Just outside of the Island Lake village limits lives Bob Wargaski.
Mayor Tom Hyde and the village board he controls cut a deal with a developer to allow him to build high end homes on the best site for a new well and water tower, one on a hill.
The back-up site was right next to Wargaski’s property.
Wargaski did his best to convince the village not to ruin his view and devalue his property, not to mention require him to dig a new well, but the village is bound and determined to put a new well and water tower across from Wargaski’s land.
In response, Wargaski decided to become a pig farmer.
You see, municipal water supplies cannot be drawn near a pig farm.
It’s a classic “Not In My Back Yard” or NIMBY fight, but with a four-legged twist.
A pig farm as an anti-development tool.
The second week of May the village went to Lake County court to try to kill the pig farm.
So far, they have not succeeded. The judge has yet to rule.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture gave permission for a non-lagoon pit to hold pig excrement on May 20th.
May 13th the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said the village test well across the road was a community water supply.
Wargaski got his permit to build an accessory building from Lake County on May 28th.
And, yesterday, he started digging his pig poop containment facility.
I asked him what happened today.
“We dug the hole. That means now I am in front of them.
“Whoever started construction first wins and the other person has to stay 400 feet away from them.
“Since I started construction first they have to stay 400 feet away from me. They can’t put it in that acre and a half parcel, which the developer was donating to them.
“We’ll have pigs in a month’s time.
“By digging the whole it’s going to bring get this whole thing out in the open.”
Let me let Wargaski explain what’s going on in his own words. Here’s what he sent me on March 15, 2008:
“Property next to my 5 acres was annexed by the village of Island Lake and in the infinite wisdom of Mayor Tom Hyde decided that the best place to put a Water tower and well was 120 feet from my house.
“Even though he had over 400 acres of new development to work with, the piece on top of my home was most hidden.
“The place the village engineer said was best and showed up in the master plan was 1/4 mile away, centrally located, and 40 foot higher in elevation.
“Unfortunately the developer refused to buy the land if the tower was next to his $600,000 homes.
“That well will cause me to have to drill a new well.
“I met with Mayor Tom Hyde over three years ago with one of my neighbors to discuss the location of this tower and well. Hyde’s response was “I am gonna put it where I am gonna put it, and there is nothing you can do about it.”
“Back in December I filed (for) an injunction in Lake County as Island Lake was going to place the well and tower in R-3 zoning and by-pass the special use permit process per their zoning codes.
“They responded to my lawsuit, that the special use permit is for public utilities and does not mention well and tower.
“Immediately subsequent to answering my lawsuit the village passed a text amendment to the zoning code that states in short, any municipal structure, building or function is void of any restrictions in any building zone and is not subject to appeal or hearing. My lawsuit has been revised.
“I have also applied for a Illinois Dept of Ag permit to have a hog confinement facility on my property.
“IEPA regs say that a public water supply must be 400 feet from any confinement facility. I made IEPA aware of my intentions prior to them issuing a permit to Island Lake for the well.
“Even though Island Lake has the permit for the well, Dept of Ag told me that they will give me the permit because until a public water supply is present, not just a permit, they intend on giving me my hog confinement permit.
“There are many more issues going on in this village of corruption due to Mayor Tom Hyde and I have the proof to back it up.
“Changing the speed limit on Dowell Road without speed study.
“Black-topping driveways for free for supporter of Hyde’s plans, etc.
“A group of 5 Island Lake citizens and myself, met with the Lake County States attorney over a week ago and were told the pin point corruption is on the McHenry County side of Island lake and we would have to go to the McHenry County State’s attorney.
“We did that yesterday and were told that they do not have the investigators as does Lake county and that we really need to go to the McHenry county sheriff and it would be the sheriff that would have to bring charges against Island Lake to them.
“We have the proof and back-up of criminal corruption in Island Lake but just keep getting the run around while the statue of limitation runs out.”
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Click to enlarge any image. All are pretty self-explanatory–photos of Bob Wargaski and his future pig farm–except the one at the bottom. It is of friends of Greg Kachka, the tee shirt wearing, finger pointing Marine Corps veteran who was arrested for disorderly conduct by Island Lake Police. The man using his hand and finger as kids do when playing cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians is Bob Wargaski.