Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS April 20, 2017 Volume 50, Number 27 - $1.00
Diving Victory A diving catch gives the softball team a 6-5 win over Winnebago Monday. B1
Recycle
Immigrant Tale
Electronics recycling events will be held on Saturday, and April 28. B1
A Mt. Morris man’s journey from Sovietoccupied Latvia was shared at church. A4
Landscaping at Memorial will be completed By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Easter Rush Kids were scrambling to collect as many eggs as possible Saturday morning at the Mt. Morris Lions Club Easter Egg Hunt at Dillehay Park. Above, Little Madison Armbruster, 2, Mt. Morris, picks up an egg. At right, with an egg in hand, Patrick Meloy, 3, Marshalltown, Iowa, runs for another. Photos by Vinde Wells
New Oregon bank opens Monday By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com After years of planning and months of construction, The Harvard State Bank will officially open its brand new building in Oregon next Monday, April 24. A week-long grand opening will be held May 1-6 at the new bank on the northeast corner of Washington (Ill. 64) and Sixth Streets. The community is invited to stop by to see the new bank building and the staff. The celebration, with daily
giveaways, will be capped off with a cook-out prepared by the Ogle County Pork Producers on Saturday, May 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Someone will leave with a new grill on Saturday. The Harvard State Bank’s commitment to Oregon and the surrounding area began in 2009 when it purchased the Rock River Bank at the corner of Washington and Fourth (Ill. 2) Streets. “Expanding our footprint to the Oregon community was a great decision for our bank,” said Phillip Lehmann, CEO and president of the bank.
Bank directors soon realized the bank was rich in history, as well as dedication to the community it had served since its founding 133 years ago. Oregon resident and businessman Peter Hastings organized the Ogle County Bank in 1884 and served as its president after its incorporation in 1907. At first the bank was located on Washington Street a few doors to the east until the new building was built at the corner. According to Federal Reserve System records, it was established as national
bank in 1935. It was renamed Untied Bank of Ogle County in 1976 and became Rock River Bank in 1987. Although the bank has been a mainstay in the heart of Oregon’s downtown, the building and location also had limitations. For example, the bank’s drive-through has been located a block away for several years. Bank officials started making plans in 2012 to purchase the Bemis Motor Company building at the
A proposed downtown beautification project got the go-ahead last week from the Mt. Morris officials. The village board unanimously approved April 11 landscaping around the Memorial Fountain on the northeast corner of Kable Square. The board okayed contributing $500 to the approximately $1,200 project, as well as having village employees excavate two inches of dirt from the area. Karen Urish, a member of the Beautification Committee, asked the board March 28 for the assistance. She said the project will be completed in time for the annual Memorial Day service. Finance Committee Chairman Phil Labash said $1,000 was budgeted for campus upkeep for this year and has not been used. “We have the money,” he said. The fiscal year ends April 30. Mt. Morris American
County approves asbestos cleanup By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Asbestos removal is the next step in the final phase of the Ogle County Board’s plan to expand parking near the judicial center and courthouse. The county board approved Turn to A3 asbestos removal Tuesday evening at the Spoor House, 102 S. Fifth St., Oregon, and at another house belonging to the county at 507 Jefferson St., Oregon, at a total cost of approximately $25,000. Gold Piece Enterprises Inc., Union, will do the work. County board member Don Griffin, who is chairman of the Long Range Planning Committee, said doing the houses at the same time reduced the cost by about $1,500. Once the asbestos at the Spoor House is removed, the building will be demolished to make way for additional parking, the final step in a plan begun three years ago when the county also purchased and demolished Jackass BBQ, a restaurant on the southwest corner of South Fifth and West Washington Streets. The Harvard State Bank’s new building on the northeast corner of Washington and Sixth Streets in Oregon will The area where the officially open April 24. Photo by Vinde Wells restaurant had been was
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Library News, A2
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B3 Property Transfers, B3 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Social News, A4 Sports, B1-B2 State’s Attorney, B4 Weather, A3
Legion Commander Stan Ballard said the legion has agreed to give the remaining $700 for the landscaping. He said the legion is also planning to restore areas of the Memorial Fountain itself where rocks are missing. The fountain, comprised of large rocks mortared together, was dedicated in 1926, Ballard said. In other business, trustee Jeff Pennington, who is chairman of the Water & Sewer Committee, said he recommends buying a camera system to televise sewer mains every year when they are cleaned. Currently, the village hires an outside firm to do the televising. Pennington said owning a camera to do the annual televising would be the first step in addressing problems with the village’s aging infrastructure. “This would give us the place to start,” he said. Pennington said the camera systems range from $50,000 to $80,000, but would pay for itself over time. Labash said the camera system has been added to the proposed budget for 201718.
leveled and paved for parking. The Spoor House sits between the new parking lot and the judicial center. The county board purchased the house at 507 Jefferson Street sometime ago as part of its 50-year plan. Griffin said the county currently has no definite plans for that house. He said the asbestos removal would begin on April 19, and should be completed by the end of the month. In a related matter, architect Greg Reewerts of Reewerts Design Group, Rockford, told the board that renovations to the former Rochelle Clinic building, now owned by the county, are going well. He said the project is on schedule and so far is under the estimated cost of close to $1 million. “The demolition is almost complete. We’re finding things out as we go,” he said. “Every week we’re coming up with more cost savings.” The county board purchased the building, which was originally a bank, in 2015 for $190,000 with the plan of locating the emergency operations center (EOC) there.
Deaths, B4 John F. Brown, Lyle Manning, John D. Muyskens, Irvin M. Seuring
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com