McHenry County Blog

The Sunday before, the Tribune syndicated Dick Tracy comic strip’s current creators Joe Staton and Mike Curtis honored Dick Locher for his time as chief cartoonist.

This is how the Dick Tracy comic strip started the day it honored Dick Locher.

Locher has retired and been honored with a statue of Dick Tracy in his hometown of Naperville.  I looked for it briefly a couple of weeks ago, but couldn’t find it.

A summary of Dick Locher's Dick Tracy accomplishments.

The text says that Locher was an assistant to originator Chester Gould, starting in 1957.  When Michael Kilian, who wrote the story, died in 2005, Locher took over those duties, too.  His relationship to the strip is longer than anyone but Gould, the description reads.

When Gould’s assistant Rick Fletcher, who took over when Gould retired, died in 1983, Locher stepped in to save the strip.

I believe it was 1999 in which Woodstock honored Locher at its Dick Tracy Days Parade, which seem to have gone by the wayside, as did the VJ (Victory over Japan) it replaced.

I remember being surprised that day at the boldness with which newly-elected Democratic Party State Representative Jack Franks approached Woodstock Firemen for their votes before the parade.   He reminded those on duty of all the money he had gotten them.  (That was in the days of the big checks and photos of them, Franks and recipients in the Northwest Herald.)

Locher was better known for being the editorial cartoonist for the Chicago Tribune.

One of my favorites was a pitch against higher income taxes run in June of 2009.

It didn’t pass until the Tribune denied him his platform.

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I first became aware of Bull Valley’s Rick Fletcher at a Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission.  Sometime in the late 1960′s when I was County Treasurer NIPC held a hearing at the Opera House about its obviously failed finger plan.  A proposal to limit growth along rail lines under what I guess was the mistaken prediction that most people would commute to and from Chicago by rail.

“Where’s your American Flag?” he shouted at the beginning of the meeting.

Fletcher, whose daughter worked for me during the summer, would have really been in tune with the Tea Party sentiments expressed at the Lake County League of Women Voters’ debate between Joe Walsh, Melissa Bean and Bill Scheurer. The demand for the Pledge of Allegiance hit national cable news shows and may have made the difference in Walsh’s narrow defeat of Bean.

Lakewood Village President Erin Smith sent out the following letter to her constituents in the fall village newsletter.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

As we bid a fond farewell to summer, it’s appropriate to review what was accomplished during the past three (3) months and what we can look forward to in the coming months.

As is typical in the Midwest, summer was filled with construction projects and other work on infrastructure.

The new Lakewood Bike Path

Notable among these were

• the construction of bicycle lanes along Huntley Road, from West Beach to Chicago Avenue,
• the repaving of RedTail Drive and Loch Glen Drive,
• the construction of our new water tower on Turnberry Trail and
• work on the East Side Storm Sewer.

Huntley Road Bike Path

This project has been a long standing priority of our Comprehensive Plan and Parks and Recreation Committee. Given its cost, we were able to proceed with the project because staff secured a federal grant that paid for eighty percent (80%) of the construction. It has been a difficult and lengthy process for the residents impacted by the construction, and we give our sincere thanks and appreciation for their patience throughout this process.

RedTail and Loch Glen Drive

Both residents and golfers are pleased to experience the repaving of RedTail Drive. This portion of our roadway program was paid for with a $200,000 grant secured for the Village of Lakewood by State Representative Michael Tryon, and we thank him for his efforts on our behalf. With revenues from our General Fund, we were also able to repave Loch Glen Drive and make several roadway repairs throughout the community. We receive a lot of complaints about the gravel that is “kicked up” at busy intersections, and it is a maintenance problem for our residents and Public Works crew. Therefore, we took advantage of this year’s roadway program to install cobblestone returns at the intersection of RedTail Drive/Loch Glen Drive/Bardwell Lane. Please take a look and let us know what you think as we contemplate whether to continue this program at other key intersections.

