McHenry County Blog

Saturday’s column by Northwest Herald Editor Dan McCaleb started out praising Woodstock for not raising taxes to pay for something planned but not without financing.

McCaleb lays that off against Prairie Grove Grade School District 46’s defeated and retiring board members having extended the contract of Superintendent Mary Fasbender and given her a raise, despite a probably majority against that position when new members are sworn in.

He also points out McHenry County College Board members’ keeping resigned MCC President Walt Packard on the payroll for $200,000 a year for over a year.

The NW Herald editor reminds readers that neither the college nor the Prairie Grove board members would explain their actions.

Friday afternoon I talked to the attorney for the college and asked for whatever statement had been sent the Herald. That was after asking media person Christina Haggerty for the same thing.

Neither managed to get me anything.

So, despite the bright spot in Woodstock, I would conclude that McCaleb is too optimistic about government.

It is not unpredictable.

It is all too predictable.

Certainly that is the case with McHenry County’s very junior College and Prairie Grove Grade School.

If either can hide information from the public each will do and has consistently done so.

State law was changed to allow it, so that makes it good judgment, I guess.

Before Thursday night’s action, the McHenry County College Board required prior approval for all purchases over $5,000.

Trust, what a wonderful human characteristic.

Checks and balances?

That went out with the Federalist Papers.

I’m still waiting for finance guy who looks over the president’s invoices to tell me if President Walt Packard apparently inadvertently charged his wife’s meal on the voucher I found from a trip to Washington or New York City.

The graphic is compliments of Crystal Lake Heck of a Guy blogger Allan Showalter. He is probably best known locally for his Dick Tracy for County Seal campaign.

Are you curious enough about what is written on the parachute and the billboard to click on the image to enlarge it?

In the “Are You Nuts?” category is Northwest Herald reporter Brett Rowland’s story about last night MCC Board meeting.

McHenry County College folks get quite irritated when I call it a “junior” college.

Of course, that’s what it was created to be, this witness remembers. When discussions were going on to determine its name, however, the board decided to leave that word out.

Somewhere along the way, college folks decided they wanted to be called a “community” college. I guess it sounded more prestigious.

But, the McHenry County College board acts like a “junior” college much too often.

Community input is only wanted under tightly controlled circumstances under the $137,750 guidance of tax hike experts Unicom-ARC out of St. Louis. The community is held in such disdain by the board that the subject of public comments at board meetings is not even recorded in the minutes.

Consider the baseball stadium fiasco. Secret meetings, of course. The public was not allowed to see the details of the deal and an insider non-bid contract forbade competitive bids or contracts the public could examine. And there was a competitor out there.

Months went by before the public was informed of the college’s plans. And months more before more or less meaningful details were released to the public.

Little wonder why.

For almost the entire debate prior to the city council vote, the public was led to believe that the baseball stadium would bring in 64% of the project revenues. That’s what the Northwest Herald reported MCC President Walt Packard said in early June, 2007.

But, he admitted to me in March, 2008, that he misspoke in that interview. No correction was ever run in the Northwest Herald.

64% is significantly more than what the baseball stadium expansion would cost, it was argued. The baseball team would subsidize the nursing program.

But that was false.

The first ERA report seemed to say the answer provided these figures for the baseball part of the proposal:

Does anyone think the fact that the baseball stadium would not even pay its own way would have been a deal-breaker, if made public?

And consider the top secret, hush, hush, almost 12-month process of considering selling a 400 foot by 400 foot corner of MCC to BMB Communications Management on which to build the tallest free standing radio-TV broadcast tower (1,500 feet) in the country.

Still no meaningful details about the college’s consideration of the project have been released. Just the proposed contract and information that the prospective buyer wishes the public to see.

We ordinary citizens, you see, are not smart enough to evaluate any such due diligence on our own…assuming there was any due diligence…of which there is no evidence on the public record except for insurance concerns.

The first night BMB came to a board meeting way back in February 2008, I and others were illegally threatened with arrest while standing outside the college’s secret meeting and kicked out of the building.

That was after a college security guard got a cell phone call from within the board meeting room.

