McHenry County Blog

For the last two years, that is, the first two years of McHenry County Blog’s existence, there’s been an article about the “Most” this and the “Most” that. This is a bit late, but I hope you enjoy it.

If you want to compare my “Mostests,” here is 2005’s and 2006’s.

McHenry County College Trustees Donna Kurtz and Scott Summers.

After voting with a unanimous majority and without any public discussion to build an addition, including a minor league baseball stadium, to McHenry County College, Kurtz and Summers told of their change of mind at the most dramatic time—right before the Crystal Lake City Council was to vote on the necessary rezoning. They had expressed their qualms before , but it took real courage to express them while their colleagues were sitting in the audience fervently hoping for a favorable outcome.

Jeff Thorsen, Brett Hopkins and Ralph Dawson.

The three Crystal Lake City Councilmen provided the three votes necessary to defeat the rezoning.

The entire Crystal Lake City Planning and Zoning Commission.

This may be a mis-ranking since without the courage of these officials—all appointed by Crystal Lake Aaron Shepley, who strongly favors construction of the baseball stadium—the others listed as more courageous might not have had the courage to take the stands they did.

In any event, without the commissioners’ votes of disapproval, http://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2007/09/mcc-baseball-stadium-idea-strikes-out.html a supermajority of 5 votes would not have been required by the city council and the rezoning would have been approved.

Those commissioners are Chairman Tom Hayden and Commissioners Jim Batastini, Angel Collins, Vincent Esposito, Jeff Greenman, James Jouron, Carolyn Schofield, Allan Skluzacek,

Minor league baseball team and stadium promoter Pete Heitman.

Without risking much of his own money and refusing to identify his investors, Heitman asked McHenry County College taxpayers to guarantee repayment of the money borrowed to finance the stadium and the interest. Virtually no profit was project for the first five years.

EquityOne’s Mark Houser.

Houser, who showed up with Heitman at a private MCC meeting , both being identified as from EquityOne Sports, got a $400,000 no-bid contract “to oversee and coordinate the development, construction, operation, and marketing processes for the Health, Wellness, and Athletic Complex.” That was on top of his $70,000 no-bid contract. In that $70,000 September 28, 2006, contract the college board gave Houser this right:

” At the completion of the feasibility study and independent review, if the College elects to proceed with the project, the College will contract with EquityOne or it’s (sic) assigns to develop the project on the College’s behalf.”

Richard Starr, the man from Economic Research Associates who was in charge of writing the devastating critique of Equity One’s Mark Houser’s rosy analysis of Pete Heitman’s revenue projections.

After the rezoning was rejected by the Crystal Lake City Council, Starr gave a sales pitch to the McHenry County College Board. He argued ERA could put together a successful public-private partnership. The implication that Houser’s firm had failed to do so.

In this photo he points to the MCC Mission Statement. Click on the photo and see if you can find the word “entertainment.”

Former teacher Geraldine Cowlin generously pledged significant money for scholarships for county high school graduates who could not afford to attend McHenry County College. She decided that the effort to put a baseball stadium on campus was not true to the college’s educational mission and withdrew her $1 million pledge. The stadium’s original cost was $10 million (plus interest, of course). Cowlin showed that continued pursuit of stadium approval would have a significant tangible cost.

Without a doubt, Erv LeCoque. This former MCC board member used his behind the scenes persuasive skills on everyone he thought might be able to derail the baseball stadium. He had been attending Crystal Lake zoning and council meetings on the subject, but his opposition was made public at a meeting of opponents by the Northwest Herald.

The former CEO of Aptar also delivered his neighbor Geraldine Cowlin’s message to the MCC Board.

“There’s a pony in this pile of horseshit somewhere.”

Retired investment banker Barry Glasgow gets credit for this zinger. He asked so many penetrating questions at this first meeting of the McHenry County College Board he had ever attended.

If you read the article explaining Barry Glasgow’s comments to the MCC Board, you would never recognize them from the official minutes of the meeting:

“Mr. Glasgow spoke about the need for a nursing program.”

It was if he said nothing unfavorable about the baseball stadium proposal.

Not to worry. The board majority has since decided not to include any of the content of those who speak in public session. Their names will be listed, however.

Huntley School District 158 School Board President‘s characterization of fellow board members Aileen Seedorf and Larry Snow as “terrorists running roughshod over the rest of us.”

Prairie Grove Grade School District 46.

Without a warning to yours truly, the board called police to evict yours truly for taking pictures through an open Venetian blind and laughing as now Board President Charlotte Kremer yanked them shut.

The McHenry County Board.

It proposed banning flash cameras and banishing cameramen to the back corners of its dimly lit room. Those proposed rule changes brought quite a bit of local newspaper coverage.

Reporters who gave the most fits to local school boards and administers.

The Daily Herald’s Jeff Gaunt was named here last year and, even though he has moved on to bedevil the Elgin School District, he continued to give fits to Districts 300 and 158 until his transfer.

David Fitzgerald, reporter for the Northwest Herald, obtained significant respect for his probe of District 300’s secret meeting minutes. Other coverage revealed details I’ll bet the District 300 board members wished had not been printed.

Gaunt was replaced by Jameel Naqvi, who gave District 158 more of a benefit of the doubt than its administrators and board members probably deserve. But, he learned quickly. I don’t think the District 158 ruling clique is wishing that Gaunt were back, but I’ll bet they can’t wait for Naqvi to be replaced. He’s getting quite dangerous.

Pioneer Press’ Pete Gonigam is playing the same role at McHenry County College.

Certainly having citizen-inquirer Aileen Seedorf run first in the Huntley School Board election was a surprise.

The upset victories of home school dad John Ryan and Monica Clark in District 300 certainly qualify as surprising.

In McHenry Grade School District 15, home school dad John O’Neill won election, even though the establishment used his family’s decision to save the school district money against him.

The Rockford Cherry Vale Mall Black Muslin terrorist story strikes me as a harbinger of things that might come. This American had previously lived with another with terrorist tendencies. What if this is just the first Black Muslim to turn terrorist? That might be important. I did not see what this guy actually said anywhere but on McHenry County Blog.

