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2 MT. MORRIS TIMES MT. MORRIS TIMES MT. MO RRIS BE AT oglecountynews.com ShawLocal.com OFFICE 113-115 Peoria Ave. Dixon, IL 61021 815-732-6166, ext. 2592 By ALEXA ZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com Ogle County Board members’ unanimous denial of a zoning map amendment effectively squashed a request for a special use permit to build a solar farm. Mt. Morris Times / ShawLocal.com • Friday, Aug 19, 2022 SUBSCRIPTIONS $39 in Ogle County, and $52 outside Ogle County. Single-copy price is $1 To subscribe, make a payment or discuss your delivery, call 815-732-6166, ext. 2518, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday or send an email to subscriptions@ oglecountynews.com. You also can subscribe online by going to oglecountynews.com and clicking on Subscribe. CLASSIFIED SALES classified@shawlocal.com HELP WANTED employment@shawlocal.com LEGAL NOTICES sauklegals@shawlocal.com USS Galena Trail Solar, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, requested 29.5 acres in the 13000 block of West Milledgeville Road be changed from a R-2 single-family residential district to an Ag-1 agricultural district. The location is just outside the Polo city limits. “This happens to be in a residential area, and I just really hope that you will vote no on this,” board member Susie Corbitt said. “There’s been a large group of
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815-632-2502 jheintzelman@shawmedia.com Mt. Morris Times, Ogle County News and oglecountynews.com are a division of Shaw Media. Ogle County Newspapers also prints the Mt. Morris Times, Oregon Republican Reporter and Polo’s Tri-County Press. The MT. MORRIS TIMES (USPS No. 365-440) is published weekly by B.F. Shaw Printing Co., Shaw Media. Periodical postage paid at Mt. Morris, Illinois. POSTMASTER Send address changes to MT. MORRIS TIMES, P.O. Box 8, Oregon, IL 61061. Phone 815-732-6166, ext. 2516. All rights reserved. Copyright 2022 constituents from Polo who oppose this.”
Several Polo residents attended the Ogle County Board’s Aug. 16 meeting, including Polo Alderpersons Tommy Bardell and Randy Schoon. No one from Polo spoke during public comment, which took place after the vote on the map amendment was complete.
The special use permit was on the County Board’s agenda, and originally was set to be voted on at the same time as the requested map amendment. The permit was removed from the vote following a brief period of discussion regarding proper procedure.
“The map amendment has not occurred, so even if you approve the special use, you can’t use it,” State’s Attorney Mike Rock
Milledgev ille Road solar farm denied map amendment t o l d b o a r d m e m b e r s . “ I f y o u v o t e t o approve this special use permit, you are violating the zoning ordinance.” Rock advised the vote be only on the map amendment, which is what the Ogle County Zoning Board of Appeals voted on during a July 28 public hearing regarding the request. The ZBA voted 5-0 to deny the map amendment, according to meeting minutes, and the Ogle County Regional Planning Commission voted 4-0 to deny it. The Supervisor of Assessments and Planning & Zoning Committee agreed by 6-0 consensus to recommend denying the map amendment; the committee does not vote on w h e t h e r t o a p p r o v e o r d e n y z o n i ng requests.
BRIEF
The Giving Pump - Stop by Shell to help support Mobile Food Pantry in Mt. Morris Children’s Programming at the Mt. Morris Library. on Thursday, Aug. 25 Our local gas station has generously chosen to Loaves & Fish Food Pantry with the donate a portion of the proceeds from their Giving Northern Illinois Food Bank is hosting a Pump toward our library. Mobile Food Pantry on Thursday, Aug. 25,
This pump will be wrapped and available through from 10 to 11:30 a.m. October, just look for the purple Giving Pump signs The truck will be located at Mt. Morris on pump 1 or 2! We would like to thank Shell for Church of the Brethren, 409 W. Brayton Road, their support of community programming! Thank Mt. Morris. This mobile pantry is open anyone You! in Ogle County.
