Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
July 28, 2016 Volume 166, Number 33 - $1.00
Voters to Decide
It’s Fair Time!!
Oregon Selected
Voters will decide in November if Lafayette and Taylor townships should merge. B3
Read all about the upcoming Ogle County Fair. Special Section
Oregon is one of six rural communities to be a Rural Crowd Fund Demonstration Site. A9
Project PLAY coming down
City helps RRC
Superintendent seeks input on its replacement
A $5,000 amendment to the city budget will help a local senior center continue to provide transportation in the community. “I would like to amend the budget to donate $5,000 to the Rock River Center,” said commissioner Jim Barnes. “We can afford $5,000.” City officials approved the multi-million dollar budget unanimously Tuesday night with the $5,000 Rock River Center funding. Finance Commissioner Terry Schuster said Barnes had approached him about the possibility of adding a line item in the budget to assist with senior transportation. “He said there is a critical shortage for senior transportation,” said Schuster. “This is a need because of the state budget shortfalls.” Rock River Center Executive Director Ann Haas said the support from the city is appreciated. “The state approved a stop gap budget but there is no word about when we will receive any state funding,” said Haas. “This $5,000 will help us continue our transportation services.” Schuster said the overall city budget has reserve funds and a balanced budget “The reserve in the budget is our rainy day fund,” he said. Mayor Ken Williams thanked the department heads and commissioners for the time spent on the 2017 budget. “This is a big hurdle that is done well,” said Williams. “The budget process is always long and drawn out. Thank you.”
By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Oregon school officials have decided it’s time to replace playground equipment used by youngsters in the school district for almost three decades. Superintendent Tom Mahoney said July 22 that the castle towers, twisting walkways, and slides of Project PLAY (Play Leads to Active Youth), located just outside Oregon Elementary School, will soon be coming down. “We’ve had an increase in kids getting injuries on Project PLAY, mostly splinters,” he said. “There’s no way to maintain it and guarantee no injuries.” In the interest of student safety, the demolition will happen before school starts next month, Mahoney said. The all-wood construction of the unique playground, built by volunteers in 1989, is its downfall, he said. “Twenty-six years is a long time for something that’s all wood even if it gets treated,” Mahoney said. Portions of the playground were removed a few years ago and replaced. Because the playground gets a lot of use in summer, signs have been put up warning the public about the potential for splinters.
Project PLAY was constructed by community volunteers in October 1989. This photo of just a portion of the playground was taken from one of its many towers. The playground is located behind the Oregon Elementary School. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Project PLAY was the brainchild of retired teacher Nancy Ryder, Oregon, who had seen a similar Robert Leathers playground in her hometown and immediately believed Oregon should have one. She and Deb Wuebben were co-chairmen of a committee to get the project off the ground and raise the needed $45,000. “The idea was to give the children a creative play area — anything that leads to imagination,” Ryder said. On the other hand, Ryder said she can understand the decision to remove it. “I’m not surprised that they would want to take it out because it’s high maintenance,” she said. Ryder said the Leathers company representatives, who designed the playground after getting input from the community, helped with every aspect. “They told us everything we needed and how to go about it,” Ryder said. “We
The Oregon School District has posted signs at Project Play that say - Caution: Play at own risk. You may get splinters. Photo by Earleen Hinton
ordered special pine from Georgia. They [Leathers] were very specific.” After months of fundraising, including a Pennies for the Playground drive at the elementary school, hundreds of volunteers converged on the
school grounds on Oct. 1115, 1989 for a five-day build to put it all together. “We had so many people volunteers who were good at so many things,” Ryder said. “We had electricians, carpenters, ministers. It was really neat.”
“There was a diversity of ages of the people who helped,” said retired teacher Marilyn Berg, a member of the Project PLAY committee. “We had a nursery for the children of the people building, and food Turn to A10
Construction work is humming along at historic library By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Reading a good book under a shade tree will soon be an option for patrons at the Oregon Public Library. Construction was humming early this week as crews cleared trees, spread gravel, and then poured concrete for a patio, new sidewalks, and handicapped parking stalls. The work is part of the library renovations that started inside earlier this year. A large area outside west and north of the library was prepared for the patio and parking stalls.
Library Director Andrew Dettman said four parking stalls will be west of the building, accessible from an alley and convenient to the new elevator on the north side. The patio, he said, will have outdoor furniture where patrons can relax with a book and a cup of coffee. A drive-through book drop-off box will also be located in that area. New sidewalks wrap around the library from the front to the elevator, which is part of making the building compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Out front, the set of A crew from Sjostrom & Sons, Rockford, were busy pouring concrete for the new walkway in front of the Oregon Turn to A2 Library on Tuesday morning. The work is part of a remodeling project at the historic library. Photo by Earleen Hinton
In This Week’s Edition...
Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B5-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Library, A8 Oregon Police, A7 Public Voice, A6
Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Sports, B2 State’s Attorney, B4
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com
Deaths, B4 Helen L. Cann Doris Isgrig