McHenry County Blog

Zane Seipler, GOP candidate for McHenry County Sheriff. was the first countywide candidate to file the conflict of interest form with ALAW,

Now there are two candidates for countywide office who have filed the conflict of interest forms prepared by the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water.

The first was Zane Seipler, the Republican challenging McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren for his spot.

Power party sheriff candidates Nygren and and Mike Mahon have not done so.

Gus Philpott is the second candidate for McHenry County Sheriff to file the ALAW potential conflict of interest questionnaire. He's running on the Green Party ticket and will be on the fall ballot.

Now, a fall challenger has stepped up to the plate.

It’s the Green Party candidate for sheriff and operator of Woodstock Advocate Gus Philpott.

That means both of the Green candidates on the ballot—the other is District 5 county board candidate Frank Wedig—have filled out the questionnaire that ALAW wants all elected and appointed county officials to file, including those who zone property.

17 of 27 county board candidates have completed the paperwork. That’s 63% of the candidates.

Showing how threatening to the Establishment this concept is, however, is the fact that 60% of the incumbent county board members running for re-election have neglected to reveal their potential conflicts of interest.

The idea, if enacted by the county board, would require elected and appointed officials, plus consultants to reveal potential conflicts of interest.

The ones who did file did it voluntarily and had to find the find the form on the ALAW web site.

Clearly, this is not your ordinary questionnaire.

District 2 county board candidate Craig Steagall was the first to complete the ALAW ethics questionnaire.

Donna Kurtz, District 2 candidate who was the second to file the ALAW ethics from.

District 3 county board challenger Craig Steagall was the first to file.

District 2 challenger Donna Kurtz was the second.

Now, all candidates from District 3 have sent the completed form to ALAW.

In District 2, all but County Board Chairman Ken Koehler have voluntarily filed the forms with the alliance.

Koehler was also the only candidate in District 2 to miss the Patriots United county board candidates night. No newspaper wrote an article. McHenry County Blog did publish a story.

Philpott issued the following statement about the questionnaire:

“The ALAW Disclosure is a very important document.

“Citizens have the right to know, up-front, about conflicts-of-interest for elected officials.

“I support disclosure by appointed officials, too.

“Cozy, backroom deals must be a thing of the past. I would support widening the disclosure to require reporting of any conflicts that come into existence, after the Disclosure is filed.

“I am pleased to report that I have no conflicts-of-interest

“Gus Philpott”

With the submission of the ALAW conflict of interest form, the total now stands at eleven of those county board members who have opened up financial aspects of their personal lives.

McHenry County Board member Barbara Wheeler, on the left, mugs with one of her District 3 challengers, Veronica Armstrong, who is holding a rubber jar opener that says, "Get a grip on your future. Get rid of the screw offs." The two were at the literature distribution last for Republican precinct committeemen last Friday night.

Republican Veronica Armstrong, who is running for a District 3 seat, has just submitted her information.

She is a challenger running against

• Incumbent Barb Wheeler
• Former Board member Nick Provenzano
• Challenger Craig Steagall and
• Challenger Karen Tynis

Tynis is now the only District 3 candidate who has not filled out the questionnaire whose completion the Alliance of Land, Agriculture and Water wants the county board to make mandatory.

Steagall started the domino effect, being the first in the county to file.

Others who have filled out the form are in this article.

One of the roles McHenry County Blog plays is alerting daily newspapers of stories they otherwise might not think of.

This might be one of those articles.

The Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water came up with an idea to help remove the suspicion that many members of the public have that county board members use their office for personal gain.

If you tell me people you have talked to haven’t brought this up, I’d suggest you are not very deeply into local citizenship.

The questionnaire idea was presented at the committee level of the McHenry County Board, received a chilly reception, and sent to the State’s Attorney’s Office for reviews, that is, to see if any or all of it would be legal for a non-Home Rule unit of local government to impose upon its officials.

Then, District 3 challenger Craig Steagall decided to fill out the form and submit it to ALAW.

District 2 challenger Donna Kurtz followed suit.

As of now, seven challengers and three incumbents have submitted such information about their personal financial situation.

Ten in all.

Considering Steagall is in District 2 and has demonstrated deep enough pockets to buy full page ads in the Northwest Herald, perhaps it is not surprising that two of his opponents—former County Board member Nick Provenzano and incumbent Barb Wheeler– have decided to make voluntary disclosure.

