McHenry County Blog

Upsetting the District 2 Republican apple-cart is McHenry County College Board member Donna Kurtz’ announcement that she is seeking one of two party nominations for the county board.

She is contesting the re-nomination of McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler and member Lynn Orphal.

So far, no Democrats have surfaced to provide a fall contest.

An opponent to having slot machines in bars and restaurants, the Kurtz candidacy could provide impetus for at least one District 2 county board member, Orphal, to vote to ban the machines in order to neutralize the issue or to at least support allowing citizens to offer input in a February advisory referendum.

The county board’s License and Liquor Committee is holding a public hearing next Wednesday, October 7th, starting at 6 PM to take input from the public.  Kurtz told McHenry County Blog she intends to attend.

The last time Kurtz provided public testimony at a governmental body was when the Crystal Lake City Council was considering whether or not to allow a baseball stadium at McHenry County College.  She and trustee Scott Summers testified against the plan.

For that action, their MCC Board colleagues censured them. Read the linked article and you will see that Kurtz and Summers achieved near folk hero status.

Among other issues that are almost sure to come up are the Metra purchase of 17 acres of land half-owned by County Board Chairman Koehler.

Although Metra board members argued that a Ridgefield train stop was needed near McHenry County College, the board selected the least convenient location possible.  While no one has suggested Koehler did anything wrong in agreeing to sell the land to Metra, it certainly could become an issue, considering Kurtz is on the MCC board and not happy with the location.  And, especially since no one from Metra consulted with community college personnel prior to the inconvenient-to-students site’s selection.

Issues on Kurtz’ handout include

• Make honesty & integrity the #1 priority in gov’t.
• Fight corruption, self-interest, and “roads to nowhere,” i.e., Alden Road.
• Work for real road and transportation solutions.
• Demand fiscal responsibility.
• Champion a McHenry County that remains beautify, productive, and economically vibrant.

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The head shot is of Lynn Orhpal.

Handing Donna Kurtz an American Flag and a flowers is former Crystal Lake Park Board member Leona Nelson.  This was done after her and Scott Summers’ censure by fellow McHenry County College Board members.

I went Freedom of Information fishing at Crystal Lake’s City Hall recently looking for any paper trail for Metra’s Ridgefield Train Station.

Let me lay out chronologically what I found:

• March 31, 2009 – a soil borings report from Geo Services, Inc., a graphic of which you see above.
• April 15, 2009 – a geotechnical investigation report from Geo Services, Inc.
• April 21, 2009 – an engineer’s drainage report from SEC Group, Inc., of McHenry (which I assume is the new name of Smith Engineering)

• April 23, 2009 – Concept Plan IIA, Preliminary Grading
• June 10, 2009 – legal description of the property
• July 1, 2009 – memo from Darren Olsen, City Water Resources Section Head, and Scott Griffin, Water Resources Engineer, to Eric Morinmoto, Assistant City Engineer, and Steve Carruthers, Civil Engineer. (All are professional engineers.)

August 5th was the date us mere mortals found out about the plan.

That’s when McHenry County College found about it as well, even though during the Metra Board discussion MCC’s lack of a station was noted in the context that it was the only community college without a train station.

The July 1st report, if I read it correctly, indicates there are drainage problems with the parcel.

“…It appears that portions of the entrance drive and southern parking lot areas do not access first flush treatment prior to discharging to the wetland treatment basins…The treatment train methodology in the Crystal Lake Watershed Design Manual should be followed…

“…The proposed infiltration method utilizes dry wells and stone infiltration trenches.  This in not in accordance with the Crystal Lake Watershed Design Manual.  The infiltration method should be revised to include an infiltration basin that maximizes water quality and does not rely on dry wells. An infiltration basin with native vegetation and an engineered soil media will meet this requirement…

“There are offsite areas that are planned to be routed through the onsight BMPs.  The onsite BMPs need to be upsized in accordance with the Crystal Lake Design Manual…”

No follow-up information has been received from Metra.

Look what just popped into my email inbox:

You will notice that no mention is made of McHenry County College in the FAQ’s below:

I am in receipt of your correspondence sent to the Metra Board recently in which you raise questions about Metra’s procurement of land in unincorporated McHenry County near Ridgefield. Because the questions you raised were asked by others, Metra staff has created a “Frequently Asked Question” information sheet that will likely answer them and provide you with additional information.

I hope this will answer the questions you raised.

