Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS January 2, 2014 Volume 46, Number 44 - $1.00
Dixon Tourney
A New Year
Altered Records
The Lady Hawks finished seventh at Dixon by playing 2-2 basketball last week. B1
2013 has come and gone—have a Happy New Year!
Some Ogle County credit card statements were altered. A7
Insurance costs decreased for school district By Vinde Wells Editor Unlike most private and public employers, the Oregon School District will pay less for employee health insurance premiums in the coming year. The Oregon School Board approved a plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois Dec. 16 that means the overall cost to the district will be 1.4 percent less than last year. “That doesn’t happen very often,� said Superintendent Tom Mahoney. “I was very pleased we were able to do this.�
He said the decrease was accomplished through a competitive bidding process with Blue Cross Blue Shield and another company. The district shares the cost of insurance with employees. In some cases, employees will also see a decrease in their premiums, while others will have a modest increase. The district’s portion of the health insurance cost will be $1.1 million under the new plan. For Oregon Education Association (OEA) members, the district pays 88 percent of the premium cost for an eligible employee, 84 percent
for the employee and spouse, 84 percent for the employee and children, and 77 percent for family coverage. For Oregon Education Support Personnel Association (OESPA) members, the district pays 92.5 percent of the premium cost for an eligible employee, 60 percent for the employee and spouse, 60 percent for the employee and children, and 60 percent for family coverage. In another matter, the board approved spending $671,560 for additional Health & Life Safety work to the school’s building.
Mahoney said the amount is within the $7.5 million approved Oct. 21 for Health & Life Safety projects. The additional projects include more security cameras at various school entrances, repairs to the doors of the band room at Oregon High School, additional electrical outlets and upgrades to transformers at OHS and Oregon Elementary School, removing and replacing existing phone cables, and adding air-conditioning in six server rooms. The majority of the Health & Life Safety work — an estimated $7.1 million —
will be for the new heating and cooling system. In October, the board hired Chevron Energy Solutions, Chicago, to oversee the projects, which will include installing geothermal systems to heat and cool Oregon High School and Oregon Elementary School, improving security at all the district’s buildings and repairing a water main. Estimates show that operating the new system, even with cooling included, will cost less than what the district is now spending, Mahoney said. Digging the wells for
the geothermal systems is expected to begin in February, with the other work scheduled to start after school is out. The projects will be completed by the time classes start next fall, Mahoney said. The junior high in Mt. Morris cannot be included as part of a Health & Life Safety project, Mahoney said, because its heating system, installed in the early 2000s, is too new and still works. The Health & Life Safety process only allows for replacement of equipment that has functioned for the Turn to A2
County awarded a 150,000 grant Money can help fix sewer issues Staff Report
Ogle County has been awarded a $150,000 state grant for water and sewer work where systems are at risk of failure. A press release from Governor Pat Quinn Dec. 26 said the county will receive an emergency set-aside fund grant. The money is earmarked for the design of a sewage treatment plant in White Rock Township to address sewage flowing into a creek that feeds the Rock River. Quinn announced $299,000 in state investments in northern Illinois to support critical public works improvements, part of nearly $2 million statewide to help rural communities improve their water and sewer systems. Carroll County will
Cleaning Up Several Mt. Morris residents made the most of Saturday’s unseasonably warm temperatures to take their vehicles to the car wash before the next onslaught of winter weather. The mercury reached the low 40s under sunny skies Saturday before plummeting back into the single digits by Sunday night. Photos by Vinde Wells
Two fires in Oregon cause little damage Several agencies helped on scene By Vinde Wells Editor
Oregon Park District acquired 10 acres By Vinde Wells Editor Oregon Park District officials are awaiting the results of an archaeological survey before making any definite plans for newly acquired property along the Rock River near Daysville. Executive Director Erin Folk said Monday that the survey is part of the requirements set by the Illinois Department of Natural Resource (IDNR). The survey results, she said, will determine exactly
receive $149,000 for design sewer line and lift station improvements in Savanna. The press release said the grants are part of Quinn’s agenda to create jobs and bolster the state’s infrastructure while improving health and safety in Illinois. “These projects are vital to central Illinois and support basic community needs,� Quinn said in the press release. “Investing in infrastructure in Carroll and Ogle Counties is creating jobs and providing a foundation for a healthier and safer Illinois.� The investments were made under the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO)’s Community Development Assistance Program, which targets areas with populations of less than 50,000 that are outside of urban counties. Larger towns and cities are eligible for similar funding Turn to A2
what can be done on the 10 wooded acres recently donated to the park district by Craig and Bette Williams. The transaction was official on Nov. 25. The area will be kept as natural as possible, Folk said, to preserve the native plants, trees, and wildlife in the area. “We’re hoping to preserve the land and make it a natural space rather than a developed park,� she said. “We’re very fortunate to have this piece of property. We don’t have anything like it.� Preliminary plans calls for
In This Week’s Edition...
walking trails, a fishing pier, and possibly a canoe launch. The gift was an answer to the park district’s search for just the right piece of property. Park district officials learned sometime ago that they were required by the IDNR to replace the 6.3 acres on 10th Street that they sold several years ago to the Rock River Center because that property was originally purchased by the City of Oregon using an Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD)
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B8 Entertainment, A6 Library News, A3
grant from the IDNR. The park district sold the property to the Rock River Center for $1 in 2007. The land must be replaced with property of equal or greater value, Folk said, and the property near Daysville will fulfill that requirement. “We had been looking for property and when this became available it was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up,� Folk said. The property will be called Jack’s Landing, in keeping with the wishes of the Williamses, she said.
Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, B2 Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Social News, A4 Sports, B1 State’s Attorney, B4 Weather, A2
Two fires in Oregon early this week resulted in no major damage to structures. Oregon Fire Chief Don Heller said a skid loader caught on fire Sunday morning in a building at Blackhawk Lumber, 800 E. Washington St. (Ill. 64) and a conveyor belt caused a fire Monday morning at Unimin Corporation, 1446 W. Devil’s Backbone Rd. No one was injured in either fire, Heller said. The cause of the skid loader fire has not yet been determined. The business has been closed for sometime. “No one was around. It may have been a mechanical malfunction in a block heater,� Heller said. “It’s under investigation.�
The skid loader was destroyed, but the building housing it was not damaged. The fire was reported around 9 a.m. Stillman Valley Fire Department was called for mutual aid. Firefighters remained on the scene for approximately an hour. A conveyor belt used to move sand got stuck and caught on fire at Unimin around 8:30 a.m. Monday, Heller said. The only damage was to the belt, he said. Mt. Morris, Byron, and Franklin Grove Fire Departments assisted at the scene. Heller said several more departments were called for mutual aid, but were turned back before they arrived. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, Heller said, and remained on the scene for and hour and 15 minutes.
Deaths, B2 John D. Basler, Danny Beck, Helen M. Erdmier, Dorothy M. Hartje, John R. Heckman, Theodore R. Norris, Joan R. Strauss
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