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CL to hold hearing on bleachers Expansion will come before city commission at Wednesday meeting By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – A hearing on the bleachers at Crystal Lake South High School will finally be held by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission – as the city and the school’s neighbors have argued it should have before the bleachers went up more than a year and a half
ago. Community High School District 155 submitted its application for a special use permit for the bleachers after one of its appeals – one of three the district had filed in an increasingly complicated legal battle by the owners of homes near the bleachers and the city of Crystal Lake against District 155 – was dismissed. Under the proposal before the
city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, the press box would be moved to the smaller, east side bleachers that back up to tennis courts, not homes. The removal of the press box would bring the height of the west side bleachers down to just over 38 feet, but a variance still would be needed for the structure, which is taller than the maximum 15 feet al-
lowed under the city’s zoning rules. The east bleachers also would be above that height, the documents said. The addition of the press box would bring the bleachers to nearly 32 feet. City staff members also are recommending a more solid landscape screen of evergreens and a berm
See BLEACHERS, page A2
If you go The Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on the bleacher expansion at Crystal Lake South High School at its meeting this week. The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the council chambers of Crystal Lake City Hall, 100 W. Woodstock St.
McHENRY COUNTY YET TO TRY ADAPTIVE CONTROLS
‘SMART’ SIGNALS Newer traffic lights react to real-time demand By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com
Officials in neighboring Lake County have started experimenting with “smart” traffic signals that react to traffic congestion in real time, but the emerging technology likely won’t make an appearance in McHenry County anytime soon. The newer technology, called adaptive traffic signal controls, generally uses algorithms to detect traffic demand as it changes and then adjusts the amount of green-light time accordingly. The technology is meant to ease congestion, lower drivers’ travel times and their fuel consumption. But infrastructure questions and the costs tied to the newer controls are two reasons why transportation officials in McHenry County have yet to try adaptive controls, said Wally Dittrich, designer manager for the county’s Division of Transportation. “We are always looking at different technologies. The adaptive technology is definitely new and new for this area,” he said. “Ultimately, you have to look at your overall project and what you are trying to accomplish.” Currently, county transportation officials use traditional pre-timed signals to coordinate traffic lights, overseeing 36 signals. So far, the county’s preference is to widen and add lanes to address traffic capacity along its roads, Dittrich said. State transportation officials also use pretimed, interconnected signals along state routes, such as Route 14 and Route 47, in the McHenry County area to coordinate traffic signals based on demand data. Even as adaptive technology emerges, the state hasn’t found reason to abandon its 20-year-old area system since it provides similar benefits “without the extra cost of specialized adaptive control equipment,” said Carson Quinn, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Transportation.
“It’s not a magic solution. Everybody still has to stop at red lights. But what it has basically done is allow us to get more traffic through in a shorter amount of time without having to rebuild the road.” Bill Eidson Traffic signal engineer at the Lake County Division of Transportation But the questions that linger over the newer traffic control technology hasn’t stopped some area agencies from experimenting with it. Lake County transportation officials believe they are the only agency in the state to use adaptive controls on roads. Lake County installed adaptive controls throughout eight intersections along Aptakisic Road in Buffalo Grove and Lincolnshire. Officials so far have seen smoother traffic flow, said Bill Eidson, a traffic signal engineer at the Lake County Division of Transportation. The division connected the adaptive signals to its traffic control center in Libertyville through a pre-existing fiber optic network. The signals read traffic demand in real time through video and send information back to computers at the center. The computers then process the information and coordinate the signals along Aptakisic Road, Eidson said. The system is able to anticipate traffic demand and then adjust light times accordingly, he said. A traditional pre-timed signal can’t anticipate traffic demand on its own, Eidson said “It’s not a magic solution. Everybody still has to stop at red lights,” he said. “But what it has basically done is allow us to get more traffic through in a shorter amount of time without having to rebuild the road.”
See SIGNALS, page A2
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McHenry County College president to retire at year’s end By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – McHenry County College’s top executive is retiring at the end of the year. College President Vicky Smith made the announcement to the McHenry County College Board of Trustees at its meeting Monday evening. Her retirement will be effective Dec. 31. “It is with mixed emotions that I made this decision,” Smith said. “I am very proud of where McHenry
“I am very proud of where McHenry County College is today. Because of our progress, I feel that this is a good time to enter into retirement and accomplish some other personal goals that I have for myself.” Vicky Smith, MCC’s president on announcing her retirement at the end of the year County College is today. Because of our progress, I feel that this is a good time to enter into retirement and accomplish some other personal goals
that I have for myself.” The Board of Trustees will begin discussions about a process for selecting the college’s next president
over the next several weeks. Smith began as president in August 2010 and is credited with implementing a five-year strategic plan and formalizing other planning efforts, including educational, facility and information technology master plans, according to a news release. “We all wish Dr. Smith well in her retirement and offer our appreciation for her efforts and contributions during the past five years,” board Chairman Ron Parrish said in a news release. “During her tenure, the college has moved forward in its
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service to the students and the community, and the upgrading of our campus.” Smith raised the hope in the release that the college’s leadership will continue to plan for the future by establishing the programs, services and facilities that the college needs to remain competitive. During her retirement, Smith plans to stay active and engaged through community involvement opportunities. She also intends to spend time with family and travel.
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