OCN-SS_03302015

PROGRESS Thurs 5 1 day, Ma 0 rch 26, 2

2015 An Outlook on

& Beyond

A SUPPLEMENT TO OGLE COUNTY NEWSPAPERS Oregon Republican Reporter • Mt. Morris Times • Tri-County Press • Forreston Journal

Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C2

City, village officials discuss areas of concern Rauner budget proposal is one topic discussed

By Vinde Wells Editor Mayors and village presidents from across northern Illinois met last week to discuss two areas of concerns — proposed cuts to state funding and the future of nuclear generating plants.

More than 50 community leaders and their guests attended the March 19 meeting of the Northern Illinois Mayor’s Association (NIMA), hosted by Oregon Mayor Tom Stone at the Blackhawk Steak Pit. Stone brought up the recent proposal made by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner to cut the share of state income tax sent to municipalities from eight to four percent.

Rauner’s proposal is part of his plan to reduce the state’s $9 billion deficit, starting with the new fiscal year that begins July 1.

If the proposal is approved by the Illinois General Assembly, Oregon would lose an estimated $180,000 in annual revenue.

Stone, who served as a city commissioner before being elected mayor in 2003, said the City of Oregon has been in the black for the last two decades.

“I don’t think we owe the state any money,” he said.

Rockton Mayor Dale Adams encouraged those attending to ask their city councils and village boards to approve a resolution urging Rauner and the state legislature to continue to share state income tax revenues with municipalities at the present level.

The Oregon and Polo city councils, as well as the Ogle County Board, have already

Exelon’s nuclear power generating station is located on German Church Road between Oregon and Byron. Photo by Earleen Hinton

approved the resolution.

Savanna Mayor Tony McCombie said that while she supports the resolution, measures need to be taken to improve the state’s finances.

“I’m all for this,” she said.

“But somebody has to clean up this mess.”

Rock Falls Mayor William Wescott said he believes Rauner’s proposal is the result a lack of understanding about how municipal finances are structured by state law.

“Rauner’s staff has told him we have billions of dollars in reserves,” he said.

The problem is, he said, that they didn’t differentiate between restricted and unrestricted reserves.

For example, cities and villages may have funds collected from the sewer and water fees paid by residents held in reserve to make bond payments for sewer and water system upgrades.

That money can be used only to pay for the designated expenses.

Even if municipalities

could use the money to offset the loss of state funding, he said, they would then be unable to make their bond payments.

Another mayor suggested inviting Rauner to the May NIMA meeting.

The group then heard a presentation from an Exelon representative about the possibility of closing the Byron Generating Station, as well as two other nuclear plants in the state.

William Stoermer, Senior Communications Manager at Exelon’s Quad Cities Generating Station, said his company is facing the “perfect storm.”

Elements of the storm include increased operational costs, “flattened” prices paid for the electricity Exelon generates, the lack of a carbon policy, a decrease in natural gas prices, and an aging distribution system with an increased demand for electricity.

Those elements, he said, make it increasingly difficult for Exelon to compete,

leading company officials to consider closing the Byron, William Stoermer, Exelon Senior Communications Clinton, and Quad Cities Manager at the Quad Cities, was the speaker March 19 stations. at the Northern Illinois Mayor’s Association meeting.

Turn to C7

Photo by Vinde Wells

Oregon Mayor Tom Stone addresses the crowd of more than 50 who attended the Northern Illinois Mayor’s Association meeting March 19 at the Blackhawk Steak Pit near Oregon. At Stone’s right is Exelon’s William Stoermer, who was the guest speaker at the event. Photo by Vinde Wells

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C3

The exterior of the Public Safety Complex from the street shows the building is nearly complete. Sign lettering still needs to be attached to the building. Photo by Chris Johnson

New Public Safety Complex is nearing completion Building will house coroner, sheriff, and the 9-1-1 center

By Chris Johnson Reporter After years of planning and eight months of construction, the new Ogle County Public Safety Complex is nearing completion.

Project site superintendent Greg Suthers, Rockford Structures, Ogle County Board Member Don Griffin, Long Range Planning Committee Chairman, and Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle, toured the facility March 18 to view the progress.

“This will be a really nice facility to conduct business,” said VanVickle. “I am ready to settle in and get everything back to normal - whatever normal is for the Sheriff’s Department.”

These three men, along with several contractors and county board members have worked together throughout the process to ensure no major setbacks with construction.

“It was a good relationship to get the project completed,” said VanVickle. “I can not wait to move in.”

An open house is scheduled for Wednesday, April 8, from 3 to 6 p.m. with a ribbon cutting at 3.

This will be the public’s only chance to see the entire building before the full security measures limit access to the building.

The coroner, sheriff’s department, and 9-1-1 telecommunicators will move into the building after the open house.

“It will be nice to have everyone in the same building,” said VanVickle.

“This building was designed for the long-term needs of the department. We added some extra floor outlets for future use. Any concerns with the project were quick and they made it easy to get together to discuss the building.”

