McHenry County Blog

At last Thursday’s Crystal Lake Park District board meeting, Jason Herbster was selected to replace long-time Executive Director Kirk Reimer.  Herster is the Director of Recreational Services at the Glenview Park District.

I asked him what he wanted to accomplish as Crystal Lake’s main guy. This was his reply:

herb

New Crystal Lake Park Executive Director Jason Herbster

“As far as what I would see accomplished upon my arrival to Crystal lake in the short term is to review the final Comprehensive Master Plan and begin to prioritize what the plan spells out as being the most important items to complete.

“I have been made aware of some organizational restructuring that may be needed, so that is another area I would plan to focus my attention.

“There are some additional internal items that also need review and possible adjustments.

“Meeting the leaders of the other local units of government, school districts, etc. will also be a priority so I can begin to establish solid working relationships with these groups.”

The park district’s press release follows:

Announcing the new Executive Director of the Crystal Lake Park District…..

The Crystal Lake Park District Board of Commissioners has selected Jason Herbster as the next Executive Director to succeed retiring Executive Director Kirk Reimer.

Herbster brings over 20 years of experience in the field of Parks and Recreation with him to Crystal Lake.

He has worked for park districts in Alsip, Palatine, Schaumburg, and most recently in Glenview as the Director of Recreation Services.

Herbster’s extensive background includes program management, facility management, financial management, facility development and team building.

He has managed the Glenview Park District’s award winning 165,000 square foot Park Center Recreation Center, led the simultaneous construction of two outdoor aquatic centers, and oversaw program participation double in six years.

Herbster has also been instrumental in building and maintaining strong cooperative relationships with other local governmental agencies and school districts and feels it is the key to a well rounded community.

“The timing was right for him to step up to an executive directorship, and his skill set fits in well with our future plans.” -Commissioner Eric Anderson

“We are confident that Jason Herbster can continue to elevate the CLPD, help refine our focus going forward, and play a key role in acquiring the facilities that this community has continually asked for.” -Commissioner Michael Zellmann

On primary election day, pre-schoolers were practicing their soccer moves in the main room of the Main Beach Beach House. One of the instructors looks frustrated.

Crystal Lake Park District Director Kirk Reimer has confirmed that no one currently on the park district staff is under consideration to replace him.

Three “outsiders,” so to speak are under consideration and Reimer said that the selection could be made at this Thursday’s meeting.

Through a hard fought court suit, the Crystal Lake Park District established that it owns most of the bottom of Crystal Lake.

It seems that one of my photos of just installed boat piers may have stimulated discussion concerning park district liability, not to mention other questions about piers, rafts and buoys that rest on that park district property.

Not that the Gate 9 pier you see above is new, but the park district doesn’t have an inventory of what rests on its lake bottom.

When folks noticed that more boats were at the Gate 3 pier, they thought it was new this year. Some research revealed that the Country Club Property Owners Association expanded to the east of the old pier last year.

I talked to park district Executive Director Kirk Reimer. He was concerned about liability. That seems like a reasonable concern. I doubt owners of piers, rafts and buoys have park district taxpayers protected by their insurance policies.

The park board began discussion of the subject at its last meeting and it seems likely to be on the May 15th agenda as well.

“It seems that every year there are more boats moored on the lake,” Reimer observed. “The board is looking at who’s doing what.

“Right now someone could pop a marina in there.”

I’m not sure that is the case, since a commercial establishment would require zoning from Lakewood or Crystal Lake. The chance is zero that Lakewood would allow a business on a lake lot and I think the last commercial establishment on the North Shore was a bar that is now a home site.

There was a bar on the North Shore when we moved here in 1958. I came back from some early morning West End fishing and found a dead guy washed up at the Main Beach boat ramp. He apparently fell out of a row boat owned by the guy with the park district concession on the way back from the bar where the two were drinking. The concessionaire didn’t realized his buddy was missing. I believe the lot now has a home on it.

In any event, regulation of the use of the lake bottom is now in play.

Reimer mentioned one of the topics could be length and size of piers.

“There needs to be some kind of a permitting process,” he told me.

This spring the park board has been publicly chaffing at its lack of vote on the Lake Management Committee. Park Board President Mike Zellman made the pitch to the Crystal Lake Council.

For a decade of so, regulation of use of the lake has been governed by an intergovernmental agreement between the Village of Lakewood and the City of Crystal Lake.

