McHenry County Blog

The following press release has been received from the Huntley AAUW:

AAUW branch marks Women’s History Month with rare book donation
to Huntley Area Public Library
Presentation of limited-edition Eleanor Roosevelt family memoir
planned for Wednesday, March 17

HUNTLEY, IL – The AAUW Huntley Area Branch will celebrate Women’s History Month by donating a copy of a rare Eleanor Roosevelt memoir to the permanent collection of the Huntley Area Public Library. Written by Eleanor Roosevelt II, “With Love, Aunt Eleanor: Stories from my Life with the First Lady of the World” offers an intimate picture of one of America’s most beloved – and most controversial – first ladies.  Combining photographs and memorabilia from her own family albums, Eleanor T. Wotkyns, Mrs. Roosevelt’s niece and namesake, tells personal stories of her own experiences with her famous aunt, before and after the White House years.

The scrapbook-style memoir contains over 100 original photos and family artifacts that have never been reproduced anywhere else. The book was published in 2004 by Wotkyn’s son, Lauren Elliott, a award-winning publisher and educational software designer, who also developed Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego series.

In October, 2009, Elliott donated a few copies of “With Love, Aunt Eleanor” to the AAUW Huntley Area Branch to support their “Evening with Eleanor” 125th Birthday Celebration, honoring the former first lady.  Proceeds from that fundraising event were used to benefit AAUW’s local programs and their Eleanor Roosevelt Foundation Fund.

On Wednesday, March 17, the local group will present a limited-edition copy of “With Love, Aunt Eleanor” to Patrick McDonald, director of the Huntley Area Public Library, for use in the library’s permanent collection. Branch members and library officials will gather for a special presentation ceremony at 6:30 p.m. inside the library at 11000 Ruth Road in Huntley, shortly before the regularly scheduled meeting of the library’s board of directors.  The public is invited to attend the ceremony and view photo displays of Mrs. Roosevelt and her public life.

“There has never another First Lady quite like Eleanor Roosevelt, before or since,” said Diane Ayers, branch communications officer. “We hope this book will help people learn more about her remarkable life.”  Starting this year, the AAUW Huntley Area Branch plans to donate another book each March to build an AAUW Women’s History collection at the local library.

Since 1881, AAUW (formerly known as the American Association of University Women) has been the nation’s leading voice promoting education and equity for women and girls. The organization has a nationwide network of nearly 100,000 members, 1,000 local branches, and 500 college and university institution partners.

To learn more about Huntley Area AAUW membership, programs and activities, e-mail huntleyaauw@gmail.com or contact Diane Ayers, branch communications officer, at (847) 669-0848.

Dorr Township Attorney Mark Saladin and Supervisor Bob Pierce

“Filled to capacity” is how one person in attendance last night at the Dorr Township meeting.

The Dorr Township Hall meeting room is small, so that meant about 25 residents were present.

The biggest news was that Supervisor Bob Pierce was granted permission to enter negotiations for the purchase of land, which he said would not be purchased without having a special meeting to get elector approval.

Note that a special meeting is not the same as the annual town meeting, which is usually the best attended meeting of the year.

Pierce said residents “would be surprised.”

Steven Kaiser makes his points.

“Dorr is the fourth largest township with the smallest hall!” he observed.

Legat Architects was also hired to provide “pre-referendum services.”

Public comments came early on with Steve Kaiser, a member of the now-disbanded Dorr Township Citizens Committee, asking about why “soil borings” was changed to “architects.”

Those March 9th soil borings were not presented to the board by the Road Commissioner Tom Thurman because he wanted to seek assistance interpreting them.

With trustees and audience members putting in their two cents about whether the minutes reflected what had occurred at the previous meeting, the exchange got heated.

“This is not going to become another Grafton Township,” Township Supervisor Bob Pierce said.

During the Public Comment section, the Supervisor and Trustees questioned former members of the Dorr Citizens group who presented the petition to rebate taxes. Questions asked included -

1.       How the $1 million number was determined? The officials were told the citizens thought that was the rebate needed to allow a responsible amount to be left over after paying for modifications to garage site and building. After the $1 million rebate, $1.75 million would remain for needed work.