The McHenry County Republican Cat Tax

Rosemary Kurtz and the man she defeated in the 2002 GOP primary election, Cal Skinner. The two joined together to fight the MCC baseball stadium.

The Economics Research Associates’ devastating criticism of Mark Houser’s Equity One “evaluation” of his buddy Pete Heitman’s baseball stadium revenues for MCC.

Carol Marin, who still has not acknowledged that her good buddy Joe Cari, a prominent Democratic Party fund raiser, did not deserve the praise she gave him two days before he was indicted.

For the last two years, that is, the first two years of McHenry County Blog’s existence, there’s been an article about the “Most” this and the “Most” that. This is a bit late, but I hope you enjoy it.

If you want to compare my “Mostests,” here is 2005’s and 2006’s.

McHenry County College Trustees Donna Kurtz and Scott Summers.

After voting with a unanimous majority and without any public discussion to build an addition, including a minor league baseball stadium, to McHenry County College, Kurtz and Summers told of their change of mind at the most dramatic time—right before the Crystal Lake City Council was to vote on the necessary rezoning. They had expressed their qualms before , but it took real courage to express them while their colleagues were sitting in the audience fervently hoping for a favorable outcome.

Jeff Thorsen, Brett Hopkins and Ralph Dawson.

The three Crystal Lake City Councilmen provided the three votes necessary to defeat the rezoning.

The entire Crystal Lake City Planning and Zoning Commission.

This may be a mis-ranking since without the courage of these officials—all appointed by Crystal Lake Aaron Shepley, who strongly favors construction of the baseball stadium—the others listed as more courageous might not have had the courage to take the stands they did.

In any event, without the commissioners’ votes of disapproval, http://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2007/09/mcc-baseball-stadium-idea-strikes-out.html a supermajority of 5 votes would not have been required by the city council and the rezoning would have been approved.

Those commissioners are Chairman Tom Hayden and Commissioners Jim Batastini, Angel Collins, Vincent Esposito, Jeff Greenman, James Jouron, Carolyn Schofield, Allan Skluzacek,

Minor league baseball team and stadium promoter Pete Heitman.

Without risking much of his own money and refusing to identify his investors, Heitman asked McHenry County College taxpayers to guarantee repayment of the money borrowed to finance the stadium and the interest. Virtually no profit was project for the first five years.

EquityOne’s Mark Houser.

Houser, who showed up with Heitman at a private MCC meeting , both being identified as from EquityOne Sports, got a $400,000 no-bid contract “to oversee and coordinate the development, construction, operation, and marketing processes for the Health, Wellness, and Athletic Complex.” That was on top of his $70,000 no-bid contract. In that $70,000 September 28, 2006, contract the college board gave Houser this right:

” At the completion of the feasibility study and independent review, if the College elects to proceed with the project, the College will contract with EquityOne or it’s (sic) assigns to develop the project on the College’s behalf.”

Richard Starr, the man from Economic Research Associates who was in charge of writing the devastating critique of Equity One’s Mark Houser’s rosy analysis of Pete Heitman’s revenue projections.

After the rezoning was rejected by the Crystal Lake City Council, Starr gave a sales pitch to the McHenry County College Board. He argued ERA could put together a successful public-private partnership. The implication that Houser’s firm had failed to do so.

In this photo he points to the MCC Mission Statement. Click on the photo and see if you can find the word “entertainment.”

Former teacher Geraldine Cowlin generously pledged significant money for scholarships for county high school graduates who could not afford to attend McHenry County College. She decided that the effort to put a baseball stadium on campus was not true to the college’s educational mission and withdrew her $1 million pledge. The stadium’s original cost was $10 million (plus interest, of course). Cowlin showed that continued pursuit of stadium approval would have a significant tangible cost.

Without a doubt, Erv LeCoque. This former MCC board member used his behind the scenes persuasive skills on everyone he thought might be able to derail the baseball stadium. He had been attending Crystal Lake zoning and council meetings on the subject, but his opposition was made public at a meeting of opponents by the Northwest Herald.

The former CEO of Aptar also delivered his neighbor Geraldine Cowlin’s message to the MCC Board.

“There’s a pony in this pile of horseshit somewhere.”

Retired investment banker Barry Glasgow gets credit for this zinger. He asked so many penetrating questions at this first meeting of the McHenry County College Board he had ever attended.

If you read the article explaining Barry Glasgow’s comments to the MCC Board, you would never recognize them from the official minutes of the meeting:

“Mr. Glasgow spoke about the need for a nursing program.”

It was if he said nothing unfavorable about the baseball stadium proposal.

Not to worry. The board majority has since decided not to include any of the content of those who speak in public session. Their names will be listed, however.

Huntley School District 158 School Board President‘s characterization of fellow board members Aileen Seedorf and Larry Snow as “terrorists running roughshod over the rest of us.”

Prairie Grove Grade School District 46.

Without a warning to yours truly, the board called police to evict yours truly for taking pictures through an open Venetian blind and laughing as now Board President Charlotte Kremer yanked them shut.

The McHenry County Board.

It proposed banning flash cameras and banishing cameramen to the back corners of its dimly lit room. Those proposed rule changes brought quite a bit of local newspaper coverage.

Reporters who gave the most fits to local school boards and administers.

The Daily Herald’s Jeff Gaunt was named here last year and, even though he has moved on to bedevil the Elgin School District, he continued to give fits to Districts 300 and 158 until his transfer.

David Fitzgerald, reporter for the Northwest Herald, obtained significant respect for his probe of District 300’s secret meeting minutes. Other coverage revealed details I’ll bet the District 300 board members wished had not been printed.

Gaunt was replaced by Jameel Naqvi, who gave District 158 more of a benefit of the doubt than its administrators and board members probably deserve. But, he learned quickly. I don’t think the District 158 ruling clique is wishing that Gaunt were back, but I’ll bet they can’t wait for Naqvi to be replaced. He’s getting quite dangerous.

Pioneer Press’ Pete Gonigam is playing the same role at McHenry County College.

Certainly having citizen-inquirer Aileen Seedorf run first in the Huntley School Board election was a surprise.

The upset victories of home school dad John Ryan and Monica Clark in District 300 certainly qualify as surprising.