Before that, Packard’s moving the American flag to block my view of the meeting ranks as one of the most bizarre events in my 42 years of interaction with McHenry County officials. (That’s his head behind the flag.)

If the tower is built, the public will remember Packard as the man who led the way to the landmark that will identify the college’s location from 30 miles out. The bright white and red strobe lights will be impossible to miss.

But, there still is nothing anyone can look at to see what it will look like that is anything close to reality.

MCC board members apparently acting like a junior college board again last night.

And, I considered attending the meeting, but thought it would be boring. Guess I should have read the revised agenda.

Brett Rowland’s article reports the board, which had strangely named Walt Packard, “President Emeritus,” when he resigned at February’s meeting to take care of his ailing wife

It seemed strange at the time.

Here’s what the press release said:

“The Board of Trustees of McHenry County College and Dr. Walt Packard wish to mutually announce that Dr. Packard will be stepping down as the College’s President and assuming the position of President Emeritus effective February 26,2009.

“The Board greatly appreciates Dr. Packard’s service, and acknowledges his contributions, to the College and the College community as President.

“The College will continue to move forward on initiatives begun under Dr. Packard including the Academic Quality Improvement Program, implementation of the new ERP system, and the McHenry County College Promise.”

Included in the press release was a statement from Packard, which concluded with

“I look forward to serving in my new role as President Emeritus.”

I image so.

Over $200,000 in cash benefits, plus health insurance for him and his wife.

Quite a golden parachute.

The best comment below the Northwest Herald article came from MohawkChieftain:

“Maybe we can hang the lot of ‘em from their new tower!”

Oops.

Wrong Tower.

Another commenter “ohmygosh” notes:

“Speaking of wasted tax dollars, is it really necessary to hold tonight’s President’s Reception at Boulder Ridge Country Club with hors d’oeuvres beginning at 4:30? Don’t we already spend our tax dollars on the campus buildings which will, most likely, have empty conference rooms at the same time?”

Interim college President Brian Segar announced he was retiring at the end of June.

The following press release has been issued by McHenry County College’s Board of Trustees:

MCHENRY COUNTY COLLEGE PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[Friday, February 27, 2009]

The Board of Trustees of McHenry County College and Dr. Walt Packard wish to mutually announce that Dr. Packard will be stepping down as the College’s President and assuming the position of President Emeritus effective February 26,2009.

The Board greatly appreciates Dr. Packard’s service, and acknowledges his contributions, to the College and the College community as President.

The College will continue to move forward on initiatives begun under Dr. Packard including the Academic Quality Improvement Program, implementation of the new ERP system, and the McHenry County College Promise.

The College will immediately begin the process of searching for a permanent replacement for Dr. Packard. The College is currently reviewing options on the appointment of an Interim President. In the meantime, Dr. Brian Sager will serve as the Acting President. (Sager previously announced his retirement at the end of June.)

A statement from Dr. Packard follows:

“I wish to thank the Board of Trustees, administration, staff and faculty for having the opportunity to lead McHenry County College for nearly six marvelous years, one of the finest community colleges in Illinois and the nation.

“Over the last several months, the stress of coping with my wife’s ongoing illness led me to work with the Board of Trustees to seek a reassignment in my duties.

“The College is well-positioned to continue its outstanding service to our community as it moves forward with its implementation of a new ERP system, its community engagement project, and of course its continued integration of the principles of the Academic Quality Improvement Program into the fabric of the institution.

“And, without a doubt, the MCC Promise will continue to create excitement for the College and our community— what a time to be part of the College family.

“I look forward to serving in my new role as President Emeritus.”

While Packard will undoubtedly be remembered for the McHenry County Promise free tuition program, he will also be remembered as the leader of one of the most secretive government operations in McHenry County history.

The minor league baseball stadium fiasco comes immediately to mind. Months went by before the public was informed of the college’s plans. And months more before more or less meaningful details were released to the public.

And the almost 12-month process of considering selling a 400 foot by 400 foot corner of MCC to BMB Communications Management on which to build the largest free standing radio-TV broadcast tower in the country is certainly one I’ll remember.