Sincerely,

Metra Board

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING RIDGEFIELD

Q: Why is Metra buying property near Ridgefield?

A: Planning studies have shown that there will be a need to address additional commuter rail service options between Woodstock and Crystal Lake in McHenry County. Population in the area is projected to grow 73% by 2030. McHenry is one of the fastest growing counties in Illinois and Metra needs to stay ahead of this growth by being prepared to provide this population viable, commuter rail transportation opportunities.

Q: Why is Metra buying property from the McHenry County Chairman?

A: Metra has been interested in acquiring property on the north side of the tracks in this area for a number of years. McHenry County Chairman, Ken Koehler, through a trust, is a part owner of property located on the north side of the tracts that is about 3.2 miles North West of the current Crystal Lake station. Metra’s Board of Directors, comprised of 11 directors representing all six counties and the city of Chicago, are aware of this transaction and voted 9-0 in favor of this acquisition.

Q: Did Metra’s McHenry County Director vote for this project?

A: Director Jack Schaffer’s advertising company has a small billboard located on the Ridgefield property that will be removed if Metra actually closes on the real estate transaction. While Director Schaffer stated in the public session in August 2009 that he was very much in favor of the purchase and had a legal right to vote on the transaction, after consulting with Metra’s General Counsel, however, he decided to abstain from actually voting so that there would not be even an appearance of a conflict of interest.

Q: Why is Metra not building a station on the south side of the tracks near Ridgefield?

A: Metra recognizes that there are issues that need to be addressed with locating a station at this location, but Metra’s primary desire and experience has been to keep our morning commuters on the same side of the inbound tracks as much as possible, which happen to be the north tracks on this line.

If you look at the location of stations on all three Union Pacific lines operating Metra service, almost all of them are located on the north or east side. In addition, a south side location would necessitate purchasing some property on the north side to build a depot or significant waiting areas for in-bound morning commuters. Also, with a south side parking location in Ridgefield, a north side Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department access road from the existing public street to the depot site would be required.

Q: Will Metra build a station on the north side of the tracks after the purchase?

A: While it is our desire to build a station on the north side of the tracks, we are realistic. We acknowledge that there are many factors at play wherever a station is considered, including cost, traffic, safety, environmental, and many others.

Q: What will prevent Metra from purchasing the Ridgefield property?

A: There is some confusion here. Metra’s Board of Directors voted to give the Executive Director the authority to purchase the property; however, the contract has various pre-conditions before Metra actually goes forward and closes on the purchase and sale agreement. For instance, Metra requires that the City of Crystal Lake and Metra enter into an acceptable annexation agreement, an operation and maintenance agreement, and, if applicable, a recapture agreement for any direct improvements Metra installs that would benefit future developers.

Q: How can I express my concerns, opposition, or support for a Ridgefield station?

A: Contrary to what some citizens may say, Metra is not short circuiting the normal development process relating to the construction of a station. Local citizens can always express their opinion when Metra approaches the City of Crystal Lake during the annexation process.

If there are other units of government, such as McHenry County, that have jurisdiction over road access or environmental requirements, citizens can bring their concerns or comments to them as well.

This is a process that Metra has been through dozens of times over the past 25 years, and we encourage citizen participation.

Q: Why isn’t Metra building a station near my hometown instead of Ridgefield?

A: Just because Metra is purchasing land at Ridgefield it doesn’t mean that Metra is precluded from pursuing other station developments.

The selection of station sites is a dynamic process. Many different factors are considered as part of station selection, including: the proximity of the station to the communities that would be served, the proximity to residential developments (existing and future), as well as the proximity to employment and/or recreational destinations and major highways or access roads. Any environmental conditions including wetlands, floodplains, heavily wooded areas, or other sensitive locations, should be minimally or not impacted by the station development. Another significant factor that is considered when selecting station locations is the availability of property needed for station and parking facilities. From an operational perspective there are other factors too, including the amount of improvements needed to add to or upgrade the railroad tracks and any signaling.

In 2007, Metra completed an Alternatives Analysis (AA) for the Union Pacific Northwest (UP-NW) Line Upgrade project. The Locally Preferred Alternative that was selected during this process includes extending the UP-NW Line to Johnsburg, constructing new modernized coach yards in Johnsburg and Woodstock, building three new stations on the line at

• Johnsburg,
• Prairie Grove, and
• Ridgefield,

adding rolling stock and improving signaling, track infrastructure, and stations along the line.