Story Time! - Story time will be a great time for Anyone experiencing food insecurity is eligicounting! Join us and we learn about numbers and ble to receive food. You do not need to have a counting this Wednesday, Aug. 24, with a referral, and no proof of income is required. number-tastic time for all! Stop by with your little Loaves & Fish Food Pantry is located on the ones to enjoy stories and a craft at the Mount lower level of the Mt. Morris Church of the Morris Library! Wednesdays at 11:15 a.m. Brethren, 409 W. Brayton Road, and is open
Lego Club! - Our next Lego night on Thursday, on the first and third Thursdays from 4:30 to Sept. 15, from 6-6:45 p.m. Bring a friend and build 7 p.m. and second and fourth Mondays from some fun with Lego bricks! All Children and 2 to 4:30 p.m. parents are invited. Children under 8 need to bring If you have any questions, call 815-613-8776 a parent with them. and leave a message.
Adult Book Club - The August book is The Doctors Blackwell by Janice P. Nimura. Everyone is welcome to join this book club group! Copies of LEGAL NOTICE the book are available at the library. Display Case Showings - Stop in to see our new display for August! Local artesian, Rod Avey, will once again be showcasing his wooden duck collections. They are meticulous, handcrafted creations that will make you feel like you are outside at a pond! Stop by to admire these beautiful pieces of artwork! We are always looking for collectors or artists who are willing to share their treasures in our display cases. If you are interested, please call, 815-734-4927. Newspapers Available! - We now be receive the Dixon Telegraph daily! We also the Mt. Morris Times and the Ogle County Life. If you want to keep up with the local news-stop on by! Explore More Illinois-Anderson Japanese Gardens Offer - Explore More Illinois is a cultural PUBLIC HEARING Notice is hereby given this date August 16, 2022 the Mount Morris Township will hold at its regular meeting a public hearing to consider the Tax Levy of the Mount Morris Township and Mount Morris Road District for the tax year 2022, collected in 2023. A copy of the Levy is available in the Township Clerks Office, 105 W Lincoln St., Mt. Morris, IL. The public hearing will be held on September 9, 2022 at 1:15 PM in the Village of Mt. Morris Village Hall, Township meeting room at 105 W Lincoln St., Mt. Morris, IL 61054. Paula Diehl – Township Clerk Village of Mt. Morris
MT. MORRIS LIBRARY
pass program that provides discounts at museums, visual and performing arts centers, park districts, and more around the state. Use Explore More Illinois to find fun and educational places to go on a free afternoon or for a little getaway. Explore More Illinois is easy to use with your library card.
Visit the library’s website to browse attractions. You can find the information on our website, www. mtmorris-il.org under the resources page.
Rock River Center - The Rock River Center has a representative in our library the second Thursday of every month. Services provided by Rock River Center are designed to enable older and disabled persons to remain independent, thereby avoiding costly long-term care.
No appointment necessary but, if you want to make an appointment with the Rock River Center you may call 815-732-3252.
Adult Programing - We are trying to get back into the swing of offering monthly programs for adults. We would love to hear from you. Do evenings or weekends work better? Do you have any program ideas? Do you have a program you would like to share? Contact Mary Cheatwood at the library through email at mmlib@mtmorris-il. org or call 815-734-4927.
Curbside Service is available! - We want to remind everyone that you still have the option of having your materials delivered to your vehicle. If you have holds waiting for you, call us to tell us you are on your way, and we will bring them out to your vehicle when you arrive. Call us if you need more information.
Additional Services Offered - We make copies (25¢ per black and white page). We fax ($2 for the first page and 50¢ each additional page). We can scan a document and send it to email ($2 per document).
You can use a computer without a library card for $1. Resume software is available on our computers. Come visit us and let us help you!
By EARLEEN HINTON ehinton@shawnews.com
The Oregon School Board agreed Monday night to accept a $51,000 bid for the former David L. Rahn Junior High School, located in Mt. Morris.
Oregon Superintendent Tom Mahoney said three bids were submitted for the property: Fred Kenney, $51,000; George Duncan, $30,100; and Steven St. Clair, $1,007.
“We felt the bid from the high bidder was the appropriate amount and what was best for the district and gives the opportunity for the building to serve another purpose,” Mahoney said after the vote.
In February, the school board voted 4-2 to close DLR at the end of the 2021-22 school year and move seventh and eighth grade students to the Oregon High School, 5 miles to the east.
