WEDNESDAY
Au gus t 27, 2014 • $1 . 0 0
2014 PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW
HIGH
75 59
SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE TODAY NWHerald.com
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN McHENRY COUNTY
LOW
Complete forecast on page A8
Facebook.com/NWHerald
@NWHerald
Nunda audit reveals lax oversight Road district had ‘lack of internal controls’ dealing with Senior Services grant funding By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com An audit of how the Nunda Township Road District spent grant money for its senior bus program revealed sloppy bookkeeping and lax oversight but no outright misappropriation of funds. The eight-page August 2013 audit by McHenry County government’s
internal auditor uncovered 13 findings of shortcomings in examining funds received over a two-year period from the Senior Services Grant Commission. “The following findings show lack of internal controls, issues with collection and deposits of bus receipts, inadequate documentation, and an audit opinion for the financial statements for FY 2011 that had limited
On the Web To read the audit of the Nunda Township Road District and the responses to it, visit NWHerald.com. scope and did not express an opinion, along with many other findings outlined in the report,” it stated. The Senior Services Grant Com-
mission exists to distribute about $1.7 million a year from a levy approved in a 2002 referendum to agencies that provide services to senior citizens. Nunda’s road district received $15,000 in grant money in 2012, and was supposed to receive $14,595 in 2013. It only received $7,923 that year because the county stopped payments until further notice.
The audit period covered the district’s 2012 and 2013 allocation years, during the final two years the district was run by longtime highway commissioner Don Kopsell – his wife, Donna, was his secretary and kept the paperwork. Donna Kopsell, however, calls much of the work by the office of
See AUDIT, page A4
Oakwood Hills to reopen Village Hall
ADVOCATE GOOD SHEPHERD SUPPORTERS CELEBRATE
Officials confirm security measures will be in place By JEFF ENGELHARDT jengelhardt@shawmedia.com
Photos by Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Annette Gustafson of Fox River Grove signs her name to the final beam Tuesday before it was raised at the future North Pavilion at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington. The beam was covered in signatures and sayings from associates and community members before the raising event.
Hospital construction on target Technology, updates highlighted at final beam raising By TARAH THORNE tthorne@shawmedia.com BARRINGTON – Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital supporters and staff are quick to celebrate any construction milestone in their yearslong, $247 million modernization project. A ceremony Tuesday marked the signing and raising of the final steel beam for the exterior portion of the project. The beam was placed on the top corner of a newly erected 208,000-square-foot building on the north end of the hospital. Hospital president Karen Lambert said the north building has been “a dream and vision” for about seven years. “We’ve always been focused on ‘what we need,’ ” Lambert said. “What we need is private rooms.” Once all exterior and interior construction is complete in 2017, every patient will have privacy. The hospital will increase its bed count from 169 to 176. Interior construction began last October. A new chapel, administrative department and temporary west entry are now complete. This fall,
A view of the North Pavilion on Tuesday at Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington. the hospital will have a renovated testing center and an expanded gastrointestinal suite. Larry Arndt, general manager of health care for the project’s contractor, Mortenson Construction, said exterior work is on schedule for completion. “We started building the foundation for the north building in April
and the weather has been great this summer,” Arndt said. “We’ve even been able to pour concrete through recent rain.” Arndt said the north building will be ready to house patients in January 2016 when a new two-story glass atrium entry will be complete on the hospital’s south side. Earlier this summer, elevator
shafts went up on the north building. Tuesday’s final beam was signed by the hospital’s governing council, engineers, planners, construction workers, physicians and volunteers before its lift. Project director Allison Wyler said this was the hospital’s first beam signing. A groundbreaking ceremony was held about a year ago. “You’ve got to celebrate the major milestones with a project of this size,” Wyler said. Wyler said the main goal is to “co-locate” services, making hospital visits convenient for both in- and outpatients. About 1,300 associates are employed at the hospital – a number Lambert said she doesn’t expect to change. “I don’t foresee additional hires,” Lambert said. “We are already at high patient occupancy now and will have more flexibility with all-private rooms. We won’t have to close off half a room when patients require isolation and waste that space.” Lambert said the hospital updates will allow staff to bring tests
See HOSPITAL, page A4
SPORTS
PLANIT TASTE
LOCAL NEWS
WHERE IT’S AT
Off and running
Grilled berries
D-155 ACT mark
Athletes to watch for during boys cross country season / C1
Grill can put a summer crisp on some of your favorite fresh fruits / D1
Class of 2014 sets new record for composite score / A3
Advice ................................D5 Business ..........................E1-2 Buzz.....................................C6 Classified........................E3-8 Comics ...............................D4 Community ........................B1 Local News.................... A2-6 Lottery................................ A2
OAKWOOD HILLS – Oakwood Hills officials confirmed Tuesday that Village Hall is scheduled to reopen to the public Sept. 2 with security measures in place. Oakwood Hills President Melanie Funk said in an email Tuesday she Voice your had a conversation with a member of opinion the Illinois Attorney Should General Lisa Madigan’s Office Friday Oakwood Hills and informed them Village Hall village clerks have open before been working but Sept. 2? with the doors to the Vote online at building locked until NWHerald. a security plan is im- com. plemented. At the request of local legislators, the Attorney General’s Office had been looking into why the village has remained close for nearly a month. “There is the misconception that no one was working,” Funk said. “Our clerks have been working, but the doors are locked because we have no safety precautions in place.” Peter Goldman, chief of police for Oakwood Hills, said the security plan will include an on-duty officer in Village Hall that will check visitors as they enter – similar to a courthouse procedure. During the Village Hall shutdown that started the first weekend in August, Funk said many services continued including police operations and the building department supervisor as he does not require Village Hall to be open. Funk also noted that trustees have been available by email and phone. Oakwood Hills officials decided to suspend Village Hall hours in early August after Funk initially cited threats made to officials during public meetings on a proposed $450 million power plant that drew strong opposition. No documented cases of threats existed, which inspired state. Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, and state Sen. Dan Duffy, R-Lake Barrington, to ask the Illinois Attorney General to investigate the situation. The Illinois Attorney General wrote a letter to village leaders Friday asking them to reopen the facility to the public. The next Village Board meeting is scheduled for Sept. 4 while the next hearing involving the power plant proposal is set for Oct. 9.
Nation&World..............B4-5 Obituaries .........................A6 Opinion...............................A7 Planit Taste .................D1-3,6 Puzzles ................................E7 Sports..............................C1-5 State ................................B2-3 Weather .............................A8