Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
65th Antique Show You won’t want to miss the Oregon Woman’s Club’s Antique Show this weekend! A4
March 26, 2015 Volume 165, Number 15 - $1.00
Progress
Candidate Profiles
Businesses and government agencies work to succeed in today’s economic climate. C1
Learn about candidates for Mt. Morris Village Board and Oregon Mayor A7
Buried tanks were disclosed Underground gas tanks were disclosed at sale By Vinde Wells Editor
Flames can be seen burning through a second floor window at a house at Sixth and Madison in Oregon Saturday morning as firefighters get on the roof to continue fighting the blaze. Photo by Chris Johnson
Two house fires in two days keep firefighters busy By Vinde Wells Editor Oregon firefighters were called to two house fires in as many days over the weekend. Firefighters from nine area departments turned out to help battle a fire at the home of Harold and Miranda Best at 506 W. Madison St., on the northeast corner of Madison and Sixth Streets in Oregon on Saturday morning. Oregon Fire Chaplain Michael Hoffman said the couple and their dog were safely out of the house when firefighters arrived around 8:30 a.m. Oregon Fire Chief Don Heller said Monday afternoon that the cause of the fire is undetermined, according to a representative from the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office who assisted with the investigation. Assistant Fire Chief Al
Greene said the preliminary investigation indicated the fire started in an addition at the rear of the century-andhalf-old two-story frame house. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find the fire already well advanced. “When we got there the fire was burning in the attics of both the house and the addition, and it was under the first floor of the addition,” Greene said. “The second floor collapsed within the first 20 minutes.” Firefighters on two aerial ladders battled the flames in the attic and upstairs throughout the morning. Greene said that one advantage was that many volunteer firefighters responded to the call. “A lot of firemen were available because it was a Saturday morning,” he said. “It would have been different on a work day.” Most area departments are staffed by volunteers
Oregon firefighters put out a fire Sunday morning at 715 Franklin Street in Oregon. Mt. Morris and Byron firefighters assisted at the scene. Photo by Vinde Wells
who hold other full-time jobs. Oregon was assisted at the scene by the Mt. Morris, Polo, Byron, Stillman Valley, Dixon City, Rochelle, Franklin Grove, and Monroe Township Fire Departments. Dixon Rural firefighters stood by at the Mt. Morris Fire Station. The second fire severely damaged the one-story home of Christopher Plum at 715 Franklin St. on Sunday morning. Heller said a candle ignited the blaze. Plum was treated at the scene for cuts on his feet by
the ATS Ambulance staff. He was not transported to the hospital. Plum’s next door neighbor Verva Thomas said she saw a puff of smoke outside around 10:20 a.m. “When I looked outside I saw his front door was on fire,” she said. Thomas immediately called 911, as did other neighbors. Heller said the fire started in the living room of the home, which is owned by John Andrew. Firefighters from Mt. Morris, Byron, and Stillman Valley Fire Departments assisted at the scene.
Both the seller and the buyer agree that information about the existence of underground storage tanks was fully disclosed when the Ogle County Board purchased a piece of property almost two years ago. John Spoor, Oregon, said last week that he made it clear to county officials that gas tanks were still in the ground at 501 W. Washington St. before he sold them the property in June of 2013. “It was fully disclosed at the time of the sale,” Spoor said. County board chairman Kim Gouker affirmed that. “They disclosed everything,” Gouker said. “John was very upfront. He told us the tanks were there.” The question of disclosure came up at the March 17 county board meeting when architect Guy Gehlhausen told the board that the property may not be complaint state regulations.
He said the property, which was once a gas station, may still have underground storage tanks and contaminated soil. The underground tanks have never been registered, Gehlhausen said, which is required by the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM). He recommended that the county hire an environmental engineer to determine what needs to be done to be sure Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) and OSFM standards are being met. County board member Lee Meyer, Byron, then questioned if county officials had been made aware of that prior to the sale. Gouker said they were. Gehlhausen attended the county board meeting last week to present the board with estimates of what it would cost to demolish the building and pave the property for parking. If no tank issues exist, he said project will cost an estimated $186,153. If the building contains asbestos, removing it would cost another $10,000 to $15,000, he said. Turn to B2
Sullivan’s to build new store in MM By Chris Johnson Reporter After more than a year of discussions and planning, a new grocery store is finally getting close to becoming a reality in Mt. Morris. Scott Sullivan, owner of Sullivan’s Foods, was at the Mt. Morris Village Board meeting Tuesday night to discuss plans to start construction in May. “Mt. Morris deserves a first class operation,” Sullivan said. “We are going from the 1940s to a state-ofthe-art store.” The store will be 23,000 square feet when completed. Currently, Sullivan has a 14,000 square foot store. The new store will allow
for more efficient use of the space and employees’ time, Sullivan said. “Currently everything needs to be hand carried, and with the new store the pallets can be unloaded in the store,” he said. “This will be more efficient.” The plan is to get the building completed before Thanksgiving. Sullivan first approached the board in January of 2014 to begin the process of getting a new store. He requested financial assistance from the village’s TIF district. “We started the process a year ago,” said Sullivan. “I got to tell you we are trying to make it happen.” The village board agreed Turn to A11
Creative projects the norm at the OES Science Fair By Chris Johnson Reporter
Young scientists were showing off their creativity and skills with a variety of science projects at the Oregon Elementary Science Fair on March 21. Ninety projects created by 130 students were entered in the fair, which was held at the Black Hawk Center. Fifth grader Trevor Tighe was examining the effects
of cleaning products on bacteria. “I was testing which hand sanitizers work the best,” he said. “I had a control with no sanitizer. I took data from multiple samples and I have like 10 pages of data.” Tighe was confident with his project, and the judges saw that. They awarded him the best in show for his comprehensive look at bacteria. Teacher Pam Steele was
In This Week’s Edition...
impressed with the overall quality of projects entered this year. “It is amazing and it is awesome,” Steele said. “There are so few jobs that do not have a connection to science. If we can grab the kids interest in science as a young age by the time they are in high school they can do anything. Let’s make science exciting.” She said not every project Emmie Chapa, right, creates a soap bubble using the gas created when dry ice turns to Turn to A11 carbon dioxide while her lab partner and sister Arianna watches. Photo by Chris Johnson
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B12 Engagement, A4 Fines, B4
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Library, A11 Oregon Police, B5 Public Voice, A7
Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B5 Sports, B1 State’s Attorney, B4
Deaths, B4 Charles H. Formby, Elisabeth S. Mann, Doris Michael, Reah A. Travis, Patricia A. Unger, Ethel M. Woodin
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com