2.       Do you know how difficult and expensive it could be to track down all current and former residents to distribute rebate? Resident Jane Collins explained that in Bourbonnais (a Kankakee County Township) the amount which could not be returned had been given to charitable organizations, after a citizen-initiated motion at an annual town meeting.

Dorr Township Board and attorney

The citizens who proposed the rebate were also asked they thought about the McHenry County Conservation District’s building a visitor center.

Such an argument reminds me of how Grafton Township Trustee Gerry McMahon once listed local governmental entities that had built new administrative facilities—the Huntley School District, the Village of Huntley, McHenry County—as justification for a new Grafton Township Hall.

Township Road Commissioner Tom Thurman suggested some members of the Citizens Committee had “a hidden agenda.” He also said, “We know more than…” the Citizens Committee about what needs to be done.

“You don’t listen to us.”

That prompted a resident Larry Oakford to stand up to chide Thurman, saying his “demeanor is unseemly” and that comments about a hidden agenda were inappropriate. The man also asked about making use of existing space.

Trustee Mark Andersen said the board had been real conservative and was trying to “not drop a bomb on taxpayers.”

The board admitted it had been gradually accumulating funds so they wouldn’t have to go to referendum.

Citizen reading report at the Dorr Township meeting

Everyone knows how hard it is to pass a referendum, Road Commissioner Thurman said.

“The burden is on you to provide a justification about what you do,” Collins suggested, adding that some would say they had been borrowing from the taxpayers without their knowledge and permission since 2002, that what the referendum proposes is a way to pay back some of that loan to the taxpayers.

Thurman said the officials know how to do their job, that citizens shouldn’t be telling them how to do it.

Sue Brokaw, who is bookkeeper and does the General Assistance for Pierce, told the audience they should come to the levy meetings, and so they could do something before the township gets the money instead of complaining about it now.

Board members admitting they had discussed the three building project items “individually” before the meeting.

Vivian Sodini, member of the Dorr Planning Committee, asked why the trustees hadn’t taken the time before last night’s meeting to discuss the details of the recommendations with the committee.

Trustee Joseph Evanoff replied that they didn’t need to because, “We can read.”

When it was revealed that the architects had never been given our report, but had been given a scornful letter written by the one member of the citizens planning committee who thought our only job was to look for land, the audience was stunned. That same member, Ted Anderson, also interviewed architects with Trustee Barry Lamb.

Dorr Township Hall

In discussing one petition question citizens had submitted, it was revealed that the 600 ton capacity included for a new salt shed was based on faulty information. The needed amount being about 4,000 tons, that number was inserted in the question.

“You should have the entire year’s supply” at the start of the season, Road Commissioner Thurman said.

The board decided to put that question to the electors of the annual township meeting.

Members of the disbanded Dorr Township Planning Committee will be allowed make a presentation to electors at the annual meeting, provided they clearly specify they are doing so as electors and not members of the committee.

The meeting will probably be at the High School on South Street in order to hold a larger number of attendees.

Supporters of building a new township hall were also in attendance.

The Northwest Herald has an article about a big Kane County drug bust by state, local and federal officials on the North Central Narcotics Task Force.

Among those arrested was Huntley resident Joe Lichay. Huntley Youth Football lists him as a 2008 coach for the middleweight PAC – White team (click to enlarge).

An email from an official of the youth organization said,

“Mr. Lichay is no longer a coach, board member, or associated with Huntley Youth Football.

“It is very embarrassing since he was a long time member; I guess you never know.  All I can say is he did pass a background check prior to this.”

Lichay and Elginite William Santana are the only local men arrested. A ton of marijuana was involved, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The Huntley School District 158 Board is the first in the area to call for testing those in extracurricular activities for drugs. The board and administration did manage to stall implementation until after last fall’s football season.

Want to give some input to your local state legislators?

Wednesday and Thursday night is the time for those living close to Huntley and Crystal Lake, according to the following press release:

Althoff and Tryon Seek Public Input at Town Hall Meetings

Springfield, IL… State Senator Pamela J. Althoff (R-Crystal Lake) and State Representative Michael Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) are hosting two Town Hall meetings in early December to gather input from those they represent on a variety of issues.   The meetings are free and open to the public.

