In the past three weeks, students, especially day students, have been noticing two, black, unsuspecting chords in the middle of the straight-away on Caxy Drive. Rumors have spread that the chords were being used for speeding, as well as a calibrator for the light at the intersection of Il-Rt 60 and West Kennedy Rd. Unfortunately, the wires were not to make the light change faster. Nonetheless, rumors are rumors and I am here to clear the air.

“The two black wires were installed by the home owners association of Academy Woods, and were used for traffic diagnostics,” explained Chris Tennyson. When I asked the question, he originally said  ‘no idea’, but then proceeded to make a few phone calls, and had his answer in less than five minutes. You can’t blame him for not knowing, because it was completely unrelated to LFA.

Along with the cables, the association placed a camera near the turn, which was also used for traffic information. Both the cables and the camera were removed on November 9th. No communication with Lake Forest Academy about the cables and the camera was recorded. A third camera, which has been posted on the large map at the edge of the admissions entrance circle, is property of LFA, and is for added security.

So now that I have cleared the air, there are some questions that arise from this mysterious ordeal. Many people consider West Kennedy Road, Caxy Road and Academy Drive as all “private roads” meaning that they are property of Lake Forest Academy. This in fact is false. The Lake Forest Town Hall considers ,”Caxy Drive as private, but West Kennedy Rd. as public.” This basically means that police officers could pull you over on Caxy Drive, but nobody has yet to be prosecuted in court. However, the road doesn’t strictly belong to the town of Lake Forest or Lake Forest Academy. The private neighborhood also uses the road. This is why they were able to place traffic cords and a camera on the road without most LFA officials knowing about it, including the dean of students.

So, no, the chords were not used to catch people speeding or to change the light at the intersection, and no the camera was not to determine who was leaving school during the day. Yes, both the camera and chords are gone. Finally, yes, you can get pulled over on Academy Drive.

Hopefully the air is clear, and the record has been set straight.