McHenry County Blog

For banning phosphate fertilizer, the Village of Lakewood won the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County Theta Award last night at McHenry’s Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church.

Accepting the award on behalf of Village President Julie Richardson was Village Administrator Catherine Peterson. Village Clerk Janice Hansen was also in attendance.

“It’s a terrific effort that we hopes rubs off on Crystal Lake and Lake in the Hills,” award presenter Dwight Dalton said.

“This ordinance is simply Lakewood’s attempt to be the most environmentally sensitive community in McHenry County and, maybe, in Northern Illinois” Peterson said.

“Our citizens have stepped up and said, ‘We understand.’

“People really want to do the right thing.”

The McHenry County Department of Transportation won the Government Award.

Mark DeVries accepted on behalf of what I’ll probably always call the “McHenry County Highway Department.”

In making the presentation, former Defenders Executive Director Cindy Skrukrud described the worldwide attention his discovery of how to diminish highway salt use by 40%.

The innovation consists of

• 85% salt water,
• 10% sugar beet juice and
• 5% calcium cloride.

“Once you become an innovator, people bring new things to you to try,” DeVries noted.

Defenders Volunteer of the Year was Huntley’s Dorothy Johnson.

How many hours did she volunteer?

About 2,000 hours.

“It’s my home away from home,” she remarked.

Ward Duel, the first Theta Award winner, was also present.

He was first Director of the McHenry County Health Department.

He has a wonderful sense of humor. In a land inventory map, he included the one nudist colony. It’s now a McHenry County Conservation District Area north of Marengo.

Having come from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, my family was astounded that McHenry County did no have a public health department until the mid-1960’s.

= = = = =
On top, Dwight Dalton can be seen giving the Theta Award to Lakewood Village Administrator Catherine Peterson. Next, Cindy Skrukrud presents the award to Mark DeVries. Below super-volunteer Dorothy Johnson is recognized by Dwight Dalton.

From 1 to 4 on Saturday afternoon, the McHenry County Defenders invite the public to join them at Algonquin’s Cronish Park, which is just south of the dam at Route 62.

“Come celebrate the beautiful Fox River and help keep her clean! Learn about the river and conservation, pick up trash & recyclables, enjoy live music and learn about safe fun on the river through kayak/canoe demonstrations,” the invitation says.

There will be speakers from 1-1:45. Algonquin Village President John Schmitt, Cindy Skrukrud (representing the Defenders and The Sierra Club), Gary Swick of Friends of the Fox River, and, maybe, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn will speak.

From 1:45 to 3, river clean-up and water quality monitoring is scheduled.

There will be kayak and canoe demonstrations from 3 to 4, compliments of the Prairie Coast Paddlers and the St. Charles Canoe Club.

There will be live music by the Mack Hotterson Band.

= = = = =
You can count on the water not being as high as you see it here.

From 1 to 4 on Saturday afternoon, the McHenry County Defenders invite the public to join them at Algonquin’s Cronish Park, which is just south of the dam at Route 62.

“Come celebrate the beautiful Fox River and help keep her clean! Learn about the river and conservation, pick up trash & recyclables, enjoy live music and learn about safe fun on the river through kayak/canoe demonstrations,” the invitation says.

There will be speakers from 1-1:45. Algonquin Village President John Schmitt, Cindy Skrukrud (representing the Defenders and The Sierra Club), Gary Swick of Friends of the Fox River, and, maybe, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn will speak.

From 1:45 to 3, river clean-up and water quality monitoring is scheduled.

There will be kayak and canoe demonstrations from 3 to 4, compliments of the Prairie Coast Paddlers and the St. Charles Canoe Club.

There will be live music by the Mack Hotterson Band.

= = = = =
You can count on the water not being as high as you see it here.

Cindy Skrukrud, who did a lot of the heavy lifting in the fight to protect Crystal Lake’s fragile watershed, will present a program on McHenry County’s water resources on Thursday in Algonquin.

