Metra's Rick Mack and local attorney Joe Gottemoller appear before the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission.

The Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission gave preliminary approval to Metra’s proposed Ridgefield Train Station, but conditioned it on making multi-million dollar road improvements recommended by city engineering firm Patrick Engineering.

Patrick Engineering's Ryan Westrom and Chris DeRosia presented their traffic study.

The improvements, most overdue, according to Patrick engineers Ryan Westrom and Chris DeRosia, would include signals at Country Club and Hillside Road, plus Market and Ridgefield Road next to the Union Pacific railroad tracks. In addition, suggested improvements at McConnell Road and Country Club were requested. Finally, the motion asked that Metra make whatever improvements would be necessary for commuters to be able to get out of the parking lot on the 9,360 vehicle per day Country Club Road.

“If improvements are made, they will accommodate the traffic we projected,” Westrom told the commissioners.

Patrick Engineering predicts those using the Ridgefield Metra Station will live within the yellow outline.

The engineering firm, starting from scratch, projected that about 36% of the station’s commuters would come down Country Club Road from the north, 41% down Hillside Road and 22% from north of the site across the tracks through Downtown Ridgefield. Do the math and you see that 77% is predicted to come from the same side of the tracks where the 17.5 acre station will be located.

Click to enlarge and you may be able to see the road improvements that Patrick Engineering thinks are needed to move traffic in the area of the proposed Ridgefield Metra Commuter Station. While the bypass of Downtown Ridgefield was discussed, that option was not recommended by the Planning and Zoning Commissioners

Members expressed frustration that none of the roads were under city jurisdiction. The engineering report said current traffic volumes merited signals on both ends of Market Street in Downtown Ridgefield.  And, one at Tartan Drive and Ridgefield Road by 2015.

Consensus was expressed that commissioners wanted to protect Ridgefield residents and business owners, although none are located within Crystal Lake city limits.

Dave Goss and Don Bastastini confer during the meeting.

Motions to change the zoning from Estate Residential to Semi-Public and Public Use passed 5-0, as did a motion to approve how Metra proposed to meet the city’s Watershed Ordinance.

A motion from former City Councilman Dave Goss to approve a Preliminary Planned Unit Development, contingent on staff recommendations and road improvements suggested by Patrick Engineering passed 3-2.

Metra’s presentation suggested that property values around train stations generally increased with the prediction being that farmland north of the station site on Country Club Road would “have development pressure…(with) higher density development, higher land values.”

Goss voted against his own motion, based on his belief that the commuter station would lower property values in Ridgefield. He was joined by Commission Chairman Jeff Greenman.

Commissioners Don Batastini, Vince Esposito, Alan Skluzacek voted in the affirmative, although Esposito had said earlier, “I don’t think a train station that size needs to be out there.”

When the issue reaches city council on April 6th, a three-fifths approval vote will be needed, according to Metra’s local attorney Joe Gottemoller.

Earlier, Gottemoller had argued that the new traffic generated by Metra “is very small.” He noted that none of the improvements recommended by the traffic consulting firm, for example improving Market Street, were on McHenry County’s Five-Year Plan.

During the public comment period Chris Conway from Hillside road worried about increased garbage on the road and its taking more than the ten minutes it now takes her to get out of her driveway.

“We kind of feel there’s some insider trading going on on this property,” speaking for herself and neighbors.

The property is half owned by McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler.

Also speaking was Craig Steagall, land owner across the tracks from Koehler’s land.

Craig Steagall asks questions while Metra's Rick Mack (on the right) and attorney Joe Gottemoller look on.

He questioned the traffic experts traffic projections. Earlier he had hired his own traffic consultant and presented results to the city council.

“How did 84 Lumber get in there without making those improvements?” he asked.

Steagall also asked how the decades-old agriculture zoning for the former Flowerwood nursery property got changed to industrial through “a zoning map correction.” (Later Planning and Economic Development Director Michelle Rentzsch confirmed that what Stegall said was correct.)

