Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal January 19, 2017 Volume 154, Number 39 - $1.00
Close Game
Hero Honored
Retirement
Forreston held on to win a close game over their rivals, the Polo Marcos. B1
A Byron man is honored after saving a teen from a burning car. A7
The owners of a popular Oregon bait and gun shop are planning to retire. B3
Information on a proposed jail will be in the mail By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Ogle County residents will soon be getting more information about the proposed jail. Board member Don Griffin, Oregon, who heads up the Long Range Planning Committee, told the board Tuesday evening that he and others are putting together a flyer that will be mailed to all
county residents. The flyer will contain information about the new jail and the schedule for six public meetings on the topic. “We want to inform the public the best we can,” Griffin said. The board approved spending up to $10,000 for printing and mailing the flyers. Griffin said the meetings will be held in late February and early March in various communities around the
county. “The meeting will be similar to the ones we held before the judicial center was built,” he said. Board member Rich Gronewold, Forreston, raised several questions about the new jail. He especially asked about one of the preliminary drawings that shows a third story. “What’s on the third floor?” he asked.
“I appreciate that you’re trying to plan ahead but I’m concerned about the costs,” Gronewold said, pointing out that a bigger jail means more staff and related expenses. Currently, he said, the county is trying to cut staff and reduce expenditures. Sheriff Brian VanVickle said that with the modern design of the proposed jail, even if it was running at its full capacity of 180 to 200 inmates, only one more
correction officer would be needed than is required now in the current facility. The preliminary design concept approved by the county board in November calls for the jail to be built in the 100 block of South Sixth Street in Oregon. The board has filed a formal request with the City of Oregon asking them to close that block to traffic. The city council has not yet considered the request.
Nuclear and printing plants appeal to BOR
Jail talk at lunch By Zach Arbogast Zarbogast@oglecounty news.com It wasn’t the main topic, but Ogle County Board Chairman Kim Gouker fielded questions about the proposed jail Tuesday at the Oregon Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Lunch ’n’ Learn. About 20 people attended the event at the Nash Recreation Center, where Gouker talked about what it’s like to serve on the county board, and how many different committees operate within the community. The jail, however, dominated the questionand-answer period. The proposed new jail will house 180 to 200 inmates and cost $25 million to $28 million. It will be built in the 100 block of South Sixth Street, across the street from and connected to the judicial center by a large sally port
Griffin said the design is only a concept at this point and it has not yet been determined if there will actually be a third floor. The committee is trying to plan for not only the current needs of the county but also anticipate future needs, he said. The third floor could be used for information and technology equipment, administrative offices, or records storage, Griffin said.
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Oregon Commissioner Terry Schuster gestures as he asks Ogle County Board Chairman Kim Gouker how the county is planning to pay for a new jail. Photo by Chris Johnson
across Sixth, which will be closed. Prisoners will be walked from the jail to their court appearances, which officials say will save money and be more secure, and the sally port will be large enough to accommodate at least six vehicles to transport prisoners from state prisons to court or bring in federal prisoners who would be lodged in the jail. Among other things, opponents don’t like having such a facility so close to a residential area and fear it will be a blight on the
downtown and on future riverfront development. • Will taxpayers be asked to foot the bill? “The jail will not be paid for with property taxes,” Gouker said. “We created the long-range capitol improvements fund for projects like this.” That fund, made up of landfill revenue, paid for the $15 million judicial center, the $7.5 million courthouse remodeling project completed in 2010, and the $4.5 million public safety complex. It earns about $3 million a year.
Two perennial tax appeals will be among those heard next week by the Ogle County Board of Review (BOR). Assessment appeals of Exelon’s Byron Generating Station and the shuttered Quad Graphics printing plant, Mt. Morris, are on the BOR’s docket for Jan. 26 and Jan. 24 respectively. The owners of both facilities have filed appeals for multiple years, and have appealed the BOR’s rulings to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB). The appeals are for 2016 assessments, which affect taxes payable in 2017. Exelon Generation officials believe the assessment of $546 million, set by Ogle County Supervisor of Assessments Jim Harrison last fall, is too high. Their appeal sets the value at $295 million.
Property taxes paid in 2016 for Quad Graphics plant Oregon Schools.............................................. $50,075 Village of Mt. Morris..................................... $15,321 Mt. Morris Fire................................................ $7,337 Ogle County.................................................... $7,209 Highland College............................................. $5,110 Mt. Morris Township Roads............................ $3,328 Mt. Morris Township....................................... $2,637 Mt. Morris Library.......................................... $1,994 TOTAL........................................................... $93,011 The Byron School District has filed as an intervenor in the appeal. In previous years, school officials have also appealed the assessment, claiming it was too low. Harrison said he set the plant’s value $64 million higher than last year’s assessment of $482.4 million because Exelon officials were successful in late 2015 in getting the licenses renewed for the two reactors for an additional 20 years. “I didn’t have any new appraisals this year so I took elements from both appraisals last year and split it down the middle,” he said. Last year, Exelon set the value at $238. 3 million,
while the school district set it at $609 million. The school district’s appraisal included the license renewals, Harrison said. The plant’s original 40year operating license was set to expire in 2024 for Unit 1 and 2026 for Unit 2. The license renewal allows the plant to operate until 2044 for Unit 1 and 2046 for Unit 2. Both Exelon and the school district filed appeals in 2012, 2103, 2014, and 2015 and then appealed the BOR’s rulings to PTAB. Harrison said PTAB held a six-week long hearing on the Turn to B4
Passion and creativity run DeWilde at OES By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com An Oregon art teacher who strives to help his students discover their creative passions by introducing them to different cultures, art styles, social perspectives, has been recognized and awarded for his efforts. Jordan DeWilde, age 29, grew up in Taylorville in
central Illinois. The son of two passionate educators, DeWilde was exposed to the draw of teaching at an early age. Couple that with always having art supplies and creative projects due to having an art teacher for a mother, and it’s easy to see where DeWilde began his journey. It also helped that DeWilde’s parents openly
Third graders Kloie Pretzsch, 9, shows pride for her friend August Schwartz, 8. DeWilde fosters a supportive atmosphere, where the kids are supportive of one another’s work. Photo by Zach Arbogast
In This Week’s Edition...
supported the arts, taking trips to museums and “I wanted to continue employing all the different things I learned; painting, ceramics, printmaking - all of it.” — exhibits. “I’m not certain I believe Jordan DeWilde in an innate artistic ability - at the very least, not that I had one,” said DeWilde. “I practiced it constantly, and as I practiced, I got better; as I got better, my interested increased. It’s a lot like sports - or anything, really in that regard.” According to DeWilde, while it was nice to have such engaging teachers as parents, he wasn’t certain he wanted to be a teacher himself - not that his parents discouraged it, they just wanted him to realistically find his own path. DeWilde attended Western Illinois University, Macomb, in 2005, pursuing an interest in broadcasting. However, the art bug would bite him again, and in 2009 he ended up with a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting with a double major in art. Some people grow to Jordan DeWilde offers advice to third grader Gabbi Schelling, 9, on her personal “I and love painting. Others may the Village” piece. The class relies on DeWilde to be a helpful, engaging teacher who
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B8 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B3
Turn to A4 always helps them bring out their best. Photo by Zach Arbogast
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B4 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B3
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com
Deaths, B4 Emma L. Taylor