Skrukrud is chairman of the Defenders’ Water Resources Protection Committee, plus Clean Water Advocate for the Illinois Chapter of The Sierra Club.

Since McHenry County is 100% dependent on ground water, protection of the aquifers is particularly important. There will be no pipes running from Lake Michigan to this area.

Skrukrud will discuss both quantity and quality issues.

Village officials from Algonquin will be present to answer questions specific to Algonquin.

The meeting will start at 7 and be held at Beans & Books Coffee Shop, 215 South Harrison Street in Algonquin. South Harrison is the street east of Route 31 in downtown Algonquin, the only one between Route 31 and the Fox River.

This is one of those “you don’t have to let anyone know ahead of time to attend” meetings.

Cindy Skrukrud, who did a lot of the heavy lifting in the fight to protect Crystal Lake’s fragile watershed, will present a program on McHenry County’s water resources on Thursday in Algonquin.

Skrukrud is chairman of the Defenders’ Water Resources Protection Committee, plus Clean Water Advocate for the Illinois Chapter of The Sierra Club.

Since McHenry County is 100% dependent on ground water, protection of the aquifers is particularly important. There will be no pipes running from Lake Michigan to this area.

Skrukrud will discuss both quantity and quality issues.

Village officials from Algonquin will be present to answer questions specific to Algonquin.

The meeting will start at 7 and be held at Beans & Books Coffee Shop, 215 South Harrison Street in Algonquin. South Harrison is the street east of Route 31 in downtown Algonquin, the only one between Route 31 and the Fox River.

This is one of those “you don’t have to let anyone know ahead of time to attend” meetings.

After over four hours of consideration ending at 12:20 AM, the Crystal Lake City Council voted 6-0 to delay consideration of a new watershed manual and ordinance for a month.

The postponement came after technical critiques by Nancy Williamson and Cindy Skrukrud, both members of the McHenry County Defenders.

Yours truly asked that salt, phosphorus and dog poop at the forthcoming McHenry County animal control facility be specifically addressed in watershed manual.

Woodland Drive’s Joe Stecker brought a Skippy Peanut Butter jar of what he thought were small asphalt particles that he gathered where Cove Pond flows into Crystal Lake.

First city Director of Engineering & Building Vic Ramirez presented the staff’s response for regulation, monitoring, tracking, inspection, enforcement and financing made by council members the last time the issue was considered.

Next, Hey and Associates’ Gary Schaefer explained the questions and suggestions made by Crystal Lake Park District engineer Chris Burke. He accepted many of them and explained how the city’s storm water management ordinance covered others.

The recommendations had been made available to the city and Schaefer, but not to the public until Schaefer outlined them. The park board is scheduled to officially receive and discuss the report at its Thursday night’s meeting.

Then, for the second time, Councilman Jeff Thorsen again led opposition to passage of the ordinance and approval of the manual until further changes were made.

Again, Mayor Aaron Shepley had to be satisfied with outlining what further changes he perceived were wanted by the other five council members at the meeting (Cathy Ferguson being absent), including saying that he thought Thorsen’s suggestions were “reasonable.”

While Thorsen was delivering his comments, Shepley periodically talked with city manager Gary Mayerhofer.

Thorsen’s passionately delivered suggestions included

• third party enforcement of the ordinance and manual, instead of city staff’s doing it;



• implementing George Boulet’s suggestion for wells around infiltration basins to make certain that they were not leaking into drain tiles;
• having the watershed ordinance automatically cover any subsequent changes in the watershed manual;
• limiting mass earth grading and instead requiring controlled grading in the watershed (“If the main argument about mass grading versus controlled grading is cost, so be it.”)

“I support a lot of things that were said over there,” Councilman Ralph Dawson said from the other side of the dais.

“I have not had a chance to digest it,” Dawson explained. Thorsen had previously pointed out he had received what was to be voted upon just last Friday.

Dawson also pointed out that the Crystal Lake Drainage District hadn’t been brought into the discussion.