In McHenry Grade School District 15, home school dad John O’Neill won election, even though the establishment used his family’s decision to save the school district money against him.

The Rockford Cherry Vale Mall Black Muslin terrorist story strikes me as a harbinger of things that might come. This American had previously lived with another with terrorist tendencies. What if this is just the first Black Muslim to turn terrorist? That might be important. I did not see what this guy actually said anywhere but on McHenry County Blog.

The McHenry County Republican Cat Tax

Rosemary Kurtz and the man she defeated in the 2002 GOP primary election, Cal Skinner. The two joined together to fight the MCC baseball stadium.

The Economics Research Associates’ devastating criticism of Mark Houser’s Equity One “evaluation” of his buddy Pete Heitman’s baseball stadium revenues for MCC.

Carol Marin, who still has not acknowledged that her good buddy Joe Cari, a prominent Democratic Party fund raiser, did not deserve the praise she gave him two days before he was indicted.

At the last Crystal Lake City Council meeting, Craig Gaska of Nash Road made the following statement below on behalf of himself and his wife Linda.

I think it’s worth sharing.

In that piece I urged the council majority to do the honorable thing and not bring the measure back for a vote without its going through the entire process again.

Here is the Gaskas’ message:

Good evening Mayor Shepley, City Council Members, and Crystal Lake Staff!

As you have probably surmised from previous public statements that I have made, I am very concerned that the City of Crystal Lake’s democratic processes and procedures are followed. My public statement today is no exception.

For the public record, I would like to summarize two certified parliamentarians’ comments regarding the Motion to Reconsider, which was made after the MCC Special Use Permit vote was taken on October 16th.

The two parliamentarians that I and other concerned parties had contacted were:

• an attorney and professor at the John Marshall Law School who was a parliamentarian for the 1972 Illinois Constitutional Convention; and,
• Jason Akai, a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians.

There were several breaches of parliamentary procedures during the motion to reconsider on October 16th; however, I am only going to address the two main mistakes in which both parliamentarians have commented as the major breaches.

First, a motion to reconsider needs to specify exactly what needs to be reconsidered.

Secondly, the prevailing side did not make the motion.

[Councilmen Ralph Dawson, Brett Hopkins and Jeff Thorsen, seen below, comprised the prevailing side with their “No” votes on the proposal to re-zone McHenry County College for a minor league baseball stadium.]

The prevailing side is that side which determines the outcome of the vote.

Jason Akai states,

“If the prevailing side did not make the motion, the motion is out of order and the parliamentarian should have immediately notified the chair of such. It is equally out of order to immediately call for a reconsider motion without some substantial change to the motion’s language or change in the number of voting members present.”

As a citizen of Crystal Lake, I am asking the City Council to seriously consider the following two suggestions.

• First, train and certify one of the city council members or village staff as a parliamentarian; or, place a National Association of Parliamentarians certified parliamentarian on retainer.
• Secondly, since the motion to reconsider was improper and an invalid motion and, since it was also a breach of parliamentary procedures as set forth by the City Council bylaws, that it be declared null and void and that the original vote on whether or not to grant a special use permit to MCC stand un-amended.

Thank you

= = = = =
Ellen Brady Mueller, the maker of the motion to reconsider at the Crystal Lake City Council is seen above left. Mayor Aaron Shepley, the lawyer who accepted the inappropriate motion and allowed an illegal vote, is seen above right.

The trio who killed the baseball stadium re-zoning are seen in the middle of the article. From right to left, they are Councilman Ralph Dawson, Brett Hopkins and Jeff Thorsen.

At the last Crystal Lake City Council meeting, Craig Gaska of Nash Road made the following statement below on behalf of himself and his wife Linda.

I think it’s worth sharing.

In that piece I urged the council majority to do the honorable thing and not bring the measure back for a vote without its going through the entire process again.

Here is the Gaskas’ message:

Good evening Mayor Shepley, City Council Members, and Crystal Lake Staff!

As you have probably surmised from previous public statements that I have made, I am very concerned that the City of Crystal Lake’s democratic processes and procedures are followed. My public statement today is no exception.

For the public record, I would like to summarize two certified parliamentarians’ comments regarding the Motion to Reconsider, which was made after the MCC Special Use Permit vote was taken on October 16th.

The two parliamentarians that I and other concerned parties had contacted were:

• an attorney and professor at the John Marshall Law School who was a parliamentarian for the 1972 Illinois Constitutional Convention; and,
• Jason Akai, a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians.

There were several breaches of parliamentary procedures during the motion to reconsider on October 16th; however, I am only going to address the two main mistakes in which both parliamentarians have commented as the major breaches.

First, a motion to reconsider needs to specify exactly what needs to be reconsidered.

Secondly, the prevailing side did not make the motion.

[Councilmen Ralph Dawson, Brett Hopkins and Jeff Thorsen, seen below, comprised the prevailing side with their “No” votes on the proposal to re-zone McHenry County College for a minor league baseball stadium.]

The prevailing side is that side which determines the outcome of the vote.

Jason Akai states,

“If the prevailing side did not make the motion, the motion is out of order and the parliamentarian should have immediately notified the chair of such. It is equally out of order to immediately call for a reconsider motion without some substantial change to the motion’s language or change in the number of voting members present.”

As a citizen of Crystal Lake, I am asking the City Council to seriously consider the following two suggestions.

• First, train and certify one of the city council members or village staff as a parliamentarian; or, place a National Association of Parliamentarians certified parliamentarian on retainer.
• Secondly, since the motion to reconsider was improper and an invalid motion and, since it was also a breach of parliamentary procedures as set forth by the City Council bylaws, that it be declared null and void and that the original vote on whether or not to grant a special use permit to MCC stand un-amended.

Thank you

= = = = =
Ellen Brady Mueller, the maker of the motion to reconsider at the Crystal Lake City Council is seen above left. Mayor Aaron Shepley, the lawyer who accepted the inappropriate motion and allowed an illegal vote, is seen above right.

The trio who killed the baseball stadium re-zoning are seen in the middle of the article. From right to left, they are Councilman Ralph Dawson, Brett Hopkins and Jeff Thorsen.

