Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS October 16, 2014 Volume 47, Number 33 - $1.00
State Bound
Crop Walk
Wellness Fair
Ali Scheidecker advances to state meet after officials decide against a 1-hole playoff. B1
More than 100 walkers took to the streets to raise money Oct. 12. A10
An annual event to promote healthy living will be held on Friday, Oct. 17 in Oregon. A6
Residents pack board room over clean-up plan By Vinde Wells Editor Mt. Morris residents packed the village board room Tuesday evening to voice their concerns over a plan to tighten up enforcement of village ordinances. At its last meeting, the board discussed a clean-up campaign in the village involving stricter enforcement of existing ordinances and possibly passing new ones. Since then, village officials sent a newsletter to all residents informing them of the proposed changes. The ordinances in question cover
when trash can be placed on the curb for pick-up, keeping grass mowed, semi parking, junked cars, and improperly permitted structures, as well as other topics. The board also discussed how to deal with an increasing number of free-roaming cats when it met Sept. 23. Chris Corcoran, who lives on Sunset Drive, asked the board to clarify exactly what they plan to do about the clean-up and cats. He also said he is concerned about tighter enforcement of restrictions on trailers. Corcoran said he has a fully
licensed trailer that is essential to his law care business. “Our goal is to improve the appearance of the village,” said trustee Mary Francis, who is the chairman of the Ordinance Committee. “We haven’t been doing a great job of enforcing our ordinances, and we wanted to warn people that we’re going to start doing that.” She said the appearance of the village is adversely affecting residential property values as well as opportunities to attract new businesses. Village president Dan Elsasser
said in the years he’s lived in Mt. Morris, its appearance has deteriorated. “We’ve gotten pretty lax,” he said. Richard Toms, who lives on Brayton Road, asked why 6 p.m. is the earliest garbage cans can be set out on the curb the night before pick-up. He asked how that time was chosen. He said he likes to get his out before dark and that is not possible in winter with the 6 p.m. time. Don Orsted, 510 W. Lincoln St., agreed. He said he doesn’t want to take the garbage out after dark when
it’s icy. Elsasser said the board is considering setting seasonal hours for the garbage. “We don’t want it out there in the middle of the day or the day before,” he said. “We’re willing to give a little.” Toms also questioned how his well-maintained boat sitting on a trailer in his yard could be considered an eyesore. “I don’t see how that could detract,” he said. Dorothy Modler, 210 N. Wesley Turn to A2
Tow fund audit report is ready By Matt Mencarini Sauk Valley Media Ogle County Chairman Kim Gouker got a draft report of the administrative tow fund’s forensic audit Tuesday. The final report likely will be presented during a special meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 20 either at 2 or 3 p.m., Gouker said, adding that the exact time will be set during the county’s Executive Committee meeting, which was this Tuesday. Gouker declined to discuss details of the draft report, but said it was comprehensive. Any changes to the report between now and the final one will be done to add context for residents and board members. Nothing will be removed from the draft, he said. Sikich, the NapervilleAllan Genandt, Forreston, and Amanda Cowen, Mt. Morris, set up a registration table Oct. 12 in front of Trinity based company that did the
Setting Up
forensic audit, will present it and the findings during the special meeting and then again during the county board’s regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. that night. The forensic audit started in July, after it was approved by the board in April. The initial agreement paid Sikich up to $7,500; the work was expected to take a few weeks, depending on what was found. In August, the auditors requested more time and money – up to an additional $7,500 – because the fund was “disorganized,” Gouker said the auditors told him. Last month, during the county board meeting, Gouker told members he and vice chairman John Finfrock met with a representative from Sikich, who said the fund’s records were “very Turn to A2
Lutheran Church, Mt. Morris, for the annual Ogle County CROP Walk. Photo by Vinde Wells
New sheriff’s administration center taking shape By Chris Johnson Reporter
and lighting, it is the inside of the building that is seeing the most changes each day. “The whole team has been working together,” said project site superintendent Greg Suthers, Rockford Structures Oct. 10. “We are water tight and the masonry is 100 percent complete.” Suthers did a walkthrough
a garage door in the south side of the building for the morgue. With the masonry work Every day something new completed, the exterior of is being completed with at the the Ogle County Sheriff building. and Coroner Administration Suthers said electricity was Center has taken shape. hooked up last week and the While there is still exterior gas line was being hooked up work to be completed within a day or two. including doors, windows, “You are at the mercy of the utilities with their schedules for being hooked up,” said Suthers. “We got creative with the electricity and will be able to reduce the number of utility poles from three to one.” Organizing the different trades to ensure the project runs smooth has been a challenge, but Suthers said teamwork has helped keep the project on track. “We need all the time we can get to finish the building,” said Suthers. “I am pleased with how we are all working together with the same goals. We have a busy schedule and are making progress every day.” The awning over the coroner’s entrance at the new Ogle County Sheriff and Coroner One contractor arrived a Administration Center was under construction Oct. 10. All of the masonry on the exterior few days early and Suthers of the building has been completed. Photo by Chris Johnson turned workers away to make
In This Week’s Edition...
of the construction site and pointed out features within the building. “There will be two separate public entrances,” Suthers said. “One for the coroner and another for the sheriff.” The sheriff’s department will use the north entrance and the coroner will use the south entrance. There is also
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B12 Delinquent Tax List, B7 Entertainment, A6
Fines, B5 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A9 Property Transfers, B6
sure no two trades were getting in each others way. “Each step needs to be completed in a certain order so everything will work without a hitch,” he said. “We are trying to schedule consistently throughout the project and avoid delays with the trades.” If one contractor installs a pipe or a wire in the wrong spot, it could have a ripple effect with all future trades that come in throughout the project. Preliminary work has proved to be vital with parts of the project. “We ran a lot of the electrical conduit under the floors,” said Suthers. “When roughing in the walls they
were where they needed to be.” Workers were framing the interior rooms of the building last week with metal stud walls. They had the majority of the walls on the north half of the building framed and were working to the south. In the south portion of the building another crew was installing hangers for the ceiling and getting prepared for the walls. Suthers said having crews following each other reduces delays. The exterior of the building was completed the same way, with the bricklayers following the fiber board Turn to A8
Hydrants to be flushed The Mt. Morris Water Department will flush hydrants during the week of Oct. 20-24 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents may experience low water pressure and rusty water while the hydrants are being flushed. For rusty water, let the faucet run until the water clears up. For other problems call the water department at 815-7344820 or the village hall at 815-734-6425.
Sheriff’s Arrests, B6 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 Weather, A3
Deaths, B5 Thomas K. DeArvil, Josephine D. Harshbarger, James O. Nelson Sr., Corrine J. Pannkuk
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com