In addition, he expressed his concern that homeowners associations should be given the responsibility for maintaining subdivision infiltration basins and supported “a third party” doing the inspection and enforcement of regulations.

“Are you proposing we outsource?” Ellen Brady Mueller asked Thorsen.

“I’m just proposing we figure it out,” he replied.

“I completely agree we need a third party,” Mueller said.

Thorsen explained that what he wanted was “a watershed monitor, a police dog to make sure it is not failing.”

“Maintenance, too?” Mueller asked, to which Thorsen said he thought that ought to be “part of the enforcement to make sure the maintenance is done.”

Dave Goss agreed that the city shouldn’t “deal with property owners associations.” He preferred Special Service Areas to finance drainage basins. Later, he mentioned special utility taxes on the watershed area might be an alternative. (My observation: since the college does not pay property taxes, a utility tax might be a way to get it to pay its fair share.)

“I would support a third party doing it,” Goss said, pointing out that it “could be overwhelming for staff during part of the year.”

Goss seemed ready to vote for the documents, knowing they could be amended later. He called it “a dynamic document” which “gives us better water quality and quantity going into the lake.” He nevertheless vote with the majority to delay consideration until early November.

In public comments limited to an hour by Mayor Shepley, Williamson noted that both the CVS Pharmacy construction project and the Bryn Mawr subdivision–the one without working sewers northwest of town on Route 176 almost at Route 47 which Rosemary Kurtz investigated –had numerous erosion violations which city staff did not follow up on.

“It took the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to do your work for you,” Williamson said.

The implementation plan (presented earlier by Ramirez) was just posted yesterday,” Cindy Skrukrud observed.

She said it

• doesn’t include guidelines to show how developments can limit their footprints;
• lacks information on how to control pollution in new developments;
• does not ban phosphorus or salt on the watershed;
• doesn’t require monitoring the quality of storm water before it enters the watershed;
• relies on infiltration basins that are too big;

“Mr. Schaefer has said changes need to be made,” she continued. “Well that needs to be done.

“Then, there’s the whole issue of putting together a plan for development in the watershed,” she added.

Crystal Lake Park Board President Mike Zellman explained that the park board would consider its engineer’s recommendations on Thursday night, but said,

“It seems to me that the experts have come together. It seems to me the city is taking them (the park board’s engineer’s suggestions) seriously. It seems it was a good investment by the Crystal Lake Park District. I hope the recommendations of Burke Engineering will alleviate the objections of most of the objectors.”

Earlier, park board member Mike Walkup had defied Mayor Shepley by commenting on the watershed vote before the item was reached on the agenda.

In the public comment period Walkup, as a member of the park board, asked “that no vote be taken on the watershed ordinance.”

“You’re out of order. You’re out of order,” Shepley said pretty loudly.

“I don’t wish to wait until 1 o’clock in the morning,” Walkup replied forcefully. “I don’t think people should have to lose sleep in order to speak.”

“I spoke to the president of the board at 5 o’clock today,” Shepley said. “He indicated to me that it was not the intention of the board to ask for a delay.”

“Whatever your close friend Mike Zellman tells you is only his personal opinion,” Walkup retorted, adding that at its last meeting the board had agreed it wanted the city to wait until the park district’s engineer’s recommendations could be considered.

Signaling that those wanting more time to make sure the manual and ordinance are as good as possible was Shepley sometime after 11:30:

”There are obviously some concerns that can’t be addressed tonight. So, let’s not approve it tonight.”

He said it doesn’t impact the McHenry County College zoning petition “one way or the other,” saying, “If I were pressed to do it (vote on the watershed tonight), I would.

“If there’s a whole long line of developers out there, they’re not lining up at city hall,” he added.

He asked council members to give specific instructions to city staff.

Brett Hopkins, who served on the city Planning and Zoning Commission before being elected to the council last spring, said, “the third piece is the plan.”

He suggested putting “together a technical advisory committee (to develop) a plan for the watershed.

