McHenry County Stiffing Lakewood’s Georgtown at Turnberry Residents

The electric line for the Georgetown at Turnberry subdivision pond aeration device was cut by McHenry County road contractor Rockford Blacktop.

It happened during the Ackman Road extension and Lakewood Road widening.

The repair bill was $6,445.

McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler told the Northwest Herald in an article by Jim Butts says the line was built illegally on the public way.

Because of a large electrical device, the 100-person subdivision president John Young told the reporter, “A caveman could see there’s electricity connected, to paraphrase a GEICO commercial.”

Yet no one asked before the dug.

This reminds me of how my household had to eat the damage to our home when Lake Avenue was reconstructed.

We had the equivalent of continuous earthquakes as strong as one registering 4 on the Richter Scale. Our dished were shaking in the cabinets. The glass on the chandelier was shaking.

The result was that our brick patio sunk and the chimney bricks were loosened.

But it was apparently our fault.

My parents shouldn’t bought our home, which is on a small, apparently too unstable gravel hill in 1960.

The Village of Lakewood accepted no responsibility. I was told to go to the contractor.

I complained to the Illinois Department of Transportation, the source of the money.

I got the same answer I received when I went to the contractor.

I was pointed to the contractor’s insurance company.

You can’t prove the pounding of the compactor caused the problem. That was the answer from the insurance company.

I doubt they ever pay out anything.

So, the Georgetown at Turnberry folks can expect the royal runaround.

And, it will cost each household a bit over $60.

That’s not much, but it’s enough to go out to dinner at Lakewood’s first restaurant, Lou Malnati’s Pizzera, when it opens on August 27th or shortly thereafter.

Oh, yes.

Rockford Blacktop is a very politically connected firm in Winnebago County.

= = = = =
The intersection is Lakewood and Ackman Roads. It is taken looking north shortly after it was opened in mid-summer.

Ken Koehler is the man in the photograph.

Picture of Lou Malnati’s Pizzera in Lakewood was taken on August 16, 2007.


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