Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS
July 20, 2018 Volume 51, Number 40 - $1.00
Butterfly Festival
Tandem Time
At the Band Shell
The Elkhorn Creek Butterfly Festival is Saturday, July 28. A6
The Village of Progress has a unique new bike club. B2
Sarah Reckmeyer will direct the Kable Band on July 25, and Tom Sharpe performs July 27. A2
County board approves jail design despite cost concerns By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Despite concerns over the cost, the Ogle County Board approved the schematic design Tuesday evening for the new jail with an estimated price tag of $26.7 million. The board approved the plan presented by Thomas Leonard, of Gilbane Building Company, by a vote of 21-1 with Lee Meyers, of Byron, casting the only no vote. Board members Nic Bolin, of
Holcomb, and Garrett Williams, of Rochelle, did not attend the meeting. The board hired Gilbane in February for the design and construction of the facility. The firm is based in Providence, Rhode Island, and has offices in numerous locations around the world, including Chicago, They are working with Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Inc., Chicago, the firm hired last year to do the architectural and engineering design.
Gilbane and HOK have collaborated on several projects, including the DeKalb County Jail expansion, which is now completed. Leonard showed a drawing of the exterior of the jail, which has been scaled back from the preliminary plan presented last year. To save money, he said, the jail plan has been downsized from three stories to one and a half stories, from 70,000 square feet to 50,796 square feet, and from 180 to 200 beds to 152 beds with
the capacity to go to 176. The total cost was estimated initially at $25 to 28 million. On Tuesday, Leonard said the first numbers he was given for the larger facility put the cost at $28 to 30 million, which makes the current estimate, $26.7 million, reasonable. Board member Skip Kenney, of Rochelle, had questions. “At first, the jail was larger and looked different, but now it’s more expensive,” he said. Kenney also objected to the flat roof.
“In my experience, flat roofs in northern Illinois are problematic,” he said. Leonard said the roof will have a taper to promote drainage. Sheriff Brian VanVickle said the flat roof is necessary to allow for numerous skylights that are required by federal jail standards. Board member Marty Typer, of Stillman Valley, asked if the cost can be further reduced. HOK project manager Larry Hlavacek said the costs have been already been reduced as much as is possible while still maximizing
security and efficiency in the jail. He said all costs have been steadily increasing since the first jail estimates were made two years ago, and steel prices are uncertain because of the recent tariffs imposed by the federal government. The exterior of the jail will be brick and designed to mimic the judicial center. “It’s on a different scale than the judicial center, but we incorporated the [same] design elements,” Hlavacek said. Turn to A3
Straw sculptures vandalized while on loan to Polo A Polo man has been charged for vandalizing straw sculptures that were on loan to Polo. Kaleb D. Sheffield, 20, was charged with criminal damage to property, a misdemeanor, in connection with the incident which took place in the early morning hours of June 23. The Polo Police Department investigated the vandalism to two straw sculptures, which were on loan from ENCORE!
Mt. Morris and displayed during Polo’s Town and County Days’ festival. They were part of the U.S. National Straw Sculpting Competition to be held in Mt. Morris Aug. 10-26. Sheffield was taken into custody by the Dixon Police Department on July 15 on the Polo Police Department’s outstanding warrant. He was released after posting $3,000 bond.
Loves Park man dies in roll-over
Keeping Cool Two-year-old Sophia Swanson, of Mt. Morris, tries shooting her sister, Julianna, 10, with a squirt gun as they play in the Polo Community Swimming Pool on Monday when the mercury climbed to the muggy mid-80s. Photo by Earleen Hinton
A Loves Park man died in a one-vehicle crash Monday morning near Davis Junction. Stephon Pratt, 22, was pronounced dead at the scene in the 14,200 block of East Ill. 72. Ogle County Sheriff ’s Police said a vehicle driven by Pratt was westbound on Ill. 72 just east of the intersection with Ill. 251 and failed to negotiate a curve. The vehicle then traveled off the north edge of the
roadway, went through a ditch, and overturned. The crash occurred at 8:11 a.m. Police said Pratt, the only occupant of the vehicle, was not wearing a seatbelt. The Ogle County Coroner, Lynn-ScottRock EMS, Stillman EMS, New Milford EMS, and the Illinois Department of Transportation assisted at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Ogle County Fair offers affordable family fun From the queen pageant to the livestock shows, the 165th Ogle County Fair set for Aug. 1-5 will offer non-stop family entertainment at an affordable cost. “We’re praying for nice weather,” said Harlan Holm, fair board president. The fair begins with the crowning the 2018 fair queen on Wednesday, Aug. 1 and features the traditional grand stand shows — truck and tractor pulls on Wednesday and Thursday, Big Hat Rodeo on Friday, and the demolition derby on Saturday. Holm urged the public to take a look at the projects done by local 4-H club members, as
well as other youth. “Come to the fair and support the youth,” he said. “They do a lot of work hard work on their projects all year. That’s why we’re here.” Their efforts will be on display throughout the fair. The project shows cover a wide array of topics from traditional livestock, foods, and clothing to electricity, woodworking, and computer science. Daily entertainment includes Woody’s Menagerie with animals from around the world, and a chain saw artist. The Magic of Brian Holt will be featured on Friday and Saturday, and the carnival is open daily with a variety of
In This Week’s Edition...
rides and games. Musical entertainment by local groups is planned daily at the music pavilion. An open horse show will wrap up the events on Sunday afternoon. In an effort to make the fair affordable for families, the fair board is again including unlimited carnival rides with the $8 general admission fee at the gate. Tickets can be purchased in advance at a cost of $6 per person, a $2 discount from the gate price, at Casey’s General Store in Oregon, Mt. Morris, Polo, Stillman Valley, and Byron. Advance tickets for
Byron Library, A7 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B8 Entertainment, A6
gate admission and the grandstand shows can also be purchased online by going to the fair website at www. oglecountyfair.com. Tickets purchased online will carry an additional convenience fee. Holm said more volunteers are needed to help at the gate and with parking. Call Rosanne Hurst at 815440-3601 to volunteer at the gate, and Jon Sheely at 815978-2264 to help with parking. The Ogle County Fairgrounds is on Lime Kiln Road, just north of Ill. 64 a mile west of Oregon. For more information 2017 Little Miss Ogle County Mackayla Downing throws on fair events, visit www. candy as 2017 Little Mister Ethan Albee reloads during the ByronFest parade on Sunday. Photo by Earleen Hinton oglecountyfair.com
Marriage Licenses, A4 Library News, A3 Oregon Police, B3 Public Voice, A7
Property Transfers, B3 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 State’s Attorney, B2
Published every Friday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com
Deaths, B4 Irvin H. Bolthouse, Dorothy M. Modler, Donald L. Smith