“This is my passion. I think that third piece is as important as the storm water manual and implementation.”

Dawson seemed to signal that he would be ready to vote for the watershed measures next time.

“We will not get everything discussed tonight in it,” he cautioned.

“There is no sewer and no water in that area,” Mueller pointed out. “The college has its own well and a small sewer. We’re talking between $20 and $30 million to bring sewer and water in that area. Until the sewer and water comes, I don’t think you’re going to see (a rush to development).”

Mueller also pointed out that city staff, under the direction of Michelle Rentzsch, was preparing a plan for the northwest part of the city. The next meeting will be Wednesday, October 17th, if I remember correctly.

“Michelle is the greenest person I know.”

Mueller put forth the last substantive ideas. She asked about banning road salt. Eric Lecuyer, the Director of Public Works, revealed his department plans a pilot program this winter to minimize road salt in the watershed part of the city.

“Where would be the best place to address this?” Mueller asked.

I think she also brought up phosphorus. Certainly, someone did.

“It could be in this manual,” Ramirez relied. “It would be a pretty strict condition.”

Referring to phosphorus, Dawson said, “If a developer developed 10 acres of 100, we want to put the whole 100 acres under it.”

Muller observed that it would “kind of take care of that problem on its own.”

“The lake appears to have the ability to assimilate phosphorus faster than most lakes,” Schaeffer said.

“Do you believe it should be banned?” asked Mueller.

“Absolutely,” Schaefer replied.

“On all property?” she continued.

“Yes, particularly those tributaries to Cove Pond.” (These include already developed areas of Crystal Lake.)

“You can farm without phosphorus?” she asked.

“Not for row crops,” the watershed adviser answered. “They would have to shift to alternative crops.”

“How many (farms) are in the city limits?” Mueller probed.

“Quite a lot of them,” Rentzsch replied.

Dawson then made the motion to continue the issue until the first meeting in November.

Having seen his plans to pass the watershed ordinance and manual derailed twice when public comment had been allowed, Shepley said,

”It would not be my intention to have public comment (then).”

All photographs can be enlarged by clicking on them.

After over four hours of consideration ending at 12:20 AM, the Crystal Lake City Council voted 6-0 to delay consideration of a new watershed manual and ordinance for a month.

The postponement came after technical critiques by Nancy Williamson and Cindy Skrukrud, both members of the McHenry County Defenders.

Yours truly asked that salt, phosphorus and dog poop at the forthcoming McHenry County animal control facility be specifically addressed in watershed manual.

Woodland Drive’s Joe Stecker brought a Skippy Peanut Butter jar of what he thought were small asphalt particles that he gathered where Cove Pond flows into Crystal Lake.

First city Director of Engineering & Building Vic Ramirez presented the staff’s response for regulation, monitoring, tracking, inspection, enforcement and financing made by council members the last time the issue was considered.

Next, Hey and Associates’ Gary Schaefer explained the questions and suggestions made by Crystal Lake Park District engineer Chris Burke. He accepted many of them and explained how the city’s storm water management ordinance covered others.

The recommendations had been made available to the city and Schaefer, but not to the public until Schaefer outlined them. The park board is scheduled to officially receive and discuss the report at its Thursday night’s meeting.

Then, for the second time, Councilman Jeff Thorsen again led opposition to passage of the ordinance and approval of the manual until further changes were made.

Again, Mayor Aaron Shepley had to be satisfied with outlining what further changes he perceived were wanted by the other five council members at the meeting (Cathy Ferguson being absent), including saying that he thought Thorsen’s suggestions were “reasonable.”

While Thorsen was delivering his comments, Shepley periodically talked with city manager Gary Mayerhofer.

Thorsen’s passionately delivered suggestions included

• third party enforcement of the ordinance and manual, instead of city staff’s doing it;



• implementing George Boulet’s suggestion for wells around infiltration basins to make certain that they were not leaking into drain tiles;
• having the watershed ordinance automatically cover any subsequent changes in the watershed manual;
• limiting mass earth grading and instead requiring controlled grading in the watershed (“If the main argument about mass grading versus controlled grading is cost, so be it.”)

