Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal June 23, 2016 Volume 154, Number 9 - $1.00
Queen Candidates
Family Farms
Blackhawk Update
Four high school seniors are vying to be the 2016 Let Freedom Ring Queen. A6
Farming is a legacy for three Ogle County families. Inside
State representative Tom Demmer (R), Dixon was in Oregon Tuesday afternoon at the RRC. A9
Forreston resident has questions about garbage Village board discussing a 10year contract By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com A Forreston resident voiced his concern Monday night about the garbage service contract the Forreston Village Board is
negotiating with Moring Disposal. “How is garbage going to work?” said Henry Huenefeld at the village board meeting. “How would it be distributed and billed? Village President Michael Harn said the proposed $15.12 rate for garbage could be added to all residential water and sewer bills. “Each home will be
charged refuse pick-up,” Harn said. Harn said the contract for garbage collection would be for 10 years and each home would have a garbage tote. The village board discussed the garbage contract June 6 and concerns were raised by the board about the contract. The village’s attorney has been working on the contract to iron out any
issues. Harn asked the board to approve a motion to execute a final draft of the contact. “You can see all the numbers in the contract at the next meeting,” said Harn. “The contract will be ready for discussion and approval at the next meeting.” “I still have some concerns,” said trustee Gary Buss. “What about missing or damaged totes.”
Hot temperatures did not scorch the fun for visitors at Polo’s summer festival. With temperatures climbing into the 90s over the weekend festivalgoers found plenty of fun. “I have mixed feelings about the weather,” said Town & Country Days festival president Jon Miller. “It was hot but the attendance was pretty good. We did not have any rain.” To beat the heat visitors enjoyed the concession stands that were selling ice cold lemonades, and Louisiana Snowballs. Stepping into the festival tent also provided a break from the sun. “The evening music was popular, and the temperature was going down at night,” Miller said. “Our new events, the rock climbing and bull riding, brought out a crowd, and I thought they were well attended.” As always, Miller said Kids Day on Friday was a hit. This year started with games and races at the Polo Pool on June 15.
Dozens of kids searched for pennies in the pool and participated in diving board biggest splash, smallest splash, and diving contests. It was the first year the pool held the contests. All the kids at the pool were smiling and laughing while they enjoyed an evening at the pool. The next night were the fireworks. “The fireworks were well attended, and they were our biggest display ever. The streets were packed,” said Miller. “I did not hear one bad thing about the fireworks show.” With the 50th anniversary of the festival, organizers decided to make the fireworks display extra special this year, and it did not disappoint. “When the fireworks ended the whole town was cheering,” said Miller. “This was for the kids. When you see their eyes light up it makes it all worth while.” On Friday, Polo residents had the chance to meet descendants of the city founder. Zenas Aplington’s great-great-grandchildren Linda and Robert were at
Moring said each tote has a serial number that identifies which home it was assigned to. The village sends out 591 bills to residential water and sewer accounts. If approved, each of these accounts would be charged for garbage collection. Harn said the final price and details of the contract will be written up for the board to discuss during the July 5 meeting.
New county jail being planned
Hot summer fun enjoyed in Polo By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com
Larry Moring said the only time a home owner is charged for a replacement tote is for gross neglect. He gave an example of a homeowner that had the tote next to a barbecue grill and the tote melted. If a snowplow were to hit the tote and cause damage that is accidental and would be replaced at no cost to the homeowner. “Are the totes identified for each home?” said Buss.
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Four-year-old Cooper Johnson, Durand, shoots foam darts at a ping pong ball Friday afternoon. He was with relatives from Forreston to enjoy a day at Polo’s Town & Country Days festival. Photo by Chris Johnson
the Aplington Home with Betty Obendorf offering tours of the home. “Having the historical society open this year gave everyone in town
the chance to rediscover our history and visit the home,” Miller said. The Aplingtons were the parade marshals Sunday afternoon.
The Ogle County Board voted Tuesday to proceed to the next phase in the planning for a new county jail. “What this does is move us to the phase to determine the site location,” said board chairman Kim Gouker, Byron. No location was discussed at the meeting, but two sites that have been discussed are the block on First Street where the public safety complex is located and the county’s property on North Sixth Street across from the judicial center. Both are in Oregon. The board has not yet voted to build a new jail, but is exploring the possibility. Jeff Goodale, Director of Justice at HOK, a Chicago architectural and planning firm, recommended a jail large enough for 180 to 200 beds for adults and 32 beds for juveniles, which would cost an estimated $27 million. HOK was hired last fall to do a jail needs assessment. Goodale gave a presentation with graphs and charts showing the increase in jail population over the last few years and projected an increase in the county’s population.
His charts showed that the average daily population of the jail has grown from 13 in 1972 to 139 last year, a 1000 percent increase. The county’s population has increased 23 percent in the same time period, according to his charts. He said the jail could be built on two acres or less. The 180-200 bed capacity for adults would include88-96 beds for medium security men, 24 for woman, 40 for minimum security prisoners, 24 for maximum security, and 12 for prisoners with acute mental health or medical issues. A jail that size, he said, would meet the county’s needs until at least 2040, when he estimated the county’s population will be at least 60,000. The 2010 census showed the county’s population at more than 53,000. Goodale estimated that the jail would cost approximately $5.8 million annually to operate, including capital costs, staffing, facility management, utilities, inmate costs, health care, and transportation. Board member Lee Meyers, Byron, questioned Goodale’s population estimates. He said the population Turn to A3
Sculptor unveils John Phelps during dedication By Christopher Heimerman cheimerman@sauk valley.com Inspiration is rarely in short supply for artists, and the same goes for Oregon native Steven Carpenter. All he needed was enough time. He grew up in the artsy river city and had always hoped to create one of the 10 sculptures in the Community Art Legacy’s series of pieces, but his stonescaping business in York, Maine, kept him too busy during the summers. When his brother, Craig, a member of the Community Sculptor Steven Carpenter of York, Maine, stands by his sculpture of Oregon founder Art Legacy board, told him John Phelps after the unveiling Saturday on the west side of Oregon Coliseum, the the sculptor of the final effective conclusion of the Community Arts Legacy’s project of 10 sculptures in as piece in the series would be many years. Photo by Alex Paschal
In This Week’s Edition...
Byron Police, B4 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
Forreston Police, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
granted two years for total production, Steven jumped on the opportunity and pitched his concept to the board. Saturday afternoon, his multi-dimensional bronze depiction of Oregon founder John Phelps was unveiled on the west side of the Oregon Coliseum property, the former home of the community pool. The piece depicts Phelps along the Rock River in 1833, after a long journey that brought him to his new home in Oregon. “This was emotional on many, many levels,” Steven, 63, said. “This was my first large commission, for one thing. That makes it very
Social News, A4 Sports, B2 State’s Attorney, B3 Weather, A3
special, but this being my hometown makes it so much more special.” Several local fixtures, including another prodigal son, John Lindhorst, spoke during the hourlong dedication ceremony. Lindhorst, a former Oregon public schools teacher who owns Ukulele Station in town, spent 19 years in Hawaii and San Diego before retiring in 2014 and moving back home. “There was so much beauty out there, but I came back here because of the beauty of the people,” he said. He stepped onto his soapbox momentarily to urge Turn to A2
Deaths, B4 Doris D. Bergman, Joyce M. Cox, Hazel P. Fouke
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com