In District 5, incumbent Tina Hill has filed. In District 6, Mary McCann is among three candidates who have made disclosure.

So, three incumbents running for re-election are willing to stand up for reform.

Barb Wheeler

Tina Hill

Mary McCann

And, they are all women.  Does that tend to re-enforce my analysis that voters think women are less likely to be crooks than men?

Only three, it should be noted. They deserve to have their photos here, don’t you think?

And no one not up for reelection has yet to file a form.

Below is ALAW’s press release:

CANDIDATES DISCLOSURES KEEP COMING

Ten candidates for County Board in the upcoming primary have now voluntarily sent ALAW statements pursuant to the ALAW conflicts disclosure ordinance. Disclosure have been received from

• Donna Kurtz (R), District 2;
• Craig Steagall (R), District 3;
• Nick Provenzano (R), District 3;
• Barb Wheeler (R), District 3;
• Jeff Thirtyacre (D), District 4;
• Tina Hill (R), District 5;
• Frank Wedig (Green Party), District 5;
• Diane Evertsen (R), District 6;
• Mary McCann (R), District 6;
• Richard Draper (R), District 6.

(Incumbents are shown in bold face type; party identification has been added.)

The disclosures and the ordinance are both posted on the ALAW web site here.

ALAW expects to receive more disclosures over the next few days and challenges all candidates file statements.

There is no deadline for filing statements, but it is hoped that all candidates will file prior to the February 2 primary election.

ALAW presented the draft ordinance to the County Board on December 1, 2009.

It is currently under review by the McHenry County States Attorney’s office. If passed, the ordinance will require up front disclosure of elected and appointed county official’s real estate holdings and business relationships with the county.

“Our intent is to dispel the perception that our county officials sometimes place personal interest over their duty to their constituents. That idea has been an undercurrent in our county for a long time, and has recently become more widely expressed by the general public,”

said ALAW Director Emily Berendt. “With “transparency in government’ being such a key issue statewide right now, and the primary election approaching, the timing was right to present this ordinance.”

ALAW President Patricia Kennedy said,

“This was certainly unexpected but is a wonderful affirmation of our belief that full disclosure is as welcome by these candidates as it is by the public.”

Alliance for Land Agriculture and Water
PO Box 1021, Woodstock
Contact: Patricia Kennedy
815-943-7223

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Come to think of it, this voluntary disclosure idea probably has as it precedent the voluntary release of income tax forms by Illinois Democratic Party politician Paul Simon.  I remember reading his Atlantic Monthly article in my Aunt Louise Stevens copy while visiting my grandparents in Maryland several years before moving to Illinois in 1958.  His article about the blatant crookedness in Springfield was my introduction to Illinois politics.

The man who has taken on Ken Koehler‘s sale of the old Flowerwood nursery property on County Club Road to Metra for a commuter rail passenger station–and I mean really taken him on–is calling for other county board members and candidates to complete the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water’s questionnaire.

The raising of eyebrows about the purchase stimulated Metra to issue this information.

Craig Steagal is not running against Koehler in District 2, however.  Steagall lives north of the Crystal Lake Avenue township boundary line in District 3.

So far, one candidate in District 2 and three candidates in District 3, one candidate in District 5 and two candidates in District 6 have filled out the forms with ALAW, the consideration of which was sent to the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office for review last month when it was first considered at the committee level.

Here’s is Stegall’s press release:

STEAGALL ENDORSES MCHENRY COUNTY DISCLOSURE ORDINANCE
Completes Transparency Questionnaire, Challenges Other County Candidates and Officials to do the Same

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — Craig Steagall, candidate for McHenry County Board in District 3, today endorsed the enactment of the proposed Economic Interest and Conflict of Interest Disclosure ordinance put forth by the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water (ALAW).

Steagall also completed ALAW’s Disclosure of Economic Interest questionnaire, which can be found online by clicking here.

“I have decided that the lack of trust in the motives of our elected government officials is a severe impediment to the compact between those in power and their constituents,” said Steagall.  “I endorse this disclosure ordinance, I have completed ALAW’s disclosure questionnaire, and I challenge all candidates and elected officials in McHenry County to do the same.

A lifelong resident of McHenry County, Craig Steagall is running for McHenry County Board in District 3.  The owner of Crystal Lake-based Woolf Distributing, Craig is a proud husband, father and grandfather.  He resides in Crystal Lake with his wife, Cathy, and will bring integrity, independence and sound financial management skills to the McHenry County Board.