Water Tower

We have also nearly completed the construction of our new water tower on Turnberry Trail, and it is expected to go online shortly, at which time the old water tower will be removed. In terms of branding our community, a strategic decision was made by the Board of Trustees to position the writing so that it is visible as you approach the Village of Lakewood from the north and south. The lettering is most visible from Turnberry and RedTail golf courses, where visitors will see that they are in the Village of Lakewood.

East Side Storm Water

In our ongoing efforts to address the issue of storm water on the East Side of the Village, our Public Works Department recently completed a project to clean and televise one-half of the Broadway storm sewer outfall pipe. This project was completed at a cost of approximately $17,150 and verified our concern that substantial repair and replacement of the storm sewer will be needed. We will include revenues in the budget for the next fiscal year that will allow us to complete the second half of the cleaning/televising project in order to assess the full extent of the work needed and begin to develop a plan for funding the repairs.

Other Summer News

In addition to our infrastructure improvements, we had another safe recreational season on Crystal Lake, and we extend our thanks to the Police Department for its consistently strong enforcement in this area. I am also very pleased to report that RedTail Golf Course has had a strong year to date. Revenues are greater than last year, and the volunteer program that was instituted for starters and rangers has helped to decrease expenditures. The golf season is not yet over, so take advantage of some great fall rates to help insure that RedTail Golf Course has a great year!

Economic Development Update

Looking forward, we continue to place economic development as our number one priority. Toward this end, we have hired Dobbe Marketing & PR to help our community develop a strong and consistent message to attract businesses. A Focus Group was held with local businesses and residents in July, and the results of that meeting will be shared with the Board of Trustees at the meeting on September 13. Primary topics will include:

How to best take advantage of the contacts of our residents to attract the types of businesses identified as priorities. You are our best resource!

How to partner with the developer of Lakewood Commons to fill the center, including the remaining vacant parcel.

Whether the current site of Village Hall can or should have an alternative use, such as a restaurant.

Whether it is viable to develop a town center and, if so, where?

I encourage you to participate in these discussions and provide your feedback to any of our elected officials.

Also in July, the Board approved a 6-month extension of the preliminary agreement with the developer of the sports complex. Financing has not yet been secured, but some indication of progress was presented.

Some of those attending the July SportsPlex board meeting at which Village President Erin Smith broke a 3-3 tie vote in favor of granting six more months for developers (seen on the right side of the audience in the front row) to obtain financing.

Our Board was split on the decision to extend the agreement.

I voted to extend the agreement because other surrounding communities have automatically extended existing agreements to support businesses in this difficult economy and I believe we need to show an equal level of support.

Input from our Focus Group, which reinforced that the sports complex is consistent with our vision, also influenced my vote.

Through the first three months of our current fiscal year, I am also pleased to report that our sales tax revenues have increased by nearly $6,400 over this same time period last year. This increase is most directly attributable to the four (4) new businesses that were annexed last summer, and we believe that we will continue to experience increased growth in revenues from these businesses.

In fact, The Gardens of Woodstock recently become a member of the McHenry County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and motor coach tours are already making regular stops for lunch and shopping. As we seek new businesses, our most effective testimonials are our existing businesses, and it benefits all of us to support them.

New Entryway Signs

In the upcoming months, you will also see three (3) new entryway signs installed as one of the recommendations from the Parks and Recreation Committee, which is interested in establishing a Garden Club to help landscape these and other public areas in the community.

Could Lakewood residents save money by having the village go shopping for electricity?

We are also exploring the possibility of working with neighboring communities to bid for the purchase of electricity for our residents. Harvard and Fox River Grove recently completed this process and had great success with overall savings for their residents of between ten (10) to fifteen (15) percent on the electric bills.

Such a process requires the passage of a referendum by our residents, and we have set a tentative goal of placing such a referendum on the March 2012 ballot. Any resident who did not want to participate in the program could simply “opt out” and continue to purchase their electricity from Commonwealth Edison. Again, we would be interested in hearing your thoughts about the program. Our goal would simply be to save our residents money in these difficult economic times.

In addition to soliciting your input on a number of issues, I am always available for a Pizza with the President and welcome your invitation.