Most on the Crystal Lake City Council saw no problem with adding the park board, but the Lakewood Village Board apparently thought there was no reason to give up the power it now has to protect its South Shore constituents’ rights to use their five beaches and the lake surface, where police power is exerted by the two municipalities.

Most of Crystal Lake is actually located within the boundaries Village of Lakewood, as you can see from the above map. You can see that most of the lake that can be used for water skiing or tubing is within the boundaries of Lakewood.

Lakewood now polices the lake.

This makes logistical sense since the Lakewood Village Hall is on the lake front next to West Beach.

There have been complaints, however, that the patrol issued only warning tickets last year. Surely, some of the offenses were worthy of a citation, the argument goes.

Lakewood residents foresee a 2-1 vote situation where the control is by the two other governments, the vast majority of whose residents never use the lake. They remember the multi-decade effort by park board members to ban power boats from Crystal Lake.

When it became obvious during last August’s flooding that boat wakes were harming lake front property, especially on the North Shore, it was the park district that took the initiative to ask the Crystal Lake City Council and the Lakewood Village Board to issue a “no wake” rule.

Reimer pointed out that the park district got the complaints, but had no power to remedy the problem.

= = = = =
CCAPOA’s Gate 9 pier can be seen on top. Gate 3′s pier is seen empty right after installation in 2008 and full during the flooding in August 2007. I’m told the
concrete structures in the foreground were part of the ice house operation. Below is Crystal Lake Park Board President Mike Zellman urging the Crystal Lake City Council to talk about adding the park district to the Joint Lake Management Committee. Below is a map of Crystal Lake, the lake, showing only the northernmost and eastern section right in front of the Main Beach actually being in the City of Crystal Lake. At the bottom are pictures of the Lakewood Village Hall and the patrol boat on one of the days last August when Crystal Lake was so high. All pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them. The bottom picture was taken May 6, 2008, the day the temperature was over 80 degrees. The boat and skier are in front of the Main Beach Park nearer than not to the outlet.

Through a hard fought court suit, the Crystal Lake Park District established that it owns most of the bottom of Crystal Lake.

It seems that one of my photos of just installed boat piers may have stimulated discussion concerning park district liability, not to mention other questions about piers, rafts and buoys that rest on that park district property.

Not that the Gate 9 pier you see above is new, but the park district doesn’t have an inventory of what rests on its lake bottom.

When folks noticed that more boats were at the Gate 3 pier, they thought it was new this year. Some research revealed that the Country Club Property Owners Association expanded to the east of the old pier last year.

I talked to park district Executive Director Kirk Reimer. He was concerned about liability. That seems like a reasonable concern. I doubt owners of piers, rafts and buoys have park district taxpayers protected by their insurance policies.

The park board began discussion of the subject at its last meeting and it seems likely to be on the May 15th agenda as well.

“It seems that every year there are more boats moored on the lake,” Reimer observed. “The board is looking at who’s doing what.

“Right now someone could pop a marina in there.”

I’m not sure that is the case, since a commercial establishment would require zoning from Lakewood or Crystal Lake. The chance is zero that Lakewood would allow a business on a lake lot and I think the last commercial establishment on the North Shore was a bar that is now a home site.

There was a bar on the North Shore when we moved here in 1958. I came back from some early morning West End fishing and found a dead guy washed up at the Main Beach boat ramp. He apparently fell out of a row boat owned by the guy with the park district concession on the way back from the bar where the two were drinking. The concessionaire didn’t realized his buddy was missing. I believe the lot now has a home on it.

In any event, regulation of the use of the lake bottom is now in play.

Reimer mentioned one of the topics could be length and size of piers.

“There needs to be some kind of a permitting process,” he told me.

This spring the park board has been publicly chaffing at its lack of vote on the Lake Management Committee. Park Board President Mike Zellman made the pitch to the Crystal Lake Council.

For a decade of so, regulation of use of the lake has been governed by an intergovernmental agreement between the Village of Lakewood and the City of Crystal Lake.

Most on the Crystal Lake City Council saw no problem with adding the park board, but the Lakewood Village Board apparently thought there was no reason to give up the power it now has to protect its South Shore constituents’ rights to use their five beaches and the lake surface, where police power is exerted by the two municipalities.

Most of Crystal Lake is actually located within the boundaries Village of Lakewood, as you can see from the above map. You can see that most of the lake that can be used for water skiing or tubing is within the boundaries of Lakewood.