Maybe other candidates for the McHenry County Board are following the example of congressional and statewide candidates, but the email addressed to taxpayers you see below is the first one I have seen from a local candidate.

He also has a web site you can find here.

Steagall is running in the District 3 Republican primary.

The email follows:

Daily Herald Highlights our Commitment to Fiscal Discipline

Fellow McHenry County Taxpayer:

Happy New Year!  I have no doubt that 2010 holds great promise for the future of McHenry County.

I wanted to share with you a Daily Herald article that ran over the holidays, which highlighted our commitment to restoring fiscal discipline on the McHenry County Board:

Steagall proposes a freeze on pay raises for county employees.  The board recently voted employees a 2-percent increase for 2010.

“It may be that a 2-percent increase is not in the cards,” Steagall said.  ”The reality of what’s happening in the private sector is that employees are taking cuts.”

What that Daily Herald article didn’t include was my pledge NOT to raise taxes — and my strong feeling that we should pursue tax relief once the current economic downturn has passed.

As a successful business owner, I know how to run efficient, effective accountable organizations.

I also know that forcing you to pay for inefficient, unaccountable governments is just plain wrong.

You have my word that I will always fight for fiscal discipline on the county board — and I will never vote to raise your taxes.

If you agree with our message, or are just interested in getting involved, we make it easy for you to do so:

• Click here to sign up to volunteer or get involved.
• Click here to tell your friends about our campaign.
• Click here to make an online contribution to our campaign.

We’ll keep you updated regularly as the campaign progresses, and I invite you to contact us if you have any questions.

Thank you for your time, and I hope to earn your vote on February 2nd.

Sincerely,

Craig Steagall
Candidate
McHenry County Board — District 3

You can sign up for future campaign emails here or here.

Maybe the times they are a changing.

The following press release from ALAW, the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water tells of two new aspirants for the McHenry County Board having answered the questions on the income and asset disclosure form which the group has asked be passed before the primary election.

District 3 County Board Candidate Craig Steagall

2nd District County Board Candidate Donna Kurtz

The two candidates are Craig Steagall running in District 3 and Donna Kurtz running in District 2. Both districts have large parts of Crystal Lake in them, the dividing line being Crystal Lake Avenue (the Algonquin-Nunda Township line).

The press release from the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water follows:

CANDIDATES DISCLOSE VOLUNTARILY

Two candidates for County Board in the upcoming primary have voluntarily sent ALAW statements pursuant to the ALAW conflicts disclosure ordinance. These disclosures are posted here.

ALAW presented the draft ordinance to the County Board on December 2, 2009.  If passed, the ordinance will require up front disclosure of appointed and elected county officials’ real estate holdings and business relationships with the county.

These disclosures were unsolicited, but certainly are welcome indications of the candidates’ stance on transparency.  We are hopeful that other candidates will be joining Craig Steagall and Donna Kurtz in taking this position.  As one candidate, Craig Steagall, said, “I am in favor of 100% and cannot imagine an elected official serving without providing this information in a public manner.”

ALAW would like to remind all candidates to send us the ALAW Survey on environmental and related issues. Surveys were mailed to all candidates on December 22, 2009 and are due to ALAW by January 10, 2010. We cannot endorse a candidate without the survey responses.

Alliance for Land Agriculture and Water
PO Box 1021, Woodstock
Contact: Patricia Kennedy 815-943-7223

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Here’s my question of the other candidates:

Any more volunteers?

On District 3 McHenry County Board candidates’ web site, Craig Steagall outlines his goals, if elected.

They are interesting, especially, the ethics, transparency and creation of email surveying capabilities, so I thought I would share them with you below:

Craig’s Goals

Craig Steagall will bring his more than thirty-five years of business and management success to the McHenry County Board. In addition to his experience, Craig is a lifelong resident of the county who has some very specific and achievable policy goals:

1.  Increase Transparency. Craig will push for electronic storage of documents to permit citizens immediate and open access to these public documents (and providing assistance to those without Internet access.)  This will eliminate the need for many Freedom of Information Act requests, save the taxpayers money, make county government more efficient and providing the taxpayers with open, transparent government.

2.  More Power to the Taxpayers. Craig will promote the greater use of technology, including the creation of e-mail surveying capabilities so that the voters of District 3 in McHenry County will be able to provide input on important issues brought before the County Board.  Example, video gambling in unincorporated areas, I would be able to report where the voters of my District stood on the issue.

