McHenry County Blog

I talked to Tom Eibel Saturday when he was walking Ken Bird Park in southern Crystal Lake with a letter informing him that the Crystal Lake Park Board had agreed to allow a T-Mobile cellular tower in the middle of the park if the Crystal Lake City Council agreed. (Yesterday’s story, complete with minutes of the park board meetings can be found here.)

He lives on Deerhaven two doors from the kiddy playland.

When I was state representative, I fielded cell phone siting complaints from rural McHenry County residents. County zoning officials refused to notify the neighbors who would be able to see the towers.

Not many neighboring residents were notified of the application for this Crystal Lake special use permit, but Tom Eibel and his wife lived close enough to get one.

He is not a happy camper.

I didn’t know he was going to be the one to sign a letter to his neighbors, but it turned out that way.

You will note in the letter that all of the public officials involved are named.

Anyone wanting to contract city council members may do so by going to Crystal Lake’s web site and clicking on the government tab. “Meet your city council” is the first stop.

To my surprise, I see park board members all have email addresses now. They did not when they were considering allowing the Gay Games to usurp Crystal Lake on a prime July weekend day.

Here’s the letter Eibel and friends are distributing:

To Concerned Crystal Lake Residents:

I have become aware that T-Mobile and the Crystal Lake Park District have applied for a special use permit to erect a 75 foot tall cell phone tower in the middle of Ken Bird Park, located between Village and Miller Roads. This beautiful park is enjoyed by soccer, baseball, and football teams, joggers, dog walkers, tennis players, and even young children flying kites.

This area is currently zoned R-1 (residential single family) and does not allow for accessory structure heights exceeding 15 feet.

The City was required to notify residents within 200 feet of the structure. I received a letter in the mail on October 17. Why didn’t the Park District notify us of their plans prior to moving forward on the project? Residents outside of the 200 ft radius were not notified by mail. A small notice was to be in the Northwest Herald on October 11 regarding the date of the public meeting. The meeting will be held at 7:30 pm on November 5, 2008, at the Crystal Lake City Hall. All concerned Residents should attend this meeting and voice their opinions.

Concerns of residents and the parents of the children who enjoy the park include:

Studies regarding links between cell phone towers and cancer – Studies have shown that increased radiation in the area may affect the health of residents within one quarter mile of the tower. Children who play in the part would also be exposed to any additional radiation.

Decrease in property values – In addition to the adjacent homes, this may affect the entire neighborhood. A 75 foot tall tower will be visible throughout our community.

Environmental concerns – Birds and other wildlife may be affected by the increased radiation as well.

All concerned Crystal Lake voters should contact via phone, letter or email the following government officials and tell them not to approve the installation of a 75 foot cell tower in the middle of Ken Bird Park.

You can contact the Zoning Commission, City Council, and Mayor by calling City Hall at 815-459-2020. E-mails should be sent to comments@crystallake.org with “E-mail for” followed by the name of your intended recipient in the subject line. Letters should be addressed to City Hall, 100 W. Municipal Complex, P.O. Box 597, Crystal Lake, IL 60039-0597.

The application is with the Zoning Commission first.

Zoning Commission Chair: Thomas Hayden

Zoning Commission Vice Chair: Jeff Greenman

Commission Members: Jim Batastini, Vince Esposito, Jim Jouron, Carolyn Schofield and Alan Skluzacek

The application will then go to the City Council.

City Council members: Ralph M Dawson, Cathy A Ferguson, David Goss and Brett Hopkins and Ellen Brady Mueller (who can be e-mailed at ellenbradymueller@comcast.net).

Mayor: Aaron T Shepley should also be advised of your concern.

The Crystal Lake Park District Board of Commissioners must be advised that they should not have come to an agreement with T-Mobile, without first consulting with their residents.