Suthers agreed that communication throughout the project has been superb.

“Every day has challenges,” he said. “But with this cooperation the county is getting a better product, because every small issue was addressed before it escalated and became a problem. Having the sheriff involved helped with several decisions.”

One small change was to make sure there were easily accessible outlets so cell phones could be charged.

Finishing touches were being completed on the building last week.

Suthers said the HVAC system is 100 percent completed, and workers were making some final adjustments to ensure a comfortable working environment.

The only room in the building that looked like a construction zone was the coroner’s garage.

“The garage was our final staging area and we are planning on getting it painted and finished this weekend (March 21),” said Suthers.

From the garage, the coroner has access into the chiller room where bodies are stored before they go to a funeral home.

Coroner Lou Finch has a well-lit room to conduct autopsies in, and the plumbing was being checked for leaks during the walk through.

“This room is a good set up for the coroner,” said Griffin.

“The lighting make sure there are no shadows in the room.”

All the offices in the building are completed and furniture has been moved in.

“We are about to do a final punch list,” said Suthers.

“We have a few small details to finish before going through and cleaning each room and calling them finished.”

One bathroom still had a toilet and divider to install, another room needed storage shelving installed, but overall the building is completed except for one room.

The 9-1-1 center had the desks installed but still needed the computer equipment completely hooked up.

Griffin said this room is Project site superintendent Greg Suthers, Rockford Structures, Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle, and Ogle being tested as the pieces County Board Member Don Griffin, the Long Rang Planning Commission Chairman, talk March 18 about the are being installed. Several progress made to the new Public Safety Complex. Photo by Chris Johnson wires and devices were being wired to prepare the facility for the building to be opened.

“We will test the 9-1-1 “This building was designed for the long-term center before we open the needs of the department” — room,” said Griffin. “This Sheriff Brian VanVickle room must work from the minute we switch facilities.”

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C4

Technology and safety features added to building From C3 to walk down the hall at the same time. In the old building the hallways were narrow with twists and turns along with ramps and staircases. The new building is one floor.

Standard security features like electronic doors the same as at the Ogle County Judicial Center will prevent unauthorized people entrance to the building.

“This building is designed for safety,” said Suthers.

“When you have guns, and evidence, you need to make sure the building is secure.”

The evidence storage room, the armory, and a couple other storage rooms are protected by multiple levels of security to ensure only those with clearance can gain access.

In the event of a fire, the rooms have a gas fire suppression system to keep the evidence intact.

The exact details of every security feature of the building is not made public.

The public has a waiting area outside the secure portions of the building where they can conduct business with the sheriff’s department.

The coroner’s side of the building has a little more open area for families to interact with the coroner.

“We will move our office from the courthouse to the Public Safety Complex,” said coroner Lou Finch. “All day to day operations will be in the building.”

The coroner has been using an office in the courthouse, and the Finch Funeral Home in Mt. Morris as the morgue during the construction.

“The new space will be great for the public,” said Finch. “I am looking forward to moving in.”

The coroner’s offices are on the south side of the building and the sheriff’s offices are the north side of the building.

“From the outside this building looks simple but it is a high teach building,” said Griffin. “Everything was designed for their specific use.”

The detectives have access to two interview rooms in their office. Each room is soundproofed so no one outside the room can hear what is being discussed.

A third interview room is available in a separate part of the building.

VanVickle’s office has a conference table to he can hold meetings with his chief deputy and administration.

To keep the building running in all weather conditions, a whole-building generator was installed.

“The generator will be

started Friday (March 20) for testing to ensure it is ready to meet the needs of the building,” said Suthers. “We also have battery backups for all of the computer systems in the building.”

The generator and battery backups are needed to ensure the 9-1-1 call center and dispatchers can continue to do their job.

The Public Safety Complex is a $4.1 million building that is replacing the old sheriff’s administration building the county received from the E.D. Etnyre Company more than 25 years ago.

“That building has served its purpose and now we are getting a building that will serve the public better,” said Griffin.

Technology needs have changed over the years and the new building will The final room that needed to be finished at the new Public Safety Complex is the accommodate it, he said.

Construction on the garage for the coroner. The space was the final staging area for the project and building began in August painting was scheduled to take place this week. Photo by Chris Johnson last year when the first walls were raised.

A groundbreaking was held Aug. 19 and the building was water tight by October.

The old sheriff’s building will be demolished later this year. The land will be paved for parking.

VanVickle said the Oregon Fire Department will have the option to practice in that building before it is demolished.

Workers install the walls on the south side of the new Sheriff’s Administration Building Sept. 5 while bricklayers began work on the north side of the building. Photo by Chris Johnson

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C5

Fire departments keep Ogle County residents safe Training is a key aspect for firefighters

By Chris Johnson Reporter Safety is the number one concern for first responders —their personal safety and the safety of the public involved in fires, accidents, or ambulance calls.

