THURSDAY
D ece m be r 18, 2014 • $1 .0 0
HOLIDAY MAGIC McHenry County ‘Nutcracker’ showings have all the basics, with added local flair / Planit Play 8-9
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Michelle Obama honors local city
Interchange 1 year later
Woodstock a ‘Preserve America Community’ By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – The city of Woodstock is one of just 11 Illinois locations that can call itself a Preserve America Community, after a recent designation by first lady Michelle Obama. The designation came through the federal Preserve America program, which encourages preservation of the nation’s cultural and natural heritage, according to a news release from Woodstock. The city’s successful application highlighted the Woodstock Opera House, which previously has served as the community’s city hall, auditorium, library and police and fire departments, the release said. The landmarked building also features the stage where Orson Welles presented his first theatrical play, plus it was used as a hotel in the classic movie, “Groundhog Day.” The historical appreciation continues in Woodstock, too, as the city is planning a communitywide history event to celebrate the designation, the release said. The event also is meant to raise more funds and awareness for ongoing efforts to restore the Old Courthouse, a project that has long been underway. Only a handful of applications from across the United States merit the Preserve America title each year, the release said, and the communities that make the cut reap certain rewards. Benefits from the designation, according to the Preserve America website, include White House recognition; inclusion on a Web-based Preserve America Community directory; eligibility for Preserve America grants; authorization to use the program’s logo on signs, flags, banners and other promotional materials; among others. The federal program is administered by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation with the Department of the Interior, in cooperation with the White House and 10 other federal agencies, the release said. For information, visit www.preserveamerica.gov.
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Keeley Construction employees work on top of a entrance to the Weber-Stephen Products’ global distribution center Friday in Huntley. The construction, which started in May, is planned to be completed by the end of January. The Weber project is the largest to date near the interchange of I-90 and Illinois Route 47. The 757,000-square-foot distribution center is estimated to create 500 jobs.
Huntley’s Johnson: Return on investment ‘so far, so good’ By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO
By the numbers
sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com HUNTLEY – Addressing trustees before their budget vote last week, Village Manager Dave Johnson cautioned that Huntley may never again see the $188 million companies invested into commercial and residential development during 2014. The unprecedented investment from the private sector – greater than the last five years combined – has set a high benchmark for a village trying to diversify and expand its businesses. But village officials believe they have the tools in place to try and replicate the success seen in 2014, a year after one of Huntley’s linchpins to economic development opened to motorists near Route 47 and Interstate 90. “With the interchange being open for one year, the return on investment has been so far, so good,” Johnson said. “We’ve spent a lot
Breaking down the $188 million investment into Huntley in 2014: •$150.68 million in commercial/industrial development (about $141 million in new construction) •$37.66 million in residential development (about $23.1 million in new construction)
Source: The village of Huntley
of money on infrastructure. We’ve done our best to reach out and work with businesses. ... We’ve been extremely proactive with working with the state of Illinois. Yes, we are on the path of seeing that return.” That path opened in early 2014, when the maker of Weber Grills approached the village in early January about a two-fold expansion
plan that would create about 500 jobs within Huntley. Combined with construction starting on Centegra’s Health System’s new hospital, Weber-Stephen Products’ $75 million investment to expand its manufacturing facility and build a new global distribution center near I-90 set the tone for a major year in the village. In the months since the Weber project was announced, the village has seen four new retailers and restaurants open along Route 47, near Kreutzer Road. Officials also helped fill a few empty buildings closer to the interstate that had been vacant for years. Life Spine Inc.’s decision this year to move its medical device operation from Hoffman Estates to Huntley occupied a 58,400-square-foot facility near the interchange that had been vacant for 15 years. “We thought nothing could be more of a
See INTERCHANGE, page A5
Code of conduct for appointees sent back to board committee By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – Concerns over potential problems and vagaries with a proposed code of conduct for appointees to boards and commissions prompted the McHenry County Board to send it back to committee. County Board members were
scheduled Tuesday evening to approve the code, which would apply to anybody appointed by the board to serve on any subordinate or outside board, commission or special district. But they voted to send it back to the Management Services Committee for further review after board member Carolyn Schofield, R-Crystal Lake, said she has heard
STATE
concerns over its language from fellow board members and appointees. Schofield is not a member of Management Services and did not help draw up the ordinance, but is the County Board’s liaison to such groups as the McHenry County Conservation District and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. It was sent back to committee on a
WHERE IT’S AT
CL gives plan green light
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Late Illinois comptroller remembered by top elected officials, former office holders and citizens at memorial / B3
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Deal to annex lot at Huntley and Ackman roads approved despite some concerns / A3
Tribute for Topinka
unanimous voice vote. “I have no problem having a code of conduct. I think it’s great,” Schofield said Wednesday morning. “My problem is, I don’t want to overstep some personal lines that would scare off good people from appointment to boards.”
What it means Concerns over a proposed code of conduct for McHenry County Board appointees to outside boards, commissions and special districts prompted it to send the ordinance back to committee for review. You can read the code of conduct at http://shawurl.com/1mgi.
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Johnsburg defeats R-B Skyhawks erase memory of Monday’s letdown with a strong performance / C1
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