The Crystal Lake Park District Board of Commissioners are

• Michael Zellman (mkz67@yahoo.com),
• Candy Reedy (reedy1129@comcast.net),
• Michael Walkup (mjwalkup@ameritech.net),
• Richard Sexton (ray_con@sbcglobal.net),
• Jerry Sullivan (sullivan570@sbcglobal.net),
• Angel Collins (jonsmom24@yahoo.com), and
• Eric Anderson (eanderson@stahlcowen.com).

Letters to the Park District should be sent to: One East Crystal Lake Ave. Crystal Lake, IL 60014.

The special use permit should not be granted. The City of Crystal Lake should not allow this tower to be built in Ken Bird Park.

Fellow Citizens of Crystal Lake, if you don’t stop this project it could be the park next to your house next.

Sincerely,
Tom Eibel
Crystal Lake Resident

= = = = =
On Top Tom Eibel points up where the Crystal Lake Park District wants to put a T-Mobile cellular tower in the middle of Ken Bird Park. A test hole can be seen in the foreground in the middle of the 20 by 30 foot plot of land for which T-Mobile wants to pay $2,000 a month.

A picture of a cellular tower has been superimposed in front of the tennis courts at Ken Bird Park.

The closer up shot of the tennis courts was taken from atop the little playland structure. The cell tower is obviously superimposed.

Below is what it looks like south from the top of the playland. You can see Miller Road and and Lake in the Hills. (Why isn’t didn’t the park district agree to site the cell tower right on Miller Road where it might have been less obnoxious to parkside neighbors? Just asking.)

In the bottom photo you can see the houses to the east of the tennis courts.

I talked to Tom Eibel Saturday when he was walking Ken Bird Park in southern Crystal Lake with a letter informing him that the Crystal Lake Park Board had agreed to allow a T-Mobile cellular tower in the middle of the park if the Crystal Lake City Council agreed. (Yesterday’s story, complete with minutes of the park board meetings can be found here.)

He lives on Deerhaven two doors from the kiddy playland.

When I was state representative, I fielded cell phone siting complaints from rural McHenry County residents. County zoning officials refused to notify the neighbors who would be able to see the towers.

Not many neighboring residents were notified of the application for this Crystal Lake special use permit, but Tom Eibel and his wife lived close enough to get one.

He is not a happy camper.

I didn’t know he was going to be the one to sign a letter to his neighbors, but it turned out that way.

You will note in the letter that all of the public officials involved are named.

Anyone wanting to contract city council members may do so by going to Crystal Lake’s web site and clicking on the government tab. “Meet your city council” is the first stop.

To my surprise, I see park board members all have email addresses now. They did not when they were considering allowing the Gay Games to usurp Crystal Lake on a prime July weekend day.

Here’s the letter Eibel and friends are distributing:

To Concerned Crystal Lake Residents:

I have become aware that T-Mobile and the Crystal Lake Park District have applied for a special use permit to erect a 75 foot tall cell phone tower in the middle of Ken Bird Park, located between Village and Miller Roads. This beautiful park is enjoyed by soccer, baseball, and football teams, joggers, dog walkers, tennis players, and even young children flying kites.

This area is currently zoned R-1 (residential single family) and does not allow for accessory structure heights exceeding 15 feet.

The City was required to notify residents within 200 feet of the structure. I received a letter in the mail on October 17. Why didn’t the Park District notify us of their plans prior to moving forward on the project? Residents outside of the 200 ft radius were not notified by mail. A small notice was to be in the Northwest Herald on October 11 regarding the date of the public meeting. The meeting will be held at 7:30 pm on November 5, 2008, at the Crystal Lake City Hall. All concerned Residents should attend this meeting and voice their opinions.

Concerns of residents and the parents of the children who enjoy the park include:

Studies regarding links between cell phone towers and cancer – Studies have shown that increased radiation in the area may affect the health of residents within one quarter mile of the tower. Children who play in the part would also be exposed to any additional radiation.

Decrease in property values – In addition to the adjacent homes, this may affect the entire neighborhood. A 75 foot tall tower will be visible throughout our community.