“I support a lot of things that were said over there,” Councilman Ralph Dawson said from the other side of the dais.

“I have not had a chance to digest it,” Dawson explained. Thorsen had previously pointed out he had received what was to be voted upon just last Friday.

Dawson also pointed out that the Crystal Lake Drainage District hadn’t been brought into the discussion.

In addition, he expressed his concern that homeowners associations should be given the responsibility for maintaining subdivision infiltration basins and supported “a third party” doing the inspection and enforcement of regulations.

“Are you proposing we outsource?” Ellen Brady Mueller asked Thorsen.

“I’m just proposing we figure it out,” he replied.

“I completely agree we need a third party,” Mueller said.

Thorsen explained that what he wanted was “a watershed monitor, a police dog to make sure it is not failing.”

“Maintenance, too?” Mueller asked, to which Thorsen said he thought that ought to be “part of the enforcement to make sure the maintenance is done.”

Dave Goss agreed that the city shouldn’t “deal with property owners associations.” He preferred Special Service Areas to finance drainage basins. Later, he mentioned special utility taxes on the watershed area might be an alternative. (My observation: since the college does not pay property taxes, a utility tax might be a way to get it to pay its fair share.)

“I would support a third party doing it,” Goss said, pointing out that it “could be overwhelming for staff during part of the year.”

Goss seemed ready to vote for the documents, knowing they could be amended later. He called it “a dynamic document” which “gives us better water quality and quantity going into the lake.” He nevertheless vote with the majority to delay consideration until early November.

In public comments limited to an hour by Mayor Shepley, Williamson noted that both the CVS Pharmacy construction project and the Bryn Mawr subdivision–the one without working sewers northwest of town on Route 176 almost at Route 47 which Rosemary Kurtz investigated –had numerous erosion violations which city staff did not follow up on.

“It took the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to do your work for you,” Williamson said.

The implementation plan (presented earlier by Ramirez) was just posted yesterday,” Cindy Skrukrud observed.

She said it

• doesn’t include guidelines to show how developments can limit their footprints;
• lacks information on how to control pollution in new developments;
• does not ban phosphorus or salt on the watershed;
• doesn’t require monitoring the quality of storm water before it enters the watershed;
• relies on infiltration basins that are too big;

“Mr. Schaefer has said changes need to be made,” she continued. “Well that needs to be done.

“Then, there’s the whole issue of putting together a plan for development in the watershed,” she added.

Crystal Lake Park Board President Mike Zellman explained that the park board would consider its engineer’s recommendations on Thursday night, but said,

“It seems to me that the experts have come together. It seems to me the city is taking them (the park board’s engineer’s suggestions) seriously. It seems it was a good investment by the Crystal Lake Park District. I hope the recommendations of Burke Engineering will alleviate the objections of most of the objectors.”

Earlier, park board member Mike Walkup had defied Mayor Shepley by commenting on the watershed vote before the item was reached on the agenda.

In the public comment period Walkup, as a member of the park board, asked “that no vote be taken on the watershed ordinance.”

“You’re out of order. You’re out of order,” Shepley said pretty loudly.

“I don’t wish to wait until 1 o’clock in the morning,” Walkup replied forcefully. “I don’t think people should have to lose sleep in order to speak.”

“I spoke to the president of the board at 5 o’clock today,” Shepley said. “He indicated to me that it was not the intention of the board to ask for a delay.”

“Whatever your close friend Mike Zellman tells you is only his personal opinion,” Walkup retorted, adding that at its last meeting the board had agreed it wanted the city to wait until the park district’s engineer’s recommendations could be considered.

Signaling that those wanting more time to make sure the manual and ordinance are as good as possible was Shepley sometime after 11:30:

”There are obviously some concerns that can’t be addressed tonight. So, let’s not approve it tonight.”

