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Even Thanksgiving SHS GRAD SPREADS HIS is better with bacon WINGS AT ILLINOIS STATE FOOTBALL, B1
FOOD, A9-10
dailyGAZETTE Wednesday, November 16, 2016 n SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
ROCK FALLS| TAX INCREASE
It’s trickle-down pension economics Growing demands of city’s pension fund are on track to make their way down to taxpayers BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
ROCK FALLS – A proposed 15.32 percent city tax levy increase came closer to reality Tuesday after a public hearing
and a first reading of the ordinance by the City Council. City Administrator Robbin Blackert gave an overview of the tax levy process and the pensions challenges that are driving the need for the double-digit increase. “We knew changes were coming for
pensions, but in the last 10 years, our fire pensions are up 1,861 percent, and police pensions are up 246 percent, and at that point, something has to give,” Blackert said. Four options were presented to the council at its Nov. 1 meeting, and by a
5 to 3 vote, the option presented at the hearing was chosen. The 15.32 percent levy hike would fund the pension funds at the level recommended by the city’s actuarial firm. PENSION continued on A24
LEE COUNTY
STERLING
A sporting chance While there’s been some talk of razing Roscoe Eades Stadium, the school district is leaning toward preserving this piece of Depression-era history
Land holds more power than the sun Board members reluctant to give up valuable farm acreage for solar arrays BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
The Sterling School District is leaning “very heavily” toward remodeling Roscoe Eades Stadium, rather than razing it and building new, according to Superintendent Tad Everett. Upgrades and renovations, including making the stadium handicapped-accessible, need to be done on the aging structure, which was built in 1938 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Depression-era economic jump-starter, the Works Progress Administration. BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
While there’s no immediate safety concerns at the Roscoe Eades Stadium, the home of the Warriors has seen better days. It’s a little rough around the edges, and it’s not handicapped-accessible.
STERLING – The long-discussed Roscoe Eades Stadium project will get done next year. How, exactly, still is in the works. It would cost about $2 million to knock down the dilapidated stadium and install metal bleachers – $500,000 for the razing and $1.5 million to install bleachers, based on similar projects at two suburban Chicago schools. Demolition also would cost a concession stand, bathrooms, locker rooms, a media box, lots of storage under the concrete, and tons of history. Renovating the stadium, in part to make it meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards, will cost less. How much less will be determined by the district’s architect, most likely by Christmas. STADIUM continued on A54
DIXON – Energy companies are taking a shine to Lee County’s potential for solar farm development, but the county is reluctant to give up some of its richest farm land. Zoning Administrator Chris Henkel asked the Lee County Board Tuesday how he should proceed with solar companies, including Invenergy and Poplar Creek Resources Inc., that have shown interest in the area during the past 6 months. Both are looking to develop solar farms across about 400 to 500 acres along the Interstate 39 corridor, he said. Because of the high quality of the soil there, the county would not be able to issue building permits, though. “The areas they are looking at have extremely rich soil,” Henkel said. “It’s some of the best soil we’ve got in the county.” The county protects its prime farmland through its land evaluation and site assessment, or LESA, a process that determines the quality of land through a scoring system and restricts development on land that scores 225 or higher. The state adopted the LESA system about 30 years ago, and most counties use it as a tool when weighing development projects. SOLAR continued on A54
COMBINED STRENGTH DOES SOME HEAVY LIFTING IN STERLING It took the muscle of three wreckers to do it, but the crew from West and Sons Towing was finally able to secure the nearly 20 tons of charred combine and soybeans to a trailer Tuesday before removing it from a field north of Sterling. The combine, which is headed to Chicago to determine the fire’s cause, caught fire while harvesting soybeans Sept. 27. According to the National Ag Safety Database, combine and tractor fires cause more than $20 million in property losses, and about 40 to 50 serious injuries, each year. Dust, dry crops and heat make for a perfect firestorm in the fields. According to the database, the majority of fires – about 75 percent – start in the engine or engine compartment; and an article by Michigan State University Extension Service said that in a study of 9,000 combine fires, most of them – 41.3 percent – were caused by crop residue. Experts say that clean machines and careful inspection of electrical wiring can go a long way toward preventing combine fires, as well as careful inspections of components. Badly worn bearings, rubber belts, and chains are among the culprits that can spark a fire. A badly worn bearing can glow red-hot, and rubber belts subjected to intense heat from a worn part can burst into flames. Go to http://shawurl.com/2xgd for more information, and tips on preventing, combine fires.
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TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 162 ISSUE 241
INDEX
ABBY.................... A8 BUSINESS.......... A11 COMICS................B7
Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
ILLINOIS................ A7 LIFESTYLE............ A8 LOTTERY.............. A2
OBITUARIES......... A4 OPINION............... A6 POLICE................. A2
Today’s weather High 61. Low 45. More on A3.
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