All of these improvements will enable Metra to decrease travel times for existing customers, extend additional service to outlying areas in McHenry County, and add capacity to accommodate projected ridership growth throughout the line. Metra is currently undertaking an Environmental Assessment on the project, and is awaiting approval from the Federal Transit Administration to begin Preliminary Engineering. In addition to the UP-NW Line, Metra completed an AA on the Union Pacific West Line Upgrade in 2007, and AA’s for the STAR Line and SouthEast Service are on-going, with anticipated completion in fall 2009. These four projects comprise the Metra Connects program, and are Metra’s priority projects. Additional system expansion beyond these four projects will be contemplated once these projects have sufficiently advanced through the planning and environmental phases of project development.

Q: Was Metra pressured into buying the Ridgefield property?

A: No. While many sellers are often anxious to sell their properties, especially in the current real estate market, Metra’s determination of when and where to buy property is now, and has always been, determined by an evaluation of what is in the best interest of our regional commuter rail system. The same holds true for where a station is ultimately built. Metra is considered by many in the industry to be the premier commuter rail system in the country.

A large part of our success is our ability to work cooperatively with local communities, while always keeping in perspective the regional needs of the system.

Metra recognizes there will be some neighbors who have legitimate concerns about how improvements might affect their community, property values, and daily lives. As always, we look forward to working with constructive community leaders in maintaining a good working relationship that will benefit our commuters.

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The top map from Google shows approximately where on Country Club Road, the Ridgefield commuter parking lot will be.

Next is the 17.3 acre site with the “For Sale” sign. Alexander Lumber’s new site is in the background where 84 Lumber used to be.

Next is an aerial look at Downtown Ridgefield. It shows the narrow roads through which much of the traffic to the 757-vehicle parking lot would travel. (Can you see a Walgreen or CVS on the north side of the intersection where the antique shops now sit? A traffic critique is here.)

The site can be seen from the other side of the tracks in the photo with Seeger’s grain elevators in the foreground.

Below is the site (circled in yellow) offered on the Route 14 side of the tracks by Craig Steagall. It could have a pretty straight shot to McHenry County College. More of Steagall’s critique here and here.

Next is the 575-vehicle parking lot. Click to enlarge and you will see there is no station, but there are drainage ponds on this portion of the Crystal Lake watershed.

Below outlined in blue is the 57-acre McHenry County College Gilger property that was bought last year by McHenry County College for $67,000 per acre. (Metra is paying $81,789 an acre for 17.3 acres.) Note that MCC’s land is right across Ridgefield Road from the train tracks. If Metra were interested in best serving McHenry County College perhaps an arrangement could be worked out where MCC would provide a 737-space parking lot and Metra could use the money it would spend on the parking lot to build an elevated walkway over Ridgefield Road and the Union Pacific tracks with commuter stops and shelters on both sides of the tracks. Metra made no contact with MCC from January 5, 2009, when the site was preliminarily selected and August 14th, when the Metra board authorized its purchase. A meeting will occur now that the decision has been made.

Another view of Metra’s Ridgefield commuter site is seen next to the barb wire fence of soon-to-be Alexander Lumber.

An aerial view of the area from McHenry County College to McConnell Road on the edge of Bull Valley is show in the bottom picture from Google. The real estate on Country Club Road from Ridgefield to McConnell Road will be under extraordinary pressure for development once Crystal Lake annexes the Koehler-Gary Seigmeier Estate property next to it.

When I discovered that the Metra board had approved the purchase of a $1.5 million 17 acre piece of land on the wrong side of the tracks and/or the little early settlement of Ridgefield, I filed a Freedom of Information request with McHenry County College asking for

“any communications or records…between Metra and the College concerning the Ridgefield train stop since January 1,2009.”

Perhaps you will not be surprised at the answer:

“With regard to your request, the College asserts that it is not in possession of any document responsive to your request.”

I’m not surprised.

Are you?

As reported last week, Metra officials are going to meeting with college officials.

That’s appropriate since in the discussion at the Metra board, it was pointed out that MCC is the only community college not served by Metra service.

What is still a surprise is that Metra made no attempt to communicate with MCC between January 5, 2009, when the preliminary concept plan, seen above, was completed.

The purchase document states,

although former McHenry County College President Walt Packard told the MCC Board on the night it paid $67,000 per acre for 57 acres across the road from the railroad tracks that

“the property was perfectly sited to take advantage of a future Ridgefield Metra station maybe 20 years away.”

