Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS September 11, 2014 Volume 47, Number 28 - $1.00
Lady Hawks Sixth
AOP Festival
Chautauqua
The varsity volleyball team finishes sixth at its own invitational on Sept. 6. B1
Oregon’s 44th Autumn on Parade festival is Oct. 4-5. Special Insert
The Mt. Morris Tourism Committee will host a Chautauqua on the campus Sept. 21. A3
Enrollment declines in two local school districts FVSD sees first increase since 2007-08 By Vinde Wells Editor For the first time in several years, one local school district has more students this year than last, while enrollment at two others remains down. Enrollment in the Forrestville Valley School District is on the upswing
with a gain of 24 students this year for a total of 906, compared to last year’s 882. “This is the first year since 2007-08 that enrollment increased,� said Forrestville Valley Superintendent Sheri Smith. That year the district had 1,065 students. Smith attributed the increase to new families moving into the district. Forreston Junior-Senior High School, which includes grades 6-12, increased from 456 last year to 470 this
year, a gain of 14 students, and Forreston Grade School, which houses kindergarten through fifth grade, gained 18 students to go from 305 last year to 323 this year. German Valley Grade School, however, lost eight students, going from 121 to 113. Students in preschool through second grade attend classes there. Enrollments in the Oregon and Polo School Districts declined again this year, as has been the recent trend for most area districts.
Oregon Schools decreased from 1470 last year to 1448 this year, an overall loss of 22 students. Associate Superintendent Adam Larsen said the loss is apparently due to families moving out of the district for employment. “It appears to be moveouts,� he said. “We had 137 [new] non-12th grade students who were enrolled at some point last year but not this year. Compare that to only 95 students who are new this year in grades
other than kindergarten. It’s more exports than imports. Anecdotally, I’d attribute this to jobs. I know a few families who moved out of state to find better work.� Although the high school lost 26 students from 485 to 459 and the junior high 18, going from 210 to 192, the news is not all bad. Oregon Elementary School picked up 22 students, with the enrollment there going from 775 to 797. Polo Schools, with the smallest enrollment, took the
hardest hit, losing a total of 47 students from 650 at this time last year to 603 this year. Superintendent Chris Rademacher agreed with Larsen that jobs plays an important role in the loss. “We have been affected by the closing of the printing plants in Mt. Morris. This is a downward trend at the schools in our area,� he said. Polo has faced steadily declining enrollment for more than a decade. Enrollment in pre-school through 12th Turn to A2
New TIF District gets thumbs up from village bd. By Vinde Wells Editor
Nick Meives-Wylie and Angela Reigle pick up trash in Oregon Park East near the dam Saturday morning. There was still trash trapped near the dam including tires that could not safely be removed during the annual Rock River Sweep. Photo by Chris Johnson
Weather perfect for river sweep By Chris Johnson Reporter Picking up a piece of trash is easy, but picking up thousands of pieces of trash in one morning requires the help of a team of volunteers. That team of volunteers is what helped make the sixth annual Rock River Sweep a success on Sept. 6. “The volunteers are very important to this sweep,� said section organizer Mark Nehrkorn. “We can not get the coverage without them.� Volunteers gathered at Kiwanis Park at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning to learn about the plan to clean the river from the Oregon boat launch south to Castle Rock. “The biggest thing out there. Safety,� said Nehrkorn. “You know, if it does not look safe to pick up, do not touch it. We
don’t want anyone getting hurt, its not worth it.� He advised the volunteers to take care around the dam. “Stay away from the dam,� Nehrkorn said. “Don’t take any chances around the water and pay attention to where you are at.� Unfortunately for these volunteers the garbage was plentiful. “There is plenty of garbage out there to pick up,� said Nehrkorn. “This is a one day event, one morning. It has to be a year round effort by everyone to take care of this great resource we have.� He said boaters and fisherman can help year round by just picking up a piece of trash or two every time they use the river. All the garbage collected during the sweep was brought to Kiwanis Park to be sorted for recycling.
Burt Schoor, Oregon, heads to the islands north of the Oregon dam to help clean up during the annual Rock River Sweep.
This year the pile was larger because the islands north of the dam were cleaned this year. “Stay off of private property,� said Nehrkorn. “This year on the islands Turn to A10
Dog owners asked to keep campus clean By Vinde Wells Editor Dog owners will have no excuse not to clean up after their pets in downtown Mt. Morris. Village trustee Jon Murray
told the village board Tuesday night that after numerous complaints about dog feces on the campus, the problem is being addressed. He said village employees will soon be installing signs on the campus, warning dog
In This Week’s Edition...
owners to clean up when their pets leave messes. For their convenience, two boxes containing bags for clean-up will be located in the campus area as well as a receptacle for disposal of the bags once they are
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B9-B14 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B8 Marriage Licenses, A4
used. “We hope the public will comply,� he said. “If not, we will have to take this further.� Dogs are allowed on the campus but not in village parks.
Library News, A3 Oregon Police, A12 Public Voice, A11 Property Transfers, B3
Village officials took a step forward Tuesday night to enhance future business growth in the community. The board unanimously approved a second Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District that encompasses a 15-block area including the downtown. After the meeting village president Dan Elsasser said he was pleased to have the months-long project concluded without hitches. “I’m glad we’re wrapping it up with no opposition,� he said. “The Joint Review Board passed it unanimously.� He said that although no projects are in the immediate future, having the TIF will allow the village board to offer financial incentives to businesses interested in coming to town. “We’re hoping we’ll be able to use it to promote business growth in the future,� he said. “We’re not going to see an immediate change.� The TIF district came up last February when the board discussed a proposal from grocery store owner Scott Sullivan, who is building a $3 million store on Ill. 64 in Mt. Morris on the same site where his current store is located. In his proposal, Sullivan requested the formation of a TIF district to include the store property. A TIF district is a method of financing economic development projects by freezing the equalized assessed value (EAV) of the affected area for 23 years. Taxing bodies then draw taxes from that frozen EAV, not from any increase in the EAV over the time period of the TIF. Taxpayers in the TIF, however, pay taxes on the EAV with its increases. The amount of taxes from the EAV increases (above the frozen level) go into a fund
Sheriff’s Arrests, B7 Social News, A4 Sports, A13, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B3
“We’re hoping we’ll be able to use it to promote business GROWTH IN THE FUTURE We’re not going to see an immediate CHANGE v ˆ Dan Elsasser Village President to be spent only on the TIF district. TIF districts can be used for redevelopment of blighted or conservation areas. Money accumulated in the TIF fund can be spent infrastructure within the district, such as sidewalks, streets, water and sewer, public parking lots, and in some cases, demolition and site preparation, as well as other aspects of redevelopment. Before the TIF District could get final approval from the village board, it had to be approved by a Joint Review Board, made up of representatives of all the affected taxing bodies. Taxing bodies affected are the Village of Mt. Morris, Mt. Morris Township, Ogle County, Oregon School District, Mt. Morris Fire Protection District, Mt. Morris Library District, and Highland Community College District. The new TIF district, called the Campus Redevelopment Project, includes an area along Ill. 64 from Brayton Road to Seminary Avenue, then south to Center Street, then east to McKendrie Avenue and north to Main Street. The proposed TIF also includes the area between Ill. 64 and the railroad tracks to McKendrie Avenue and then north to include Witmer’s elevators, and several blocks along Hitt Street east of the tracks. A previous TIF District was approved approximately 10 years ago and includes the Quad Graphics property and the Industrial Park.
Deaths, B4 Beverly J. Hammer, June A. Hinrichs, Barbara L. Holland, Helen I. Palmer
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