“Listening to constituents about their concerns is very important to us.  Knowing where our constituents stand on issues is vital to helping us to make the right decisions when faced with tough choices down in Springfield,” said Rep. Tryon.  “I hope area residents will take the time to attend.”

Rep. Tryon and Sen. Althoff will present a brief legislative update, but will primarily be seeking opinions and questions from members of their community.

“I am pleased to host these town hall meetings with Representative Tryon,” said Sen. Althoff.  “These meetings have been very productive in the past and are an excellent opportunity for us to meet with constituents and address their questions and concerns.”

The public should feel free to attend either of the following dates/locations:

7 – 9 p.m., Wednesday, December 9
Huntley Village Hall
10987 Main Street
Huntley City Council Chambers

7 -9 p.m., Thursday, December 10
100 Municipal Complex
Crystal Lake, Illinois 60014
Crystal Lake City Hall

A couple of years ago, my Lakewood village board asked voters for permission to become a Home Rule municipality.

I got unsigned letters in my mailbox, signs sprouted up, the referendum went down to defeat.

A lot of the reason, I suspect is because the Lakewood village board bought the now-named Red Tail Golf Club with revenue bonds that did not work out as the bond guy said they would.  I wish I had been at the meeting when he advised that the revenue bonds be backed up by the full faith and credit of village property owners.

The result when golf course revenue did not provide enough for the bond payments was what amounted to a golf course tax of about $500 a year for the better part of a decade.

Now I see that Huntley has achieved Home Rule status the second way to obtain it–through growing to more than 25,000 population.

And, in the Elgin Courier-News, is an article quoting village Trustee Pam Fender on matters of revenue enhancement:

“Trustee Pam Fender, who recently attended a McHenry County Council of Government workshop on the topic, said there are several ways communities can use their home-rule authority to boost revenue. She cited ways of recouping money spent cleaning up foreclosed properties and the potential for video gaming fees as areas where the new powers could help the village’s bottom line.

The major advantage of a Home Rule unit is that village trustees can raise taxes without a referendum. That’s how the Crystal Lake City Council raised the city sales tax 75%.

Fender, by the way, was one of the most outspoken proponents of building the Grafton Township Hall without a referendum at the annual town meeting.  Click on the photo and you can see her standing next to the township trustees while the votes are being recounted. 

The taxpayer cartoon was in the Chicago Tribune today.  It was drawn by Dana Summees and has a big guy with “LOCAL GOVERNMENTS” lettered across his tee shirt.

An email dropped into my inbox that you might find of interest.  It was an invitation to the launch of a new local newspaper published by the Chicago Tribune.  It will be accompanied by a web site,  which is already active.

Thursday, October 1st, the Chicago Tribune is rolling out a new local newspaper for southeastern McHenry County. It looks it intends to cover all but the most rural county townships.

“We are launching a new local paper called TribLocal for Crystal Lake, Huntley, Woodstock, Lake In the Hills, and McHenry,” writes Brian Newcomb.  “Also, has a online portion at www.triblocal.com.”

“Triblocal is a hyper-local Web site and weekly newspaper that is created through joint cooperation of citizen contributors and Triblocal reporters,” Katie Cousino added.

“We currently have 19 papers covering communities in the Chicago region,” she continued. “On Oct 1st we launch two more papers of which one covers Crystal Lake, McHenry, Huntley, Woodstock, Lake in the Hills and Algonquin.”

“We are targeting everyone who is interested within these communities and surrounding areas to get involved,” Newcomb said.

“Whether it is posting an event or story online for free or spending money to advertise online or in print,we have a solution!” the advertising salesman said.

This sounds a bit like the Little Trib of the 1970’s. That’s where I met reporter Bill Barnhart, who went on to become the editor of the Tribune’s business section and to co-author a biography of Otto Kerner with former State Rep. Gene Schlickman. It was a good read.

For $35 you can help fill the campaign coffers of State Rep. Mike Tryon on August 11th.

He is having his second fish boil at Huntley’s Parkside Pub.

You don’t have to tell the organizers you are coming, but it would be appreciated. Call 847-293-5352 by August 4th.

There are opportunities to contribute more.

Here’s the schedule and titles you could receive:

$1,500 – Shark
$1,000 – Marlin
$750 – Barracuda
$500 – Mahi Mahi
$250 – Catch of the Day

Click to enlarge the flyer.