Mahoney first proposed closing DLR in May 2021, citing decreasing enrollment throughout the district and increasing maintenance costs for the 1952 building.
On Monday, students in grades 7-12 had their first day of school in the merged building which is now called Oregon Junior/Senior High School. The OJSHS now houses 684 students and 42 teachers.
Mahoney said he was pleased the district had received at least three bids.
“I didn’t have any expectations,” Mahoney said. “I talked to other school districts where they received no bids for buildings, so I was actually pleased to see three bids altogether and that at least there were three interested parties who believe that there’s some other use for that property that could help the community.”
Mahoney said he believed Kenney is a graduate of Mt. Morris High School and now a resident of Oregon. He said Kenney did not specify what he planned to do with the building.
“When we asked him he said he had several concepts or ideas that he was thinking about but he hadn’t decided on exactly what it was going to be,” Mahoney said.
DLR was the last remaining school in Mt. Morris after that district dissolved in 1993 because of poor finances. It merged with Oregon for the 1993-94 school year.
In June, the Oregon School Board offered the building to the Village of Mt. Morris, but the village board rejected ownership and urged the school board to delay selling the property in case moving the junior high students to Oregon was not successful.
“Again, I think it is the wrong decision, but we’ll live with the decision,” Mt. Morris Village President Phil Labash said on Monday. “And now how do we move forward in a way that’s going to benefit the community? I think that’s the most important thing here.
“I will reach out to the new owner, have a conversation to see what their intent and what their plans are. If they are willing to share that with us we will see if there’s anything that the community and the village can do to support whatever this transition plan looks like. We will know a lot more once we have an opportunity to talk to the new owner.” Labash said.
School board members Mindy Nesemeier and Molly Baker abstained from accepting the bid. Mike Guzman, Corey Buck, Mary Jo Griffin, and Rebecca Duke voted to accept the bid. Board president Bryan Wills did not cast a vote.
Mahoney said the district will now proceed with the legalities of completing the sale, which could take 60 days.
“This is no different than putting an offer on a house and the offer being accepted,” Mahoney said. “Now there’s the process of closing the deal so the district will have to go through the legal process of finalizing the real estate agreement to sell that property and then we’ll be able to move on.”
Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media The Oregon School Board has accepted a bid of $51,000 for the former David L. Rahn Junior High in Mt. Morris.
By ALEXA ZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com
Polo officials are working to have the city declared a disaster area after 9 to 12 inches of rain last week left dozens of homes with flood damage.
“It was literally Niagara Falls coming out of our toilet,” Janette Krontz said of the Aug. 7 and 8 storms’ impact. “We had 3 to 4 feet [of water] in our basement, and we’ve never had leakage in ours.”
The flooding was so bad a crack formed in their upstairs living room and “literally lifted our whole house up,” she said.
Krontz’s comments came during the public comment period of the Polo City Council’s Aug. 15 regular meeting. At least seven members of the public spoke, seeking answers regarding what the city could offer in terms of assistance with their damaged property. The discussion lasted about 30 minutes.
Alderperson Randy Schoon prefaced the public comment period by recapping what city council members already have done, and are doing, to help.
“I’ll tell you right square, your insuran ce compan y has probably already told all of you there’s no [coverage],” Schoon told meeting attendees. “I guarantee you, the city’s insurance is going to tell you that same thing. We’ve been down this road before. When you get that kind of water, that kind of rain, there ain’t nowhere for it to go. And once it fills them pipes, it’s game on.”
City officials made calls to state Reps. Tony McCombie and Tom Demmer and state Sen. Brian Stewart, Schoon said. McCombie, Demmer and S t e w a r t d i r e c t e d t h e c i t y t o O g l e C o u n t y E m e r g e n c y M a n a g e m e n t Agency Coordinator Tom Richter and told city officials to get Richter a list of impacted residents and as much supporting documentation as possible.
As of Tuesday morning, City Clerk Sydney Bartelt had a list of more than 35 Polo residents who experienced basement flooding on Aug. 8 to send to Richter.
Ogle County will have to declare the area a disaster area before the Red Cross or the Federal Emergency Management Agency will step in to assist, Bartelt said.
Those whose homes or businesses were flooded should take pictures and keep all receipts, Schoon said.