Environmental concerns – Birds and other wildlife may be affected by the increased radiation as well.

All concerned Crystal Lake voters should contact via phone, letter or email the following government officials and tell them not to approve the installation of a 75 foot cell tower in the middle of Ken Bird Park.

You can contact the Zoning Commission, City Council, and Mayor by calling City Hall at 815-459-2020. E-mails should be sent to comments@crystallake.org with “E-mail for” followed by the name of your intended recipient in the subject line. Letters should be addressed to City Hall, 100 W. Municipal Complex, P.O. Box 597, Crystal Lake, IL 60039-0597.

The application is with the Zoning Commission first.

Zoning Commission Chair: Thomas Hayden

Zoning Commission Vice Chair: Jeff Greenman

Commission Members: Jim Batastini, Vince Esposito, Jim Jouron, Carolyn Schofield and Alan Skluzacek

The application will then go to the City Council.

City Council members: Ralph M Dawson, Cathy A Ferguson, David Goss and Brett Hopkins and Ellen Brady Mueller (who can be e-mailed at ellenbradymueller@comcast.net).

Mayor: Aaron T Shepley should also be advised of your concern.

The Crystal Lake Park District Board of Commissioners must be advised that they should not have come to an agreement with T-Mobile, without first consulting with their residents.

The Crystal Lake Park District Board of Commissioners are

• Michael Zellman (mkz67@yahoo.com),
• Candy Reedy (reedy1129@comcast.net),
• Michael Walkup (mjwalkup@ameritech.net),
• Richard Sexton (ray_con@sbcglobal.net),
• Jerry Sullivan (sullivan570@sbcglobal.net),
• Angel Collins (jonsmom24@yahoo.com), and
• Eric Anderson (eanderson@stahlcowen.com).

Letters to the Park District should be sent to: One East Crystal Lake Ave. Crystal Lake, IL 60014.

The special use permit should not be granted. The City of Crystal Lake should not allow this tower to be built in Ken Bird Park.

Fellow Citizens of Crystal Lake, if you don’t stop this project it could be the park next to your house next.

Sincerely,
Tom Eibel
Crystal Lake Resident

= = = = =
On Top Tom Eibel points up where the Crystal Lake Park District wants to put a T-Mobile cellular tower in the middle of Ken Bird Park. A test hole can be seen in the foreground in the middle of the 20 by 30 foot plot of land for which T-Mobile wants to pay $2,000 a month.

A picture of a cellular tower has been superimposed in front of the tennis courts at Ken Bird Park.

The closer up shot of the tennis courts was taken from atop the little playland structure. The cell tower is obviously superimposed.

Below is what it looks like south from the top of the playland. You can see Miller Road and and Lake in the Hills. (Why isn’t didn’t the park district agree to site the cell tower right on Miller Road where it might have been less obnoxious to parkside neighbors? Just asking.)

In the bottom photo you can see the houses to the east of the tennis courts.

Just like the day of the Crystal Lake City Council meeting on April 4, 2006, when the Gay Games use of Crystal Lake for a regatta was approved.

This time it is another hot issue, consideration of putting a baseball stadium on McHenry County College property in Crystal Lake’s watershed.

Again, I don’t have a copy of the Northwest Herald, but I can find nothing informing internet readers of tonight’s 5:30 meeting tonight.

But I was wrong about the NW Herald’s running an editorial in favor of the re-zoning.

I don’t regularly follow the NW Herald’s editorials, but the paper appears not to have taken an editorial stand, even though it has been given permission to run a naming contest for the minor leaguer baseball team.

No word yet on whether any compensation will be paid to MCC for that privilege.

Just like the day of the Crystal Lake City Council meeting on April 4, 2006, when the Gay Games use of Crystal Lake for a regatta was approved.

This time it is another hot issue, consideration of putting a baseball stadium on McHenry County College property in Crystal Lake’s watershed.