Wednesday, by the way, is the McHenry County Republican Party’s annual golf outing and dinner. Not to late to make a reservation.

A press release from Don Manzullo:

[WASHINGTON] Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) today requested significant federal funding for priority road and rail projects in McHenry County as part of the next long-range surface transportation funding bill Congress will consider later this year.

Requested projects include:

• Randall Road widening project – The $115 million project calls for widening Randall Road for 3.5 miles and improving the intersections from the McHenry/Kane county line north to Ackman Road. Federal funds would help cover the Phase I and Phase II engineering phases, including land acquisition for the project. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2014.
• Passenger Rail from Chicago through McHenry County to Dubuque, IA – This $185 million project involves extending passenger rail along the Union Pacific tracks from the Elgin Big Timber station through Huntley, Marengo, Belvidere, Rockford, Freeport, Galena to Dubuque, IA. Federal funding could be used for engineering, right-of-way acquisition, construction and rehabilitation of the Union Pacific rail corridor to allow for extended commuter rail service to Rockford and the return of Amtrak service to northern Illinois. Working with U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Manzullo secured $2.4 million in the last federal road bill to help fund the initial studies for the rail extension.

“Randall Road is traveled daily by tens of thousands of McHenry County motorists and is in need of widening to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety. Extended passenger rail through Huntley and Marengo would provide needed transportation alternatives to driving for McHenry County residents,” Manzullo said.

“These federal funds would go a long way to reduce traffic congestion, improve safety, and clean the environment in McHenry County.”

Manzullo has secured significant federal funding for the Western Bypass of Algonquin ($19 million), the Rakow Road widening project in Crystal Lake and Lake in the Hills ($6.4 million), and the Route 47 widening project through Huntley ($6.7 million).

In addition, he worked with Senators Durbin and Obama and the entire Illinois Congressional Delegation to secure an additional $6.2 billion in federal road funds in 2005 for the State of Illinois, a record 30 percent increase from the prior bill.

= = = = =
You see a winter day on Randall Road and a Union Pacific freight train speeding through Marengo.

This post is stimulated by Northwest Herald’s reporter Amber Krosel’s article on Huntley’s approach to the threat posed by the Emerald Ash Borer.

I could just have easily been written as a result of the Chicago Tribune’s large article about Lake Forest’s anemic approach to the invading insect.

Last August I wrote of Certified Master Arborist Wayne Wright’s treatment of the ash that shelters our bedroom.

He came back last month for the first half of this year’s treatment.

The pictures you see here, which he showed me last year–with five years of treatment and without–convinced me.

Cedarburg, Wisconsin, is serious. White treated 972 trees less than 12 inches in diameter there this year.

What I don’t understand is why not even local municipalities designated as “Tree Cities” are asking for bids which would follow in Illinois’ Burr Ridge’s example:

Ask for prices for not only the village-owned trees, but also one that could be used by private ash tree owners.

White’s pitch is here.

Year after year, when the choice came down to pump more money into State Aid to Education or pay pay the state’s share of pension payments, teacher unions took the money and ran.

As far back as the 1970’s, current teacher raises trumped paying for future pensions time and time again.

That’s what hit me while I was reading today’s Chicago Sun-Times editorial entitled,

Teacher union leaders knew that as long as the Illinois Constitution is interpreted by the Illinois Supreme Court–who are in a public pension system just like they and I are–pensions promised would be pensions paid, even before future State Aid to Education.

How disingenuous it is for those in the know (and I’m not counting the Sun-Times editorial writers as necessarily being among such folks) to argue

“That liability, it’s important to note, cannot be blamed on excessively generous pension benefits.

“Instead, it is largely reflects failures year after year by the sate to pay its fair share.”

If you are or were a legislator beholding to the Illinois Education Association or the Illinois Federation of Teachers (and way too many Republicans recruited by Lee Daniels were and are) would you chose to come down on the side of

• the teachers lobbying you and living in your district for higher wages or
• retired teachers who may or may not live in your district, when you know future legislators will have to come up with the pension money, not you?

= = = = =
These striking teachers are from Huntley School District 158. Last year they “settled” for 5.25%, with less in salary in future years, but the difference going to lessen their share of the current teacher pension burden.