Still no meaningful details about the college’s consideration of the project have been released. Just the proposed contract and information that the prospective buyer wishes the public to see.

The first night BMB came to a board meeting, I and others were illegally threatened with arrest while standing outside the college’s secret meeting.

That was after a college security guard got a cell phone call from within the board meeting room.

Before that, Packard’s moving the American flag to block my view of the meeting ranks as one of the most bizarre events in my 42 years of interaction with McHenry County officials.

If the tower is built, the public will remember Packard as the man who led the way to the landmark that will identify the college’s location from 30 miles out. The bright white and red strobe lights will be impossible to miss.

I am sure that everyone wishes him Godspeed in his personal life.

= = = = =
The man on top is outgoing MCC President Walt Packard. Below is Acting President Brian Sager. The antennae shown are representations of the 1,500 foot tower provided by BMB Communications Management. The one on the left shows its flexibility in a strong wind. The melting minor league baseball stadium was created by Heck of a Guy Crystal Lake blogger Alan Showalter. The head behind the American Flag being moved to block a view of the first secret meeting about the broadcast tower is Dr. Packard’s.

Chicago media didn’t notice on their own, even though the Chicago Tribune sent a reporter for a while to the BMB Communications Management presentation of its proposal to build a 1,500 foot free standing broadcast radio and TV tower.

Saturday night, ABC Channel 7 ran a short story http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=274044&src=4 that, having seen the AP story in the Daily Herald Sunday, I’d guess was its source.

The Northwest Herald also ran a front page story with more information from the Wednesday meeting.

I still this McHenry County Blog’s article http://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2009/02/mega-tower-details-presented-to-public.html is the most complete.

= = = = =
The woman in the photo is a Tribune reporter interviewing BMB Communications Management spokesman John Maguire before last Wednesday’s McHenry County College Board meeting.

There is another board meeting tonight at MCC at 6 PM.

Chicago media didn’t notice on their own, even though the Chicago Tribune sent a reporter for a while to the BMB Communications Management presentation of its proposal to build a 1,500 foot free standing broadcast radio and TV tower.

Saturday night, ABC Channel 7 ran a short story http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=274044&src=4 that, having seen the AP story in the Daily Herald Sunday, I’d guess was its source.

The Northwest Herald also ran a front page story with more information from the Wednesday meeting.

I still this McHenry County Blog’s article http://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2009/02/mega-tower-details-presented-to-public.html is the most complete.

= = = = =
The woman in the photo is a Tribune reporter interviewing BMB Communications Management spokesman John Maguire before last Wednesday’s McHenry County College Board meeting.

There is another board meeting tonight at MCC at 6 PM.

The following was written by a Crystal Lake pilot. Here is the story about last Wednesday’s McHenry County College Board meeting.

The Towering Inferno

This business proposal is to construct a 1,500 foot AGL (Above Ground Level) communications tower only two miles north of Crystal Lake. To paraphrase the movie ‘Jerry Maguire’, several members of the McHenry County College (MCC) Board might as well have said ‘You had me at $6 million dollars’.

You can’t blame them entirely for considering selling a few of acres of land, adjacent to the county college, for what appears to be a healthy offer from John Maguire (unrelated) and Oklahoma’s BMB Communications. Its stated purpose is to provide radio transmission facilities, which may seem a redundant and unnecessary service to anyone dialing their car radio.

It is a one-time large injection of capital into the immediate area for its construction and another into MCC’s coffers to purchase land.

BMB has been in touch with the MCC board for a year or so and this presentation to them and members of the community touched on several concerns the local residents might have.

Many issues – potential collapse of the tower, considerable construction traffic on existing school roads, possible health risks due to transmission signals, and hazards to aircraft traffic – were touched on.

They are very proud of their proposed project, which would be the Largest Self- Supporting Radio Tower on the Planet.

Aside from the John Hancock building whose antenna masts also rise to 1,500 feet AGL and the Sears Tower at 1,730 feet AGL, you would have to go out west of Cedar Rapid, IA (1,518 feet), west of Madison, WI (1,423 feet), or north of La Crosse, WI (1,589 feet) to find any obstruction of similar height.