So many questions.

So few answers.

I emailed a Freedom of Information request to Metra yesterday, asking for

“the memo that led to the elimination of the site nearest to Lily Pond Road.”

Pretty specific, wouldn’t you say?

Here’s the reply:

“On August 18, 2009, we received a written request for access to Metra records. Metra hereby notifies you that it will need additional time to respond to your request. We anticipate providing you a response by September 8, 2009.

“The reason for this extension is as follows:

“The request for records cannot be complied with by the public body within the time limits prescribed by paragraph (c) of this Section without unduly burdening or interfereing with the operations of the public body.”

Must be a really, really busy time for Metra, if its employees can’t find such a memo.

And, if none exists, all Metra has to do is tell me it does not exist.

The word I got from McHenry County College officials is that the new interim president, Larry Tyree, and two trustees will meeting with Metra officials.

Executive Director Phil Pagano will be among those on the Metra side of the table.

Too bad the meeting will not be in public.

There are significant issues of process that need to be thoroughly ventilated.

It is beyond belief, well, at least understanding, that Metra did not contact the college between the time the favored Ridgefield site was selected on January 5, 2009, and last Friday when the Metra board approved the $1.5 million land purchase from a trust owned jointly by McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler and his Flowerwood partner’s estate.

It’s good to have Interim President Tyree on board.

With former President Walt Packard’s expensive retirement, Interim President Brian Sager’s retirement and Ron Ally’s taking the Chief Financial Officer’s post at Elgin School District 46, MCC has resembled a headless horseman.

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The picture is of McHenry County College Interim President Larry Tyree.

There’s nothing wrong with Northwest Herald reporter Kevin Craver’s front page article about Metra’s board voting to purchase McHenry County Board Chairman’s property in Ridgefield.

It contains much of the same information in these McHenry County Blog articles (listed in reverse order of publication):

Friday, 8-14-9 Metra Votes to Purchase Ridgefield Station Site

Friday, 8-14-9 Craig Steagall Unleashes Broadside Against McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler over Metra State Land Purchase

Friday, 8-14-9 Metra Scheduled to Approve Former Flowerwood Land for Station in Ridgefield This Morning

Thursday, 8-13-9 $1.5 Million Being Paid for Ridgefield Metra Site Half-Owned by McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler

Thursday, 8-13-9 Metra Transparency Worse than McHenry County College’s

Wednesday, 8-12-9 Ridgefield Businessman Takes on McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler over Proposed Metra Station

Friday, 8-7-9 Musings on the Proposed Ridgefield Metra Station

Wednesday, 8-5-9 Alexander Lumber’s Move to Ridgefield, Proposed Metra Station Implications

But the headline writer might make people think that Metra is “tentative” about the deal.

That appointed board is not.

If the City of Crystal Lake annexes the land and agrees to manage the parking lot, it’s a done deal.

There may be a real fight on the Crystal Lake Zoning and Planning Board and the Crystal Lake City Council, but that will probably be over whether the site makes sense from a regional planning perspective.

That is a very real question, in my opinion.

Is this the first step into turning Country Club Road north toward McConnell Road into a commercial and industrial strip?

Will Crystal Lake annex all of Downtown Ridgefield?

Will the city council decide that there is more sales tax revenue in a Walgreens or CVS than the antique shops on the triangular shaped land on the north side of the narrow part of Country Club Road that runs through Ridgefield?

Hey, the road has to be widened anyway,

That means the antique shops have to be demolished anyway, right?

Will the city use condemnation powers to take the land, as Cicero, Chicago and other cities have done in the name of economic development, or will a retail establishment agree to pay enough for the land that the present owners will willingly sell and, in return for appropriate zoning, “donate” sufficient right-of-way for a widened road?

Think massive development of that area isn’t being contemplated?

Then, consider this viewpoint, found in Marna Pyke’s Daily Herald article, by former Lake County Board Chairman, now a Metra board member, at Friday’s meeting:

“Metra Director Jim LaBelle, who represents Lake County, said he regretted there were no plans for housing next to the train station.

“‘It looks like a parking lot in the middle of the country,’ he said.”

As with the McHenry County College stadium fight, residents near the proposed Metra stop won’t carry much weight in City of Crystal Lake deliberations because they live outside the city limits. And considering the city’s unwillingness to annex the Crystal Lake Manor, which it complete surrounds, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for city officials to become interested in making current Ridgefield residents taxpaying citizens. (And, there wouldn’t be any advantage to the Ridgefield residents anyway, because there is no water and/or sewer required by the commuter parking lot.)

