Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS February 23, 2017 Volume 50, Number 19 - $1.00
Penny Carnival
State Bound The Byron girls basketball team punched their ticket to the state finals. B1
Recycling Day The monthly electronics recycling day will be held in Oregon on Friday. A7
Ogle County 4-H Clubs are hard at work preparing for the carnival. A6
Annexation petitions are under review By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Two petitions for annexation into the village were referred last week to the Mt. Morris Planning Commission. The village board approved sending the petitions for the Kable House property to the commission Feb. 14 for study and discussion. Village trustee John Murray said petitioners Arkadiusz Stachurski and Angelika BrandeisStachurski are purchasing 2.3 acres at 298 Sunset Lane, near the Sunset Golf Club, from owner Katherine A. Peterson. One petition is for the parcel where the house is situated and the other is for the “front yard parcel.” Both have the same address. The Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the village board, which will then make the decision whether or not to annex the two parcels into the village.
The board was shorthanded Feb. 14 with trustees Don Sorenson, Phil Labash, and Shane Pope absent, as well as clerk Paula Diehl. In another matter, the board approved an agreement with Rick and Barb Blackburn over a sewer back-up last fall into the basement of their home at 401 W. Lincoln St. According to the terms of the agreement, trustee Jeff Penington said the village will pay the Blackburns $3,000 to cover the cost of cleaning up the basement and to replace a water heater and other items. Diehl said Tuesday that the Blackburns’ claim with the village was for $3,704. The board has been discussing that sewer backup as well as one in the basement of Dennis Grandt, 308 S. Wesley Ave., for several weeks. The board indicated Jan. 10 that they favored paying the settlement amounts from village coffers after its insurance carrier, Illinois Turn to A2
From a barn to wedding venue Couple transforms Leaf River barn By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Their daughter’s wedding inspired a Leaf River couple to turn their century-old dairy barn into an event venue. Brad and Carla Miller, both retired teachers, have transformed their huge barn and grounds into The Barn on the Hill, the perfect place for weddings, rehearsals, showers, class reunions, and anniversary and birthday parties. They have even hosted a high school prom. The Millers moved to their home at 7 E. Ill. 72, between Leaf River and Byron, 25 years ago when their three daughters were youngsters. The barn was used for storage until three years ago when their daughter Hannah decided she wanted to be married there. “The barn was heaped with stuff, and Hannah said she wanted her wedding in the barn,” Carla said with a smile. Brad got to work with a skid loader and cleared out the barn. Hannah’s wedding went so well that they decided to offer the barn and scenic surrounding 7.5 acres to other brides.
“It just took off from there,” Carla said. “This is actually our second year.” Already they have seven weddings booked for this year. Besides cleaning out the “stuff ” in the barn, the Millers put in a large concrete patio that wraps around two sides of the barn, adjusted the four original sliding barn doors to easily open up, did electrical work, and added landscaping. Tall pines trees, large shade trees, a lush lawn, and welltended flower beds make an ideal backdrop for outdoor receptions and photo shoots. Inside the barn, the sliding doors open to let in natural light, and thousands of tiny white lights strung from the beams create a comfortable, yet elegant, setting for up to 250 people. Carla said the enjoyable part is meeting the brides and helping them plan the wedding they have dreamed of. “That’s the part I love is working with the brides and their families and trying to make it perfect for them,” she said. “I have had the most wonderful brides to work with. You get so attached to them like they’re your own kids.” Turn to A2
In This Week’s Edition...
Warm Day Michael McClelland and Emma Richards take advantage of the beautiful February President’s Day at Mounder Park. Photo by Zach Arbogast.
County building needs new roof By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Cost estimates for putting a new roof on a countyowned building in Rochelle came in less than anticipated, but the work needs to be done sooner than expected. The Ogle County Board approved a bid Tuesday evening for $160,530 from McDermaid Roofing & Insulating Co., Rockford, to replace the roof on the building purchased from Rochelle Community Hospital Foundation late in 2015. Scott A. Goehring, a representative of the Garland Company, Inc., based in
Jail Meetings
The Ogle County Board is hosting public meetings about the proposed jail project. A meeting in Mt. Morris will be held on Tuesday, March 7. at 7 p.m. at the Mt. Morris Village Hall, 105 W. Lincoln. Cleveland, Ohio, said the project was originally estimated at $200,000 to $240,000. He told the board that he found damage that could cause leaks when he inspected the roof on the former Rochelle Clinic building at 510 Lincoln Highway. Goehring recommended replacing the roof before remodeling the inside and
installing new furnishings and equipment. The Garland Company supplies roofing materials and provides design and engineering services. The county board purchased the building, which was originally a bank, for $190,000 with the plan of locating the emergency operations center (EOC) there, along with local offices for the Ogle County Health
and Probation Departments and the Ogle County Emergency Management Agency Director. McDermaid’s was the lowest of three bids submitted. Freeport Industrial Roofing bid the project at $220,255, and Sterling Commercial Roofing, Inc. bid it at $240,246. Board member Lee Meyers, Byron, questioned the need for the roof now. “I thought last year when we bought this, the roof was good for five years,” he said. Board member Don Griffin, Oregon, said that “it doesn’t make sense” to renovate the inside if the roof leaks.
Oregon athlete makes wrestling debut By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com After more than a year of training, Oregon-grown Bailey Bright’s dreams moved forward as he made his Funky Munky Wrestling singles debut Feb. 10. Instead of shooting for the stars right off the bat, Bright was more grounded - literally; after being sent to his room when he was eight years old, he turned the TV to World Wrestling Entertainment and caught the end of a John Cena match.
Bailey Bright is escorted by his father Lonny Bright and mother Lisa Walker during the Oregon Hawks Football 2015 senior night. At right, Bright stands in the ring after competing in his first match. Photos supplied.
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B10 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4
He was hooked from that point, and started looking deeper into the business. He discovered the Sterling-based Funky Munky Wrestling near the tail-end of 2015, and quickly got involved with the company, helping setup and teardown with sets. It wasn’t long before Funky Munky owner Pat Gerlach, who is known as local wrestling star Bobby Houston, asked Bright if he’d be interested in training. “About four months after getting on with them [Funky Munky], Bobby asked me if I wanted to b r i n g s o m e workout g e a r and start training,” Bright said. “My first session was in January of last year, and we hit it hard from the get-go.”
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B3
Turn to A2
Deaths, B4 Lucille T. Eichhorst, Karl G. Klipping, Joan Pattermann, Clarence L. Sneek, Merle P. Wiltfang
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com