Most of the radio towers of this size are clustered near similarly sized obstacles or out in the boondocks, out of sight and out of harms way.

Compensation to MCC based on a half dozen planned radio stations seems out of proportion to its size and is suspiciously incomplete. My own expertise in the electronic or structural risks posed by the tower’s presence is non-existent.

However, two of the issues, one addressed and one avoided, need examination.

First – one presenter stated the tower is far enough away from O’Hare so that it wouldn’t pose a problem.

This is absolutely untrue.

The presence of O’Hare and its unusual controlled airspace design forces local and transient aircraft to fly below its ‘upside-down wedding cake’ shape. An aircraft transiting the area would be stuck between a 1,500 foot AGL tower and below the restricted airspace at 3,000 foot AGL. With the impending expansion of O’Hare and its airspace, aircraft may be pushed even lower and closer to the tower.

More importantly, there are eighteen general aviation airports with 35 miles of MCC with training, business, and transient aircraft arriving and departing. The closest is Lake in the Hill Airport (LITH) only four miles south of MCC, placing the radio tower within the normal airport traffic area. Arriving traffic for LITH enter at 800 feet AGL, an altitude just about halfway down the radio tower.

Additionally, Centegra Hospital two miles away and Northern Illinois Medical Center six miles away dispatch emergency helicopters for local residents’ medical needs. Just this week the Aurora emergency helicopter service, Air Angels, shutdown after its second fatal accident. In October 2008, an Air Angels helicopter hit a much smaller local radio tower and then crashed below. Having the radio tower adjacent to a large and growing college campus poses this additional risk.

Even ignoring these factors, general aviation aircraft, flying East to West, routinely avoid flying over Lake Michigan for safety reasons, adding to the existing Northbound and Southbound transient traffic. This is particularly true in late summer when the annual Oshkosh (WI) gathering beckons and hundreds of amateur and professional pilots gather there and pass through our area.

Flying around a radio tower can be challenging – particularly for a transient pilot unaware of its existence.

Current federal visibility minimums combined with other flying duty distractions at low altitudes compresses time to maneuver away.

At night, skeletal constructions can be nearly invisible as radio tower lighting blends in with ground light sources, both on either side and through the radio tower. The aircraft’s altitude is its best safety margin and is unavailable at the proposed sight. In Mr. Maguire’s own words during the Q & A session, he stated,

‘If I were a pilot, I wouldn’t want this tower here either.’

Secondly – for a one-time infusion of capital during its construction, the local community will be looking at a massive skeletal structure, flashing a myriad of high intensity white and red hazard lights, 24 hours a day, – forever.

Imagine Paris’ Eiffel Tower (1,063 feet AGL), but 50% taller, not nearly as attractive, just north of our lake, without any associated employment, business related functions, or revenue streams.

It will be the first thing you see at dawn and the last thing at dusk – and all night if you can’t sleep. It will also be the first thing any prospective buyer of your home will see and not a charming quality when negotiating purchase price. It will be an undesirable element added to an already challenging real estate market.

Having the Largest Self-Supporting Tower on the Planet in your backyard is like having the Largest Battery on the Planet in your laptop computer; it is a huge disadvantage.

This gargantuan tower will be no economic boon to the community nor a tourist attraction.

In the future, its vacant lofty structure could be the sight of countless additional transmitters, not included in the health risk assessment.

A failed business plan or mismanagement could make it a dysfunctional eyesore with no one to pay for its dismantlement.

Its eternal winking bright lights will be a reminder of the past’s short sightedness.

BMB Associates will be back in Oklahoma, not living in its shadow.

It’s just business.

McHenry County College has meetings Monday night at 6 PM, where the issue is on the agenda (click to enlarge) and will be discussed, and, if the board decides to discuss it Thursday night, the meeting will be at 7 PM. It does not seem to be on the agenda now. Whether it is on the agenda or not, people are allowed three minutes to state their opinion near the beginning of the meeting.