One argument those living outside of Crystal Lake might be able to develop is the same one used by stadium opponents–the covering of Crystal Lake’s watershed with a big asphalt parking lot.

757 parking spaces covered with an impermeable surface might move those interested in the health of the lake to action again.

And, since the biggest potential beneficiary is McHenry County College, a coalition might be built that contains both supporters and opponents of the college’s minor league baseball stadium.

Surely a station on the college’s (west) side of the railroad tracks would be more convenient and safer for students who might use the train to get to classes.

No one really knows how much use college students might make of such service. But planning for future growth at the college campus, which now is right across Ridgefield Road from the train tracks should receive serious consideration.

College officials I talked to knew of no contact about the suitability of the location from Metra since the parking lot site was selected January 5, 2009.

One told me she first learned of Metra’s selection “from reading the paper.”

The NW Herald article is posted as going up on its web site Tuesday, August 4th. I think it was printed on Wednesday, however.

So, a major question exists about why Metra kept it a secret from the public for seven months.

Why were there no public hearings on such a growth generator?

Why was this deal rushed through?

Why does the contract have a clause saying,

How complete absurd, unless there is more than meets the eye.

Why is Metra paying so much more than the $67,000 an acre McHenry County College paid just last year for 57 acres down the road?

MCC negotiated its contract on the Gilger property at the top of the real estate boom.

Now McHenry County is in the canyon of the market.

Metra will not win the transparency award for 2009.

The paperwork given Metra board members indicates that Crystal Lake officials were in the know earlier than the public.

No change of policy there.

Remember the college stadium time line?

No knowledge of it appeared in the NW Herald until the day after McHenry County Blog broke the story. Then, Mayor Aaron Shepley filled the paper’s front page with its praise.

There will also have to be vote of the McHenry County Board, but it’s about money spent for roads when 84 Lumber was built after approval by the county board.

Without a favorable vote, the deal, as approved by Metra’s board, will not go through.
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You see Devil’s Mound above on the left.

The canyon is in Idaho near Balanced Rock.

At the bottom is Balanced Rock. You can see a boy who has climbed up to it. This story reminds me of the apprehension that some might have that the rock might fall on them…or on us taxpayers.

By a vote of 9-0-1 with one board member out of the room, the Metra Board agreed to purchase a little over 17 acres from a trust half-owned by McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehloer for about $1.5 million.

No meetings were held in McHenry County where the members of the public could express their opinions of the site selected prior to the vote.

McHenry County College officials with whom I have talked knew of no contact that had been made with the college by Metra officials prior to the vote.

The first chance the public has to comment on this regional planning question will be in front of the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission, because among the pre-conditions of the purchase is annexation to the city and the city’s agreeing to take charge of the facility.

McHenry County Metra Board member Jack Schaffer, whose company has a sign on the property, voted “Present.”

Calling the proposed Metra station purchase McHenry County Board Chairman “Ken Koehler’s boondoggle,” Craig Steagall took the Dave Letterman approach in a Northwest Herald ad yesterday. Steagall has property across the tracks that was under consideration by Metra for a Ridgefield Metra commuter station. The contents of an earlier ad appear here.

He says the deal is

Steagall throws out all sorts of nuggets including a company named “Lily Pond Stone L” having purchased land to the northwest which was the third site considered for $12,165 an acre. Lily Pond Road, of course, is the southern boundary of the site Woodstock zoned for a minor league baseball stadium. Both the price and the hint that the purchaser wants to mine gravel are interesting.

In addition, mention is made of the McHenry County Ethics Committee. I wonder what that is.

Here is the text,

1-It is on the wrong side of the tracks. Legal counsel says I am too wordy – this is concession to their counsel.

2-Take the time to find the right location!! Go northwest, so southwest, but go on the south side of the tracks. The City of Crystal Lake has held informational meeting touting the grand expansion of Highway 14 with a grass medium strip and expanding to 4 lanes between Crystal Lake and Woodstock. It is logical to tie a new Metra station into road infrastructure designed for the traffic volume associated with a 650 to 750 car Metra parking lot. It is not logical to buy property then study what needs to be done to make a pig’s ear work. Metra will destroy downtown Ridgefield and turn county roads into major traffic arteries that are ill-suited for handling Metra station traffic.