Lakewood now polices the lake.

This makes logistical sense since the Lakewood Village Hall is on the lake front next to West Beach.

There have been complaints, however, that the patrol issued only warning tickets last year. Surely, some of the offenses were worthy of a citation, the argument goes.

Lakewood residents foresee a 2-1 vote situation where the control is by the two other governments, the vast majority of whose residents never use the lake. They remember the multi-decade effort by park board members to ban power boats from Crystal Lake.

When it became obvious during last August’s flooding that boat wakes were harming lake front property, especially on the North Shore, it was the park district that took the initiative to ask the Crystal Lake City Council and the Lakewood Village Board to issue a “no wake” rule.

Reimer pointed out that the park district got the complaints, but had no power to remedy the problem.

= = = = =
CCAPOA’s Gate 9 pier can be seen on top. Gate 3′s pier is seen empty right after installation in 2008 and full during the flooding in August 2007. I’m told the
concrete structures in the foreground were part of the ice house operation. Below is Crystal Lake Park Board President Mike Zellman urging the Crystal Lake City Council to talk about adding the park district to the Joint Lake Management Committee. Below is a map of Crystal Lake, the lake, showing only the northernmost and eastern section right in front of the Main Beach actually being in the City of Crystal Lake. At the bottom are pictures of the Lakewood Village Hall and the patrol boat on one of the days last August when Crystal Lake was so high. All pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them. The bottom picture was taken May 6, 2008, the day the temperature was over 80 degrees. The boat and skier are in front of the Main Beach Park nearer than not to the outlet.

The Crystal Lake Park board hired the firm offering the lowest price to review the city’s watershed manual.

With prices ranging from Christopher B. Burke Engineering’s $6,600 to one coming in at $18,000, the board also selected the firm that would complete the work in the least amount of time.

Burke said it could complete the review in two weeks.

But, besides cost and speed, the Burke firm got highest marks from at least four of the board members. It was also the recommendation of Park Director Kirk Reimer and Park Planner Ann Viger.

“I put all my stars by them,” said Commissioner Candy Reedy.

“So did I,” Dave Phelps added.

Two, Michael Walkup and Eric Anderson, thought the only non-engineering firm in the running—Conservation Designs—would be better.

Walkup did so because “the manual seems to be going in the opposite direction (from conservation design). Engineers tend to think you can engineer a solution (to anything).”

“I agree with Mike,” Eric Anderson said. “It needs more of a conservation design. That was my top choice.”

“I would like to go more with engineers overlooking engineers,” Jerry Sullivan contributed, while agreeing, “The whole idea of it is conservation.

“Are we not seeing things in this manual that could affect us on conservation matters?” he asked. “I would go with Burke.”

“I’m a big fan of engineers,” Richard Sexton said.

During the discussion, Sexton explained that he had found it hard to believe a previous comment made by Walkup about McHenry County College’s wanting to start construction so soon, but now did.

“These guys are looking to stick a shovel in September,” Sexton said. He observed that being able to come back in two weeks with a review of the watershed manual was a good idea.

The vote ended up unanimous in favor of the Burke firm.

After the expression of board opinions, Park Director Reimer pointed out, “The council has put this on hold, too.”

“They were trying to get this through in an ordinance form (but a couple of councilmen brought up concerns).

“I was pleasantly surprised that they were concerned.

“Going (into) that meeting, I thought it was a done deal.”

(See McHenry County Blog articles on the Crystal Lake City Council meeting on September 4, 2007, here and here.)

“(Burke’s price) was far less than we were expecting,” Board President Mike Zellman observed.

“It was the lowest,” Reedy pointed out.

= = = = =
Wouldn’t it be something if the review could be accomplished before the next Crystal Lake City Council meeting?

Mayor Aaron Shepley announced that the watershed manual would be on the agenda and public comments welcomed on Tuesday, September 16th.

The Crystal Lake Park board hired the firm offering the lowest price to review the city’s watershed manual.

With prices ranging from Christopher B. Burke Engineering’s $6,600 to one coming in at $18,000, the board also selected the firm that would complete the work in the least amount of time.

Burke said it could complete the review in two weeks.

But, besides cost and speed, the Burke firm got highest marks from at least four of the board members. It was also the recommendation of Park Director Kirk Reimer and Park Planner Ann Viger.

“I put all my stars by them,” said Commissioner Candy Reedy.

“So did I,” Dave Phelps added.