3.  Adoption of “Best in Class” Ethics Ordinance.
It’s time to restore the people’s faith in their government — no county board member should be in a position to benefit financially as a result of their elected position.

4.  Better Strategic Planning. Craig will work to instill a better strategic planning process for the county board — in which strategic goals are set for each fiscal year, and county board members are required to publicly report on their progress in achieving these goals at the end of each year.  The voters will only benefit from this “report card” for local government.

5.  Better Inter-Governmental Cooperation. Craig will push for better working relationships between the county board, local municipalities, non-profits and private employers.  Better cooperation will allow us all to work toward a better county in which to work and raise our families.

Illinois Citizens for Life, a statewide pro-life group, has endorsed Zane Seipler for McHenry County Sheriff.

Seipler is challenging incumbent Sheriff Keith Nygren in the February 2nd Republican primary election.

The organization is also endorsing candidates for county board.

In District 1, ICF is endorsing the only man and only non-incumbent running for one of the two spots. His name is Robert Nowak. He is a Cary resident, as are the two incumbents he is challenging—Anna May Miller and Yvonne Barnes.

In District 2, McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler and challenger Sandra DePaul are the two getting the group’s nod. Both are from Crystal Lake. Other candidates are incumbent Lyn Orphal and challengers Donna Kurtz, a McHenry County College board member and Crystal Lake City Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller.

In District 3 the only incumbent running for re-election, Barbara Wheeler is endorsed. Former county board member Nick Provenzano also won the group’s support. The opponents are Karen J Tynis, Veronica Armstrong and Craig Steagall.

In District 5, newcomer Dave Frederick and former county board member John Jung received the pro-life endorsement. Also running is incumbent Tina Hill.

There is no endorsement in District 4, where there is no GOP primary election, or in District 6, where five candidates are vying for the two places on the fall ballot.

State legislative candidates are ranked as well.

Mike Tryon (R-Crystsl Lake) is deemed to be “Fully Pro-Life.” His Democratic Part opponent Bob Kaempfe merited an “Unknown (Did not answer or complete survey).” State Reps. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) and Mark Beaubien (R-Barrington Hills) are rated the same as Kaempfe.

Franks’ Republican opponent, on the other hand, was characterized as “Fully Pro-Life.”

The only other state candidate endorsed is for the 2nd Appellate Court. Mary S. Schostok is endorsed for the Barbara Gilleran-Johnson vacancy.

Traffic will be a major sticking point on Metra’s proposed Ridgefield commuter station the same was it was for the baseball stadium proposed for McHenry County College.

The Crystal Lake City Council unanimously approved Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller’s motion to reject SEC, which used to be called Smith Engineering, as the firm to provide the traffic study for the Ridgefield station which Metra wants annexed into the city.

Council members decided they would rather have one of their already authorized consultants do the study.

Metra preferred SEC because it had been contracted to do a study for a future Lily Pond Road site called East Woodstock, as well as for Ridgefield.

Questions about traffic arose from all quarters.

Carolyn Schofield: “My main concerns will be traffic and the watershed.”

Brett Hopkins: “I’m concerned about traffic”

Jeff Thorsen concurred, “You’re engineer hasn’t addressed the western development we know is going to come…I’d rather go with our pool of traffic consultants. I’m already looking at two studies that are pretty opposite.”

Thorsen also made the same pitch he made in the baseball stadium traffic discussion–that Briarwood and Route 176 be included.  He pointed out that there had been another accident there earlier in the day.

Kathy Ferguson:  “I have some concerns about traffic. You’re going to change the whole tone and tenor of that area.”

Ferguson also told of driving to the courthouse on Country Club Road for jury duty. She commented negatively on the current danger at the curve.

“The line of sight when you’re coming around those corners has to be addressed.”

During extended public comment by Craig Steagall, the owner of land Metra considered buying across the tracks from that which is half-owned by McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler, he bent his arms to demonstrate the intersection problem in Downtown Ridgefield.

Mueller talking about traffic: “I don’t know how to make it work without moving the houses that are out there…I myself cannot support having a traffic consultant not going through the normal process.”

Mayor Aaron Shepley empathized with Metra: “It would be awfully difficult to change (horses in midstream).”

Ralph Dawson took a different approach: “What are we going to get out of it? How long will (it take for) my police cars have to be dispatched out there? Why do we want to annex it? We’re already stretched out. I have a county police department that is more than adequate to police that station.”