He said it doesn’t impact the McHenry County College zoning petition “one way or the other,” saying, “If I were pressed to do it (vote on the watershed tonight), I would.

“If there’s a whole long line of developers out there, they’re not lining up at city hall,” he added.

He asked council members to give specific instructions to city staff.

Brett Hopkins, who served on the city Planning and Zoning Commission before being elected to the council last spring, said, “the third piece is the plan.”

He suggested putting “together a technical advisory committee (to develop) a plan for the watershed.

“This is my passion. I think that third piece is as important as the storm water manual and implementation.”

Dawson seemed to signal that he would be ready to vote for the watershed measures next time.

“We will not get everything discussed tonight in it,” he cautioned.

“There is no sewer and no water in that area,” Mueller pointed out. “The college has its own well and a small sewer. We’re talking between $20 and $30 million to bring sewer and water in that area. Until the sewer and water comes, I don’t think you’re going to see (a rush to development).”

Mueller also pointed out that city staff, under the direction of Michelle Rentzsch, was preparing a plan for the northwest part of the city. The next meeting will be Wednesday, October 17th, if I remember correctly.

“Michelle is the greenest person I know.”

Mueller put forth the last substantive ideas. She asked about banning road salt. Eric Lecuyer, the Director of Public Works, revealed his department plans a pilot program this winter to minimize road salt in the watershed part of the city.

“Where would be the best place to address this?” Mueller asked.

I think she also brought up phosphorus. Certainly, someone did.

“It could be in this manual,” Ramirez relied. “It would be a pretty strict condition.”

Referring to phosphorus, Dawson said, “If a developer developed 10 acres of 100, we want to put the whole 100 acres under it.”

Muller observed that it would “kind of take care of that problem on its own.”

“The lake appears to have the ability to assimilate phosphorus faster than most lakes,” Schaeffer said.

“Do you believe it should be banned?” asked Mueller.

“Absolutely,” Schaefer replied.

“On all property?” she continued.

“Yes, particularly those tributaries to Cove Pond.” (These include already developed areas of Crystal Lake.)

“You can farm without phosphorus?” she asked.

“Not for row crops,” the watershed adviser answered. “They would have to shift to alternative crops.”

“How many (farms) are in the city limits?” Mueller probed.

“Quite a lot of them,” Rentzsch replied.

Dawson then made the motion to continue the issue until the first meeting in November.

Having seen his plans to pass the watershed ordinance and manual derailed twice when public comment had been allowed, Shepley said,

”It would not be my intention to have public comment (then).”

All photographs can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Although McHenry County College has had since at least 2005 to get its act together, it was revealed Thursday night at the Crystal Lake Park Board meeting that it hasn’t done so yet.

Playing a similar role to the one she performed in June and Wednesday night before the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission. McHenry County Defenders’ member Cindy Skrukrud discovered that McHenry County College will soon submit a revised plan to the City of Crystal Lake for its minor league baseball stadium.

With the help of Don Peters, Skrukrud held up the plan MCC has submitted to Crystal Lake for zoning approval and asked questions about the adequacy of water retention basins on both sides of the baseball stadium

Gary Schaefer of Hey and Associations, who serves as watershed consultant for both the city and the park district, said,

“That’s not necessarily an official submittal.

“They’ve gotten a recommendation from Hey and Associates for revisions.

“Very shortly they are going to be submitting their official submittal for the (baseball stadium complex).”

I wonder if that starts the clock over for the time limit given the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission.

MCC President Walt Packard seemed genuinely concerned when Crystal Lake Park Board President Mike Zellman asked the Commission to delay its decision.

The Commission set its next meeting for September 5th.

Although McHenry County College has had since at least 2005 to get its act together, it was revealed Thursday night at the Crystal Lake Park Board meeting that it hasn’t done so yet.

Playing a similar role to the one she performed in June and Wednesday night before the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission. McHenry County Defenders’ member Cindy Skrukrud discovered that McHenry County College will soon submit a revised plan to the City of Crystal Lake for its minor league baseball stadium.