The two tower renderings were in the presentation last Wednesday night. On the left is what it will look like bending under a 40 mile per hour wind.

Below, the principles talk to Trustee Donna Kurtz and student Trustee Tom Kendzie before the meeting. Kendzie is on the stairs. From left to right are Professional Engineer Ernie Jones, local attorney Tom Zanck, BMB’s John Maguire and radio engineer Al Kirschner. Kurtz has her back to the camera.

The plane landing at O’Hare, seen here behind the Hyatt Hotel, was taken from the tollway.

The tower you see is what was presented to the college board.

The Eiffel Tower has been superimposed on the MCC campus in the next photo.

The following was written by a Crystal Lake pilot. Here is the story about last Wednesday’s McHenry County College Board meeting.

The Towering Inferno

This business proposal is to construct a 1,500 foot AGL (Above Ground Level) communications tower only two miles north of Crystal Lake. To paraphrase the movie ‘Jerry Maguire’, several members of the McHenry County College (MCC) Board might as well have said ‘You had me at $6 million dollars’.

You can’t blame them entirely for considering selling a few of acres of land, adjacent to the county college, for what appears to be a healthy offer from John Maguire (unrelated) and Oklahoma’s BMB Communications. Its stated purpose is to provide radio transmission facilities, which may seem a redundant and unnecessary service to anyone dialing their car radio.

It is a one-time large injection of capital into the immediate area for its construction and another into MCC’s coffers to purchase land.

BMB has been in touch with the MCC board for a year or so and this presentation to them and members of the community touched on several concerns the local residents might have.

Many issues – potential collapse of the tower, considerable construction traffic on existing school roads, possible health risks due to transmission signals, and hazards to aircraft traffic – were touched on.

They are very proud of their proposed project, which would be the Largest Self- Supporting Radio Tower on the Planet.

Aside from the John Hancock building whose antenna masts also rise to 1,500 feet AGL and the Sears Tower at 1,730 feet AGL, you would have to go out west of Cedar Rapid, IA (1,518 feet), west of Madison, WI (1,423 feet), or north of La Crosse, WI (1,589 feet) to find any obstruction of similar height.

Most of the radio towers of this size are clustered near similarly sized obstacles or out in the boondocks, out of sight and out of harms way.

Compensation to MCC based on a half dozen planned radio stations seems out of proportion to its size and is suspiciously incomplete. My own expertise in the electronic or structural risks posed by the tower’s presence is non-existent.

However, two of the issues, one addressed and one avoided, need examination.

First – one presenter stated the tower is far enough away from O’Hare so that it wouldn’t pose a problem.

This is absolutely untrue.

The presence of O’Hare and its unusual controlled airspace design forces local and transient aircraft to fly below its ‘upside-down wedding cake’ shape. An aircraft transiting the area would be stuck between a 1,500 foot AGL tower and below the restricted airspace at 3,000 foot AGL. With the impending expansion of O’Hare and its airspace, aircraft may be pushed even lower and closer to the tower.

More importantly, there are eighteen general aviation airports with 35 miles of MCC with training, business, and transient aircraft arriving and departing. The closest is Lake in the Hill Airport (LITH) only four miles south of MCC, placing the radio tower within the normal airport traffic area. Arriving traffic for LITH enter at 800 feet AGL, an altitude just about halfway down the radio tower.

Additionally, Centegra Hospital two miles away and Northern Illinois Medical Center six miles away dispatch emergency helicopters for local residents’ medical needs. Just this week the Aurora emergency helicopter service, Air Angels, shutdown after its second fatal accident. In October 2008, an Air Angels helicopter hit a much smaller local radio tower and then crashed below. Having the radio tower adjacent to a large and growing college campus poses this additional risk.

Even ignoring these factors, general aviation aircraft, flying East to West, routinely avoid flying over Lake Michigan for safety reasons, adding to the existing Northbound and Southbound transient traffic. This is particularly true in late summer when the annual Oshkosh (WI) gathering beckons and hundreds of amateur and professional pilots gather there and pass through our area.

Flying around a radio tower can be challenging – particularly for a transient pilot unaware of its existence.

