Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS October 15, 2015 Volume 48, Number 33 - $1.00
Golf Sectionals
Gallery Show
Golfers from Forreston, Oregon, and Polo competed in the golf sectionals Oct. 12. B1
Help in Honduras
An Oregon artist is preparing to show her work in New York. A11
Volunteers are needed to help build houses in Honduras Jan. 7-17. A8
New Casey’s store coming to Mt. Morris Architect says store will open next fall By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com The Mt. Morris Economic Development Committee (EDC) had more good news Tuesday for the village board — a new convenience store is coming to town. Committee member Rob Urish
introduced architect Ryan Swanson, from Arc Design Resources, Loves Park, who broke the news. “We’re proposing to build a Casey’s General Store,” Swanson said. The store will be built on the southeast corner of McKendrie Avenue and Ill. 64 (Hitt Street). “It’s very similar to what you see in Oregon,” he said, as he showed the board preliminary drawings. The store will have four gas pumps with eight fueling stations,
Swanson said. Casey’s officials already have agreements to buy the five parcels of property where the new store will be located, he said. The properties include four houses and the former Brad’s IGA Store. The houses are one on the corner owned by Jerry Stauffer, and the two to the east of that on Ill. 64 owned by Gary DeSmedt and Larry Wilson,and one on Main Street owned by Tom Messer.
The former grocery store is owned by Northern Illinois Coin & Stamp, Elgin. Swanson said one parcel may need to be rezoned for the business, but the others are already zoned correctly. He said Casey’s officials hope to close on the properties by the end of the year with construction slated to start in the spring. The store will likely open next fall, he said. “This is very exciting news,” said village trustee Phil Labash.
“So it’s a definite go?” asked village president Dan Elsasser. “Yes,” Swanson replied. He said it was approved by Casey’s officials Tuesday morning. Casey’s is headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa, and builds its stores mainly in small municipalities. The convenience store chain opened a new store in Oregon in June and another in Byron in August. Both replaced older stores in those communities. Turn to A3
Strong winds spread field fire across 100 acres near Stillman By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com Firefighters from three counties battled a wind-driven field fire late Monday afternoon that burned more than 100 acres near Stillman Valley. “We got multiple reports about 4:45 of a fire in a corn field that had been picked,” said Stillman Valley Deputy Fire Chief Greg Kunce. “We were there in three minutes, and by the time we got there it had already taken off toward a wooded tree line and went into a field of standing corn.” Kunce, who is also a lieutenant on the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department, said winds of 35 to 40 mph fanned the blaze, causing it to spread rapidly. Because the fire was near a residential area and farm buildings, Kunce said 14 fire departments
from Ogle, Winnebago, and DeKalb Counties were called to help get the fire under control. The fire started, he said, out in a field approximately a half-mile north of Stillman Valley on Stillman Valley Road, in an area where a work crew had been installing new utility poles. Kunce said the crew had just left for the day about 20 minutes before the fire was reported. He said the preliminary investigation indicates that heat from some of the equipment the crew was using may have ignited the cornstalks. “This is not suspicious at all, but we do want to stress situational awareness,” he said. “It’s that time of year that we want everyone to be aware of the potential for fires.” He said winds can carry burning Turn to A2
Work on Black Hawk completed next year
Health Fair Mt. Morris Senior Center held its annual Health Spotlight Fair Oct. 9. Above, Executive Director Brenda Hayden shows a set of drawings done by the late John McKinley. Hayden is seeking information about the drawings which depict various aspects of the community. At right, Wilma Hongsermeier visits with Dr. Bruce Denton. Photos by Vinde Wells
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com Project engineer Amy LambWoods said Tuesday that restoration work on the Black Hawk Statue should be completed next summer. “We are still in the mockup phase and CSOS [Conservation of Sculpture & Objects Studio, Forest Park] is still working on submittals and samples,” said Lamb-Woods, an engineer with Chicago-based Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SG&H), in an email. Both CSOS and SG&H are under contract, she said, with the Illinois
Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to repair the damage to the 104-year-old statue that stands on a high bluff overlooking the Rock River at Lowden State Park near Oregon. Time and weather have damaged the statue to the point that portions of the exterior have crumbled and fallen off. The folded arms of the statue, especially the elbows and underneath the arms; the middle of the robe; and the vertical fold in the robe from armpit to toe are the critical areas. Turn to A3
Hickory Grove manager said she just needed help By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com A Rochelle businesswoman said she just wanted a little help when she started seeking board members to sit on the Ogle County Civic Center Authority (OCCCA). Robin Baldwin-Gounaris said Oct. 1 that the repairs at the Hickory Grove Banquet Center, 1127 N. Seventh St., were straining her budget, and she wanted board members who have the same goal she does — keeping the business open. “I went out and looked for people who could help save Hickory Grove,” she said.
A Rochelle native, Baldwin-Gounaris, 57, lived in Chicago for many years and returned to Rochelle a decade ago and began managing Hickory Grove, which now includes Hickory Grove Banquets, Abraham’s Bar & Grille, deVine Wine bar, The Pump Club, and Abe’s Tiki Bar. She came under fire Sept. 15 at the Ogle County Board meeting when board member Bruce McKinney, Rochelle, voiced his opposition to the appointment of an applicant to OCCCA. McKinney objected because he said Baldwin-Gounaris has too much influence on who was applying for seats on OCCCA. The State’s Attorney, Juvenile, & Probation Committee interviews
In This Week’s Edition...
Byron Police, B7 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B8-B12 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B6
applicants for OCCCA and then recommends who should be appointed to the county board, which makes the actual appointment. According to Ogle County State’s Attorney Eric Morrow OCCCA owns Hickory Grove and has authority over it. “As far as I know the civic center authority is the owner,” he said Monday. “The county’s only responsibility is appointing the board [OCCCA] members.” It’s not as if OCCCA board members appeared enthusiastic to serve. Until recent months, no one had applied for vacancies on the ninemember board in four years. Turn to A7
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B7 Pine Creek News, A3 Public Voice, A8
This photo shows what the swimming pool at Hickory Grove Banquet Center, Rochelle, looked like before manager Robin Baldwin-Gounaris turned it into a tiki bar. Photo supplied
Property Transfers, B6 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Sports, A11, B1, B2 Social News, A4 State’s Attorney, B5
Deaths, B5 Dale DeCrane, Thomas E. Heuerman, Rose L. Hoffman, Phyllis J. Hunn, Donald H. Moser
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com