Yesterday, McHenry County Blog reported on neighborhood objections to putting a car dealership on Route 14, right behind their homes.

Extreme Ford-Kia is moving from the Vulcan Lakes/Route 14 Tax Increment Financing district and it was pretty obvious that city council members didn’t want to lose this big sales tax generator after somehow convincing it to move out of the TIF district so other, waterfront-oriented development could replace it.

The residential neighbors complained about how tress would be replaced by light polls, how they expected additional water run-off to burden their already wet neighborhood, how a fifty-foot set-back agreed upon by six members of the current city council six years was going to be changed to an 8-foot set-back.

To see how unhappy the neighbors were after the meeting, read the top of this article.

The first question was from Councilman Dave Goss:

”Are you going to meet our stormwater ordinance?”

Sitting in the hot seat, local developer Bo Storm answered, “Absolutely.”

Later Mayor Aaron Shepley asked Director of Engineering and Building Vic Ramirez if approval of Extreme Ford’s zoning request would “make things worse.”

“They have to have final engineering. They have to meet that criteria.’”

Ramirez said there was a combined study for Banzai (Motorsports next door) and Extreme Ford.

“Whatever is required, (it has) to not make it any worse.

“If it needs additional storm water retention or volume control, those (mitigations) would have to be in place.”

“The storm water sounds like a real mess out there,” Councilman Jeff Thorsen said. “I don’t know how we can get our hands around that.”

“I think it is a huge issue re storm water,” Mayor Shepley agreed. “If you’re not doing what is required, they we’ll be looking for you to rectify those problems.”

“If (the car dealership is) lower than the adjoining property, it looks like the water would not be (flowing toward the neighbors).

“We are a 6-acre parcel of several hundred” in the watershed), the petitioner’s engineer pointed out, suggesting that any flooding would be attributable to sources other than his client’s property.

Thorsen pointed out that the Kelly Woods subdivision came after Anderson BMW Mazda Volkswagen, so it was not a similar situation.

He stressed that he had a “really big problem” with reversing the 50-foot buffer that he and five other sitting council members had voted to approve six years ago.

“Now, we’re coming back to the table and taking back what we gave. I really have a problem changing the game. I’m hard put to do that,” Thorsen said.

Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller asked Director of Planning and Economic Development Michelle Rentzsch about the proposed 8-foot set-back. She was told that they are “typically 8 feet.”

Former Planning and Zoning Commissioner Brett Hopkins took up where Mueller left off, asking about the 50-foot buffer.

“It was a function of what (was approved),” Rentzsch explained, pointing out it was “less than half the size of this property.”

“It had a detention pond in back,” Hopkins remembered.

Hopkins suggested this was the first time a challenge to this type of use had occurred.

“I’d like to see something more than this (8-foot set-back),” the councilman said.

Cathy Ferguson agreed.

“The buffering is an important thing to the neighbors. I would ask you to work with your neighbors.”

Shepley also asked about landscaping.

Strom replied that they had a landscape plan that calls for a continuous row of evergreens, plus 8-foot high Linden trees.

“Unlike many other car dealerships, we’ll have landscaping in the parking lot.”

Right before the vote, Hopkins asked about “the storm retention spot on the north side.”

“It’s the low spot,” Strom pointed out.

“Is it possible to more it to the (other side)?”

At this point I believe Strom suggested that the dealership could “lose a row of cars and have 33 feet of buffer.”

“That gets them very close to the original (50-feet),” Shepley said.

“I’m expected the lights to shine down on the property,” Goss explained in addition to his storm water question. One resident had said the car dealership would be like having a permanent night-light on.

Ferguson also asked that the “lights in the rear be turned off at night. When they’re on in the night time, I would ask you turn yours down, too.”

“On the lighting,” Shepley suggesting contacting “Power Conversion Products, a good company” that makes directional lighting.

He asked Rentzsch if the lighting were appropriate.

“Yes, it is,” she replied. “It’s completely cut off at the property line.”

There was also considerable discussion on the total size and number of signs, pennants, banners and balloon animals like gorillas. The balloons were taken out and with the square footage of the signs to be somewhere between the amounts of the two neighboring car dealerships.

Mueller made the motion to change to annex the property and change the zoning from urban residential to commerce. It passed 5-1, with Thorsen voting “No.” Councilman Ralph Dawson was absent.

= = = = =
The top picture shows part of the Extreme Ford property, as it looks from Route 31 before cutting down all of the trees.

The snow covered pines are what can be seen from the Chan Baldwin yard. Its edge is three steps from where an eight-foot fence will be constructed.

The head shots, from top to bottom, are Crystal Lake City Councilman Dave Goss, Director of Engineering and Building Vic Ramirez, Councilman Jeff Throsen, Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller, Councilman Brett Hopkins, Councilwoman Cathy Ferguson, Mayor Aaron Shepley and Director of Planning and Economic Development Michelle Rentzsch. All photos were taken previously.

Yesterday, McHenry County Blog reported on neighborhood objections to putting a car dealership on Route 14, right behind their homes.

Extreme Ford-Kia is moving from the Vulcan Lakes/Route 14 Tax Increment Financing district and it was pretty obvious that city council members didn’t want to lose this big sales tax generator after somehow convincing it to move out of the TIF district so other, waterfront-oriented development could replace it.

The residential neighbors complained about how tress would be replaced by light polls, how they expected additional water run-off to burden their already wet neighborhood, how a fifty-foot set-back agreed upon by six members of the current city council six years was going to be changed to an 8-foot set-back.

To see how unhappy the neighbors were after the meeting, read the top of this article.

The first question was from Councilman Dave Goss:

”Are you going to meet our stormwater ordinance?”

Sitting in the hot seat, local developer Bo Storm answered, “Absolutely.”

Later Mayor Aaron Shepley asked Director of Engineering and Building Vic Ramirez if approval of Extreme Ford’s zoning request would “make things worse.”

“They have to have final engineering. They have to meet that criteria.’”

Ramirez said there was a combined study for Banzai (Motorsports next door) and Extreme Ford.

“Whatever is required, (it has) to not make it any worse.