“A firefighter needs to be aggressively safe,” said Mt. Morris Fire Department Lieutenant Mark Lewis.

“You need to think first.

Think before you do.”

Before any firefighter is permitted to enter a structure fire, respond to an accident, or assist on an ambulance call they need to be trained.

Lewis runs the MABAS Division 18 Academy at the Mt. Morris Fire Station.

“I am still learning every day,” he said. “If you are not learning you are forgetting.”

Training starts with a basic operations certification and goes up to advanced techniques for rescues. The more advanced rescues may not be used every day, but they are vital to the safety of the public.

The Illinois State Fire Martial sets the requirements for training which at a minimum is 180 hours but the hours required will vary depending on the course being offered.

“These hours are needed so a firefighter can stay safe in dangerous situations,” said Lewis. “As a firefighter you have to weigh risks when you get to a scene. It is risk versus gain. The important thing is we go home safe from every call.”

A difficulty for firefighters is the change in building materials.

Lewis said the Mt. Morris Fire Department has 100 year old homes and modern buildings that could burn.

Several buildings may have had numerous additions over the years that changes how

the building reacts to fires.

“Overall everything burns hotter and faster now and newer homes are built with cheaper materials,” he said.

“Our best option is to take a look at buildings and preplan.”

Area departments will identify certain structures that may need additional planning.

Most communities have a school, and area departments will make plans with the school administrators for evacuations and fire plans in the event of an emergency.

Unfortunately for Mt. Morris first responders, they needed to use these plans when responding to Rahn Elementary School in 2004 when the school caught fire.

For the department, the pre-planning worked with everyone getting out of the building safely despite the structure burning to the ground.

Another large building in town is Pinecrest.

Lewis said the department has talked with officials at Pinecrest and everyone knows what the evacuation plans are for the building.

The department also knows how to access all parts of the building and has plans of where to park trucks for a response to that building.

“Even with the best plans, things happen and you have to roll with the punches,” said Lewis. “There is always something different that you did not think of. We are training for scenarios and the options we have available.

You need to think outside the box. There are multiple ways to respond to an emergency.”

With the plastics in homes, one concern is hydrogen cyanide gas. This is released when the plastics burn.

“Making sure you stay in your air pack until you are out of the area is important,” said Lewis. “Carbon monoxide is another common gas.”

Other classes offered include technical rescues and confined space rescues, radio communications class,

Firefighters take a test during a MABAS Division 18 Academy class at the Mt. Morris Fire Department. Photo by Mark Lewis

and a basic safety class.

“Training is fun because you get a different skill that could save someone’s life,” Lewis said.

In addition to large training class, Mt. Morris firefighters get together weekly to discuss safety and practice techniques.

Departments try to train in actual structures when possible.

This past fall Oregon and Mt. Morris firefighters had the opportunity to practice room to room searches in a commercial apartment building that was going to be demolished in Oregon.

The firefighters had the chance to go on the roof to gain access the building from above. They also were inside the building going between apartments through the fire wall between units.

“Nothing beats an actual building to train in or to burn,” said Lewis. “Acquired structures are not always available and when we get a chance to use one we take advantage of it.”

The Oregon Fire Department will have another opportunity to use a commercial building for training before the old Ogle County Sheriff’s building is demolished.

Another benefit of training between departments is getting to know the other departments.

“It is very helpful to train together because you put names with a face,” said Lewis. “You get a connection so when you go to a scene you know how to work together.”

This training is useful because of the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System

(MABAS). All departments in Ogle County are part of MABAS 18. Lee County is MABAS 38 and Winnebago County is MABAS 8.

This system allows for a department to request assistance from neighboring departments during an emergency.

“We use auto aid for smoke or flames showing,” said Lewis. “We will have Oregon, Polo, and Byron on the road. This allows them to drive at safer speeds to the scene.”

Lewis said the best possible scenario is to call off the assistance because the smoke or fire is not as bad as initially reported. He said it is better to have help on the way then to get to a scene and realize that you need more help.

“In small towns we are used to working together,” he said. “The multi-agency responses have expanded, and we now work together more.”

Lewis said the Mt. Morris Fire Department was called

on for the train derailment in Rockford and the derailment in Galena.

Over the years the fire department has evolved.

They began as an agency to fight fires. Then ambulance services were added.

“We have become a catch all,” said Lewis. “We are a jack of all trades. When there is an emergency people say ‘call the fire department.’

We are the place to call for any emergency because we take care of everything.”

Another responsibility of the fire department is to respond to car accidents to safely extricate people from the vehicle.

“You have an idea of what you are going to see when you leave the station, but every scene is different,” said Lewis. “We have information available for all cars, but we need to be careful.”

Modern hybrid cars contain batteries that pose an electrocution risk, air bags could deploy unexpectedly, and fuel lines could

accidentally be cut. Lewis said instruction manuals and phone apps are provided by car manufactures to assist first responders with how to safely dismantle the car during an emergency. The information provided to fire departments by the auto makers keeps first responders and vehicle occupants safe.

