Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS
April 5, 2018 Volume 51, Number 25- $1.00
Hawks Win 18-0
Expect Delays!
Trivia Fundraiser
The Hawks’ baseball team posts a big win over South Beloit on Monday. B1
Road work has started on Ill. 2 between Oregon and Dixon. B3
The Oregon High School Band is seeking teams to compete in its Trivia Fundraiser. A2
Village board presents budget projects for upcoming year By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Pickle ball courts at Dillehay Park and upgrades to Zickuhr Park were among the items discussed last week for the upcoming Mt. Morris village budget. At the March 27 village board meeting, trustees explained the projects they hope to accomplish, or at least start on, in the new fiscal year, which begins on May 1. Finance Committee chairman Phil Labash said the Parks & Recreation Committee has budgeted funds for pickle ball courts at Dillehay Park on the south side of the village. He said committee chairman Jim Hopkins, who did not attend the meeting, also plans to start saving money for badly needed upgrades at Zickuhr Park on the west side of town. “That’s the closest park for kids who live in that part of town,” he said. He said Hopkins hopes to address playground equipment and parking at Zickuhr and maybe build a dog park there. Labash also recommended budgeting for a request from the Plainview Cemetery Board for $2,500 to help cover its bills. An increasing number of cremations has meant less revenue for the cemetery, he said, because its main source of income is from grave openings. The Mt. Morris Township Eighteen-month-old Arlo Belleque stands on his tiptoes to put an Easter egg into his bucket Saturday morning at Dillehay Board has already approved an Park. The Easter Egg Hunt was sponsored by the Mt. Morris Lions Club. Photo by Vinde Wells identical request, Labash said.
Egg Hunt
Streets & Sidewalk Committee Chairman Mike Fay outlined plans to remove and replace trees in the coming year, as well as replace a stretch of sidewalk near Pinecrest Community and manholes at Cross Creek Subdivision. Also on his list was planning ahead for repairs to Emily Street, a project that has been discussed for some time. Public Property Committee Chairman Jerry Stauffer said paving the parking lot south of the village hall is one of the top priorities on his list. Repairs to the infrastructure under Emily Street and routine maintenance on the village’s newest well on Leaf River Road topped the list for Sewer & Water Committee chairman Jeff Pennington. Labash said the Police Department plans to buy a new squad car in the coming year, a purchase actually budgeted in the current year. Funds for the feral cat program will likely be increased, he said, because the program is seeing success. The board will approve the new budget at an upcoming meeting. In another matter, village president Dan Elsasser assured residents that a crew in the village to work on natural gas mains will replace the sidewalks they have removed and restore landscaping once the project is done. The crew has been working for several weeks, replacing old gas mains and lines to residences and businesses.
Global events mean higher recycling costs here By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Recent global events are likely to mean higher recycling costs for Ogle County. According to Dr. Kate O’Neill of the University of California at Berkeley, China drastically limited all scrap material it will import as of March 1. Up until then, roughly half of all scrap materials produced in the U.S. (paper, metal, and plastics) have ended up in China using return-trip cargo container ships, which had brought goods to the U.S. “They have decided to drastically cut back in China,”said Ogle County Solid Waste Management Department Stephen Rypkema. “What that means is that to the U.S. and the rest of the world is finding a new outlet.”
In the short run recycling will be more expensive and more difficult to get rid of, he said. “In the long run it may mean more processing facilities will be developed in the U.S.,” he said. China had developed the infrastructure for scrap processing and, up until recently, had welcomed U.S. waste scrap for raw materials. Those days have come to an end, according to O’Neill. Due to contamination of scrap, safety concerns, and alternative industries emerging in China, the scrap import ban has been established. Rypkema said Chinese officials have been indicating their plans to cut back on accepting recyclables since last year. He said he does not believe it is a reaction to a plan to impose tariffs recently announced by
In This Week’s Edition...
President Donald Trump. Rypkema encouraged local residents to put only acceptable recyclable items in the bins provided in various locations around the county. “We want people to be more careful what they put in the recycle bins,” he said. “Our efforts are aimed at trying to educate people about what is recyclable and to encourage them to stick with it.” A renewed effort is needed to not contaminate loads of recyclable material and to put more emphasis on waste reduction. The cost goes up, Rypkema said, when non-recyclable garbage is mixed with recyclables. The contents of the recycle bins goes to a processing center where it is sorted, and anything not recyclable goes to The Ogle County Solid Waste and Management Department has seven recycling bins in
Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B5-B8 Entertainment, A6 Marriage Licenses, A4
Ogle County. This bin is in the Ogle County Farm Bureau’s parking lot in Oregon. Photo by
Turn to A3 Earleen Hinton
Oregon Library, A8 Mt. Morris Police, A2 Public Voice, A6-7 Property Transfers, B3
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1-2 State’s Attorney, B2
Deaths, B4 E. Marie Armbruster, Eugene R. Gann, Mary Ellen Sassaman
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com