“If it needs additional storm water retention or volume control, those (mitigations) would have to be in place.”

“The storm water sounds like a real mess out there,” Councilman Jeff Thorsen said. “I don’t know how we can get our hands around that.”

“I think it is a huge issue re storm water,” Mayor Shepley agreed. “If you’re not doing what is required, they we’ll be looking for you to rectify those problems.”

“If (the car dealership is) lower than the adjoining property, it looks like the water would not be (flowing toward the neighbors).

“We are a 6-acre parcel of several hundred” in the watershed), the petitioner’s engineer pointed out, suggesting that any flooding would be attributable to sources other than his client’s property.

Thorsen pointed out that the Kelly Woods subdivision came after Anderson BMW Mazda Volkswagen, so it was not a similar situation.

He stressed that he had a “really big problem” with reversing the 50-foot buffer that he and five other sitting council members had voted to approve six years ago.

“Now, we’re coming back to the table and taking back what we gave. I really have a problem changing the game. I’m hard put to do that,” Thorsen said.

Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller asked Director of Planning and Economic Development Michelle Rentzsch about the proposed 8-foot set-back. She was told that they are “typically 8 feet.”

Former Planning and Zoning Commissioner Brett Hopkins took up where Mueller left off, asking about the 50-foot buffer.

“It was a function of what (was approved),” Rentzsch explained, pointing out it was “less than half the size of this property.”

“It had a detention pond in back,” Hopkins remembered.

Hopkins suggested this was the first time a challenge to this type of use had occurred.

“I’d like to see something more than this (8-foot set-back),” the councilman said.

Cathy Ferguson agreed.

“The buffering is an important thing to the neighbors. I would ask you to work with your neighbors.”

Shepley also asked about landscaping.

Strom replied that they had a landscape plan that calls for a continuous row of evergreens, plus 8-foot high Linden trees.

“Unlike many other car dealerships, we’ll have landscaping in the parking lot.”

Right before the vote, Hopkins asked about “the storm retention spot on the north side.”

“It’s the low spot,” Strom pointed out.

“Is it possible to more it to the (other side)?”

At this point I believe Strom suggested that the dealership could “lose a row of cars and have 33 feet of buffer.”

“That gets them very close to the original (50-feet),” Shepley said.

“I’m expected the lights to shine down on the property,” Goss explained in addition to his storm water question. One resident had said the car dealership would be like having a permanent night-light on.

Ferguson also asked that the “lights in the rear be turned off at night. When they’re on in the night time, I would ask you turn yours down, too.”

“On the lighting,” Shepley suggesting contacting “Power Conversion Products, a good company” that makes directional lighting.

He asked Rentzsch if the lighting were appropriate.

“Yes, it is,” she replied. “It’s completely cut off at the property line.”

There was also considerable discussion on the total size and number of signs, pennants, banners and balloon animals like gorillas. The balloons were taken out and with the square footage of the signs to be somewhere between the amounts of the two neighboring car dealerships.

Mueller made the motion to change to annex the property and change the zoning from urban residential to commerce. It passed 5-1, with Thorsen voting “No.” Councilman Ralph Dawson was absent.

= = = = =
The top picture shows part of the Extreme Ford property, as it looks from Route 31 before cutting down all of the trees.

The snow covered pines are what can be seen from the Chan Baldwin yard. Its edge is three steps from where an eight-foot fence will be constructed.

The head shots, from top to bottom, are Crystal Lake City Councilman Dave Goss, Director of Engineering and Building Vic Ramirez, Councilman Jeff Throsen, Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller, Councilman Brett Hopkins, Councilwoman Cathy Ferguson, Mayor Aaron Shepley and Director of Planning and Economic Development Michelle Rentzsch. All photos were taken previously.

Almost as usual, when the Crystal Lake City Council takes significant action, it does it late at night.

That was the case Tuesday night.

The council voted 5-1 to annex Ken Rawson’s Barton Stream subdivision and 85 commercial acres on Route 14. Brett Hopkins was the “No” vote, arguing that a comprehensive plan should be in place first. Ralph Dawson was absent.

The issue was framed by two Crystal Lakers who spoke during the public comment period.

McHenry County Conservation District trustee and Crystal Lake resident Nancy Williamson led off.

“It is opening the entire area for development,” she asserted.

Referring to the watershed manual, which had just been approved, Williamson said,

”It’s a pair of shoes, but you’ve got no clothes to go with it.”

She argued for waiting until the planning process, including public comment was completed.

Local long-time successful Realtor Gail Plunkett was next up.

“I think it would be a good addition,” she said.

“There are plans for two more big box stores where the (Woodstock) Super-Wal-Mart is.

“Single family residents along Route 14 will not be attractive to the consumer.”

Speaking to traffic predicted to be generated by the Turnberry subdivision west of the Crystal Lake Country Club, Plunkett, who lives one house south of Country Club Road said, “I don’t see any impact.”

“We have to look at this north corridor. It’s the keystone of future development.”

The two comments that I have put in boldface type pretty well delineated the debate.

There were detailed objections from the neighbors and lawyer/planner Jerry Davonport, who gave me the map I hope Google’s Blogger will allow me to post. Tomorrow the objections he raised will be covered in detail, along with some other observations about development north of Route 176.

There were plenty of comments from the council members.

“Conservation design is in direct conflict with one-acre lots,” Councilwoman Kathy Ferguson pointed out. Davonport argued for the latter.

“In terms with the commercial portion, I’m OK with that. They’re going to need some amenities up there.

“In terms of the townhomes, I’d like you to think of villas. I think it would be a better bridging of the design.”

“It’s not as late as usual,” Councilman Jeff Thorsen started out. It was 11:35 PM and the watershed ordinance and manual debate had just finished. That followed a long consideration of the zoning of Extreme Ford on Route 31 south of Route 176.

“We’ll see when you’re done with your comments,” Mayor Aaron Shepley, who has been at odds with Thorsen on the watershed ordinance, interjected.

“I don’t think there’s anyone sitting here who doesn’t think the Northwest corridor will be developed,” Thorsen said. “The question is, ‘How will it be developed?’”