“With every accident you need to play is safe,” said Lewis. “We may have an idea of how to handle a Prius, but other hybrids we may not have seen.”

Departments train for vehicle extrications but sometimes firefighters have to step back and wait for assistance.

“Power lines are a hazard that we need to wait for the utility to cut the power,” said Lewis. “You want to help the driver but you need to wait to keep everyone safe.”

Members of the fire department form a tight knit community.

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Mt. Morris and Oregon firefighters were at an apartment building in Oregon next door to Casey’s to practice rescue techniques before it was demolished. Photo by Mark Lewis

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C6

EMTs and paramedics help during emergencies

By Chris Johnson Reporter During an emergency, having an EMT or paramedic on the scene quickly can be the difference between life or death.

The Byron Fire Protection District currently has all 44 members of the department trained with EMT certifications. Of these 12 are full paramedics.

Byron Fire Protection District Chief Galen Bennett said his department has adopted the policy to have every part time firefighter be trained as an EMT. “This is done to improve the safety for our district,” said Bennett. “All of our full time firefighters are trained as paramedics.”

All the extra training allows the department to adapt to changing scenes without having to wait for extra help to arrive.

“This lets us treat patients right now,” said Bennett.

“We still need mutual aid for ambulances, but having trained firefighters allows for quicker treatment on the scene.”

Currently all firefighters have been trained and a new class of 10 will be finishing their basic EMT training.

When Byron responds to an accident they require every accident victim to be checked out by an EMT or paramedic before being released from the scene.

“Our job is the safety of the public and this improves safety for everyone,” he said.

“Our staff has yearly training for recertification.”

All the ambulances in the department are equipped to allow the hospitals to connect to the heart monitors and they have access to the patient assessment.

Bennett said this allows the hospitals to plan for the patient as they are being transported.

“Everything we do is done

“Everything we do is done to improve the quality of care for the patient”— Chief Galen Bennett to improve the quality of care for the patient,” said Bennett. “We do this without knowing how the patients do once we transfer care to the hospital staff.”

Bennett said every once in a while a patient will return to the station to thank the department for saving their life. It is these cases that mean a lot to the firefighters.

Unfortunately, being on scenes with fatalities or severe injuries comes with the territory.

“We have an excellent chaplain program at the department,” said Bennett.

“Our chaplains respond to all of our calls and they are there for the firefighters, the victims, and the victim’s relatives.”

In addition to these chaplains, the firefighters have access to an employee assistance program if they need to meet with additional support staff.

“There are times when you get back from a scene that you think ‘I can not believe they were not injured,’” said Bennett.

Throughout every rescue, safety is the first priority.

Bennett said a firefighter does not want to cause more injuries to a patient due to a mistake or hastily making a decision.

“We follow training to ensure we do everything safe,” he said.

Part of the safety is working with police agencies to block the road to keep the scene safe for all first responders.

Bennett said the fire department tries to get the

Byron Fire Chief Galen Bennett stands next to the department’s antique fire truck on display at the fire station.

Photo by Chris Johnson

roads reopened quickly, but a minor inconvenience for motorists is necessary for safety.

“The traffic is stopped to keep the scene safe,” he said.

Members of the department train regularly and additional safety classes are held at the department.

Recently a crude oil awareness class was held.

“With train derailments,

having an awareness of what is hauled by rail is important,” Bennett said.

“We do not have crude oil here in Byron, but we do have ethanol going through town.”

Any department may be called to assist in neighboring districts which is why it is important to train for any situation, he said.

“When you arrive to the

scene of a train derailment you do not know what is involved,” said Bennett.

“The cars are identified and there is a list we can get to see what is in each train car.”

The Byron Fire Protection District currently has 14 certified divers to respond to water rescue and recovery.

“Any diver needs to have certification before they are allowed in the water,” said

Bennett.

Recently the department responded to a call of a vehicle on the river ice and Bennett said they treated it like a car in the river and had divers on the scene.

This was done because the vehicle could have broken through the ice at any moment which would have required the divers be on the scene to assist.

Debriefs are held after every fire call From C5 when you get to a scene and you go ‘hmmm,’” said Lewis. “When everyone is safe after a call it is fun. We need to enjoy this to do it.

Calls effect us differently.”

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Mt. Morris Fire Chief Rob Hough would like to remind motorists to keep an eye out for emergency vehicles on the road and to pull over.

He said slamming on the brakes or making sudden movements is dangerous for everyone.

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C7

Exelon speaker asks officials to support LCPS bills He urged his listeners to support two bills currently in the state legislature to adopt the Low Carbon Portfolio Standard (LCPS).

The LCPS would require all Illinois electric utilities to purchase a specified percentage of low carbon energy credits from energy sources that emit zero or low amounts of carbon dioxide.

Low carbon sources include nuclear, wind, solar, hydro, tidal, wave, and clean coal.

