CALHOUN NEWS-HERALD
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INSIDE SOCIAL
Annual family reunion held. See page A4
NEWS
HARDIN, ILLINOIS 62047
jANuARY 8, 2014
VOLuME 141 - ISSuE 2
Hardin approves water rate increase By BOB CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald The Hardin Village Board of Trustees approved a three-year plan with step increases in water rates starting in February to bring its revenues in line with expenditures. Board member Dave Hurley presented an informational survey produced by the Illinois American Water Company. The information included a step increase of $5 bi-monthly each
year for three years, meaning water bills will have raised by $7.50 by the third year to $32.50 per month or $65 per billing cycle. By adding the $2.50 per month – $5 per billing cycle – for the first year, the additional revenue will nearly cover the estimated $13,900 in maintenance costs not covered with current revenues. With the increase, the village will have a better chance to be awarded grants for which it has been turned
CALHOUN COUNTY'S
down. Board members said they’ve been refused grants because their water bills aren’t high enough, but after three years, the bills may be at a level which would allow the village to seek grant money and pay for the matching funds often associated with such grants. According to the report, the village of Hardin delivers 39.7 million gallons of water to its residents per year and pays around $139,000 to do so. With 456 connections in Hardin, each
connection costs $305.88 each year. However, the cost to deliver the water does not include any of the maintenance costs to upgrade water lines, install flush hydrants, or flush the water lines, among other regular duties. Though the revenue of $136,800 is in line with the expenses, he said as problems persist, the village will not have money to address issues of murky water or introduce upgrades to the system.
GIRLS FACE OFF
“Everything is old here. Pumps break. We’ve got hydrants we have got to replace. We want to put some smaller hydrants in so we can start flushing,” Hurley said, “but we don’t have any money for it. … These complaints will keep coming until we start replacing things and have the money to replace them.” Hurley said the village continues to get complaints about water, but without any money to fix the problems, the (See, rate inCrease, A2)
Snow storm locks many in homes, no accidents reported By BOB CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald
Calhoun basketball action. See page B1
NEWS
Helds go on annual hunt. See page A6
SPORTS Mike Weaver/Calhoun News-Herald
Brussels junior Marisa Kuhn is surrounded by Calhoun defenders Sam Gerson, left, and Emma Baalman, Friday at Calhoun High School. The Lady Warriors won a 67-30 decision behind a game-high 20 points from Baalman. michaelrweaver.com
The region battled high winds carrying heavy snow over the weekend, creating hazardous driving conditions for those who braved the weather. Calhoun County Sheriff Bill Heffington said residents of the county had not reported accidents due to the snow, unlike neighboring Jersey County. “I think everybody paid attention when we told people just to stay home and only go out in emergencies,” Heffington said. Travelers who frequently use ferries to enter and exit the county have been unable to board the ships. The ferry route in Kampsville was closed Dec. 30 due to icy conditions and it is not clear when it will reopen. The Brussels Ferry closed Jan. 2, and was expected to reopen Jan. 6 at 12 p.m. but was still closed at press time. The sheriff said snow removal teams from the Calhoun County Highway Department have been hard at work clearing the major roadways for the county. The strong winds were the biggest issue facing the county, the sheriff added, noting visibility was severely hindered from the blowing snow. With continued winds, some roads were covered by large drifts of the frozen flakes. “They’re getting them opened up. They’re still working on them,” Heffington said Jan. 6. “Everything is still ice packed and snow packed, but they’re getting them cleaned off.” He said with everybody staying warm in their homes, the road crews have had an easier time plowing the roads as there isn’t any other motorist interference. Heffington urged motorists to be careful as the temperature warms because the melting snow could freeze (See, storm, A2)
Calhoun Recycling Initiative offers option for Calhoun residents Winchester Invitational Tournament. See page B8
NEWS
What's happening between the rivers. See page A5
ONLINE
calhounnewsherald.com
CALHOUN NEWSHERALD • Index • Obituaries . . . . . A3 Our Town . . . . . . A8 News . . . . . . . . . A6 Public Notice . . . B6 Real Estate . . .B4-5 Correspondence A5 Social . . . . . . . . . A4 Sports . . . . . . . . B8 Obituaries in this issue: Carrico, Fulkerson, Godar, Simpkins
© 2014 Calhoun News-Herald
By CaRMEN ENSINGER Calhoun News-Herald Calhoun is ushering in the new year with the beginning of new recycling program called the Calhoun Recycling Initiative, which hopes to be an answer to recycling within the county. The program, based in Hardin, is co-founded by Patricia Stelbrink and her sister, Pam Browning, who were very interested in recycling but hampered by the lack of a local place to take them. “There has been a big push for fitness, healthy eating and social responsibility this year,” Stelbrink said. “Chief among the social responsibility aspect was recycling. We all said how we were interested in recycling but how difficult it was to do it because we don’t have recycling pickup in Hardin.” Browning is retired from the Air Force and had previously lived in several communities where recycling wasn’t a luxury – it was a requirement. “One of these places was Germany where people are required to separate their recyclables or face steep fines,” Stelbrink said. “She was taking her recyclables to Pittsfield every week when she went to school and we talked about how great it would be to have it here in Calhoun.” Together, the ladies decided they were going to make the program happen and laid out a plan to do so. “Previously, I had tried to get a program started but none of the waste haulers in the area offered any type of recycling pickup,” Stelbrink said. “Pam called and spoke to Bob Sanders and he agreed to place a container in Calhoun. The only requirement was that we cover the container with a tarp, which was donated by Home Depot, and adhere to the requirements for the types of recyclables allowed.” The ladies went to the village of Hardin meeting and secured permission to have the container placed in a secured area behind the carwash. The 20-yard container is single stream, which means the recyclables do not have to be separated into different bins. When the container is full, Sanders Waste Removal will remove the container and replace it with another one. They then take the full container to a recycling company in Earth City, Mo. Each pickup costs $375 and the funding is currently coming from donations. “We do not charge a fee for recycling, but we do accept donations,” Stelbrink said. “Anyone who lives in Calhoun County is allowed to bring and drop off recyclables. In the future we hope to have a program in place where people from Brussels, Batchtown and Kampsville can meet at one location in each place and have someone bring the recycling from that location to Hardin. This would save money on gas for everyone involved and is a more environmentally sound way to do it.”
