Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal October 9, 2014 Volume 152, Number 24 - $1.00
Sectional Bound The Cardinals golf team will be represented by two at next weeks sectional match. B1
Bison Arrive
$2.8 Million Loan
The first bison have arrived at the Nachusa Grasslands. A7
The Forreston Village Board approved an IEPA loan of $2.8 million Monday night. A2
Property owner is revisiting a zoning change By Chris Johnson Reporter A Forreston property owner is revisiting a zoning request that was put on hold last year. Jon Ludwig owns the property across the street from the high school and attended Monday night’s
village board meeting. “He has acquired property and would like to develop the land,” said Ludwig’s attorney Gary Gehlbach of Ehrmann, Gehlbach, Badger, Lee & Considine, Dixon. “Jon does not want retail on the land. We ask to form a new B-2 business district.” Gehlbach said B-1 would
be for office space and B-2 would be for any retail business. This way the property development would restrict the types of businesses that could go in, he said. “I am asking for approval of the preliminary plat for Village East Estates,” said Gehlbach.
Lots 1 through 3 which are the southeastern lots along Ill. 72 would be rezoned to B1 under the plan. These lots are along the entrance road and to the east. The plan calls for lots 4 through 8 which are on the southwestern part of the development to be rezoned for duplexes.
“We see that duplexes are the fastest growing residential development,” Gehlbach said. “I am asking to amend the zoning ordinance.” Ludwig said the lot sizes were increased from the original subdivision. “This makes it more appealing to build there,” said Ludwig.
Gehlback asked the village board to send the request to the planning commission for consideration. The board unanimously agreed to send the issue to the planning commission. In order for this proposed plan to proceed, the board Turn to A3
Two appointed to commission By Chris Johnson Reporter
The Forreston Village Board appointed two men to fill vacancies on the planning commission Monday night. Monty Cotter, owner of Forreston Hardware, was approved unanimously without discussion. The other appointee was Grant Sketo, a homeowner in Forreston who owns a business in Oregon. “I have no problem with Grant but I do not want legal issues,” said trustee Ken Toms. Sketo had spoken out during a planning commission last year and subsequent board meetings about a plan by Jon Ludwig to re-subdivide and rezone lots in the subdivision across the street from the high school. Ludwig was interested in rezoning the lots along the
highway to allow for business developments and duplexes. During the June 3 meeting last year Sketo said he purchased a house in that subdivision assuming it would be single family. He was concerned with what would happen with the property once Ludwig has no say in the development. Forreston’s attorney Jack Heaton, of Ward, Murray, Pace & Johnson, Dixon, attended Monday’s meeting. Heaton said there is no legal issues with Sketo being appointed to the position. “Living in a spot does not preclude if something comes forward (to the planning commission),” Heaton said. The board unanimously approved Sketo’s appointment. The question about Sketo was raised because a request by Ludwig was on the agenda Monday night.
Tim Drayton, Forreston, was busy helping at the Boy Scout Troop 52 food booth Sunday morning at Autumn on Parade. Photo by Chris Johnson
Large crowd at AOP By Vinde Wells Editor Mother Nature showed off her Jekyll and Hyde personality traits for Oregon’s Autumn on Parade festival last weekend, but Spiderman and his friends didn’t care. The mercury hovered
below the 50-degree mark on Saturday with a raw wind and intermittent rain until late afternoon when the sun finally broke through. But that brisk taste of winter-to-come didn’t phase Spiderman, Captain America, The River Demons roller derby team participated in or Wonder Woman—stolling the parade Sunday afternoon in Oregon. Here Shady Turn to A3 Waitress skates down the street. Photo by Chris Johnson
New coordinator named for Ogle County agency By Vinde Wells Editor
The final statue in the Community Arts Legacy’s “10 in 10” depicts Oregon founder John Phelps and his French guide as they step onto the Rock River shore where Oregon is now located. Photo supplied
Donations needed for sculpture By Vinde Wells Editor The Community Arts Legacy (CAL) is seeking donations for its 10th and final statue, a tribute to Oregon founder John Phelps. CAL Committee Member Betty Adams, Oregon, said recently that 65 percent of the funds needed for the $50,500 project have been raised. Another $20,000 is needed, she said. The statue will complete
the CAL’s goal of 10 in 10 — 10 pieces of sculpture in 10 years. The statue, created by artist Steven Carpenter and currently being cast at inBronze Foundry, Mt. Morris, depicts Phelps and his French guide as they canoed south down the Rock River and first stepped foot on the shore where Oregon is now located. The project includes establishing a new park behind the Oregon Coliseum
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with pathways, seating, landscaping, and the Phelps sculpture as its centerpiece. Phelps was a soldier in both the War of 1812 and the Black Hawk War 20 years later. He founded Oregon and claimed 40 acres between Oregon and Mt. Morris in 1834. Nearly $7,000 of the cost will be paid from three grants. CAL was recently awarded
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B8-B12 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B6 Forreston Police, A2
Turn to A3
A Rochelle man has been appointed the coordinator of the Ogle County Emergency Management Agency (OCEMA). Ogle County Board Chairman Kim Gouker announced last week in a press release that he appointed Thomas E. Richter, 58, to the post on Oct. 1. Richter will be paid an annual salary of $51,000, more than half of which is reimbursed by the state. Richter replaces Candace Humphrey, who stepped down on Aug. 15. Gouker had appointed Richter as interim coordinator on Aug. 29. Richter is a long time resident of Ogle County, and has 26 years of emergency incident related experience throughout the country, and served as part of the incident management team during the 2008 floods in Quincy. Most recently, he served as the deputy branch director for National Incident Management System (NIMS), training and exercises at MABAS-Illinois (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) and as program manager at the Illinois Fire
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B3 Public Voice, A9 Property Transfers, B5 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Service Institute. Richter said Tuesday that he is pleased to be named OCEMA coordinator. “It’s a privilege for me to serve the citizens and the county board,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the job.” He said the county and its various emergency services agencies are very well prepared for disasters and emergencies, natural or manmade. “I’m a believer in the three Cs of communication, coordination, and cooperation,” he said. He said the police and fire departments in the county are very cooperative and have good assets to respond to emergencies. Richter said he hopes to develop programs and information to assist residents and businesses in case of a crisis. Gouker said Richter’s experience will be an asset. “It is a real pleasure to have the services of a longtime professional like Tom Richter, to be able to serve the citizens of Ogle County, and to work to ensure their safety and develop the necessary preparedness for any disaster or incident that may occur in our county,” he said. “We are fortunate to have Tom here,
Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B6 Zoning Permits, B6 Weather, A2
and I look forward to working with him on that mission.” In the press release Gouker said the appointment followed “an accelerated and exhaustive search for a replacement, which brought in 19 applications, from all over the state of Illinois, and an interview of six applicants.” OCEMA is responsible for coordinating the local emergency and disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation efforts of the county. The office operates to insure that the various governmental and emergency offices will be adequately prepared to deal with natural or technological emergency and disaster incidents, and to preserve the lives and property of county residents and to protect the public peace, health, and safety in the event of a disaster, Gouker said. Illinois statutes place the responsibility for the appointment of the coordinator of each county’s Emergency Management Agency with the chairman of the county board. The OCEMA office is located at 103 Jefferson St., Oregon, just south of the sheriff’s office.
Deaths, B5 Jean M. Messer, Del Miller, Norene J. Scott, Ronald U. Stevens
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com