Stoermer said nuclear is the only low carbon source that does not currently get a

government subsidy.

The legislation, he said, would give Exelon credit for being a low carbon producer and benefit the other low carbon sources as well.

“You’ve heard that all Exelon wants is a bailout,” he said. “That’s not true. We want to be able to sell at a fair price.”

Closing the plants would mean the loss of approximately 8,000 jobs, he said.

“It’s very important to keep these plants open,” he said.

Approval of the bills to implement the LCPS would

cost the average residential user an additional $2 per month, Stoermer said.

He stressed the importance of passing the bills during the current legislative session.

Stone was one of six Illinois mayors who sent letters in support of the legislation to Rauner and several U.S. and state legislators last month.

The letter, which went out in early February, was also signed by Dick Kopczick, mayor of Morris; James Homa, mayor of Braceville, Carolyn Peters, mayor of Clinton, John Thodos, mayor of East Moline, and Patti

Exelon’s nuclear generating station is located on German Church Road between Oregon and Byron. Photo by Earleen Hinton

Medical marijuana cultivation center coming to Ogle County

By Vinde Wells Editor A medical marijuana cultivation center will be coming to the Hillcrest, a village of 1,000, in eastern Ogle County.

“It’s an incredible opportunity,” said village president Kim Whalen.

“We’re trying to do a sewer project and this will help.

The news about PharmaCann was the icing on the cake.”

The medical marijuana cultivation center in this area was supposed to open in Dixon – and with a different company.

However, state officials announced three weeks ago that the permit will instead go to Oak Park-based PharmaCann.

According to the Associated Press, PharmaCann CEO Teddy Scott said the company will open the cultivation center in Hillcrest, which touches the north edge of Rochelle.

The license had been awarded in February to GTI Clinic Holding LLC, parent company of Green Thumb Industries, but last week the company gave it up by failing to pay the state fees required.

The Dixon license, for a lot in the Lee County Industrial Park, was one of three the company had been awarded.

The purchase agreement between GTI and the Lee County Industrial Development Association for the lot in the industrial park was contingent on GTI being awarded a license.

PharmaCann was the second-highest scoring application for Illinois State Police District 1, which includes Lee, Whiteside, Ogle and Carroll counties.

PharmaCann has 15 days to provide the required $200,000 license fee and a $2 million surety bond or escrow account.

The distribution center for District 1 will be in Fulton.

The Hillcrest Village Board gave its unanimous approval last August to a resolution supporting PharmaCann’s application for a license for the cultivation of medicinal marijuana under the Illinois Compassionate Care Act. A PharmaCann

Smith, mayor of Marseilles.

All six communities are located near nuclear generating stations in Exelon’s fleet.

“This is a big deal to the communities we were elected to serve,” the letter read. “Creating the right energy policy is complicated and important work. Part of the upcoming debate in Springfield should focus on what these plants mean to their host communities.”

F H N – W E ’R E H ER E , F O R YOU.

From C2

According to a Feb. 26 press release from Exelon, a bipartisan group of legislators, and business, labor and community leaders have announced support for legislation creating a state LCPS that establishes Illinois as a national leader in efforts to reduce carbon emissions with minimal consumer impacts.

“Introduced in both the Senate as SB 1585 and the House as HB 3293,

the legislation would help reduce carbon emissions, increase renewable energy and maintain affordable, reliable electricity for consumers and businesses,” the press release read.

“In addition, the measure will ensure continued operations of the state’s nuclear power plants, which are responsible for nearly half of all electricity produced in Illinois.”

You gave us an A! We’re really happy about being named one of the Top 10 safest hospitals in Illinois by the world’s largest, completely independent, non-profit product- and service-testing organization. We’re also pretty pleased with our Leapfrog recognition* and the scores we’ve received from Healthgrades.** But in a survey of over 3,000 people in northwest Illinois, our own patients just gave us a score that really says it all: 94% would recommend us to their friends and family. That’s an A, and the equivalent of a 3.9 on a 4.0 GPA (grade point average) scale. The last time we did the survey in 2010, 92% said they’d recommend us. Our higher “grade” this year tells us that our commitment to delivering excellence continues to move us in the right direction, and we intend to keep on doing just that!

Hillcrest Village President Kim Whaley tells the crowd at the Northern Illinois Mayor’s Association meeting March 19 about development in the village, including a facility that will grow medical marijuana and a municipal sewer system. Photo by Vinde Wells

representative told the board in August that the facility will create an estimated 20 jobs.

Whalen said PharmaCann broke ground for the facility last fall on land at the intersection of Twombly and Dement Roads, with the idea that the approval would likely come in winter when the ground was frozen.

The company has a longterm lease for the property, she said.

Having the facility within the village limits means officials there can go ahead with and complete a sewer project that’s been in the works for 40 years, Whalen said.

The project calls for installing sewer mains which will connect to the City of Rochelle’s sewer system.