Two, Michael Walkup and Eric Anderson, thought the only non-engineering firm in the running—Conservation Designs—would be better.

Walkup did so because “the manual seems to be going in the opposite direction (from conservation design). Engineers tend to think you can engineer a solution (to anything).”

“I agree with Mike,” Eric Anderson said. “It needs more of a conservation design. That was my top choice.”

“I would like to go more with engineers overlooking engineers,” Jerry Sullivan contributed, while agreeing, “The whole idea of it is conservation.

“Are we not seeing things in this manual that could affect us on conservation matters?” he asked. “I would go with Burke.”

“I’m a big fan of engineers,” Richard Sexton said.

During the discussion, Sexton explained that he had found it hard to believe a previous comment made by Walkup about McHenry County College’s wanting to start construction so soon, but now did.

“These guys are looking to stick a shovel in September,” Sexton said. He observed that being able to come back in two weeks with a review of the watershed manual was a good idea.

The vote ended up unanimous in favor of the Burke firm.

After the expression of board opinions, Park Director Reimer pointed out, “The council has put this on hold, too.”

“They were trying to get this through in an ordinance form (but a couple of councilmen brought up concerns).

“I was pleasantly surprised that they were concerned.

“Going (into) that meeting, I thought it was a done deal.”

(See McHenry County Blog articles on the Crystal Lake City Council meeting on September 4, 2007, here and here.)

“(Burke’s price) was far less than we were expecting,” Board President Mike Zellman observed.

“It was the lowest,” Reedy pointed out.

= = = = =
Wouldn’t it be something if the review could be accomplished before the next Crystal Lake City Council meeting?

Mayor Aaron Shepley announced that the watershed manual would be on the agenda and public comments welcomed on Tuesday, September 16th.

Reporting, “We get twice the water coming into Crystal Lake as is leaving,” Park District Director Kirk Reimer asked to Crystal Lake and Lakewood to impose a “no wake” rule until the lake level fell.

A pretty free-wielding discussion ensued in which Lakewood Village Trustee Carl Davis suggested promotion of a voluntary “no wake” compliance and the Crystal Lake City Council decided to meet in emergency session Thursday night at 7 to consider the issue.

“We have a glass of water that’s very full now,” Davis said. “When yo have a full glass of water, you walk very carefully.”

Only court imposed requirements that an item must be on a city agenda to be considered valid kept the council from acting Tuesday night.

The city clearly hopes to convince Lakewood Village Trustees to act later this week in an emergency meeting—much sooner than its regularly scheduled August 28th meeting.

Reimer reported that the lake was twelve inches above the spillway at the outlet and he was getting calls about how boat wakes were or potentially could damage piers, boats and lake front property.

“There are piers on the lake that are basically under water. The west end of the Main Beach is one inch below the seawall.”

(You can see both a pier under water and the seawall west of the outlet yesterday in this article.)

He suggested “making the lake ‘no wake’ until it recedes down to a normal level.”

“How does it compare with this spring?” newly elected city councilman Brett Hopkins asked.

“It’s six inches higher than this spring,” Reimer replied. “Half of Lippold Park is under water.

“How long (would the ‘no wake’ policy last)?” Cathy Ferguson inquired.

“If the lake goes down 2 inches, three inches. I just want people to know that this is not of a capricious nature.”

Previously, Davis has suggested the “no wake” policy until the lake went down 3 inches.

“It takes a couple of days for water to get to Lippold Park (from farther north in the watershed).

“The park district really has now say,” Reimer pointed out.

The intergovernmental agreement governing boat operation on Crystal Lake was hammered out over a period of years between the City of Crystal Lake and the Village of Lakewood. Most of the lake’s surface is in Lakewood.

“Can’t the piers be raised?” asked Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller.

Shepley then invited Lakewood Village Trustee Carl Davis to speak.

Davis pointed out that two weeks ago when the lake was three inches lower the lake level “wasn’t causing any problem.”

Lakefront property owner Harv Pautz was on unhappy camper.

“I live on the lake and it went from 1 inch below to flowing over the seawall causing a lot of property erosion.

Around Oak Court, the erosion is happening right now!

“The wake is what’s killing us.”

Ironically, the wake caused by the police boat.was mentioned at the council meeting.

“I too live on the lake. I think this board needs to take more aggressive action,” a man whose name I wrote down as “Ken Kamal” said.

“Just put up ‘no wake’ signs.

“How difficult can it be?