Sincerely,

Erin

A message from Lakewood Village President Erin Smith to her constituents:

Erin Smith meeting with residents in the old part of Lakewood.

From the President

Spring is nearly here, and it’s time to begin thinking about gardens and outdoor areas and spring sports, especially golf!

Fortunately, our annexation of 565 acres of new property last year provided us with a number of opportunities to buy these types of goods and services within our community.

As you consider what landscaping and outdoor improvements you’ll make this spring, I strongly recommend that you visit Kolze’s Garden Center and The Gardens of Woodstock on the north leg of IL Route 176.

Both businesses have a beautiful variety of flowers and plants for landscaping, as well as items for outdoor themed decorating. In addition, The Gardens of Woodstock has a stunning venue for small events such as showers, weddings, and business/civic gatherings.

Our annexation also enhanced our reputation as a place for outdoor recreation as we brought two new golf courses into our community – Crystal Woods and Craig Woods.

In fact, RedTail Golf Club is partnering with Crystal Woods to sponsor the 1st Annual Lakewood Open on May 14 and 15. Look for details elsewhere in the newsletter.

As we actively and aggressively recruit new businesses, it’s crucial that we are able to accurately represent that our existing businesses are successful and are supported by our residents.

Spring is also our busiest time of the year as we consider our budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on May 1.

The Village of Lakewood has traditionally been very conservative about its finances, which has allowed it to weather the fiscal storms of the past few years relatively unscathed.

The success of this strategy is evidenced by the AAA bond rating issued by Standard & Poor’s in 2010. On March 8, we discussed our General Fund portion of the budget, and I am pleased to report that we will end our current fiscal year with a small surplus and our upcoming budget will be balanced.

All of this has been accomplished without any increased taxes or fees.

As importantly, a number of important initiatives will be undertaken, including:

• A substantial roadway program of $475,000 for the repaving of RedTail Drive, McIntosh Court, and Loch Glen Drive. Of this amount, $200,000 was secured by Representative Mike Tryon from the state of Illinois Capital Bill. Other roads throughout the community will be patched.
• 

  The Village of Lakewood sign people see as they turn into Redtail off Ackman Road.

  $17,500 has been budgeted to clean and televise one-half (1/2) of the Broadway storm sewer outfall pipe; the remaining section will be completed next year. Funds have also been allocated to begin a remote groundwater well monitoring program on Riverside Drive near Broadway. Storm sewer locating equipment will also be purchased so that staff can trace unmapped storm sewer pipes in the 300 blocks of The Gates. These were all recommendations of the Stormwater Task Force.

• Per the Parks and Recreation Committee, $15,400 has been designated for three (3) new entryway signs. Also, a grant request for the Lakewood Road Bicycle Path will be submitted shortly.
• In support of the Economic Development Committee, $9,125 has been set aside for the development of a marketing campaign directed specifically at attracting new businesses that are consistent with our vision for “quality living in a natural setting.”

The largest lake in the Turnberry subdivision in Lakewood.

Consistent with the recommendations of the Turnberry Lakes Committee, the ecological management of the Turnberry Lakes System continues.

RedTail Golf Course Clubhouse.

The Board of Trustees will continue its review of the proposed budget at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22.

The primary topics will be Lakewood Utilities and RedTail Golf Club, and residents are encouraged to attend.

It’s going to be a busy spring and summer as we undertake a number of projects to improve our infrastructure and delivery of services to residents. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me for further information or assistance regarding any Village related matter.

Sincerely,

Erin Smith, Village President

From

Report released by U.S. Senators Tom Coburn and John McCain yesterday.

Summertime Blues

100 Projects to Give Taxpayers the Blues

Senator Tom Coburn speaking at last year's Family PAC Cruise.

Senator John McCain at his 2008 pre-primary rally in Addison.

Today, United States Senators Tom Coburn and John McCain released “Summertime Blues,” a compilation of

“100 Stimulus Projects that Give Taxpayers the Blues during the Summer of Recovery.”

