Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal May 18, 2017 Volume 155, Number 4 - $1.00
Postseason
Summer Music
Re-enactment
The spring sports seasons are in the middle of the postseason for area teams. B1
The Friday music series in Mt. Morris returns June 2. A6
A World War II Re-enactment will take place at Stronghold in Oregon this weekend. A3
Water runoff dispute boils up the details By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com The Forreston Village Board is working to help resolve a dispute between two local business owners. Keith Anderson sought the board’s help over water running off of another business onto his own. Anderson owns The Depot, a convenience store and gas station, and Anderson Transportation Company, 314 E. Main St. and 402 E. Main St., respectively. According to Anderson, water from Moring Disposal, 306 E. Main St., flows onto his parking lots whenever a heavy rain occurs, due to the blacktopped surface sloping towards Anderson’s properties. “It wasn’t an issue until it was blacktopped,” said Anderson. Metzger said he’s in the process of setting up a meeting with village engineer Mick Gronewold, himself, and Larry Moring to figure out what to do. “We’re trying to be as fair to both sides as possible;
Emotions were running high during Principal Travis Heinz’s final address to the seniors.
Only the beginning for Class of 2017 By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com Forreston High School’s gym was bursting with proud friends and family, red and black adornments, and school spirit as the Class of 2017 said goodbye to high school. Graduation festivities began at 2 p.m. on May 14, but there was scarcely a seat available by 1:30. Sixty-eight seniors marched through a red and black balloon archway and over a runner autographed by the students. In honor of Mother’s Day, Principal Travis Heinz gave a brief opening statement before calling mothers in attendance to the main aisle to show love for their graduates. Superintendent Sheri Smith had her turn to address the students, honM oring them for their o Tu re accomplishrn p m to ho ments, and reor p e ag tos flected on gr ph e ad o A ins pieces t 9 ua os t id tio fr o s e: n. om ee
of advice she offered students leading up to graduation. “Graduation is highly emotional,” Smith reminded the class, amongst interspersed tears in the crowd. Smith said that the people who love the graduates the most always want to see them succeed, but never expected graduation day to come so soon. She also honored members of the class headed into the armed forces, including Steve Christensen III, U.S. Marines; Tara Fenelon, U.S. Air Force; Zachary Thill, Army National Guard; and Jonas Haugen, U.S. Navy. After final farewells from Smith, It was the first of two valedictorians Emily Homman’s - turn to address the class, and she did so with a song. “Tomorrow, some of us will wake up and go to work. Others will start a job search. Some will enter trade school, and in the fall, Turn to A3
Above, “This is the end of the world as we know it, but it’s not actually the end of the world.” Emily Homman sang praises - literally - to the Forreston class of 2017 in her valedictorian speech. Below, Keileigh Kloepping receives her diploma from school board member John Reining. Kloepping graduated with the Highest Achievement Award and as a member of the National Honor Society, signified with a red, black, and white cord and golden tassel respectively. Photos by Zach Arbogast.
Spring Clean-Up Days in Forreston The Village of Forreston will hold Spring Clean-Up Days on Friday, May 19 and Saturday, May 20. Items can be dropped off between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the recycling bins behind the Forreston Fire Station. Acceptable bulky items include couches, sectionals (limit one full sectional), sleeper sofas, rockers and recliners, coffee and end tables, kitchen tables, bed
frames, mattresses and box springs, baby beds (cribs), bicycles, push mowers (fuel and oil drained), and dressers, shelving, and cabinets. Also acceptable are boxes or barrels of small miscellaneous items such as bikes, tricycles, outdoor toys, grills, shovels, rakes, lawn chairs, baby swings, playpens, walkers, car seats, televisions, stereos, microwaves, fans, dishes,
In This Week’s Edition...
clothing, pillows, picture frames, and area rugs. The following bulky items will not be accepted: major appliances, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, water heaters and softeners, windows, plate glass, riding lawn mowers, tires, demolition or remodeling debris, cement, rock, or bricks, swing sets, carpeting, and car parts. Contact Moring Disposal Inc., Forreston, to make
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B3
special arrangements for the removal of these items. Also unacceptable are auto batteries, liquid waste of any kind, household hazardous waste, medical waste, solid steel posts, all heavy gauge steel, yard waste, and electronic items (see www. moringdisposal.com and click on E Recycling Solutions). For more information call Moring Disposal Inc. at 800423-0759.
Oregon Police, B3 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B5 Sheriff’s Arrests, B4
this is a dispute between two businesses, not with village property,” said Metzger. Blighted homes Anderson also brought up the issue of blighted, abandoned mobile homes at the Candle Lite Mobile Home Park, west of the village on Oak Street. “Can anything be done about those?” asked Anderson. “It’s not as simple as just going in and hauling them off ourselves,” said Metzger. “There’s a lot of red tape and legal channels to go through between ownership of those trailers and the park itself, but we are working on it.” The board also appointed Vickye Norris as finance committee chairwoman When Marc Stamm left the board, there was a vacancy of chairman of the finance committee, which includes trustees Tim Drayton and Jeff Freeze, with budget officer Courtney Warren and treasurer Fred Schneiderman as non-voting members. “Having taken Marc’s seat, I’d motion to go ahead and appoint Vickye Norris as the new chair for the committee,” said President Mark Metzger.
County Board buys into path By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com The Ogle County Board agreed Tuesday evening to cooperate with two other governmental bodies to take a step toward getting a bike path that connects Oregon to Lowden State Park. The board voted to pay a portion of the cost of a Phase 1 engineering study that would make getting a state grant for the project more likely. Board chairman Kim Gouker, Byron, said the Oregon Park District officials asked the county to contribute $19,000 toward the $59,000 study for the Rock River Heritage Trail. The park district will pay $21,000, and the City of Oregon has agreed to pay $19,000. The park district has applied for an Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program grant for the $1 million project. Gouker said having the study will enhance the chances that the grant application will be successful. He said the grant would cover 80 percent of the cost
Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B5 Zoning Permits, B5
and the park district and city will pay the remaining 20 percent. “They will not be asking us for anything more,” Gouker said. Before the meeting, park district executive director Erin Folk said having the financial commitment from all three government bodies makes the case stronger for getting the grant. “It’s a $1 million project so spending $59,000 to have 80 percent of that paid by a grant seems like a good idea,” she said. Board member Marcia Heuer, Oregon, asked if getting the grant is likely to happen. Engineer Curtis Cook from Chastain & Associates LLC, Rockford, said success is not guaranteed, but last year the state did not award any ITEP grants without Phase 1 engineering studies. Board member Pat Saunders, Polo, who cast the only dissenting vote, voiced concerns that the county could be facing even more state revenue cuts in the coming year. She said property values have rebounded somewhat in the last year, but are still Turn to A8
Deaths, B4 Kenneth R. Miller, Morris R. Pieper, William A. Sweet
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com