“There’s been an allegation I’m on my high horse because of a sour land deal,” he continued, telling of how Metra approached him to buy 12 acres and how Alexandra Lumber was considering purchasing 20 acres prior to purchasing 84 Lumber’s abandoned yard. Steagall then pointed out that under the discussions he had had with Metra to buy land south of the tracks, he and his partner would have had to put in $500,000 to a million for infrastructure improvements, a cost burden he considered unreasonable.

Steagall compared Metra’s planned station to

• “Health Care—Start over,”
• “the Bridge to Nowhere” and
• “the Cornhusker Kickback.”

Speaking also of the Lily Pond Road station, which will be built on donated land, Stegall concluded,

“It’s Metra stations for all our friends.”

Another man asked if people, especially McHenry County College students and employees would have walking and biking access.

“Would it be good service to the college.”

No one from McHenry College offered public comment.

“What prevented Metra from putting the station on the south side of the tracks,” another person asked.

In rebuttal, a factoid came out that was interesting.

Over 60% of the people using the Pingree Road Station are from Lake in the Hills.

Replying to Steagall, Gottemoller said, “Sour grapes. That’s a political item that we don’t have anything to do with.”

Metra's Rick Mack addresses commissioners while attorney Joe Gottemoller observes.

Rick Mack, representing Metra, explained that 15 trains would come down the track each morning and that the Lily Pond Road Station (called East Woodstock) was put on the south side of the tracks so most cars using it wouldn’t have to cross the tracks.

He explained that capacity throughout McHenry County was being expanded, pointing to all the empty land between Woodstock and Harvard.

“This is an entire upgrade, not just to address today,” Mack continued. Earlier, it had been pointed out that train storage would be moved from Crystal Lake to north of Woodstock, that there was no room to store additional trains in Crystal Lake.

“All of these improvements are interconnected.”

Traffic concerns were widespread among the commissioners.

Greenman said,

Jeff Greenman

“We’re going to trust the county to do what it needs to do and trust the state to do what it needs to do.

“There are so many interdependencies, so many ‘what if’s’

“It’s a huge risk.”

At the end of the meeting, Goss thanked the city council “for standing up for the traffic study.”

Metra had asked to use its own traffic consultant, but that was rejected by the council in favor of one on the city’s approved list.

Vince Gaddis

The McHenry County College Student Peace Action Network continues to bring provocative programs to Crystal Lake.

The next one will be bout privatized prisons, to be held on March 4th.

I wonder if the local version of this phenomenon will be discussed.

What’s that?

The Sheriff’s Department’s making money by housing illegal immigrants on the top floor of the county jail.

The press release is below:

MCC’S STUDENT PEACE GROUP TO HOST EVENT

ON PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

[Feb. 23, 2010.Crystal Lake, IL]  The McHenry County College Student Peace Action Network (SPAN) will host an informational seminar featuring Dr. Vincent Gaddis on March 4th, 2010 at 7:00pm in the College’s Conference Center.  The event is titled

“The United States: Leading Jailer of the World.”

According to Human Rights Watch, the United States incarcerates more people than any country in the world, including the far more populous nation of China.  In 2008, the American penal system held more than 2.3 million adults, China was second with 1.5 million and Russia a distant third.

The United States leads not only by the sheer number of inmates but in the rate at which it incarcerates its citizenry, outpacing nations like Iran and Saudi Arabia.  In Germany, 93 people are in prison for every 100,000 adults and children whereas in the United States, the rate is eight times higher or 750 per 100,000.

As incredible as it sounds, 1 in 100 adults are now locked up in America and for Hispanic and black men, imprisonment is far more prevalent.  Dr. Gaddis will analyze the structural flaws within our system that lead to these astounding statistics.

Imprisonment has become the answer to many of the social problems rooted in poverty.

The practice of locking up the poor from racially marginalized communities has become big business.

What once was considered government work has increasingly been turned over to private contractors, creating a monstrous “prison industrial complex” whose profit depends on people to punish.