Metra attorney Joe Gottemoller explained that he thought Crystal Lake wanted to annex the entire watershed of Crystal Lake. The station is within that watershed.

Mayor Shepley summed up the reason for annexing the property: “With an annexation into Crystal Lake you have a greater control on what the project will look like,” adding the city would have more influence over the traffic problems.”

His conclusion: “The deal breaker here—it’s all about the traffic.”

Shepley specifically mentioned the inadequate Ridgefield railroad crossing.

Both Mueller and Steagall are candidates for a Republican nomination for the McHenry County Board, Mueller in District 2 and Steagall in District 3.

Look what just popped into my email inbox:

You will notice that no mention is made of McHenry County College in the FAQ’s below:

I am in receipt of your correspondence sent to the Metra Board recently in which you raise questions about Metra’s procurement of land in unincorporated McHenry County near Ridgefield. Because the questions you raised were asked by others, Metra staff has created a “Frequently Asked Question” information sheet that will likely answer them and provide you with additional information.

I hope this will answer the questions you raised.

Sincerely,

Metra Board

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING RIDGEFIELD

Q: Why is Metra buying property near Ridgefield?

A: Planning studies have shown that there will be a need to address additional commuter rail service options between Woodstock and Crystal Lake in McHenry County. Population in the area is projected to grow 73% by 2030. McHenry is one of the fastest growing counties in Illinois and Metra needs to stay ahead of this growth by being prepared to provide this population viable, commuter rail transportation opportunities.

Q: Why is Metra buying property from the McHenry County Chairman?

A: Metra has been interested in acquiring property on the north side of the tracks in this area for a number of years. McHenry County Chairman, Ken Koehler, through a trust, is a part owner of property located on the north side of the tracts that is about 3.2 miles North West of the current Crystal Lake station. Metra’s Board of Directors, comprised of 11 directors representing all six counties and the city of Chicago, are aware of this transaction and voted 9-0 in favor of this acquisition.

Q: Did Metra’s McHenry County Director vote for this project?

A: Director Jack Schaffer’s advertising company has a small billboard located on the Ridgefield property that will be removed if Metra actually closes on the real estate transaction. While Director Schaffer stated in the public session in August 2009 that he was very much in favor of the purchase and had a legal right to vote on the transaction, after consulting with Metra’s General Counsel, however, he decided to abstain from actually voting so that there would not be even an appearance of a conflict of interest.

Q: Why is Metra not building a station on the south side of the tracks near Ridgefield?

A: Metra recognizes that there are issues that need to be addressed with locating a station at this location, but Metra’s primary desire and experience has been to keep our morning commuters on the same side of the inbound tracks as much as possible, which happen to be the north tracks on this line.

If you look at the location of stations on all three Union Pacific lines operating Metra service, almost all of them are located on the north or east side. In addition, a south side location would necessitate purchasing some property on the north side to build a depot or significant waiting areas for in-bound morning commuters. Also, with a south side parking location in Ridgefield, a north side Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department access road from the existing public street to the depot site would be required.

Q: Will Metra build a station on the north side of the tracks after the purchase?

A: While it is our desire to build a station on the north side of the tracks, we are realistic. We acknowledge that there are many factors at play wherever a station is considered, including cost, traffic, safety, environmental, and many others.

Q: What will prevent Metra from purchasing the Ridgefield property?

A: There is some confusion here. Metra’s Board of Directors voted to give the Executive Director the authority to purchase the property; however, the contract has various pre-conditions before Metra actually goes forward and closes on the purchase and sale agreement. For instance, Metra requires that the City of Crystal Lake and Metra enter into an acceptable annexation agreement, an operation and maintenance agreement, and, if applicable, a recapture agreement for any direct improvements Metra installs that would benefit future developers.

Q: How can I express my concerns, opposition, or support for a Ridgefield station?

A: Contrary to what some citizens may say, Metra is not short circuiting the normal development process relating to the construction of a station. Local citizens can always express their opinion when Metra approaches the City of Crystal Lake during the annexation process.

If there are other units of government, such as McHenry County, that have jurisdiction over road access or environmental requirements, citizens can bring their concerns or comments to them as well.

This is a process that Metra has been through dozens of times over the past 25 years, and we encourage citizen participation.

Q: Why isn’t Metra building a station near my hometown instead of Ridgefield?

A: Just because Metra is purchasing land at Ridgefield it doesn’t mean that Metra is precluded from pursuing other station developments.