The introduction of this third in a series of publications starts like this:

“When Congress passed the $862 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009, otherwise known as the stimulus bill, it passed with assurances that it would stem the loss of American jobs and keep the economy from floundering. As most can see, it hasn’t.”

McHenry County’s SportsPlex made number 67 on the list.

67. If Government Builds it, They Will Come . . .We Hope

(Lakewood, IL) – $18 million

Local officials in Lakewood Village (pop. 3,050) recently approved plans for a $40 million sports complex by a unanimous vote in the hopes of bringing in up to $500,000 in annual tax revenue from hosting local, national, and even international sports events. FN425 The complex, spanning over 165 acres will feature 17 lighted baseball fields, seven soccer fields, an indoor soccer dome, an arena for basketball, an extreme sports park for skating and BMX competitions, a gas station, and a 125,000 square foot building for a restaurant and retail facilities – all of this using $18 million of bonding authority granted to McHenry County from the stimulus bill. FN426 That portion of the money has been described as both “only a start-up mechanism” and a “bridge loan.” FN427

McHenry County Blog's photo is in the report, but there isn't a credit line.

Not so fast, say the neighboring residents whose lives will be affected by the proposed facility. The most recent public meeting of the Lakewood Village trustees drew enough attendees to fill the room, the standing-room behind the chairs, and standing room into the hallway. FN428 A local blogger who attended observed that “besides the consultants, village officials and staff, most in attendance were people objecting from the neighborhood.” FN429

Concerns raised included traffic, light pollution, noise, water quality, and utility bills. Following the meeting, Village Trustee Ken Santowski wrote an e-mail to residents justifying his vote, arguing that “…the village would only lose face if the project fails…” FN430 He went on to say “This project is far from a done deal.” FN431 Perhaps Mr.
Santowski is the only one who sees it that way – the Continental Amateur Baseball Association (which calls itself “the greatest show on dirt”) is already trying to attract teams with a video “flyover” of the planned facility, calling it the “new CABA complex.” FN432

Several residents came away from the recent meeting frustrated. Tom Balboney of a nearby subdivision said “we feel all of this was done behind our backs,”FN433 and Larry Larson, long time resident, summed it up for the local newspaper: “It stinks…if they had to use their own money, they wouldn’t do it.” FN434

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The footnotes follow:

425 Bustos, Joseph. “Lakewood village board OKs special use permit, preliminary plan for sports complex.” Northwest Herald. July 28, 2010. Accessed July 30, 2010.
426 Resolution allocating Recovery Zone Volume Cap and approving a project for McHenry County Sportsplex LLC for the purposes of the American Recovery and Reinvestment tax Act of 2009. McHenry County, IL, Finance and Audit Committee Agenda, April 13, 2010. Accessed July 30,2010.
427 McHenry County Blog. “Lakewood Approves McHenry County Sportsplex.” July 28, 2010.
Accessed July 30,
2010.
428 Bustos, Joseph. “Lakewood village board OKs special use permit, preliminary plan for sports complex.” Northwest Herald. July 28, 2010. Accessed July 30, 2010.
429 McHenry County Blog. “Lakewood Approves McHenry County Sportsplex.” July 28, 2010. Accessed July 30, 2010.
430 McHenry County Blog. “Lakewood Village Trustee Gives View of Sportsplex Meeting.” July 29, 2010.  Accessed July 30, 2010.
431 McHenry County Blog. “Lakewood Village Trustee Gives View of Sportsplex Meeting.” July 29, 2010. Accessed July 30, 2010.
432 CABA website.  Accessed July 30, 2010.
433 McHenry County Blog. “Lakewood Approves McHenry County Sportsplex.” July 28, 2010.
434 Sroka, Diana. “Residents near planned $40 million sports complex not happy.” Northwest Herald. July 29. 2010.  Accessed July 30, 2010.

While his senior colleague United States Senate Dick Durbin ignored McHenry County in his requests for appropriations’ earmarks, Roland Burris did not.