3-Metra, you have stated you have studied 3 locations. The third location, near Lily Pond Road recently sold for a price of $12,165 per acre. The Hana Family Ltd sold to Lily Pond Stone L, on April 9th, 2009. With land prices this low and continuing to drop, Metra’s opportunity to find a straight approach off of Highway 14 is excellent. Metra, perform more due diligence before you cave to the political pressure.

4-Save me, Craig Steagall, from this bold and reckless offer. Metra, if you are buying Ken Koehler’s property for appraised value and it is $12,165 per acre, I will purchase the property from Metra for $13,000 per acre. Metra makes $835 per acre and we save Metra, Ridgefield businesses and countless homeowners who will be negatively impacted from this illogical and dangerous (because of the roads) Ken Koehler boondoggle. The feedback I have received lumps the current situation into the typical Blagojevich style government that has made Illinois fodder on the Dave Letterman show.

5-Prudence and legal counsel dictated I omit Number 5. My apologies. However if I do run another ad, which I hope I don’t, I will share the sad saga of a developer who bought property across the street from Ken Koehler’s 84 Lumber sale. The delevoper’s property was also purchased from Ken Koehler. It is a woeful tale. Having just met with the developer who bought the adjacent property, I believe new information has come to light that calls for an investigation of the travesty committed in the construction of 84 Lumber, Country Club road construction issues and the subsequent flooding that occurs on the developer’s property.

6-Metra, this is a quagmire that will only get more legs if you purchase this property. It is tainted with Chicago-style politics and Blago stench. And the citizens of McHenry County know barnyard smells.

7-Save Metra spokesman Michael Gillis from himself. Michael Gillis stated to the Northwest Herald that road improvements would be decided by a traffic study. BUY PROPERTY AND THEN DO TRAFFIC STUDY. McDonald’s would not put a golden arch in a corn field and then perform a traffic study to determine how to get traffic to their site. Some rudimentary level of competence must be applied to a site location, oft times described as common sense. The only reason this site makes sense is that a politician wants to sell his property during an ugly economic period. If he doesn’t get it sold now, he may not be on the County Board when it will sell. Fixing the roads to make this pig’s ear work is a waste of taxpayers money and destroys much of what citizens find attractive about rural McHenry County. IT’S ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS.

8-The McHenry County Ethics Committee has not had a chance to review this land sale by the county board chairman. Give the committee a chance to weigh in before making a decision. This might require the time necessary for a committee chairperson to be appointed by the county board chairman – aka Ken Koehler and an actual ethics committee to be established by the county.

9-DEBATE – save me the potential embarrassment of mispronouncing words during a debate. I propose that we prevail upon the City of Crystal Lake for use of their auditorium and City Council chambers for the purpose of a TOWN HALL FORUM DEBATE. Ken Koehler/Craig Steagall/Metra spokesperson, moderated by Mayor Aaron Shepley. Let’s show government at its best – a rousing public debate on the pros and cons of the Metra station. Ken, fill in the blanks; METRA DEBATE – TOWN HALL MEETING
DATE______ TIME______ WHERE_______. (This debate may require renting a local school gymnasium, the outrage is building.)

10-IT’S WRONG – the Metra site selection has been compromised by a county board chairman with a litany of questionable self-serving actions during his term as county board chairman.

In very small type, the following appears below:

Thank you to all of the individuals who have shared their comments and support for putting a stop to this ill-suited Metra location. It is a sad commentary on our county government that the ads I have run highlighting this malfeasance were even necessary. The Metra site selection should have benefited from sunshine on the topic and not decided in back room political havens.

There are other elements of this story that should be aired, but I am growing weary of earning mileage points on my Northwest Herald ad purchases.

Updates will be posted on WWW.METRAQUESTIONS.COM in the future. Please type in full address and not simply Google metraquestions.

Want to post comments? Send comments to metraquestions@gmail.com.

Future Topics will include:

1. How a county official approached me years ago to build a cost effective McHenry County Animal Shelter on rural, cheap property that permitted steel construction.

2. The dismissal of Sue Ehardt as Department head for Planning and Development.

3. The discussion of why a wetland study is being undertaken by Metra and no wetland study was required for 84 Lumber.

4. More information on the road requirements for 84 Lumber and how a different standard may have been applied for expediency reasons.