“Don’t be a Bilandic-Jane Byrne.

“Then, the board should implement a long-range solution”

“I saw the police boat out there about 4 o’clock creating a wake. He wasn’t chasing anyone.”

“Has anyone been down to the lake to take a look?” another man asked.

“You need to do something period.”

After this criticism the council started talking about having an emergency meeting.

Having made the decision, Councilman Ralph Dawson unloaded on the critics:
“We may sit up here saying nothing looking like dummies.

“I take it personal when you say I’m not concerned.”

He then told of twice going to see what was happening on the North Shore, I think.

“I’ll second that,” said Ferguson.

“I’ll third it,” Brady added.

Park District Director Kirk Reimer was given the microphone during a moved-up “Mayor’s Report” at the beginning of the Crystal Lake City Council last night. One can only imagine that the subject was discussed behind closed doors when Shepley, Reimer, Park Board President Mike Zellman and, perhaps, others met secretly at 6:30 behind locked doors.

= = = = =
All pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them. Only the one of Crystal Lake Ralph Dawson was not taken yesterday.

When I asked the Crystal Lake City Manager’s office where the 6:30 meeting was going to be held last night, I was told that it would be in the little room to the right of the city council chambers.

When I asked Crystal Lake Park District Director Kirk Reimer who was attending the 6:30 meeting, he told me that Board President Mike Zellman and he would be there

I guess that explains why the Crystal Lake Park District web site didn’t mention the meeting.

Looking on the Crystal Lake city web site, I found no public notice of meeting either.

So I assume that the park district officials did not meet with a majority of city council, because it would have been illegal not to give public notice.

Even so, Zellman met with someone at the city, presumably Mayor Aaron Shepley and at least the city manager.

Former State Rep. Rosemary Kurtz, citizen George Boulet and I stood outside the locked doors to city hall from 6:30 until they were opened shortly before the announced 7:30 city council meeting.

So, what did Zellman and Shepley discuss?

I’m told it was about the park district’s concerns with the city’s attempt to allow McHenry County College cover 50% of its property with impervious roofs and parking lots.

If you see any of the folks who were probably there, ask them what they were deciding behind closed doors.

And, if you see Mayor Shepley, you might remind him of what he said during his “Mayor’s Report” when lake front citizens pushed the council to take action to institute a no wake policy to ease erosion and prevent damage to boats and piers:

“The whole purpose of the Open Meetings Act is to prevent public bodies from doing things out of the public eye.”

Of course, Shepley would point out that since neither a majority of the city council nor a majority of the park board were in the meeting that the Open Meetings Act was not violated.

I will grant him that, but, considering the secrecy of both the city and McHenry County College on a baseball stadium that has been in the works for over two years, something is certainly needed “to prevent public bodies from doing things out of the public eye.”

= = = = =
The pictures show Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley turning around after coming to the threshold of the Crystal Lake City Council Chambers and, then, returning for the meeting.

Reporting, “We get twice the water coming into Crystal Lake as is leaving,” Park District Director Kirk Reimer asked to Crystal Lake and Lakewood to impose a “no wake” rule until the lake level fell.

A pretty free-wielding discussion ensued in which Lakewood Village Trustee Carl Davis suggested promotion of a voluntary “no wake” compliance and the Crystal Lake City Council decided to meet in emergency session Thursday night at 7 to consider the issue.

“We have a glass of water that’s very full now,” Davis said. “When yo have a full glass of water, you walk very carefully.”

Only court imposed requirements that an item must be on a city agenda to be considered valid kept the council from acting Tuesday night.

The city clearly hopes to convince Lakewood Village Trustees to act later this week in an emergency meeting—much sooner than its regularly scheduled August 28th meeting.

Reimer reported that the lake was twelve inches above the spillway at the outlet and he was getting calls about how boat wakes were or potentially could damage piers, boats and lake front property.

“There are piers on the lake that are basically under water. The west end of the Main Beach is one inch below the seawall.”

(You can see both a pier under water and the seawall west of the outlet yesterday in this article.)

He suggested “making the lake ‘no wake’ until it recedes down to a normal level.”

“How does it compare with this spring?” newly elected city councilman Black Hobson asked.

“It’s six inches higher than this spring,” Reimer replied. “Half of Lippold Park is under water.

“How long (would the ‘no wake’ policy last)?” Cathy Ferguson inquired.

“If the lake goes down 2 inches, three inches. I just want people to know that this is not of a capricious nature.”