Current federal visibility minimums combined with other flying duty distractions at low altitudes compresses time to maneuver away.

At night, skeletal constructions can be nearly invisible as radio tower lighting blends in with ground light sources, both on either side and through the radio tower. The aircraft’s altitude is its best safety margin and is unavailable at the proposed sight. In Mr. Maguire’s own words during the Q & A session, he stated,

‘If I were a pilot, I wouldn’t want this tower here either.’

Secondly – for a one-time infusion of capital during its construction, the local community will be looking at a massive skeletal structure, flashing a myriad of high intensity white and red hazard lights, 24 hours a day, – forever.

Imagine Paris’ Eiffel Tower (1,063 feet AGL), but 50% taller, not nearly as attractive, just north of our lake, without any associated employment, business related functions, or revenue streams.

It will be the first thing you see at dawn and the last thing at dusk – and all night if you can’t sleep. It will also be the first thing any prospective buyer of your home will see and not a charming quality when negotiating purchase price. It will be an undesirable element added to an already challenging real estate market.

Having the Largest Self-Supporting Tower on the Planet in your backyard is like having the Largest Battery on the Planet in your laptop computer; it is a huge disadvantage.

This gargantuan tower will be no economic boon to the community nor a tourist attraction.

In the future, its vacant lofty structure could be the sight of countless additional transmitters, not included in the health risk assessment.

A failed business plan or mismanagement could make it a dysfunctional eyesore with no one to pay for its dismantlement.

Its eternal winking bright lights will be a reminder of the past’s short sightedness.

BMB Associates will be back in Oklahoma, not living in its shadow.

It’s just business.

McHenry County College has meetings Monday night at 6 PM, where the issue is on the agenda (click to enlarge) and will be discussed, and, if the board decides to discuss it Thursday night, the meeting will be at 7 PM. It does not seem to be on the agenda now. Whether it is on the agenda or not, people are allowed three minutes to state their opinion near the beginning of the meeting.

The two tower renderings were in the presentation last Wednesday night. On the left is what it will look like bending under a 40 mile per hour wind.

Below, the principles talk to Trustee Donna Kurtz and student Trustee Tom Kendzie before the meeting. Kendzie is on the stairs. From left to right are Professional Engineer Ernie Jones, local attorney Tom Zanck, BMB’s John Maguire and radio engineer Al Kirschner. Kurtz has her back to the camera.

The plane landing at O’Hare, seen here behind the Hyatt Hotel, was taken from the tollway.

The tower you see is what was presented to the college board.

The Eiffel Tower has been superimposed on the MCC campus in the next photo.

McHenry County College just bought the 57-acre Gilger property north and east of the current Crystal Lake campus for $67,000 an acre.

BMB Communications Management is now offering MCC $6 million for 3.6 acres.

That’s $1.67 million per acre.

I did a little division.

$67,000 divided into $1.67 million.

It rounds out to 25.

So, what makes 3.6 acres southeast of the college campus worth 25 times more per acre than the 57 acres to the north and east?

The only answer is zoning to allow the highest structure in the State of Illinois–higher than the Sears Tower.

But the question still remains why BMB didn’t buy the land from the owners on the south side of Com Ed’s power lines.

= = = = =
What you see are existing aerials near McHenry County College. These are one-third the size of the 1,500 foot broadcast tower that is proposed.

McHenry County College just bought the 57-acre Gilger property north and east of the current Crystal Lake campus for $67,000 an acre.

BMB Communications Management is now offering MCC $6 million for 3.6 acres.

That’s $1.67 million per acre.

I did a little division.

$67,000 divided into $1.67 million.

It rounds out to 25.

So, what makes 3.6 acres southeast of the college campus worth 25 times more per acre than the 57 acres to the north and east?

The only answer is zoning to allow the highest structure in the State of Illinois–higher than the Sears Tower.

But the question still remains why BMB didn’t buy the land from the owners on the south side of Com Ed’s power lines.

= = = = =
What you see are existing aerials near McHenry County College. These are one-third the size of the 1,500 foot broadcast tower that is proposed.