Hillcrest does not have its own municipal wastewater treatment plant.

Whalen said the village has already secured a grant for $500,000 and a low interest loan for $2.5 million from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, which will allow about a quarter of the project to be done.

The revenue from PharmaCann will ensure the project can be completed in a timely way.

The first stage of the project will include the business district and 60-80 homes, she said.

Hillcrest has approximately 20 businesses and 425 homes.

Matt Mencarini of Sauk Valley Media contributed to this story.

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C8

Oregon fire district to vote on ambulance service Former service was a private not-for-profit that closed in 2014

By Vinde Wells Editor Oregon may soon have its first tax-supported ambulance service, depending on what happens at the polls in less than two weeks.

A referendum on the April 7 ballot will ask Oregon Fire Protection District voters if they are willing to pay more property taxes to pay for an ambulance service associated with the Oregon Fire Department.

A yes vote means the fire district will have the means to provide a full-time, round-the-clock ambulance service.

The service will be funded by property tax dollars, and will add an estimated $175 to the tax bill on a $150,000 house, excluding exemptions, an amount identical to what the fire district already taxes for fire protection.

A no vote means the district will no longer have an ambulance service, and residents or visitors in the area will have to rely on mutual aid from neighboring fire districts, all of which have long since provided their own tax-supported ambulances, or call a private ambulance service from Rockford, Dixon, Freeport, or another city.

Relying on an outside ambulance service, public or private, is likely to increase the response time to emergencies.

Late last year, the fire district board decided to

place the referendum on the ballot in the wake of the June closing of the Oregon Ambulance Service, Inc., a private not-for-profit corporation owned by stockholders.

The closing left the 120-square-mile fire district without its own ambulance service.

Since the early 1970s, the fire district had been served by the Oregon Ambulance Service Inc., which was managed for many years by Oregon residents Jim and Betty Ferris.

Over the years, fire department officials had off and on discussed the possibility of establishing a tax-based public ambulance service.

The issue came to a head last June 11 when Betty Ferris told the fire district board that the ambulance service would close its doors June 17 for financial reasons.

The far-flung district includes Castle Rock State Park, Lowden State Park, Lowden Miller State Forest, the Rock River, and two state highways.

Last summer, Oregon Fire Chief Don Heller voiced his concern for the safety of not only the district’s residents but also the thousands of tourists and other visitors who pass through.

Heller and other fire officials scrambled to enlist the assistance of neighboring fire districts, and within two weeks had secured the services of ATS Medical Services, Loves Park, a private ambulance service.

Since July 1, an ATS ambulance and crew have been based at the Oregon Fire Station and answer calls from there. Their 10-month contract ends April 30.

This ambulance was refurbished to go into service if the April 7 referendum passes. It is one of two ambulances that was donated by the private Oregon Ambulance Service which closed in 2014. Photo by Vinde Wells

The options are limited.

The fire district’s funds are levied for fire protection, and by state statute, must be used for that purpose.

The law stipulates that fire protection funds can be used for ambulance purposes only to the point that it is not detrimental to fire protection.

Consequently, fire officials have said the $6,000 monthly fee charged by ATS cannot continue to come from fire protection funds.

The fee charged by ATS was set low as a favor to the district because of the emergency situation.

Fire district trustee Brian Stuart said earlier this year that ordinarily the service would be “six digits” per year.

If the referendum passes, the fire board will seek sealed bids for ambulance services while it gets its own service up and running, fire board president Jim Egyed said.

The new tax money,

if approved, will not be available until tax bills are paid in 2016.

A passed referendum will allow the district to borrow money for the ambulance service to cover the year until the tax revenues are available.

If the referendum fails, however, Egyed said, the board has no plans to hire an ambulance service because no funds will be available for it.

Neighboring districts’ ambulance services will be available, but on a limited basis because calls within their home districts must get priority, he said.

The Ferrises deeded the ambulance building at 101 Madison St. and two ambulances to the fire district in August.

Only one could be economically refurbished sufficiently to meet state requirements. The other was sold to help pay for the cost of the repairs.

The refurbished

ambulance is in the process of being licensed by the state.

The fire district is also seeking applicants for EMT positions and will schedule training later this year.

Although the referendum gives the district the authority to levy 40 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation, the board agreed in December to levy only 35 cents, the same amount levied for fire protection.

State statutes require the wording with the 40-cent maximum.

The Oregon Fire Protection District includes all of Oregon-Nashua Township and portions of Pine Creek, Pine Rock, White Rock, Rockvale, Marion, Grand Detour, and Taylor Townships.

Distrtict’s History The Oregon Fire Protection District was formed in 1977 after a referendum was passed for that purpose in 1976. Prior

to that the fire department was owned by the City of Oregon.

Because it was cityowned, rural residents were required to pay for calls.

According to the fire department website, in 1975 the charge for rural fires was $150 for the first hour and $100 an hour thereafter, usually paid by insurance.

