, so we can publish it, and allow for public feedback on the issue.” Senicka said. “There isn’t time for that here.”

The next Westmont Committee of the Whole meeting is set for Thursday, July 2.

Economic Development Director Fred Kimble said the village received a number of complaints last year about the event pertaining to traffic, parking and noise concerns associated with the sale. Kimble said Ross had four or five large tents in her yard and that numerous complaints were received.

But Roos claimed she was never informed of those complaints. Many of her neighbors help out with the event, so she doubts that any of them complained, she said.

“It was a total shock because they never informed there were concerns with the event,” Roos said. “We also had a lot of rain at last year’s event, so it was less people than we have had in the past anyway.”

Kimble said he was not sure if Roos was informed by the village of the complaints after last

year’s sale before coming to the board asking for a permit for this year.
“Someone should have notified her,” Kimble said. “Whether that was done, I can’t say.”

Senicka said the organization should look to a commercial location for the sale, such as a church parking lot.

“It would make parking a lot better and may have a bigger turnout than before,” she said.

Now, Roos is storing hundreds of items in her home intended for the sale. She is trying to find another location for the event and has been working with West Hills Community Church, 213 E. 55th St., about possibly holding the Angel Haven sale July 16 to July 18. But she is still waiting to get the approval from church officials, Roos said.

The issue could be discussed at the July 2 meeting and would be put up for vote at the July 6 Village Board meeting, Kimble said. He said Roos would still need a tent permit but could ask the board to waive the $75 fee.

But even if an agreement is reached with another location, another obstacle exists. Roos will need to find a way to move hundreds of items to the location, which she said is difficult because everything is run by volunteers.

Roos’ health also is a concern, as she has multiple sclerosis.

“Honestly, if I cannot have the sale at my home anymore, this may be the end of it, as it is just too much to move everything to another site,” Roos said.

Janet Storjohann, who has helped Roos with the sale for several years, said the action by the board not only impacts the families of the Appalachian but local residents who benefit by getting items from the event.

“This will greatly affect the Westmont community as many of the residents greatly rely on this year’s sale to provide clothing, toys, furniture, etc., for their families,” Storjohann said.