The selection of station sites is a dynamic process. Many different factors are considered as part of station selection, including: the proximity of the station to the communities that would be served, the proximity to residential developments (existing and future), as well as the proximity to employment and/or recreational destinations and major highways or access roads. Any environmental conditions including wetlands, floodplains, heavily wooded areas, or other sensitive locations, should be minimally or not impacted by the station development. Another significant factor that is considered when selecting station locations is the availability of property needed for station and parking facilities. From an operational perspective there are other factors too, including the amount of improvements needed to add to or upgrade the railroad tracks and any signaling.

In 2007, Metra completed an Alternatives Analysis (AA) for the Union Pacific Northwest (UP-NW) Line Upgrade project. The Locally Preferred Alternative that was selected during this process includes extending the UP-NW Line to Johnsburg, constructing new modernized coach yards in Johnsburg and Woodstock, building three new stations on the line at

• Johnsburg,
• Prairie Grove, and
• Ridgefield,

adding rolling stock and improving signaling, track infrastructure, and stations along the line.

All of these improvements will enable Metra to decrease travel times for existing customers, extend additional service to outlying areas in McHenry County, and add capacity to accommodate projected ridership growth throughout the line. Metra is currently undertaking an Environmental Assessment on the project, and is awaiting approval from the Federal Transit Administration to begin Preliminary Engineering. In addition to the UP-NW Line, Metra completed an AA on the Union Pacific West Line Upgrade in 2007, and AA’s for the STAR Line and SouthEast Service are on-going, with anticipated completion in fall 2009. These four projects comprise the Metra Connects program, and are Metra’s priority projects. Additional system expansion beyond these four projects will be contemplated once these projects have sufficiently advanced through the planning and environmental phases of project development.

Q: Was Metra pressured into buying the Ridgefield property?

A: No. While many sellers are often anxious to sell their properties, especially in the current real estate market, Metra’s determination of when and where to buy property is now, and has always been, determined by an evaluation of what is in the best interest of our regional commuter rail system. The same holds true for where a station is ultimately built. Metra is considered by many in the industry to be the premier commuter rail system in the country.

A large part of our success is our ability to work cooperatively with local communities, while always keeping in perspective the regional needs of the system.

Metra recognizes there will be some neighbors who have legitimate concerns about how improvements might affect their community, property values, and daily lives. As always, we look forward to working with constructive community leaders in maintaining a good working relationship that will benefit our commuters.

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The top map from Google shows approximately where on Country Club Road, the Ridgefield commuter parking lot will be.

Next is the 17.3 acre site with the “For Sale” sign. Alexander Lumber’s new site is in the background where 84 Lumber used to be.

Next is an aerial look at Downtown Ridgefield. It shows the narrow roads through which much of the traffic to the 757-vehicle parking lot would travel. (Can you see a Walgreen or CVS on the north side of the intersection where the antique shops now sit? A traffic critique is here.)

The site can be seen from the other side of the tracks in the photo with Seeger’s grain elevators in the foreground.

Below is the site (circled in yellow) offered on the Route 14 side of the tracks by Craig Steagall. It could have a pretty straight shot to McHenry County College. More of Steagall’s critique here and here.

Next is the 575-vehicle parking lot. Click to enlarge and you will see there is no station, but there are drainage ponds on this portion of the Crystal Lake watershed.

Below outlined in blue is the 57-acre McHenry County College Gilger property that was bought last year by McHenry County College for $67,000 per acre. (Metra is paying $81,789 an acre for 17.3 acres.) Note that MCC’s land is right across Ridgefield Road from the train tracks. If Metra were interested in best serving McHenry County College perhaps an arrangement could be worked out where MCC would provide a 737-space parking lot and Metra could use the money it would spend on the parking lot to build an elevated walkway over Ridgefield Road and the Union Pacific tracks with commuter stops and shelters on both sides of the tracks. Metra made no contact with MCC from January 5, 2009, when the site was preliminarily selected and August 14th, when the Metra board authorized its purchase. A meeting will occur now that the decision has been made.

Another view of Metra’s Ridgefield commuter site is seen next to the barb wire fence of soon-to-be Alexander Lumber.

An aerial view of the area from McHenry County College to McConnell Road on the edge of Bull Valley is show in the bottom picture from Google. The real estate on Country Club Road from Ridgefield to McConnell Road will be under extraordinary pressure for development once Crystal Lake annexes the Koehler-Gary Seigmeier Estate property next to it.