Again, I don’t have a copy of the Northwest Herald, but I can find nothing informing internet readers of tonight’s 5:30 meeting tonight.

But I was wrong about the NW Herald’s running an editorial in favor of the re-zoning.

I don’t regularly follow the NW Herald’s editorials, but the paper appears not to have taken an editorial stand, even though it has been given permission to run a naming contest for the minor leaguer baseball team.

No word yet on whether any compensation will be paid to MCC for that privilege.

Our family was in Central Illinois while the lake was cresting and Crystal Lake Police were separating the McHenry County Peace Group from a minuteman group who was not sponsoring the private Holiday Inn meeting ordered canceled by a McHenry County Judge.

The Holiday Inn Illinois Minuteman Project meeting cancellation was a contract dispute, local newspapers reported.

It wasn’t anything about Freedom of Speech.

That may be the law, but it’s not the perception.

Last year a more unpopular political cause—the advancement of acceptability of homosexuality—was given red carpet treatment by the Crystal Lake Park Board and City Council.

This year, those supporting enforcement of federal immigration laws were denied the opportunity to promote their cause, a cause, by the way, that is destined to become a major issue in the 2008 presidential campaign.

If you doubt this, try to explain the ouster of the left-wing French government without talking about the negative reaction to too much immigration.

The Illinois Minuteman Project wasn’t going to hold a demonstration.

It was going to hold a private meeting in a private location at which an Ohio sheriff was going to tell how he and his department had helped enforce immigration laws that Federal officials clearly cannot enforce on their own.

The difference is that the organizers of the Gay Games wanted to use Crystal Lake for free.

And, incredibly, they got permission.

Local citizens-taxpayers with motorboats were forbidden from using their expensive machines the way they were designed during the early part of the rowing regatta. (They were forbidden by local ordinance in the latter part– as they are every Sunday afternoon—a compromise more than a decade old between active and passive lake users.)

The skiff owners did not even have to buy boat stickers like Crystal Lake taxpayers must.

Oh, they paid for police protection from demonstrators who basically took a pass and probably did something with their families elsewhere on that splendid July day.

But, the Gay Games were not forced to pay ahead of time for police protection by either the City of Crystal Lake or the Village of Lakewood.

A couple of months later, Crystal Lake got $17,600, while Lakewood received $3,400. (The park district was smart enough to ask for and get advance payment.)

This was for an all-day event. And the Crystal Lake and other police were everywhere.

There was no threat of demonstrations from opponents on a state highway, as there was from the McHenry County Peace Group and others with a more pro-illegal immigration agenda.

Our family was in Central Illinois while the lake was cresting and Crystal Lake Police were separating the McHenry County Peace Group from a minuteman group who was not sponsoring the private Holiday Inn meeting ordered canceled by a McHenry County Judge.

The Holiday Inn Illinois Minuteman Project meeting cancellation was a contract dispute, local newspapers reported.

It wasn’t anything about Freedom of Speech.

That may be the law, but it’s not the perception.

Last year a more unpopular political cause—the advancement of acceptability of homosexuality—was given red carpet treatment by the Crystal Lake Park Board and City Council.

This year, those supporting enforcement of federal immigration laws were denied the opportunity to promote their cause, a cause, by the way, that is destined to become a major issue in the 2008 presidential campaign.

If you doubt this, try to explain the ouster of the left-wing French government without talking about the negative reaction to too much immigration.

The Illinois Minuteman Project wasn’t going to hold a demonstration.

It was going to hold a private meeting in a private location at which an Ohio sheriff was going to tell how he and his department had helped enforce immigration laws that Federal officials clearly cannot enforce on their own.

The difference is that the organizers of the Gay Games wanted to use Crystal Lake for free.

And, incredibly, they got permission.

Local citizens-taxpayers with motorboats were forbidden from using their expensive machines the way they were designed during the early part of the rowing regatta. (They were forbidden by local ordinance in the latter part– as they are every Sunday afternoon—a compromise more than a decade old between active and passive lake users.)

