LOCAL&REGION
Page B4 • Friday, December 20, 2013
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Planning process wasn’t easy for Centegra • HOSPITAL Continued from page B1 “It looks fantastic,” Trustee Nick Hanson said. The planning process did not come easily for Centegra. A lawsuit from competitors Mercy Health System, Advocate and Sherman Health ultimately delayed Centegra’s original construction start, planned for late October. The lawsuit sought to overturn a state board’s July 2012 approval of the Huntley project. The state’s health facilities board had previously rejected Centegra’s plan twice. The three competitors contended the state approval should be reversed because Department of Public Health staff concluded the proposal did not meet three of the state’s 20 standards. But a Will County judge sided last month with the state board that the project will meet a future need in an area continuing to grow. Centegra General Counsel Aaron Shepley informed the Huntley board that both
Rendering provided by Kahler Slater Inc.
This is an artist’s rendering of Centegra Hospital – Huntley. Centegra Health System will look to break ground in March on its $200 million Huntley project after the Huntley Village Board on Thursday unanimously approved the final design to build a five-story, 128-bed hospital. Mercy and Advocate, which merged this summer with Sherman, are seeking an appeal to the judge’s decision. The appeal process could last six to 10 months, but it shouldn’t derail Centegra’s construction plans, Shepley said. “The strength of the
[judge’s] opinion will carry the day,” he said. “It’s just a process that we have to go through.” Although construction likely will begin in March, the public won’t have a chance to celebrate the project until the summer. Eesley said they wanted to
wait until the warmer months to do a ceremony that is typically reserved for when construction crews break ground on a project. “We wanted to wait until it was a little warmer and make it more of a community-based ceremony rather than just have the dignitaries,” he said.
Ten people died in holiday crashes last year • TRAVEL Continued from page B1 The upward trend marks the fifth consecutive year of increases and the highest travel volume recorded for the season. The year-end holiday period is defined as Saturday to Jan. 1. Ninety-one percent of travelers (85.8 million) will travel by automobile, an increase of 0.9 percent, according to AAA. Nearly 30 percent of residents nationwide will take a trip this holiday, with more than
25 percent taking a road trip. Air travel is expected to decline slightly to 5.53 million travelers from 5.61 last year. According to the latest data from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s annual Traffic Safety Culture Index, one in five of all licensed drivers that drink at least occasionally reported having driven when they thought their alcohol level might have been close to, or possibly over, the legal limit in the past year. Illinois officials and local law enforcement agencies will be out in full force as they kick off their holiday safe driving
campaigns. Illinois has seen 950 traffic fatalities through Dec. 17 – 20 more than the same period last year. Ten people died in crashes last year during the Christmas holiday travel period. The campaign will feature the familiar “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “Click it or Ticket” themes and include hundreds of roadside checks for drunken driving and seatbelt use through the first weekend of 2014. Recently released federal data show drunken driving deaths increased 15 percent
from 2011 to 2012, but it also shows a drop of 29 percent since 2007 – from 439 to 321 in 2012. The Illinois Tollway expects 17.6 million vehicles will use the tollway system between Friday and Jan. 2 to travel during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The heaviest travel is anticipated Friday, when the tollway expects nearly 1.6 million vehicles to be on the road. On an average day, about 1.4 million vehicles use the tollway. • The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Nunamaker excited to bring Soderholm on board • FRG Continued from page B1 about that opportunity to have that and be part of that process.” Among the tasks Soderholm helped carry out in Grayslake were aesthetic improvements, such as a facade
grant program, antique lighting, streetscape work and decorative concrete, and adding additional parking, to help make it an attractive place to visit. Nunamaker said the village was excited to bring Soderholm on board. “We got somebody with a track record of economic
development,” Nunamaker said. Soderholm gave credit to his mentor in Grayslake, Village Manager Mike Ellis, for helping him develop his abilities. He said he is looking forward to the new challenge of leading a community and further developing his manage-
ment skills. Soderholm said one of his specialties in Grayslake was focusing on continuous improvement and finding ways to be more efficient and save money within municipal operations. “I look to apply some of that skill set here,” Soderholm said.
Trustee concerned about policy in relation to day care center
Chris Jenner MCC trustee would unfold before voting on the policy at the January meeting. Those found to be a “clear and present” danger to themselves or others would
couraged the public to provide as much feedback as possible in the next 30 days before the board convenes for its January meeting to vote. Trustees’ contact information can be found at www.mchenry.edu. “I have been to the county, I have been to several municipalities and I have done a plethora of research,” Parrish said. “I can tell you it’s a very, very difficult issue.”
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Trustee Cynthia Kisser said those lots were closest to the day care center and they did not want parents or children to think there was a threat by seeing people walk out of their car with a gun to secure it in the trunk. The board agreed to include a detailed procedure on how reporting of those deemed a “clear and present” danger
ultimately be reported to the state police. Trustee Chris Jenner said he did not care about any changes to the policy because he did not support the policy at all. He said the college should have its lobbyist push for the law to be changed so law-abiding, licensed gun owners could have a firearm with them. “Signs and policies do not stop gun violence,” Jenner said. “Mass shootings happen in gun-free zones.” Chairman Ron Parrish en-
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“Signs and policies do not stop gun violence. Mass shootings happen in gun-free zones.”
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• MCC