Dr Gaddis calls for a revolution – “a revolution in values.”  He persuasively argues that what we need is not new prisons, but a powerful movement for social transformation in health care, housing, education, drug programs, jobs, and education.

The event is part of SPAN’s Current American Issues Information Seminar Series. SPAN is made up of students promoting peace nationally and locally through action and education. The event is co-sponsored by Pax Christi and the McHenry County Peace Coalition. The event is free and open to the public.

The college is located at 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14, Crystal Lake.  For more information, contact the MCC Student Activities Office at (815) 455-8772.

In it is a recommendation that tuition be hiked $2 a credit hour.

Kathleen Plinski

“At present, other major revenue sources are constrained due to the continued effect of the tax cap, the uncertainty of the level of state funding, and current economic conditions,” writes Interim President Kathleen Plinske.

She notes the Consumer Price Index increased 2.5% last year and that

“A $2.00 increase from $80 to $82 is a 2.5% increase.”

An extra $264,000 would be generated from the fee increase.

The technology fee would remain at $9 per hour.

“Statewide,” she notes, “the range of tuition and fee rates for FY 2009 is a low of $67.00 to a high of $131.00 per credit hour, with the average rate being $88.95.”

As I reflect on the release’s contents, I wonder why the intervention of a congresswoman was necessary. If a program like this is available, shouldn’t the quality of the application have been enough to obtain it?

The release follows:

Congresswoman Bean secures funding for Job Training

WOODSTOCK, IL – Congresswoman Melissa Bean recently obtained a $387,187 in funding for the McHenry County College (MCC) Flexible and Sustainable Training (F.A.S.T.) program. The program is the result of a partnership between

• McHenry County,
• the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation,
• the McHenry County Workforce Network,
• McHenry County Workforce Board, and
• MCC

for workforce training. The training will provide employer-identified, short-term occupational training needs in the specific fields of

• Basic Manufacturing,
• Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) Machining and
• Bilingual Nurse Assistance (BNA).

MCC recently launched the Basic Manufacturing course and plans to follow with CNC Machining later this year and the BNA training next spring.  Program funds cover the cost of training, so there is no fee for qualified participants.

Melissa Bean

“These types of workforce development initiatives are critical to retooling the skills of our workforce to the challenges of our 21st century economy. I commend the leadership of McHenry County for their commitment to improving the employment prospects of their families and businesses,” stated Congresswoman Melissa Bean, who obtained the funding for this program.

The F.A.S.T. program plans to have two cohort groups of 25 participants for Basic Manufacturing and as of February 9, 35 students had enrolled in the Basic Manufacturing course. The Basic Manufacturing class is a 96-hour, 16-week non-credit class that covers

• shop math,
• mechanical blueprint reading,
• measurement, and
• shop safety.

Besides the class, program participants will also be able to work toward a National Career Readiness Certificate, demonstrating to employers the competency level in reading and math.

They will also improve their resume writing and interviewing skills through various workshops and work with the McHenry County Workforce Network to assist them in finding positions in their new field upon completion of the course.

The program funds will also cover 24 participants in CNC and 25 participants in bilingual training for basic nurse assistance. Participants in these programs will also work with Workforce Network staff on job search activities.

They are Art and Peggy Gish,  peace activists and organic farmers.

Mrs. Gish was a kidnapped in Iraq in 2007 as she was a “peace activist and witness.”

Mr. Gish is described as having gotten “in the way of Israeli military and settler violence against Palestinian civilians,” the press release, seen below.

They have both written books.

MCC’S STUDENT PEACE GROUP PLANS CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKING EVENT

Art and Peggy Kish

The McHenry County College Student Peace Action Network (SPAN) will host an informational seminar featuring Organic farmers Art and Peggy Gish who work as human rights activists for Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), an international organization “committed to reducing violence by getting in the way.”

They have been getting in the way of injustice and violence from Hebron to Baghdad. Peggy was in Iraq as peace advocate and witness before, during and following the 2003 U.S. invasion.

Art Kish standing in front Israeli tank.