With the help of Don Peters, Skrukrud held up the plan MCC has submitted to Crystal Lake for zoning approval and asked questions about the adequacy of water retention basins on both sides of the baseball stadium

Gary Schaefer of Hey and Associations, who serves as watershed consultant for both the city and the park district, said,

“That’s not necessarily an official submittal.

“They’ve gotten a recommendation from Hey and Associates for revisions.

“Very shortly they are going to be submitting their official submittal for the (baseball stadium complex).”

I wonder if that starts the clock over for the time limit given the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission.

MCC President Walt Packard seemed genuinely concerned when Crystal Lake Park Board President Mike Zellman asked the Commission to delay its decision.

The Commission set its next meeting for September 5th.

Wednesday night, the Crystal Lake city council chamber was packed for the Planning and Zoning hearing on McHenry County College’s proposal to cover 50% of its property with impermeable surfaces like roofs and parking lots.

(If you’re not up to speed on this issue, take a look at this article about the preliminary meeting the third week of June. If want more, go to the search engine at the top of this page and type in “baseball stadium.” There’s a lot more than zoning going on in the MCC proposal)

A lot in attendance were college employees who got there early enough to get the best parking spots and the best seats. The MMC board was there convened in concurrent session.

Since the meeting started at 6 PM, went on until almost midnight and it’s now after midnight, let me try to sum up what happened.

For starters, let me say that if the quoted remarks are in boldface type, the people did not use the words I use. But I believe my words summarize what they said, although I admit they in no way do justice to their subtlety and depth. I’m too tired to type a word-for-word report on the most technical testimony. And, anyway, since they spoke at the beginning of the meeting, it is more like that the Northwest Herald, the Daily Herald and the Chicago Tribune will give you details on that part of the hearing.

College-hired engineer Jeff Schuh of Patrick Engineering said, “No problem.”

Crystal Lake-hire watershed consultant Gary Schaefer said, “No problem.”

“We want to ask for a suspension of your vote on this matter,” Crystal Lake Park District President Mike Zellman said toward the end of the meeting. The picture I got of MCC President Walt Packard was right after Zellman dropped that bombshell.

Attorney John Cowlin pointed out that the hearing had to be completed within a set time period, but that will allow the next meeting on September 5th, to be OK.

Zellman also invited people to attend the Thursday night park board meeting at Crystal Lake and Walkup Avenues, where Gary Schaefer, who also advises the park district, will be asked still more questions.

Sierra Club Clean Water Advocate since 2001 and McHenry County Defenders’ spokesperson Cindy Skrukrud said, “We’re not so sure. And why wouldn’t you give us up-to-date information we asked for in a timely fashion?”

Leona Nelson, who led the effort to get rid of septic tanks around Crystal Lake, along with future Mayor Arlene Fetzner, said, “Do not give away the future of the lake.” Fetzner led the way for the watershed ordinance.

Former long-time Defenders President Dwight Dalton said,

“These folks here who are alleged experts seem to say that more development and less pervious property will improve the watershed.”

I said, “Blank checks are a really bad idea. They can come back to bite you m in the butt,” referring to the permission MCC is requesting to develop
50% of a 57 acre property between the current college site and Ridgefield Road some thirty years from now.

Grant Dahke, a former 6-year vice chairman of the East Dundee Planning and Zoning Board offered specific objections based on the zoning ordinance conditions not being met.

William Kasicki from Cherry Valley Road complained about the traffic, light pollution and fireworks that the baseball stadium would create for him and his neighbors. He suggested there was a reason where the stadium the Kane County Cougars play was built on a garbage dump away from residential property.

“I won’t be able to see the stars anymore. At 10 o’clock it will be like Disney World,” Kasicki said.

A woman who lives on Sunnyside named Elizabeth Puk(something the way I heard it. Help me out here.) said that she was annexed by the city because the city wanted to get rid of her septic tank. That she had to spend $15,000 for sewer and water. That was “because the City of Crystal Lake was very concerned with pollution of Crystal Lake.”