Thorsen came down on the same side as Ferguson on the issue of one-acre lots versus clustered housing.

“I don’t think that’s what we want to see for this corridor.”

“The important thing is what Kathy bought up,” Brett Hopkins said. “I would go with the conservation plan overall (but the density is too high).

“As far as the commercial goes, I’ve been against commercial on this part of Route 14.

“What I don’t want to see is what happened on Randall Road, where you don’t see any delineation (between towns). This was open land (which provides a delineation between Crystal Lake and Woodstock).”

Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller also came out in favor of the conservation design approach.

“Are you going to have one-acre lots? Why even extend sewer out there, if you can have septic?” she asked.

“I think the commercial works for me on Route 14.”

“I also agree the smaller lots work better,” added Councilman Dave Goss. “From a design viewpoint, you parallel road to Route 14, you have double lots there. (It’s a) perfect place to put BMPs (Best Management Practices). I don’t care for them at all.

“I do agree that commercial is appropriate there.”

Attorney Joe Gottemoller summarized the project. One of the elements that motorists would be able to notice is that the part of Ridgefield Road that intersects with Route 14 north of McHenry County College would be moved slightly south so that it would be at a 90 degree angle to the state highway. The Rawson property would have a road coming into that intersection from the west.

“I do get a little nervous because of what Mr. Davonport pointed out,” Shepley said.

He told of knowing some of the neighbors, who had asked him if the subdivision wold mean they could get sewer and water.

“We’re never going to force annex a residence,” he emphasized.

“I think there are two sides to the coin,” the mayor continued.

“I think this is an appropriate area for development.”

Concerning conservation design, he suggested the homes be “cluster(ed) in the middle (to) preseve the open space on the outside.”

“There’s a wetland in the center,” Mueller pointed out.

“My only point is that we in Crystal Lake like to protect open space. It’s nice to look at.”

With regard to the townhomes, Shepley had “mixed emotions.”

“Close to the college, you probably couldn’t ask for a better location,” he said pointing out that students might rent them.

“This is largely not in our watershed.

“I agree with what Jeff said. If not commercial, then what?”

“Office has some of the same downsides.”

Shepley observed that on Randall Road Crystal Lake had to grow down to Miller Road or Lake in the Hills would grow up.

“I don’t think we have boundary agreement with Woodstock on Route 14,” Shepley added.

“Yes, we do,” someone stated.

‘If we want it to be pure open space, we buy it,” Shepley continued.

“The reality is that costs money. The way to get that money is raising taxes as long as we don’t own the property. The property owner has certain rights to develop that property.

[One thing that Shepley did not point out was that by re-zoning the property the city increased the value of the property considerably.]

“McHenry County College has just as many cars going in and out as any shopping center.

“I do not agree at all that it is appropriate to put residences there (backing up to Route 14, a suggestion of Davonport).

“When you come back with the site plan,” Shepley said to the developer, “you need to make sure the future landowners that are not going to be configured in a way that their property values are not negatively affected by the (rear) fence.”
He was referring, of course, to the neighbors who objected vehemently to the zoning approval of Extreme Ford on Route 31 south of Route 176 earlier in the council meeting.

= = = = =
All images can be enlarged by clicking on them. The map is from Jerry Davonport, the satellite photo from Google. All pictures were taken previously.

Almost as usual, when the Crystal Lake City Council takes significant action, it does it late at night.

That was the case Tuesday night.

The council voted 5-1 to annex Ken Rawson’s Barton Stream subdivision and 85 commercial acres on Route 14. Brett Hopkins was the “No” vote, arguing that a comprehensive plan should be in place first. Ralph Dawson was absent.

The issue was framed by two Crystal Lakers who spoke during the public comment period.

McHenry County Conservation District trustee and Crystal Lake resident Nancy Williamson led off.

“It is opening the entire area for development,” she asserted.

Referring to the watershed manual, which had just been approved, Williamson said,

”It’s a pair of shoes, but you’ve got no clothes to go with it.”

She argued for waiting until the planning process, including public comment was completed.

Local long-time successful Realtor Gail Plunkett was next up.

“I think it would be a good addition,” she said.

“There are plans for two more big box stores where the (Woodstock) Super-Wal-Mart is.

“Single family residents along Route 14 will not be attractive to the consumer.”

Speaking to traffic predicted to be generated by the Turnberry subdivision west of the Crystal Lake Country Club, Plunkett, who lives one house south of Country Club Road said, “I don’t see any impact.”

“We have to look at this north corridor. It’s the keystone of future development.”

The two comments that I have put in boldface type pretty well delineated the debate.

There were detailed objections from the neighbors and lawyer/planner Jerry Davonport, who gave me the map I hope Google’s Blogger will allow me to post. Tomorrow the objections he raised will be covered in detail, along with some other observations about development north of Route 176.

There were plenty of comments from the council members.

“Conservation design is in direct conflict with one-acre lots,” Councilwoman Kathy Ferguson pointed out. Davonport argued for the latter.

“In terms with the commercial portion, I’m OK with that. They’re going to need some amenities up there.

“In terms of the townhomes, I’d like you to think of villas. I think it would be a better bridging of the design.”

“It’s not as late as usual,” Councilman Jeff Thorsen started out. It was 11:35 PM and the watershed ordinance and manual debate had just finished. That followed a long consideration of the zoning of Extreme Ford on Route 31 south of Route 176.

“We’ll see when you’re done with your comments,” Mayor Aaron Shepley, who has been at odds with Thorsen on the watershed ordinance, interjected.

“I don’t think there’s anyone sitting here who doesn’t think the Northwest corridor will be developed,” Thorsen said. “The question is, ‘How will it be developed?’”

Thorsen came down on the same side as Ferguson on the issue of one-acre lots versus clustered housing.

“I don’t think that’s what we want to see for this corridor.”

“The important thing is what Kathy bought up,” Brett Hopkins said. “I would go with the conservation plan overall (but the density is too high).

“As far as the commercial goes, I’ve been against commercial on this part of Route 14.

“What I don’t want to see is what happened on Randall Road, where you don’t see any delineation (between towns). This was open land (which provides a delineation between Crystal Lake and Woodstock).”

Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller also came out in favor of the conservation design approach.

“Are you going to have one-acre lots? Why even extend sewer out there, if you can have septic?” she asked.

“I think the commercial works for me on Route 14.”

“I also agree the smaller lots work better,” added Councilman Dave Goss. “From a design viewpoint, you parallel road to Route 14, you have double lots there. (It’s a) perfect place to put BMPs (Best Management Practices). I don’t care for them at all.

“I do agree that commercial is appropriate there.”

Attorney Joe Gottemoller summarized the project. One of the elements that motorists would be able to notice is that the part of Ridgefield Road that intersects with Route 14 north of McHenry County College would be moved slightly south so that it would be at a 90 degree angle to the state highway. The Rawson property would have a road coming into that intersection from the west.

“I do get a little nervous because of what Mr. Davonport pointed out,” Shepley said.

He told of knowing some of the neighbors, who had asked him if the subdivision wold mean they could get sewer and water.

“We’re never going to force annex a residence,” he emphasized.

“I think there are two sides to the coin,” the mayor continued.

“I think this is an appropriate area for development.”

Concerning conservation design, he suggested the homes be “cluster(ed) in the middle (to) preseve the open space on the outside.”

“There’s a wetland in the center,” Mueller pointed out.

“My only point is that we in Crystal Lake like to protect open space. It’s nice to look at.”

With regard to the townhomes, Shepley had “mixed emotions.”

“Close to the college, you probably couldn’t ask for a better location,” he said pointing out that students might rent them.

“This is largely not in our watershed.

“I agree with what Jeff said. If not commercial, then what?”

“Office has some of the same downsides.”

Shepley observed that on Randall Road Crystal Lake had to grow down to Miller Road or Lake in the Hills would grow up.

“I don’t think we have boundary agreement with Woodstock on Route 14,” Shepley added.

“Yes, we do,” someone stated.

‘If we want it to be pure open space, we buy it,” Shepley continued.

“The reality is that costs money. The way to get that money is raising taxes as long as we don’t own the property. The property owner has certain rights to develop that property.

[One thing that Shepley did not point out was that by re-zoning the property the city increased the value of the property considerably.]

“McHenry County College has just as many cars going in and out as any shopping center.

“I do not agree at all that it is appropriate to put residences there (backing up to Route 14, a suggestion of Davonport).

“When you come back with the site plan,” Shepley said to the developer, “you need to make sure the future landowners that are not going to be configured in a way that their property values are not negatively affected by the (rear) fence.”
He was referring, of course, to the neighbors who objected vehemently to the zoning approval of Extreme Ford on Route 31 south of Route 176 earlier in the council meeting.

= = = = =
All images can be enlarged by clicking on them. The map is from Jerry Davonport, the satellite photo from Google. All pictures were taken previously.

By a 5-1 one, with Jeff Thorsen voting “No” and Ralph Dawson absent, the Crystal Lake City Council approved a modified Watershed Manual and Stormwater Management Ordinance Tuesday night.

Many changes suggested by the public, technical advisory committee members and the firm hired by the Crystal Lake Park District to take a look at Gary Schaefer’s Hey Associates’ word were accepted. It seemed to me that he thought the most significant was a flow chart of the entire process in Chapter 3.

The size of rain gardens and grass swales were specified. Bio-retention was defined as a 2-year 24-hour design.

Specific testing would be required for engineering soil, for example, sand and fill brought onto the site. Geo-textiles would be required between engineered soil layers.

Technical Advisory Committee member George Boulet’s suggestion that land 50 feet around infiltration basins be surveyed for drain tiles was included.

Dry wells and trench drains were completely eliminated as a way to infiltrate water. Monitoring ports and groundwater wells were added.

Even last night, significant changes were made.

It seems to me the most significant was the acceptance of Jeff Thorsen’s suggestion that commercial and residential property be treated equally as far as enforcement of the watershed ordinance goes. Thorsen objected to what he saw as developer self-enforcement.

Under the draft presented, commercial developers would have been allowed to hire their own experts to oversee their work, with the city’s consultant only during spot inspections of the development and reviewing paperwork.

There was universal agreement that cutting property owners associations out of the monitoring and maintenance of what was required under the ordinance was a good idea. A consultant hired by the city would be the inspector and enforcer. Work would be paid by taxes collected under Special Service Area assessments (collected as a property tax).

Thorsen suggested that commercial developers be treated similarly and when Mayor Aaron Shepley summarized the changes he thought should be made, he included several of Thorsen’s suggestions.

“Sometimes I think everything happens for a reason,” he said, concluding that the ordinance had actually become better over its long gestation period. “I think we’re in very good shape.”

“We are taking ownership of the residential, while leaving it with the developers,” Thorsen observed. “Why not take control of both? Just a thought.”

“I have no problem with treating residential and commercial properties the same way,” Shepley said right before the vote.

The mayor also agreed with Thorsen, that the fee should not be a flat rate of $1,500, but should be a sliding scale proportional to the size of the property.

Shepley also used his lawyering skills to suggest changing permissive language to mandatory language in a number of places in the document.

One of them was making it certain that the city would pursue a partnership and seek assistance from the Crystal Lake Park District. Such action was optional in the draft, as presented.

Thorsen still did not think it was strong enough. He argued unsuccessfully that storm water retention east of Virginia Street and north of Route 176 should be the same as it is west of Virginia Street and south of Route 176.

Thorsen also argued unsuccessfully for limitations on mass grading, “especially on a large, large property.”

He suggested limiting it to 20 acres at a time or 50% of the property.

“You’re starting to move into how much risk is acceptable,” Schaefer said. “It’s adequate as written.

Then, there was what seemed to be a significant “but.”

“You gotta have enforcement,” he stressed. “If there is anything at the bottom of the totem pole, it’s soil erosion control.”

Thorsen tried to figure out why 100% on-site infiltration was required for a 10-year, 24-hour rainfall close to the lake, but not east of Route 14 (Virginia Street) and north of Route 176.

He wondered why.

“In those particular areas, they could (stand it. They are) not as close to the lake,” Schaefer said.

“I wouldn’t have a problem if you make it 10 year everywhere.”

