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INSIDE SOCIAL

Jack Aderton celebrating 90th birthday. See page A4

NEWS

Calhoun hosts horse competitions. See page A6

HARDIN, ILLINOIS 62047

AuguSt 19, 2015

Calhoun Commissioners OK Batchtown Road improvements By MARk PACE Calhoun News-Herald The Calhoun County Board of Commissioners gave interim County Engineer Dave Marth the green light to move forward on the next step for an overhaul to Batchtown Road. The commissioners are seeking funds from the Federal Highway Administration for an 80/20 percent split for funding of the project. FHWA will pay for 80 percent of the project, leaving Calhoun County taxpayers to pay the other 20 percent. Marth will meet with FHWA representatives next Wednesday. “The Federal Highway Administration is ready to move forward with whatever it costs to fix Batchtown [Road],” Marth said to the board during its Aug. 17 meeting. “It’s not a wait and see. [The money] is there and ready to go.” The commissioners are still awaiting word from the federal government about grant money the county applied for following this year’s flood that left Batchtown Road damaged once again. The road washes out during major

rainfall, leaving highway department personnel to patch it up. However, it is in need of a permanent overhaul to fix the problem rather than cover it up, the county commissioners said. The commissioners are going to take the beginning part of the process slowly to see what will happen with the grant money, Chairman Doug Wilschetz said following the meeting. Wilschetz and Marth were both hopeful the project can still use grant money for the start of the project. “It’s a little complicated, but it can be combined,” Marth said to the board. If the county is awarded the grant, the goal is to use grant money for the first $600,000 of the project and then use FHWA money, 20 percent coming from local taxpayers, for the rest of the project. If the commissioners elected not to use FHA money, and the grant is awarded to Calhoun, anything above the maximum grant total of $600,000 would come from the local budget. If the commissioners elected not to use FHA money, and the grant was not awarded to Calhoun, the entire project would have fallen on the county’s taxpayers.

Marth said he is working to make the project as cheap as possible for the county, but said it will be “more expensive than you think.” “[Money] is tight, tight, very tight,” Wilschetz said about the county’s financial situation. By using funds from FHWA, the county could pay up to $200,000, but that would be worst case scenario, Marth said. The total cost of the project is still unknown, but the highest guess from Marth was between $1 million and $1.2 million. The commissioners emphasized they’d like to do the project correctly so residents do not have to worry about the road washing out when it rains. “I agree that we have to fix it. Even if it does end up being $200,000 [for the county], it is what it is. It needs done,” Commissioner Phil Robeen said. If Calhoun County receives the grant, the project will need to start quickly. Now that the county will use FHWA money, it will need to get construction for the project going by next year, Marth said. While Marth left the decision entirely up to the board, they did ask for his

calhounnewsherald.com

WEEKEND WEATHER FRIDAY, AUGUST 21

83 64 Low

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22

86 71 High

Low

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23

81 59 High

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CALHOUN NEWSHERALD • Index • Obituaries . . . . . . . A3 Our Town . . . . . . . . A5 News . . . . . . . . A6,C5 Real Estate . . . . D1-2 Correspondence . . .A4 Social . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . B1 Obituaries in this issue: Coonrod, Schlereth

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opinion. “My feeling is that to do it right, it’s going to cost more than you think. To do it right so it’s not an issue again, the $600,000 might cover it all, but it might not.” FHWA is covering 100 percent of the cost of repairs for 180 days because of the damage to the area from the flooding. At the end of the meeting, the commissioners thanked Marth for all of his work. Marth serves as county engineer in Greene County and is working for Calhoun County in the same capacity on an interim basis until the commissioners find someone to fill the position. The county is taking steps on choosing a new county engineer from four applicants. “I do want to say thanks,” Wilschetz said. “You have been thrown into the fire here, and your work is appreciated. You’ve done a good job.” Commissioner Gene Breden also thanked Marth for his work. “I really appreciate all of the explanation we get from you on the things that you’re doing,” he said. “We aren’t used to that and appreciate it.”

Calhoun Unit 40 looks toward extracurriculars for savings

ONLINE

High

VOLuME 142 - ISSuE 33

Bob Crossen/Calhoun News-Herald

Just a little bit country

Alex Randall accepts a second place ribbon in the Open Halter Class competition  during  a  horse  show  at  the  fairgrounds  in  Hardin  Sunday  morning.  Competitors  squared off in several events including barrel and flag races. More photos from the  show can be found on page C1.