She then complained that MCC wants to increase its coverage of its property to 50%.

“I feel that’s a mixed message being sent by the city.”

She added that she had to close her windows when there are ball games at Lippold Park and when ten minutes of fireworks were set off this week, “It sounded as if there was a war zone.”

A former 10-year zoning commissioner, Mark Ehlert, remembered that when he was in office, the commission treated the Watershed Ordinance like a Bible. He criticized the college for keeping the proposal a secret for the last two years.

“You begin to wonder where the money is coming from,” Ehlet said. “It’s a LLC,” he pointed out. “LLC” stands for Limited Liability Corporation. MCC “kind of let us down by not bringing us into their master plan.”

John Darger, a current student and baseball fan thought a baseball stadium somewhere in McHenry County “is a terrific idea. What I don’t understand is why the college wants to build a ballpark.

“Is what is going to be built justify what is being taken away?”

He, as I, pointed out that there was no guarantee that the road improvements to Routes 176 and 14 would occur by the time they would be needed to handle game traffic.

He made what seems quite a logical suggestion:

“Why don’t we build it down in the Vulcan Lakes area?”

It was designed to be an entertainment area, after all.

He also said it would be a “nightmare for students, (whose) classes start at 7 o’clock.

“I don’t see how that will serve the students of McHenry County College.

Mike Williamson, also a student quoted from the Friends of McHenry County College newsletter. It drew an analogy with the movie “Field of Dreams.” “From a field to a dream,” its article said.

“Crystal Lake still figures in my life as a dream,” he said, referring to the lake.

Williamson had also done research on minor league baseball and the Frontier League specifically.

“I don’t understand the nature of this project at all,” he said. He pointed out the league has started in 1992-93 and two teams failed right away. He said the Frontier League’s web site claimed 1.2 million people attended games “for the entire league” in the most recent year. If I understood him correctly, that worked out to about 100,000 fans for each team.

“That’s not going to cut defraying the costs. Do we build this and in five years they move somewhere else? That seems to happen elsewhere.”

Then Williamson came up with an observations that brought the most chuckles from the crowd. He talked of the “four classrooms overlooking the ball field. I’m sorry to say this, but they looked a lot like sky boxes to me.”

He also complained about the way his Freedom of Information request took “way longer than the required time.”

And, finally, he touched, as did others, on the theme of precedent:

”Once this is established, how can we tell the next developer,

’Oh, you can’t do that. We just did this for MCC.’”

Toward the end of the meeting, former State Rep. Rosemary Kurtz, who also was a long-time member of the Zoning Commission, praised the Bauer Watershed Report.

Without it, “At Lippold Park, we would be having a Holiday Inn (and) parking lot. We would have given in to a pair of environmental engineers on a development on Oak Street.

“It would be crazy to replace (the Bauer Watershed Ordinance) with the Hey Report (when the only major change is the elimination of the 20% maximum for watershed development),” Kurtz continued.

She told of her friends getting a report that left out two pages of an appendix, which compared the Bauer Report with the Hey Report. Her clear implication was that this was not an accident.

Kurtz also brought up the precedent issue.

“If you do vote ‘Yes,’ it will be setting a precedent which will start the domino effect. There are still 1,000 to 1,500 more acres (in the watershed).

“There are well-funded developers just waiting in the wings. If they don’t get what they want, (they will take the city to court.)

There was some misunderstanding on Chairman Tom Hayden’s part about recognizing Kurtz. He apparently cross off her name when he called her MCC Board member daughter Donna’s name.

“I didn’t think you were giving me the runaround the city did the other day,” she said to laughter in the room.

The final member of the public to testify was Pat Morris. She asked whether the state would allow two traffic light so close together on Route 14. Being a member of the Ridgefield Cemetery Association, she also was interested in what the college was going to do with the 57 acre parcel it wants to buy if it can get permission to build on 50%, instead of 20% of it.