The skiff owners did not even have to buy boat stickers like Crystal Lake taxpayers must.

Oh, they paid for police protection from demonstrators who basically took a pass and probably did something with their families elsewhere on that splendid July day.

But, the Gay Games were not forced to pay ahead of time for police protection by either the City of Crystal Lake or the Village of Lakewood.

A couple of months later, Crystal Lake got $17,600, while Lakewood received $3,400. (The park district was smart enough to ask for and get advance payment.)

This was for an all-day event. And the Crystal Lake and other police were everywhere.

There was no threat of demonstrations from opponents on a state highway, as there was from the McHenry County Peace Group and others with a more pro-illegal immigration agenda.

You have to love the graphics in this article from Allan Showalter’s “Heck of a Guy” blog.

Showalter and I are both from the Crystal Lake area and both were inspired to cover the Gay Games Rowing Regatta.

He was less compulsive or, more likely, had something better to do than write 70-some articles on the Crystal Lake aspects of the Gay Games.

I found one where he got a picture of the rainbow flags that had disappeared with the TV cameras by the time I tried to get a shot.

But I missed this imaginative article entitled,

Crystal Lake to Permit “Whatever Floats Your Boat” Rowing Event

And, yes, the Rev. Dan Larson of the Congregational Unitarian Church is given credit for coming up with the phrase at the first Crystal Lake Park Board meeting at which permission was denied on a 2-2 vote.

I love the Teletubby in the skiff.

Showalter ridicules the influence that the Gay Games might have on McHenry County with a delightful map labeled “Gay Wave Radiation from Lake Zero.”

And he reports heretofore unknown (at least by McHenry County Blog readers) aspects of the dispute:

While it went unreported in the press, a compromise solution was discussed, faltering only when local builders could not commit to completing construction of the closet surrounding the lake by July.

If you decide the read the original article, be prepared for rowing double entendres.

= = = = =
Illustrations are from Allan Showalter’s Heck of a Guy blog.

You have to love the graphics in this article from Allan Showalter’s “Heck of a Guy” blog.

Showalter and I are both from the Crystal Lake area and both were inspired to cover the Gay Games Rowing Regatta.

He was less compulsive or, more likely, had something better to do than write 70-some articles on the Crystal Lake aspects of the Gay Games.

I found one where he got a picture of the rainbow flags that had disappeared with the TV cameras by the time I tried to get a shot.

But I missed this imaginative article entitled,

Crystal Lake to Permit “Whatever Floats Your Boat” Rowing Event

And, yes, the Rev. Dan Larson of the Congregational Unitarian Church is given credit for coming up with the phrase at the first Crystal Lake Park Board meeting at which permission was denied on a 2-2 vote.

I love the Teletubby in the skiff.

Showalter ridicules the influence that the Gay Games might have on McHenry County with a delightful map labeled “Gay Wave Radiation from Lake Zero.”

And he reports heretofore unknown (at least by McHenry County Blog readers) aspects of the dispute:

While it went unreported in the press, a compromise solution was discussed, faltering only when local builders could not commit to completing construction of the closet surrounding the lake by July.

If you decide the read the original article, be prepared for rowing double entendres.

= = = = =
Illustrations are from Allan Showalter’s Heck of a Guy blog.

I’ve attended one meeting of the McHenry County Board since starting McHenry County Board in October, 2005.

One meeting.

OK, I wanted to attend the swearing in meeting, but got there after adjournment.

My goal was to get photographs of the 24 county board members.

Decent ones that I jokingly told reporters Chuck Keeshan of the Daily Herald and Kevin Craver of the Northwest Herald I wanted to use when the board passed the McHenry County Republican Cat Tax.

Well, maybe it wasn’t too much of a joke, since I did something similar when the Crystal Lake Park Board and Crystal Lake City Council approved the Gay Games Rowing Regatta last year.

McHenry County Blog is not as prestigious as the Northwest Herald and the Daily Herald. Those papers have public officials and would-be officials come to their photographer to get pictures.