Previously, Davis has suggested the “no wake” policy until the lake went down 3 inches.

“It takes a couple of days for water to get to Lippold Park (from farther north in the watershed).

“The park district really has now say,” Reimer pointed out.

The intergovernmental agreement governing boat operation on Crystal Lake was hammered out over a period of years between the City of Crystal Lake and the Village of Lakewood. Most of the lake’s surface is in Lakewood.

“Can’t the piers be raised?” asked Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller.

Shepley then invited Lakewood Village Trustee Carl Davis to speak.

Davis pointed out that two weeks ago when the lake was three inches lower the lake level “wasn’t causing any problem.”

Lakefront property owner Harv Pautz was on unhappy camper.

“I live on the lake and it went from 1 inch below to flowing over the seawall causing a lot of property erosion.

Around Oak Court, the erosion is happening right now!

“The wake is what’s killing us.”

Ironically, the wake caused by the police boat.was mentioned at the council meeting.

“I too live on the lake. I think this board needs to take more aggressive action,” a man whose name I wrote down as “Ken Kamal” said.

“Just put up ‘no wake’ signs.

“How difficult can it be?

“Don’t be a Bilandic-Jane Byrne.

“Then, the board should implement a long-range solution”

“I saw the police boat out there about 4 o’clock creating a wake. He wasn’t chasing anyone.”

“Has anyone been down to the lake to take a look?” another man asked.

“You need to do something period.”

After this criticism the council started talking about having an emergency meeting.

Having made the decision, Councilman Ralph Dawson unloaded on the critics:
“We may sit up here saying nothing looking like dummies.

“I take it personal when you say I’m not concerned.”

He then told of twice going to see what was happening on the North Shore, I think.

“I’ll second that,” said Ferguson.

“I’ll third it,” Brady added.

Park District Director Kirk Reimer was given the microphone during a moved-up “Mayor’s Report” at the beginning of the Crystal Lake City Council last night. One can only imagine that the subject was discussed behind closed doors when Shepley, Reimer, Park Board President Mike Zellman and, perhaps, others met secretly at 6:30 behind locked doors.

= = = = =
All pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them. Only the one of Crystal Lake Ralph Dawson was not taken yesterday.

Two days after the rain pretty much stopped, Crystal Lake is still rising.

It is twelve inches above the spillway of the little dam at Crystal Lake’s outlet, according to Park District Director Kirk Reimer

One can only wonder what would happen if McHenry County College and other developers in the lake’s watershed north of town get their way in covering 50% (or all, as the proposed watershed ordinance says would be possible on the last line of the last page) of their property with impervious roofs and asphalt.

The experts have said that the only difference that will occur once the watershed has
been turned from open space to stores, a baseball field and parking lots will be that the runoff will come faster.

That will mean faster flooding for many Crystal Lake area residents.

How high was the water?

Ducks were swimming across the end of the pier where we dock out boat.

The pier at Lakewood’s Gate 7 was covered with water.

You can see the two boys splashing to a truncated end.

A leatherback turtle was sunning itself at Gate 3’s pier. It was huge.

My son once found a baby leatherback that we took to the Nature Center.

This one was a big one. I hope the picture I got allows you to see it. I didn’t have time to put on the long lens before the turtle slid into Crystal Lake.

The Main Beach had water up to the concrete wall.

A lifeguard were cautioning of the possibility of e. coli. The beach manager told me the McHenry County Health Department will test tomorrow morning and he expects to have results, which will be posted on the Health Department’s web site, this afternoon.

With everyone on septic tanks around Wonder Lake, I can understand why people wouldn’t want to go swimming there after a lot of rain.

Crystal Lake has gotten rid of most of the septic tanks, however.

Naoki Kamijima Park across from the Country Store was even wetter.

Wood chips had floated beyond the fence toward North Avenue.

Water covered the sidewalk.

I took my shoes off to walk from where I parked to North Avenue and back.

The outlet at the Main Beach was about three-quarters full.

My wife says she remembers the water running over Lake Avenue because the capacity of the culvert beneath the street was insufficient. That was about the time we were married…what 17 years ago.

In my advancing stage of memory loss, I can’t remember that.

Lakewood’s Broadway was flooded in the Grafton Township portion.

The south side of the road was blocked off several places.

= = = = =
All pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them. The one of the water surging into Cress Creek is something I have never seen before…probably because I just started looking.