5. Other Topics floating to the top of the septic tank of McHenry County politics.

6. A YouTube posting featuring a bike rider with a mini cam biking down Oak to Hillside to Country Club to the proposed Metra site. If Metra Board members have not taken the time to visit this third proposed Metra site, they can get a firsthand look at the destruction of rural roads and the danger of the rail crossing at Ridgefield and Country Club.

And finally, the Web site will soon feature an apology to Phil Pagano-Executive Director of Metra and Orest Chryniwsky, Senior Real Estate and Development Specialist Law Department. I regret they were thrown on the tracks. I believe both of these individuals are decent hard working civil servants who were working towards a land acquisition with the public’s best interest in mind. Political influences pushed them down a path that necessitated their falling in line and doing what benefited a politician rather than what was right for the Metra rider and the citizens of McHenry County. That pressure was not exerted by a singular Ken Koehler effort. Ken is powerful, but not that powerful he could swing this albatross without help.

*Note: To those readers who I have confused on the reference to Alden Road.
Explanation: The County has proposed expanding Alden Road-sometimes called Charles Road with 30 foot easements on each side of the road. The comparison I was making is if this road called for this type of expansion, then imagine what Country Club Road, Hillside, Oak Street look like after the County expands those roads with 30 foot easements. A forest of trees will be cut down, roads will be on residents front porch and the space available in downtown Ridgefield would require bulldozing of buildings to accommodate expanding the roads for proper width and easements.

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The top photo is of the gravel mining just north of Lily Pond Road.

The map from Google shows about where the train station would be located on Country Club Road.

Next there is a photo of the Route 14 Crystal Lake McHenry County Animal Control Shelter.

The picture below is of the property in question. Metra plans to buy 17.5 acres.

Other articles that might be of interest:

Alexander Lumber’s Move to Ridgefield, Proposed Metra Station Implications

Musings on the Proposed Ridgefield Metra Station

Ridgefield Businessman Takes on McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler over Proposed Metra Station

Metra Transparency Worse than McHenry County College’s

Metra Scheduled to Approve Former Flowerwood Land for Station in Ridgefield This Morning

Very, very shortly after I asked Metra Board Secretary Lisa Murphy to fax me what would be in the board packet for Friday’s meeting, my machine started to buzz.

The summary memo from Metra Executive Director Phillip Pagano revealed that $1,537,707 would be paid to Amcore Bank Trust 3582.

It is half owned by McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler and half by his former Flowerwood partner Gary Seigmeier’s estate. That “includes an $117,686 recapture fee for previously completed road improvements” (presumably for the 87 Lumber property between the station site and Downtown Ridgefield).

The price per acre for the 17.33 acres works out to be $81,789.

McHenry County College paid $67,000 an acre for 57 acres closer to Crystal Lake last year. (Click to enlarge the image. The proposed Metra site is northeast of this property. The train tracks are in the upper right hand corner of the picture.)

In arguing for the purchase, MCC President Walt Packard said that

“the property was perfectly sited to take advantage of a future Ridgefield Metra station maybe 20 years away.”

The Pagano memo points out that the station is about 5.1 miles from the Woodstock station and that Metra expects to annex it to Crystal Lake.

Pagano ends the memo with this justification:

“The subject property is a desirable location for a new station and enables Metra to locate the station north of the tracks allowing commuters to access morning trains to Chicago without crossing the tracks.

“Otherwise, the commuter facility south of the tracks would necessitate the procurement of additional property on the north side of the tracks in order to construct a depot with sufficient waiting area on the inbound side of the tracks and a Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department emergency access road from an existing public street to the depot site.”

I asked Murphy to ask Pagano if there would be a public hearing on the proposal.

Delores Ellison conveyed this answer from him:

“There will not be.”

No mention is made of the distance from the McHenry County College campus or that even that the college is in the vicinity.

McHenry County’s representative on the Metra board is former State Senator Jack Schaffer. He was appointed without dissent in 2006 by the county board chairmen of McHenry, Kane, Lake and Will County Boards.

Comments may be sent to Metra Board members here: metraboard@metrarr.com

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The land in question is just beyond the barbed wire fence surrounding the to-be new Alexander Lumber Company site. It is across Country Club Road and a bit to the northwest from the Google Map “A.”

Articles that might be of interest:

Alexander Lumber’s Move to Ridgefield, Proposed Metra Station Implications

Musings on the Proposed Ridgefield Metra Station

Ridgefield Businessman Takes on McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler over Proposed Metra Station

Metra Transparency Worse than McHenry County College’s