Submitted photo
This single stream recycling dumpster, located in the secured area behind the carwash in Hardin, will be open every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to accept a variety of recyclable items including glass, paper, cardboard, plastic, etc. Bob Crossen/Calhoun News-Herald
Straight line winds blew off most of the roof of the Winneberg Club House in Golden Eagle June 26. as of Jan. 7, Winneberg is still in the process of finalizing the claim for the roof, and will have a total figure of the damages in February. Tom Breckenridge, president of the club at the time, said he hopes to keep the pool open during the summer, despite the closure of the club house.
A fundraiser is being planned for January and letters have been sent to businesses to try and get donations. “All of the people who work with the program are volunteers so the only cost is the amount of money it costs to remove and replace a container,” Stelbrink said. “We hope to bring this matter before the county board to try and secure funding through the county budget when the commissioners begin talking about the annual budget. Pam and Angie Hayn have also been exploring other options for funding such as pairing up with civic organizations in the future.” A Facebook page has been created to promote the recycling, called Calhoun Recycling Initiative, which notifies those interested in recycling when the scheduled drop off times will be. They have currently had two pickup dates – one on Dec. 26 and another on Dec. 29 and both were quite successful. “We had a fantastic turnout and the container is getting quite full already,” Stelbrink said. “Now that the holidays are over, we will be going back to our regular schedule of being open on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.” Stelbrink said once the program gets off the ground they would like to get some heavy plastic containers to place in the schools to catch many of the recyclables that are currently going into the waste stream, such as office paper. “Melissa Brown at Calhoun Elementary has been very helpful with trying to get things started at Calhoun Elementary,” Stelbrink said. “We hope to have a program up and running there where all recyclables at the school will be sent to our container instead of the trash container.” There are a lot of different types of recyclables which are accepted including plastic, glass, newspaper, office paper, cardboard boxes, etc. “We have very specific requirements for what can and cannot be accepted so it is important for people to look at the flyer we have posted on our Facebook page of what is accepted and also on the reverse sides of the flyers which are hanging around the county,” Stelbrink said.
CNH Year in Review, part two JULY High winds tear roof off Winneberg Club House A storm generating high wind Wednesday, June 26, ripped the roof off of Winneberg Club House and it now sits crumpled in the parking lot. Tom Breckenridge, president of the Winneberg Club, said the club has never been subject to such devastation before, noting the apparent cause was a straight line wind gust. “It must have caught it just right, and lifted the roof right off of the building,” Breckenridge said. “I would estimate between 60 and 70 percent of the roof. … Like anything else of this nature, we were very surprised.” Commissioners accept $1 million donation for courthouse project The Calhoun County Commissioners accepted a $1 million donation for the restoration of the old school building in Hardin to be used for county government offices during its regular meeting July 8. Delford Richter, son of Marvin Richter who was a major influence in the agriculture community, donated the money to the county to restore the courthouse in honor of his father. When the project is complete, the building will be adorned with the name Marvin Richter, and will house all county offices – state’s attorney, supervisor of assessments, county clerk, etc. Richter sold agricultural products to farmers for many years in Calhoun County. Bar owners express opposition to liquor ordinance changes C
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Bar owners throughout the county came to the regular county commissioner meeting July 8 to express their concerns about the raise in cost for a liquor license and the county’s relative costs to village licenses. Gary Booth, owner of Boothy’s Palace Tavern, representing his business as well as Straight Home Bar and Grill, said the cost seems unreasonable when compared to the prices set by county villages and towns. “We pay more money than any of the bars in the villages,” Booth said, asking why bar owners throughout the county were not part of the discussion on a new ordinance. “It’s going to put a burden on a bunch of stuff.” Kieffer pleads guilty to insurance fraud, charged with shooting man Former Calhoun County Supervisor of Assessments Sherrie Brandi Kieffer pleaded guilty to insurance fraud and filing a false police report, and was also charged with shooting a man. According to court documents, Kieffer reported a 2000 Chrysler Town and Country van, registered to her, stolen Dec. 29, 2012. Filed March 26, Kieffer was charged with filing a false police report and for insurance fraud after the Calhoun County sheriff’s office found the van submerged in the Mississippi River. County meeting with architect for new courthouse project After signing an agreement to accept a $1 million donation to rebuild the school house in the center of Hardin as a courthouse, the (See, Year in revieW, A2)