“Have a paper trail so you can say, ‘This is what I spent,’” he said.
Dumpster for use by those impacted by flooding
During the Aug. 15 meeting, city council members came to a consensus that the city would pay for a large dumpster where people who experienced flooding in homes or businesses can dispose of damaged or destroyed items.
The dumpster is located in the parking lot of 113 E. Colden St. and was put in place Tuesday afternoon.
If anyone has questions, or would like to be added to the list of those impacted that will be submitted to Ogle County, contact Polo City Hall at 815-946-3514. Why sanitary sewers also flooded
Rain usually drains into storm sewer pipes, but when there’s basement flooding or standing water on streets, it infiltrates the sanitary sewer system, Public Works Director Kendall Kyker said.
People tend to try to squeegee water into floor drains when a basement floods, and those floor drains are hooked up to the sanitary sewer system, he said.
The Colden Street Project – a $3.2 million storm sewer improvement p r o j e c t e n c o m p a s s i n g a b o u t 1 0 . 5 blocks of Polo’s downtown business district and residential neighborhoods – is meant to help alleviate standing water on Division Avenue caused by torrential rain events. Division Avenue is the name of Illinois Route 26 within Polo city limits.
The Colden Street Project will “help tremendously” once it’s complete, Kyker said. But, in the meantime, that water is pouring right into the sanitary sewers through the tiny holes in manhole covers meant to open them, he said.
“It’s just like turning a faucet on and leaving it run,” Kyker said.
Another reason the sanitary sewers overflowed is because of illegal pump hookups, Schoon said. The city has been working for some time on checking hookups in each house to ensure they’re done properly, he said.
However, Schoon said, even he will try to squeegee water into his floor drain to get rid of it when there’s flooding like there was on Aug. 8.
“That’s what most of it is – floor drains,” Kyker said. “When you get nine or 10 or however many basements, the water goes to the floor drain and the [sanitary sewer] pipes fill immediately.”
That’s why the Krontzes toilet was overflowing, he noted.
Kyker, who lives on the opposite side of town from the Krontzes, said the 8 inches of water in his basement couldn’t leave through his floor drain because the sanitary sewer pipes were full.
On a normal day, 250,000 to 300,000 gallons of water pass through the city’s wastewater treatment plant, Schoon said. On days such as Aug. 8, 3 million gallons of wastewater are being processed.
Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media Several inches of rain washed out gravel on construction work in Polo on Aug. 8 and also flooded homes. Residents are now seeking help because of the damages.
First days for new combined school go well, off icials say
By EARLEEN HINTON ehinton@shawmedia.com
The first two days of seventh and eighth graders joining high school students in the new Oregon Junior/ Senior High School went well, school officials said on Monday.
“The kids were really, really amazing with the older kids helping the younger ones,” OJSHS Principal Heidi Deininger said. “It was very heartwarming.”
Monday marked the first day of school for the Oregon district and the first day that junior high students attended classes in what was just the Oregon High School.
In February, school board members decided to close the David L. Rahn Junior High School, located in Mt. Morris, at the end of the 2021-22 school year and have seventh and eighth grade students attend classes in the high school.
School officials cited decreasing enrollment throughout the district and increasing maintenance costs for the DLR building as their reason to close the school.
On Monday, students in grades 7-12 had their first day of school in the merged building which is now called Oregon Junior/Senior High School. The OJSHS now houses 684 students and 42 teachers.
Deininger said officials still needed to work on the “flow” of students to the cafeteria during lunch periods.
“We have to work on the ebb and flow there,” she said.
On Tuesday, Deininger along with assistant principal Kip Crandall and Shannon Cremeens, dean of students, were observing the flow of students in the cafeteria, which is located in the school’s basement.
“We are working on it,” Crandall said.
D e i n i n g e r a l s o s a i d t h e h i g h school’s new policy of requiring students to turn over their cellphones at the start of each class period and place them in a phone safe’ appeared to be well received.
“I think the kids were like ‘thank you’ and the parents were like ‘thank God’,” Deininger said.
She introduced the new policy to school members last month as a way to eliminate cellphones as a distraction in classroom.