Here’s what Burris requested:

$500,000 for McHenry County, Illinois Drinking Water Quality Initiative McHenry County, Illinois McHenry County Government Center 2200 North Seminary Avenue Woodstock, IL 60098

Why this is a good use of taxpayer funds: McHenry County would use the federal funds to assess the short-term and long-term viability of the drinking water supply.

It is important for folks to realize that just asking for money does not mean that a request from a very junior Senator not running for election will be included in the final appropriations bill.

The page from which one can access the six letters requesting Federal appropriation earmarks.

I’ve looked at all six letters asking for member initiatives from U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and can’t find anything for McHenry County.

Sometimes you have to connect the dots.

This time it’s about what capital spending is being voted on in Illinois and what it is rewarding.

A USA Today story highlighted Chicago State University’s 16% graduation rate after six years.

Only 4% after four years, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Not exactly a model to be emulated.

But reward Chicago State the General Assembly did.

It got $40 million in the new capital bill to build a new campus on the West Side of Chicago.

Some might think that a university that manages to graduate only 16% of its students in six years might not be one deserving of cloning.

Why not clone Northeastern Illinois University? It’s 19% graduation rate was slightly better.

How about much more successful Northern Illinois University, It came in at a 52% graduation rate after six years.

You have to wonder how prepared the students are who are being accepted to these schools.

Chicago State’s and Northeastern’s numbers really raise serious questions.

For reference, Northwestern’s graduation rate is 93%, while University of Chicago is 90%.

University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign has a 82% graduation rate after six years.

Your federal fiscal stimulus money has $1.1 million dollars going to Chicago State. It is part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008.

Is this anyone’s idea of “building upon success?”

Or is it “throwing good money after bad?”

In 2007 then Chicago State University President Elnora Daniel had to reimburse the university more than $8,600. But only after a state audit criticized spending practices at the university.

President Elnora Daniel explained at a press conference how she mistakenly used the university-issued card instead of her personal card. The explanation was she forgot to change purses or was in a rush at a store.

Daniel’s salary was $241,000 and the Chicago Tribune reported,
“In August 2006, Daniel and her family spent nine days on a Caribbean cruise, as Daniel attended a leadership conference, at a cost of more than $15,000.”

The trustees allowed a provision in her contract for this cruise to be legally paid for by the taxpayers of Illinois.

The trustees just hired Wayne Watson, the retiring head of Chicago’s junior college system, to be Chicago State’s new president a $229,166.

When you hear Democrats say,

at least you have some idea of what that means in Illinois.

The following information about Illinois Stimulus Package projects comes from Oklahoma U.S. Senator Tom Colburn’s office:

• Illinois county to spend $173,824 weatherization grant on eight pickup trucks. Having received $400,000 for a federal weatherization program, Madison County in Illinois will be spending nearly half of it on eight new Ford F-150’s. One member of the county board, Bill Meyer, raised concerns about how fast the county is being forced to spend the money, noting that
  

  “it looks like this is being crammed down our throat.”

  Fellow council member Bruce Malone responded that they have little choice:
  

  “They are saying,
  

  ‘Get out and spend it.’” (61)

  (61) Schmidt, Sanford, “Panel calls for spending stimulus funds on weatherization,” The Telegraph, June 8, 2009.

• Road signs costing $300 each are being placed at construction sites to alert motorists that the project is being paid for by stimulus money. Signs are popping up all across American. In Illinois alone, the signs are expected to cost $150,000, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). According to an IDOT spokesman,

  
  

  “It’s difficult for us to determine how many signs there will be.”(65)

  (65) Erickson, Kurt, “Stimulus money paying for signs announcing funded projects,”

  Bloomington Pantagraph, May 12, 2009.

• Parking lot that no one wants. In Macomb, Illinois, $643,945 was spent on a Prairieview public housing parking lot that no one wants. Many of the residents that the parking lot was supposed to benefit have protested it. Explaining his concern, a local resident said,
  

  “The kids love the grass. We’ve got enough pavement here.”(72)

  (72) Steelman, Lainie, “Parking under protest at Prairieview,” Macomb Journal, June 10, 2009.

