McHenry County Blog

Wednesday night I searched all the townships and municipalities in the pork bill passed by the General Assembly and put up an article about how much each township received.

They all got $75,000, but I discovered that three of the largest four—Algonquin, McHenry and Grafton—got more.

I wondered why Nunda got only $75,000, but after running the search engine twice, wrote the article and went to bed.

Nunda Township Democrat Patrick Murfin saw the piece and speculated on why Nunda got less.

He wondered whether Nunda was being punished for trying to “seize leadership in the county party, ” citing Brent Smith’s role in putting together the slate Team Nunda, which rolled to victory in both the GOP primary election and the general election in which Murfin and a running mate were challenging Smith’ wife Joni, who ran first.

(Murfin also wrote a piece on the election, which I referenced.)

So, Murfin reads my article and asks, “What gives?”

Pretty much the same question I asked myself.

Those of you who remember geometry may remember that one can reach the wrong conclusion if one starts with the wrong information.

The next day, I read Pete Gonigam’s First Electronic Newspaper and discovered he had found much more money had be allocated to Nunda than my bleary eyes had spied in House Bill 313.

I dutifully wrote a correction about missing the $175,000.

And, so did Murfin.

He observed, “Maybe Nunda is being rewarded for his increased clout.”

So, nothing unusual about the township pork. The big townships got more than the little townships, just as one would expect.

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The photo shows Brent Smith recruiting Neko Olsen for the Young Republicans at last summer’s Nunda Township Picnic.

Besides the township road commissioner pork amounting to $1.9 million, cities and villages in McHenry County got some pork, too.

Hebron is going to get $150,000 for “public safety construction and road
infrastructure.”

Pretty broadly defined, wouldn’t you say?

I figure the village board can spend the money on virtually anything they want.

There’s $475,000 for the widening of Miller Road in McHenry and $575,000 for widening Rakow Road in Crystal Lake. Both are county highways.

There’s $700,000 for “all costs associated with Huntersville Sewer Project” in McHenry.

McHenry Township will receive $75,000 for the “construction of a food pantry building.” (Grafton Township got nothing for its food pantry.)

Crystal Lake is getting

• $700,00 for “all costs associated with road infrastructure improvements.”
• $482,000 for “all costs associated with the North Shore Flooding Improvement Project”
• $100,000 for “all costs associated with water and sewer improvements”

Algonquin will receive $100,000 for “all 10 costs associated with roadway, sanitary, sewer, storm sewer, and water main improvements.”

Cary is getting $450,000 for the “Route 14 and Jandus Road intersection 17 improvements.”

The Cary Park District is getting $150,000 for “all costs associated with park improvements.”

The Fox Waterway Agency will be waiting for $1,000,000 for costs associated with capital upgrades to waterway, plus another $500,000 for “reconstruction and shoreline stabilization (Trinski Island).”

$200,000 is earmarked for Fox River Grove for “infrastructure improvements” and $200,000 for “reconstruction and public utility extension project.”

Fox Lake is getting $185,000 for “the construction of a de-icing storage and containment facility.”

And the Fox Lake American Legion Post 703 will get $50,000 for “costs associated with capital improvements to the facility.”

Lake in the Hills is getting three grants:

• 300,000 for “costs associated with park development and improvements”
• $100,000 for “capital improvements for Sunset Park” (In 2007, State Rep. Mike Tryon earmarked $45,000 for the park.)
• $300,000 for park development and improvements”

Huntley’s share is $150,000 for “all costs associated with road and other capital improvements.”

$500,000 is in the bill for Johnsburg for “water and/or wastewater infrastructure improvements.”

Woodstock comes in with $300,000 in the pork sweepstakes. It’s for “road infrastructure improvements.”

And, my home town of Lakewood is even getting $200,000 for “all costs associated with road improvements.”

And, while not a municipality, the Richmond Fire Protection District will get $150,000 for “public safety improvements and construction of a parking lot”

Maybe you can find more McHenry County pork in House Bill 313.

If you do, please let me know so I can share the information more broadly.