In 2007 she was kidnapped but released after only 2 days because she showed her captors a photo of her husband Art standing in front of an Israeli tank which had been smashing the central market in Hebron.

Art Gish has been part of CPT in Hebron since 1995, getting in the way of Israeli military and settler violence against Palestinian civilians.

He led a two day training course in nonviolence attended by Rachel Cory.

Art is the author of several books, including

“Hebron Journal: Stories of Nonviolent Peacemaking.”

Peggy is the author of

“IRAQ, A Journey of Hope and Peace,” a moving story of the horrors of war yet never dimming her vision of peace.

The event is part of SPAN’s Current American Issues Information Seminar Series. SPAN is made up of students promoting peace nationally and locally through action and education.

The event is co-sponsored by Pax Christi and the McHenry County Peace Coalition. The event is free and open to the public.

The college is located at 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14, Crystal Lake.  For more information, contact the MCC Student Activities Office at (815) 455-8772.

Cassidy Tire had this sign up the week that Sgt. Jason McLeod was honored in Crystal Lake.

Donations to the widow and her children may still be made by calling Marie Davis at 815-477-5050.

The McHenry County College Student Peace Group, or course, had no way of knowing its timing would be bad.

They canceled NIU Professor Marc Falkoff’s talk about his book

“Poems from Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak”

Now its on for the Thursday after next Tuesday’s election.

The group’s press release follows:

MCC’S STUDENT PEACE GROUP RESCHEDULES EVENT FEATURING GITMO LAWYER ON FEB. 4th

[Jan. 26, 2010.Crystal Lake, IL] The McHenry County College Student Peace Action Network (SPAN) has rescheduled a controversial event focusing on a book of poetry by Guantanamo Bay detainees. for Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. in the college’s conference center.

The keynote speaker, Marc Falkoff, a Northern Illinois University criminal law professor who represented 16 detainees, plans to speak about a book that he edited titled “Poems from Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak.”  The moderator will be Todd Culp, Ph.D., political science instructor at MCC.

Falkoff initially was scheduled to speak at the college in December, but the event was canceled because of security concerns. SPAN had planned the December speaking engagement well in advance, but publicity about the event stirred up controversy as it coincided with funeral visitation for Sgt. Jason A. McLeod, a 22-year-old from Crystal Lake who died in a mortar attack in Afghanistan.

Northern Illinois University criminal law Professor Marc Falkoff

He will discuss the torture the prisoners suffered, the false information elicited, the disarray of evidentiary files, and the telling resignations of  key military prosecutors.  According to Dr. Falkoff, a very real problem exists,

“politics rather than principle reigns at Guantánamo.  As concerned American citizens, we can learn what action we can take to demand accountability and redress of grievances.”

Following the program, he will be available to sign books.

The event is part of SPAN’s Current American Issues Information Seminar Series. SPAN is made up of students promoting peace nationally and locally through action and education. The event is co-sponsored by Pax Christi and the McHenry County Peace Coalition. The event is free and open to the public.

The college is located at 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14, Crystal Lake.  For more information, contact the MCC Student Activities Office at (815) 455-8772.

= = = = =
Here’s background from NIU on the professor:

Background: Falkoff comes to NIU after three years as an attorney with Covington & Burling in New York. The firm, which is considered the top pro bono law firm in the nation, once named Falkoff the Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year during his time there. He earned his juris doctorate from Columbia and also holds a Ph.D. in literature from Brandeis. While this is his first full-time faculty appointment, he taught for several years as an adjunct member of the faculty at the Brooklyn Law School. He is currently working on behalf of 17 Yemeni men who are being held without charges by the U.S. military at Guantanamo Bay.

Why NIU? “NIU has a very high commitment to public interest law, and that is extremely important to me.”

Goals: “I want to give my students a solid grounding in legal theory, but also instill in them an appreciation for the amount of social good they can do in the world as a lawyer. Personally, I want to not only do excellent scholarly work, but also maintain my real-world focus. It is very important for me to do both, and that is actually something that is encouraged here.”