• Illinois will spend $350,000 to build a four-person bunkhouse at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. (75)

  The median price for a home in Marion, Illinois, the site of the park, is currently $71,000. (76)

  (75) Crab Orchard refuge gets federal stimulus money.” The Southern, April 27, 2009.

  (76) Zillow.com, search for “Marion, Illinois,” accessed June 12, 2009.

• Rather than help welfare recipients obtain jobs and escape poverty, $1 million will be used to study whether 300 people in Chicago are healthier when living in “green” public housing facilities. The study will evaluate whether building green housing is healthier for people and will focus on 300 residents at a Chicago public housing facility. Researchers expect to find that residents living in these more energy-efficient facilities will have much lower healthcare costs. This study will create interviewing jobs.(80)

  (80) Sachs, Peter, “UIC gets $1M grant to study ‘green’ housing,” Chi-Town Daily News, May 08, 2009.

If you would like to learn more, here is Senator Colburn’s publication.

Other Midwestern examples can be found here.

I wonder if the four-person Crab Orchard bunk house will turn out to be a vacation getaway for the political class, as some state DNR facilities were for Illinois politicians. Goose and duck hunting were the draw for the relatively luxurious state-owned facilities.

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Thanks for Respuublica for pointing the way to this story.

Wednesday night I searched all the townships and municipalities in the pork bill passed by the General Assembly and put up an article about how much each township received.

They all got $75,000, but I discovered that three of the largest four—Algonquin, McHenry and Grafton—got more.

I wondered why Nunda got only $75,000, but after running the search engine twice, wrote the article and went to bed.

Nunda Township Democrat Patrick Murfin saw the piece and speculated on why Nunda got less.

He wondered whether Nunda was being punished for trying to “seize leadership in the county party, ” citing Brent Smith’s role in putting together the slate Team Nunda, which rolled to victory in both the GOP primary election and the general election in which Murfin and a running mate were challenging Smith’ wife Joni, who ran first.

(Murfin also wrote a piece on the election, which I referenced.)

So, Murfin reads my article and asks, “What gives?”

Pretty much the same question I asked myself.

Those of you who remember geometry may remember that one can reach the wrong conclusion if one starts with the wrong information.

The next day, I read Pete Gonigam’s First Electronic Newspaper and discovered he had found much more money had be allocated to Nunda than my bleary eyes had spied in House Bill 313.

I dutifully wrote a correction about missing the $175,000.

And, so did Murfin.

He observed, “Maybe Nunda is being rewarded for his increased clout.”

So, nothing unusual about the township pork. The big townships got more than the little townships, just as one would expect.

= = = = =
The photo shows Brent Smith recruiting Neko Olsen for the Young Republicans at last summer’s Nunda Township Picnic.

Congressmen call it “earmarks.”

Illinois legislators call it “member initiatives.”

If it’s in someone else’s part of the country or state, people commonly call it “pork.”

Whatever you call it, here is what Crystal Lake State Rep. Mike Tryon got inserted into the infrastructure or capital budget this year. The bill has not yet been signed.

• Grafton Township – road improvements, $125,000
• Lakewood – road improvements, $200,000
• Crystal Lake – water and sewer, $100,000
• Nunda Township – non-dedicated road program, $175,000
• Algonquin Township – non-dedicated road program, $250,000



• Lake in the Hills – park improvements, $100,000
• Cary Park District – park improvements, $75,000
• Lakeside Legacy – restoration and improvements, $75,000
• Fox River Grove – infrastructure, $50,000

So, Tryon was not the legislator to allocate $75,000 to every township road commissioner.

Since it includes all 17 townships and State Senator Pam Althoff represents all of part of each township in McHenry County, my guess is that it is she, but Althoff declined to specify what she inserted into the budget. She said she would once the bill was signed.

Jack Franks, who has made a career of handing out big checks, has not publicized 2009 state grants public.

The bill in question has major financing coming from neighborhood slot machines where liquor is sold.