Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS July 28, 2016 Volume 49, Number 22 - $1.00
Voters to Decide
It’s Fair Time!
At the Band Shell
Voters will decide in November if Lafayette and Taylor townships should merge. B3
The 163rd Ogle County Fair is just around the corner. Insert
The String Ties play Friday night, and the last Kable Band Concert of the season is Aug. 3. A2
Four apply for new village job By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Mt. Morris will soon have a village employee devoted to seeing that residents keep their property up to snuff. Trustee Jon Murray told the village board July 12 that four people have applied for the newly established position of ordinance enforcement officer. He said Monday that he would not have a recommendation for the village board at its Tuesday meeting because he has at least one more interview to do. Murray said the person hired will not have the authority to write citations, but will instead be a “friendly face,” who works with residents to help 4-H Clothing Judge Pam Manus, Freeport, talks to Katelyn Bowers, a member of the Blackhawk Crossing 4-H Club, them comply with village about her projects. Clothing projects were judged July 23 and will be on display during the Ogle County Fair Aug. ordinances. The primary areas of 3-7. Photo by Vinde Wells
Project Judging
concern, at least initially, will be grass length, garbage set out too long before pickup, cars parked in grassy areas, and trash build-up. The ordinance enforcement officer will be paid between $10 and $14 per hour and will work approximately 30 hours per month, Murray said. In another matter July 12, the board narrowly approved referring a petition to the Planning Commission to repeal a recently passed texted amendment to the zoning code. A vote on the motion ended in a 3-3 tie, forcing village president Dan Elsasser to cast the deciding yes vote. Also voting yes were Murray, Don Sorenson, and Phil Labash. Those who voted no were Shane Pope, Jeff Pennington, and Tim Harvey. At its June 28 meeting, Turn to A3
Playtime is over at Project PLAY By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Oregon school officials have decided it’s time to replace playground equipment used by youngsters in the school district for almost three decades. Superintendent Tom Mahoney said July 22 that the castle towers, twisting walkways, and slides of Project PLAY (Play Leads to Active Youth), located just outside Oregon Elementary School, will soon be coming down. “We’ve had an increase in kids getting injuries on Project PLAY, mostly splinters,” he said. “There’s no way to maintain it and guarantee no injuries.” In the interest of student safety, the demolition will happen before school starts next month, Mahoney said. The all-wood construction of the unique playground, built by volunteers in 1989, is its downfall, he said. “Twenty-six years is a long
time for something that’s all wood even if it gets treated,” Mahoney said. Portions of the playground were removed a few years ago and replaced. Because the playground gets a lot of use in summer, signs have been put up warning the public about the potential for splinters. Project PLAY was the brainchild of retired teacher Nancy Ryder, Oregon, who had seen a similar Robert Leathers playground in her hometown and immediately believed Oregon should have one. She and Deb Wuebben were co-chairmen of a committee to get the project off the ground and raise the needed $45,000. “The idea was to give the children a creative play area — anything that leads to imagination,” Ryder said. On the other hand, Ryder said she can understand the decision to remove it. “I’m not surprised that they would want to take it out because it’s high maintenance,” she said.
Project PLAY was constructed by community volunteers in October 1989. This photo of just a portion of the playground was taken from one of its many towers. The playground is located behind the Oregon Elementary School. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Ryder said the Leathers company representatives, who designed the playground after getting input from the community, helped with every aspect. “They told us everything we needed and how to go about it,” Ryder said. “We
ordered special pine from Georgia. They [Leathers] were very specific.” After months of fundraising, including a Pennies for the Playground drive at the elementary school, hundreds of volunteers converged on the
school grounds on Oct. 1115, 1989 for a five-day build to put it all together. “We had so many people volunteers who were good at so many things,” Ryder said. “We had electricians, carpenters, ministers. It was really neat.”
“There was a diversity of ages of the people who helped,” said retired teacher Marilyn Berg, a member of the Project PLAY committee. “We had a nursery for the children of the people building, and food Turn to A10
Veterans’ memorial expanded By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com The veterans’ memorial at Oakwood Cemetery, near Mt. Morris, was recently expanded to allow space for more names. Stan Ballard, Commander of Mt. Morris American Legion Post 143, said donations from local individuals and organizations made it possible to add a stone “wing” on each side of the original monument near the
entrance of the cemetery, a mile west of Mt. Morris on Ill. 64. “That original stone is full,” he said. “We added to the memorial that was dedicated in 1997.” Ballad said the Legion Post dedicated two veterans’ memorials 19 years ago — one at Oakwood and the other at Plainview Cemetery in Mt. Morris. The names of veterans buried in the cemeteries have been engraved on the respective
In This Week’s Edition...
Birth, A4 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
monuments. More than 400 names filled up the space on the one at Oakwood, but Plainview’s is not yet full. Ballard said the smaller stones set on each side of the original at Oakwood will also be engraved with names as veterans are buried there. Donations for the expansion came from Marv and Neet Miller, the family of Harlan Blake, Finch Funeral Home, and American Legion Post 143.
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Mt. Morris Police, A2 Public Voice, A4 Property Transfers, B4
Mt. Morris American Legion Post 143 recently expanded the veterans’ memorial at Oakwood Cemetery by adding a “wing” on each side. Photo by Vinde Wells
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B2 State’s Attorney, B4 Weather, A3
Deaths, B4 Helen L. Cann, Doris Isgrig
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com