Thorsen’s take was,

“I’m not sure I understand any rationale beyond we’re not going to be able to do as much north of 176 without it.”

Although Thorsen voted against the ordinance and manual, he concluded, “It’s really evolved to something that’s come a long, long way.”

Throsen’s persistent and perceptive questions and suggestions belied the pessimism expressed in this comment right before he yielded the floor to Shepley:

”I know I’m talking to deaf ears.”

Before voting for the measures, Brett Hopkins echoed what Thorsen and Shepley had said regarding the document’s being “a living document.” Hopkins wanted to make sure that any suggestions from the watershed area planning process would be inserted in the ordinance and manual.

Shepley agreed that would be the case, that the council had little choice with so much attention having been focused on the issue.

Oh, yes, almost forgot.

I have suggested, even harped, that phosphorus should not be allowed in new developments on the watershed and that the minimization of salt was more of a suggestion than a mandate. Shepley pointed out that the ordinance reflected my (and Larry Lane’s) wishes concerning phosphorus. He also said that there would have to be annual plans filed regarding de-icing for private roads which would demonstrate how public safety would be maintained while minimizing salt.

Schaefer has repeatedly pointed out that these two chemicals are the biggest threat to Crystal Lake’s water quality.

Shepley also mentioned something about herbicides and pesticides, I think, but I didn’t catch it.

= = = = =
All pictures were taken at previous meetings.

By a 5-1 one, with Jeff Thorsen voting “No” and Ralph Dawson absent, the Crystal Lake City Council approved a modified Watershed Manual and Stormwater Management Ordinance Tuesday night.

Many changes suggested by the public, technical advisory committee members and the firm hired by the Crystal Lake Park District to take a look at Gary Schaefer’s Hey Associates’ word were accepted. It seemed to me that he thought the most significant was a flow chart of the entire process in Chapter 3.

The size of rain gardens and grass swales were specified. Bio-retention was defined as a 2-year 24-hour design.

Specific testing would be required for engineering soil, for example, sand and fill brought onto the site. Geo-textiles would be required between engineered soil layers.

Technical Advisory Committee member George Boulet’s suggestion that land 50 feet around infiltration basins be surveyed for drain tiles was included.

Dry wells and trench drains were completely eliminated as a way to infiltrate water. Monitoring ports and groundwater wells were added.

Even last night, significant changes were made.

It seems to me the most significant was the acceptance of Jeff Thorsen’s suggestion that commercial and residential property be treated equally as far as enforcement of the watershed ordinance goes. Thorsen objected to what he saw as developer self-enforcement.

Under the draft presented, commercial developers would have been allowed to hire their own experts to oversee their work, with the city’s consultant only during spot inspections of the development and reviewing paperwork.

There was universal agreement that cutting property owners associations out of the monitoring and maintenance of what was required under the ordinance was a good idea. A consultant hired by the city would be the inspector and enforcer. Work would be paid by taxes collected under Special Service Area assessments (collected as a property tax).

Thorsen suggested that commercial developers be treated similarly and when Mayor Aaron Shepley summarized the changes he thought should be made, he included several of Thorsen’s suggestions.

“Sometimes I think everything happens for a reason,” he said, concluding that the ordinance had actually become better over its long gestation period. “I think we’re in very good shape.”

“We are taking ownership of the residential, while leaving it with the developers,” Thorsen observed. “Why not take control of both? Just a thought.”

“I have no problem with treating residential and commercial properties the same way,” Shepley said right before the vote.

The mayor also agreed with Thorsen, that the fee should not be a flat rate of $1,500, but should be a sliding scale proportional to the size of the property.

Shepley also used his lawyering skills to suggest changing permissive language to mandatory language in a number of places in the document.

One of them was making it certain that the city would pursue a partnership and seek assistance from the Crystal Lake Park District. Such action was optional in the draft, as presented.

Thorsen still did not think it was strong enough. He argued unsuccessfully that storm water retention east of Virginia Street and north of Route 176 should be the same as it is west of Virginia Street and south of Route 176.

Thorsen also argued unsuccessfully for limitations on mass grading, “especially on a large, large property.”

He suggested limiting it to 20 acres at a time or 50% of the property.

“You’re starting to move into how much risk is acceptable,” Schaefer said. “It’s adequate as written.

Then, there was what seemed to be a significant “but.”

“You gotta have enforcement,” he stressed. “If there is anything at the bottom of the totem pole, it’s soil erosion control.”

Thorsen tried to figure out why 100% on-site infiltration was required for a 10-year, 24-hour rainfall close to the lake, but not east of Route 14 (Virginia Street) and north of Route 176.

He wondered why.

“In those particular areas, they could (stand it. They are) not as close to the lake,” Schaefer said.

“I wouldn’t have a problem if you make it 10 year everywhere.”

Thorsen’s take was,

“I’m not sure I understand any rationale beyond we’re not going to be able to do as much north of 176 without it.”

Although Thorsen voted against the ordinance and manual, he concluded, “It’s really evolved to something that’s come a long, long way.”

Throsen’s persistent and perceptive questions and suggestions belied the pessimism expressed in this comment right before he yielded the floor to Shepley:

”I know I’m talking to deaf ears.”

Before voting for the measures, Brett Hopkins echoed what Thorsen and Shepley had said regarding the document’s being “a living document.” Hopkins wanted to make sure that any suggestions from the watershed area planning process would be inserted in the ordinance and manual.

Shepley agreed that would be the case, that the council had little choice with so much attention having been focused on the issue.

Oh, yes, almost forgot.

I have suggested, even harped, that phosphorus should not be allowed in new developments on the watershed and that the minimization of salt was more of a suggestion than a mandate. Shepley pointed out that the ordinance reflected my (and Larry Lane’s) wishes concerning phosphorus. He also said that there would have to be annual plans filed regarding de-icing for private roads which would demonstrate how public safety would be maintained while minimizing salt.

Schaefer has repeatedly pointed out that these two chemicals are the biggest threat to Crystal Lake’s water quality.

Shepley also mentioned something about herbicides and pesticides, I think, but I didn’t catch it.

= = = = =
All pictures were taken at previous meetings.