That’s the day that Patriots United have scheduled a candidates’ night for those running for the McHenry County Board.

Below you can see the text of the group’s announcement:

WHAT:  Our PATRIOTS UNITED January Townhall highlighting candidates vying for McHenry County Board seats in the February 2010 Primary Election.  Moderators will offer questions and topics of discussion important to all McHenry county voters for the candidates to discuss while they reveal their visions for the future of our county.

WHERE:  McHENRY COUNTY COLLEGE CONFERENCE CENTER (Building B), McHenry County College, Crystal Lake.

WHEN: JANUARY 15, 2010  – Our event will take place at the McHenry County College Conference center (Building B) beginning with registration at 6:30 p.m.  The forum/discussion and candidate debate will begin at 7:00 p.m.  Time permitting, a question/answer portion will be afforded the audience participants following the candidates/moderators discussion.

WHY? Find out about who represents you locally and find out their positions on a range of topics…Attend to engage the process and stay informed.  We ALL benefit when citizens take an active role in local, county, state and federal governance.

SET THE DATE ASIDE NOW and we’ll look forward to seeing you on January 15th.

To put it in pre-teen talk:

Stadium Fail!

Last night it was Supervisor Linda Moore.

Trustee Rob LaPorta read what sounded like a bill of particulars listing all the actions that he considered improper and the four trustees, all of whom have been at odds with Moore since she beat incumbent Supervisor John Rossi by 30 votes in this past spring’s Republican primary election.

“Could I have a copy?” Moore asked after the vote was taken.

The main thrust of primary Moore’s campaign was to reverse the approval of a new $3.5 million township hall ($5 million with interest) the then-board, three of whom were re-elected, approved.

Nothing in the resolution of censure referred to Moore’s and her allies’ success in forcing the loan to be repaid and putting the sale of the current township hall to the township road district in jeopardy.

Grafton Township is the second McHenry County governmental board to go in for censure.

The first was the McHenry County College Board. The five-member board majority censured colleagues Donna Kurtz and Scott Summers for changing their mind on using taxpayer-backed bonds to build a minor league baseball stadium at the Crystal Lake McHenry County College campus.

The Grafton Township meeting ended about 12:15 AM and I stayed to the bitter end.

The board passed its levies with one minute to spare, yesterday being the deadline.

The Road Fund is asking for $732,788. On the non-road side, the total is $999,200.

“We’ll only get an additional $19,000 no matter what we do.

There seems to be a one-day problem with public notice. The levy must be filed with the county clerk by December 19th, but it has to be posted 20 days.

Hard to figure out how both requirements can be met.

Back when I was McHenry County Treasurer in the late 1960’s about ten percent of the tax bills were paid under protest. My non-lawyer’s guess is there might be some folks talking to tax protest attorneys about the two deadlines.

I think my request would be an administration that would be more transparent.

The problem is getting the college board to record their meetings is up to the board members themselves, not the hired help.

I’d also like a contract that prohibits $200,000+ golden parachutes if the new president is found unsatisfactory for whatever reason.

Finally, I’d like someone who has spent some time in a business that needed to cut expenses.

MCC INVITES COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO PROVIDE INPUT ON PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH

[December 8, 2009.Crystal Lake, IL] McHenry County College, in partnership with professional search firm, Isaacson, Miller, is embarking on a search process for the college’s new, permanent president.

In mid-December, special sessions will be conducted with key stakeholders, including the presidential search committee, faculty, staff, students and other constituents to hear feedback on the presidential search, including the short- and long-term objectives for the incoming president.

A special community feedback session has been scheduled for 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 16 in the MCC Employee Dining Room. All community members are encouraged to attend and provide feedback on the following topics:

• Objectives for MCC’s new president
• Qualifications and experience
• Personal qualities
• Source and candidate recommendations

Based on feedback received from this community session, as well as other scheduled feedback sessions, Isaacson, Miller will complete a presidential profile, which will be shared with the search committee and interested candidates and sources in the search.