Deininger said the district purchased cellphone safes for each of the school’s 50 classrooms. She said she hopes the safes, which cost around $140 each, would standardize each classroom’s approach to cellphones.
In the event of an incident, the phones could be taken out of the safe, she said.
The local Rockabilly band Dirty Fishnet Stockings returns to Jamboree on Aug. 19.
The local Rockabilly band Dirty Fishnet Stockings returns to the Mt. Morris Jamboree on Friday, Aug. 19, at 7 p.m.
“DFS first started as a group that was to be a Rockabilly Christmas band called ‘Ted & The Mistletones’,” said Larry Ubben, Jamboree organizer. “The idea exploded into something much bigger, wanting to take the band further than playing just the holidays. A set list of 10 was made, then 20 and so on. Now they play over 50 songs every show for you to swing to all night long!”
The band is made up of lead singer Ted O’Donnell, Harry Euhus on lead guitar and vocals, Rick Nolting on u p r i g h t b a s s a n d v o c a l s a n d B i ll Englund on drums.
DFS was proud to be inducted into the Rockford Area Music Industry’s Hall of Fame.
“This high-energy band brings a show of rousing favorites from the ’50s, ’60s and more. Always a good time. Make sure you don’t miss this event,” Ubben said.
Concessions for the evening will be provided by the Mt. Morris Moose Lodge, which will be serving hamburgers, cheeseburgers, pulled pork, cole slaw, chips, brownies, soda and water, starting at 6 p.m.
“The Campus will be extra festive that evening as the seventh annual National Strawsculpting Competition continues, with four new sculptures and many others from past years on d i s p l a y a l l a r o u n d t h e C a mp us , ” Ubben said.
In the event of inclement weather, the rain location will be the Mt. Morris Moose Lodge, located at 101 Moose Drive.
Chicago Tribute Anthology, Aug. 26
The Chicago Tribute Anthology returns for a free two-hour concert on Aug. 26, from 7 to 9 p.m.
“Born in the Midwest and infused with elements of jazz, blues and Latin influences, the first album by Chicago Transit Authority, or CTA as they were commonly known, went double platinum. Such hits as ‘Beginnings, Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?’ and ‘Question 67 & 68’ propelled the band to popularity,” Ubben said.
With a rock rhythm section led by guitarist Terry Kath, a powerful horn section and unique vocals, the band is n o w k n o w n s i m p l y a s “ C h i c a g o ” and released its second album in January 1970.
C o n s id er e d b y m a n y t o b e t h e band’s breakout album, Chicago 2 also went platinum with hits such as “Make me Smile,” “Colour My World” and “25 or 6 to 4.”
Chicago became a dominant force in popular music during the 1970s, producing at least one new album each year. This period was marked by the release of classic songs such as “Free,” “Saturday in the Park,” “Dialogue,” “Just You ‘n Me,” “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day,” “Call On Me” and “Old Days,” to name a few.
“CTA brings to life the ‘Golden Age’ of Chicago by meticulously recreating many of the great songs from the first 11 albums. Members include Tom Anderson, Paul Bata, Terry Geraci, Paul Mabin, Chuck Parrish, Reed Pauley, Dan Peters and John Springbrunn. Learn more about the band at chicagotribute.net.
“Enjoy CTA live and experience all of these classic songs just the way you remember them!” Ubben said.
Concessions for the evening will be provided by the Mt. Morris Firefighter’s Association, who will be serving Walking Tacos with all the toppings, canned Pepsi products, bottled water a n d B e r r y v i e w O r c h a r d ’s A r o n i a Berry lemonade slushies.
All proceeds stay in Mt. Morris and benefit the Firefighter’s Association, which has served Mt. Morris since 1889. The Mt. Morris Community Woman’s Club will be serving dessert and Just For Fun Ice Cream will be here, too, all starting at 6 p.m.
“The Campus will be extra festive again that evening as the seventh annual National Strawsculpting Competition continues,” Ubben said.
Attendees to the concert series are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair.
In the event of inclement weather, the rain location for the CTA concert will be at the Pinecrest Grove Community Center, 500 Evergreen Lane.
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AFREE PUBLICATION OF SHAW MEDIA The Chicago Tribute Anthology returns for a free two-hour concert Aug. 26.
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