Problems arose as some rural residents did not pay, and city deficits increased.

The Oregon Ambulance Service Inc. was formed in 1971 as a not-for profit corporation.

A local committee sought ways to form an ambulance service after the local funeral home that ran an ambulance then decided to discontinue it due to increasing state regulations.

Money for the ambulance service was raised by subscription.

Subscribers gave donations and in return were charged a reduced amount if they needed the ambulance.

Volunteers are trying to get the word out about the referendum Volunteers have been holding informational meetings and open houses to help explain the Oregon Fire Protection District’s upcoming referendum

to provide an ambulance service.

The Friends of the Oregon Fire Department addressed the Ogle County Board at its regular meeting March 17.

The fire department also held an open house on March 21 at the fire station and an informational meeting on March 24 at the fire district’s administration

building.

The Friends of the Oregon Fire Department have also addressed various local organizations about the referendum in the last few

weeks.

Donations to help “Friends of Oregon Fire Department NFP” can be made at Stillman Bank.

Anyone with questions

regarding the referendum can visit the group’s Facebook page or call Lindsey Breeden 815-9735663 or Marie Tilly 815494-4815.

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C9

Polo rallies to refurbish outdoor swimming pool Fundraisers and donations help city cover costs

By Vinde Wells Editor One of Ogle County’s last public outdoor swimming pools will be ready for business this summer, refurbished where it shows and where it doesn’t.

Pool supervisor Terry Jenkins said work on both the new bath house and underground pipes will be completed in time for the projected opening date in early June.

“We should be all set to go this year,” Jenkins said. “I’m looking to open around June 4.”

The L-shaped pool and the nearby baby pool have offered outdoor swimming every summer for 47 years for generations of not only Polo residents, but also surrounding communities including Forreston, Dixon, and Milledgeville.

The pool also offers swimming lessons.

Having the pool means summer fun for families and youngsters, and also provides summer jobs for the teenagers who work there as lifeguards.

The pool opened in 1968 after months of fundraising efforts. The Town and Country Days festival was founded specifically to raise money for the project.

Volunteer efforts again kicked in in 2012 when the need for a new bath house became obvious.

The original bath house was showing its age and was not handicapped accessible.

Part of the old building’s problems was that the cement had cracked and the plumbing needed to be replaced.

The pipes were located between two cement walls

1930

and very difficult to get to when repairs were needed.

Donations began coming in from individuals, organizations, businesses, and Polo Community High School Alumni.

Fundraisers were held to help cover the estimated $75,000 cost of the project.

Spear-headed by the Polo Lions Club, volunteers not only gave their money; they also gave their time.

Local contractors donated time and equipment to demolish the old bath house and begin building the new one.

With the outside framework of concrete blocks in place, Jenkins said all that remains to be done is to install the windows. Then the inside will be completed.

“I think their plan is to be done by mid-May,” he said.

As luck would have it, the bath house wasn’t the only thing that was wearing out.

Volunteers Mike Faivre, Mark Ebert, and Ed Olsen work on erecting a wall of the new bath house at the Polo The city replaced the wet swimming pool last year. Photo by Vinde Wells pit and filter room about a year ago, only to discover that more repairs would be needed.

Jenkins told the city council last September that the filter in the baby pool had developed a leak, the drain to the main pool was leaking, the shallow end of the main pool had buckled, and drainage from the park where the pool is located was inadequate.

The leak from the main pool was so bad, Jenkins said, that he had to run water into it continually last summer.

The cost of the wet pit and filter project, along with the other repairs were estimated at almost $200,000.

Although expensive, the alternative would have been to close the pool permanently.

With the repairs done, Jenkins said, the pool will be like new and should serve the community well for the foreseeable future.

The Polo city pool opened in time for area residents to beat the heat in 2014. Photo by Earleen Hinton

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C10

“Groundbreaking New Treatment Reduces or Eliminates Peripheral Neuropathy Symptoms Without Drugs or (Would you like to end the numbness, burning, tingling, and sharp pain in your feet, toes, calves, and legs? If so, read on...)

Rochelle, IL – My name is Dr. Stacy Wills. If you have idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy or Diabetic Neuropathy, you may be asking yourself any or all of these questions: • Why do I have pain in my legs, feet, or toes?

• What causes the tingling sensation or numbness in my legs and feet?

• Am I at risk for infection or amputation—even if I’m not a diabetic?

• Why do my feet feel like they’re on fire?

If any of these problems or concerns are creating a situation where the quality of your life is being compromised, then you need to pay close attention to what we’re telling you in this article. Isn’t it sad to otherwise feel so alive and full of vigor, but not be able to fully participate in life because the pain, tingling, and numbness is so pervasive, so intruding – and so unfair? Don’t you sometimes feel downright angry that these symptoms have appeared – and won’t go away? If you do, it’s only normal. After all, who wants to be burdened with carrying a load of pain, and live life through an all-encompassing fog of discomfort? Pain that’s always there, always reminding you of its presence. Always raising its ugly head, no matter how hard you try to ignore it. It’s always there – sitting in your recliner. Going to the store. Playing golf with friends, or just trying to get some much-needed sleep and rest at night. Anything you do is accompanied by the sharp pain, tingling, and the numbness.