IDNR charges poachers in Calhoun By MARk PACE Calhoun News-Herald Three separate cases of poaching in Calhoun County brought court action against individuals from outside the area after a multistate investigation resulted from online posts about the alleged crimes. Weldon “Jesse” Bean of Bourbonnais, Michael Tomlanovich of Wood River and Joe Slye from Georgia were all charged in three separate wildlife cases in Calhoun County. The investigations started near the end of the 2014 hunting season. “All three investigations came about by officers comparing social media and website posts to IDNR permit and harvest data,” said Captain Jamie Maul, Region IV Commander for the IDNR Office of Law Enforcement. A six-month investigation by multiple Illinois counties with aid from eight others states led to charges for Bean. Bean allegedly outfitted while wildlife privileges were revoked and without a license. Bean’s hunting privileges were revoked due to an arrest for the unlawful taking of white-tailed deer in 2011. In a second case, Slye faces charges for the

unlawful taking of an antlered deer without an either-sex deer permit. Georgia officers assisted with the investigation. The two cases were a joint effort between the Illinois Conservation Police and wildlife officers in several states.

“All three investigations  came about by officers  comparing social media  and website posts to IDNR  permit and harvest data.”

Captain Jamie Maul Region IV Commander for the IDNR Office of Law Enforcement. “Cooperation from other state DNR agencies is always critical in these types of cases,” Maul said. “They assisted us by interviewing potential non-resident suspects and/or witnesses and seizing potential evidence. Without (See, poachers, A2)

By MARk PACE Calhoun News-Herald The Calhoun Community Unit School District 40 Board of Education is looking at ways to cut extracurricular costs while continuing to provide students with transportation for athletic events. The board addressed transportation to and from games during its Aug. 17 meeting after miscommunication

for a miscommunication between itself and coaches, she said. Board members are looking to cut costs without putting students and families at risk. The $26,000 cost came while the district is facing financial trouble, but board members were not looking at completely cutting transportation, just a different way of paying the bill. The board is considering several options and using this

“We’re going to have to go more  toward self-funding.”

Kate Sievers Unit 40 Superintendent between the board and athletic programs left many to believe the school would completely cut bussing for athletes to events. “Last year we spent about $26,000 on transportation … so what we’re trying to do is find a happy medium so parents aren’t having to drive to all the games, yet not leaving us to foot the entire bill,” Unit 40 Superintendent Kate Sievers said. While the parents will be asked to take students to close games, such as those in Brussels or Carrollton, the goal is to continue providing transportation to games farther away. Parents voiced concern at the beginning of the meeting about students driving themselves to games and the danger that would cause. “Under no circumstance did we want the kids to drive,” board member Laura Longnecker said. The board accepted blame

year as a pilot to see what works, Sievers said. A committee will be formed to look at possible solutions. Solutions could see each team chipping in with the bill or result in the athletic program becoming completely self-funded. “We’re going to have to go more toward self-funding,” Sievers said. “When I tell people we spent almost $30,000 on transportation costs, well, that’s almost a teacher’s salary. There are concerns, and we want to be financially responsible. We’re trying to find common ground. Sports are important to our school and our community.” The athletic programs are going to have to eventually become self-funded, but the board is not going to leave it “high and dry,” Sievers said. The committee will review possible solutions and look for a plan save costs for the district without becoming a major burden for the teams.

Brussels breaks ground on Main Street construction

By MARk PACE Calhoun News-Herald Members of the Brussels Village Board, village clerk, treasurer and Sheppard, Morgan & Schwaab engineers took part in a groundbreaking ceremony Aug. 11 for the reconstruction of Main Street in Brussels. Efforts by the village to improve the road date back about 15 years, SMS representative Dave Godar said. Construction began Aug. 19. The road will remain closed until the project is finished this fall. Detour signs route traffic on Poppe Lane, Ridge Road and Community Avenue.

IDOT approved the project last summer after the village and SMS designed the project with input from the public. The new project will reconstruct the road from the cemetery south to the village boundary at County Highway 1. It will replace the oil and chip road with a concrete road which is more durable. It will also add a sidewalk on one side. The project was awarded to RCS Construction Inc., based in Wood River. RCS’s bid was for $885,639. The village received a $1 million grant for the project. The extra money will be used for other costs associated with the project.

Submitted photo

From left to right, are Dave Godar from Sheppard, Morgan & Schwaab Engineers; Village  Trustees  Darren  Kulp,  Larry  Kulp,  Ron  Pohlman,  Toni  Pohlman  and  Don  Seiferman;  Village Treasurer Nancy Kulp and Village Clerk Mollie Halemeyer.  Not present for the  photo was Village President Bruce Pohlman and Trustee Kevin Kiel.


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