This McHenry County Blogger has to go to where the candidates or officials are.

In their natural habitat, so to speak.

My two favorites are of newly elected Huntley Village Trustee and Sun City tax revolt leader Jay Kadakia pointing his finger at State Senator Pam Althoff. I would imagine she considered Mr. Kadakia’s behavior irritating.

But she knew that accepting his admonition to fix the mess left when the Huntley School District’s referendum tax hike turned out to be way higher than advertised was part of the job.

The second most favorite photo was taken right after the Huntley School Board gave fellow clique school member Glen Stewart his $101,000 job.
In this picture, the meeting has ended and Stewart is extending his hand of thanks to fellow school board member and president Mike Skala. Am I imagining this or is there an indication of astonishment on Skala’s face?

Tomorrow: Why I didn’t need to take any pictures to irritate some McHenry County Board members.

= = = = = =
The row of pictures on top are of Crystal Lake Park Board members who voted to bring the Gay Games to Crystal Lake on a mid-July weekend. They are Mike Zellman, Jerry Sullivan and Candy Reedy. Both Zellman and Reedy were re-elected to the park board after the vote.

Below are photographs of the six Crystal Lake City Council members who voted for the Gay Games. From left to right, they are Mayor Aaron Shepley and council members Ellen Brady Mueller, Howie Christensen, Ralph Dawson, Cathy Ferguson and Ron Goss. Shepley, Mueller and Ferguson were also re-elected this past spring. The McHenry County Clerk’s web site showed Christensen 14 votes behind Brett Hopkins, as of Sunday when I wrote this.

I’ve attended one meeting of the McHenry County Board since starting McHenry County Board in October, 2005.

One meeting.

OK, I wanted to attend the swearing in meeting, but got there after adjournment.

My goal was to get photographs of the 24 county board members.

Decent ones that I jokingly told reporters Chuck Keeshan of the Daily Herald and Kevin Craver of the Northwest Herald I wanted to use when the board passed the McHenry County Republican Cat Tax.

Well, maybe it wasn’t too much of a joke, since I did something similar when the Crystal Lake Park Board and Crystal Lake City Council approved the Gay Games Rowing Regatta last year.

McHenry County Blog is not as prestigious as the Northwest Herald and the Daily Herald. Those papers have public officials and would-be officials come to their photographer to get pictures.

This McHenry County Blogger has to go to where the candidates or officials are.

In their natural habitat, so to speak.

My two favorites are of newly elected Huntley Village Trustee and Sun City tax revolt leader Jay Kadakia pointing his finger at State Senator Pam Althoff. I would imagine she considered Mr. Kadakia’s behavior irritating.

But she knew that accepting his admonition to fix the mess left when the Huntley School District’s referendum tax hike turned out to be way higher than advertised was part of the job.

The second most favorite photo was taken right after the Huntley School Board gave fellow clique school member Glen Stewart his $101,000 job.
In this picture, the meeting has ended and Stewart is extending his hand of thanks to fellow school board member and president Mike Skala. Am I imagining this or is there an indication of astonishment on Skala’s face?

Tomorrow: Why I didn’t need to take any pictures to irritate some McHenry County Board members.

= = = = = =
The row of pictures on top are of Crystal Lake Park Board members who voted to bring the Gay Games to Crystal Lake on a mid-July weekend. They are Mike Zellman, Jerry Sullivan and Candy Reedy. Both Zellman and Reedy were re-elected to the park board after the vote.

Below are photographs of the six Crystal Lake City Council members who voted for the Gay Games. From left to right, they are Mayor Aaron Shepley and council members Ellen Brady Mueller, Howie Christensen, Ralph Dawson, Cathy Ferguson and Ron Goss. Shepley, Mueller and Ferguson were also re-elected this past spring. The McHenry County Clerk’s web site showed Christensen 14 votes behind Brett Hopkins, as of Sunday when I wrote this.