Here’s What Makes Peripheral Neuropathy So Dangerous: See, PN is so bad because it sort of sneaks up on you.

Quietly like a thief in the night. Like the angry spouse in the detective stories who slowly poisons the other spouse with arsenic...PN is a condition that slowly eats away at you. It doesn’t happen in an instant like breaking a leg.

No, it’s just like a poison (especially with diabetes), doing its damage to nerves slowly. So slowly, that at first, when it’s already done some damage, you won’t even notice it.

What About Your Future: Are You Worried About Your Job – Your Life?

Unfortunately, there are people who have been forced to quit their jobs or give up their social life because of PN symptoms. So what do you do? What choices do you have? If you’re like most people, the outcome of your visits to the MD have resulted in taking cortisone injections, Motrin, prescriptions for Neurontin, and you’ve experienced the drowsiness it causes – only giving you a brief relief from the pain – or none at all. Only to have it return as soon as the tranquilizing, nerve-deadening effect wears off. What good is that??

So, Back To The Question: What are YOU going to do if you’re stuck between the tingling, prickling, hot fire-like burning sensation in your feet or continuing to take mind-numbing Lyrica and Neurontin? Finally – some good news! A new, extremely effective non-invasive diabetic and peripheral neuropathy treatment is now available, for the first time ever, in Rochelle, IL. If your feet feel like you’re walking on thumbtacks or are “on fire”, or if they tingle unbearably, or they feel as cold as a frozen Popsicle you owe it to yourself to check out this new technology.

There May Be Hope For You With A New Technology For Treating Peripheral Neuropathy Called Neuro-Analgesia Neuro-Analgesia, sometimes referred to as Electronic Signal Treatment or Electroanalgesia, is a new, innovative treatment modality that utilizes a modulated and attenuated pulsed electronic signal (current) that can substantially reduce or even possibly eliminate – the burning, sharp pain and associated numbness and tingling of PN! This newly-emerging technology (pioneered in Germany) is now available in the United States.

How Does Neuro-Analgesia Work?

Neuro-Analgesia, or electronic signal treatment, uses a modulated electronic signal that pulses very rapidly, firing off very short micro-bursts of current that effectively “overrides” pain receptors. The attenuated current or signal penetrates deeply through and across both nerve-endings and affected muscles and other associated tissues, producing profound physiological changes, such as reduced swelling and inflammation.

Micro-circulation is increased and pain levels can drop dramatically after just a few treatments! The physiological changes are triggered by the electronic signal or current, making this a true healing modality.

Neuro-Analgesia does not require the use of drugs or surgery; side effects are, for the most part, nonexistent! Most importantly – Neuro-Analgesia may achieve results faster than other treatment options!!!

What Do You Experience During A Treatment?

Patients remain fully clothed, and you may sit in a chair, lay down on a table, or better yet – “kick back” in a recliner! During every phase of the treatment you will be very comfortable and relaxed. You’ll experience a soothing sense of electrical stimulation in your feet and legs. Some patients read or watch TV throughout the procedure; others close their eyes and take a nap!

NOTE: This technology is new and has limited availability in the area. Number of new patients appointments will be limited.

What Patients Are Saying About Peripheral Neuropathy Therapy I can’t begin to tell you how much your Peripheral Neuropathy Therapy program has done for me. I used to have constant leg pain, burning, numbness and stinging sensations in the feet. I could barely stand to brush my teeth or walk through the grocery store. I had been to see just about every kind of doctor there is, and I just kept getting worse and worse. I had virtually quit all of the things I used to enjoy doing-golf, bowling, square-dancing, going to football games-just about everything. My improvement has been continuous and steady-pain levels and discomforts have dropped to a fraction of what they used to be, and I’m now able to do most of the things I used to do!

-A.H.

Folks need to know that Peripheral Neuropathy Therapy is a miracle! At least it has been for me! Used to be, I couldn’t get through a day without Lortabs and muscle relaxers, and I still couldn’t really do much, except sit around on the couch and watch TV. Now, I play with my grand kids, walk with my husband after dinner, and can sit comfortably playing bridge with friends. I’m not perfect, but compared to where I am now with before getting Neuropathy Therapy, I’ll take that any day!

-D.M.

When I first came I had intense pain, tingling, and numbness in both feet. I was suffering for 20 years. I went to so many doctors to try to get help. After 6 visits I am pain-free. It’s amazing now I can stand on my toes, drive my car better (cause I can feel the pedal better). Being pain free gives me the capability to do some many more things, even walking around the mall.

-B.E.

Who Should Call For A Qualifying Assessment?

If you’ve had severe peripheral neuropathy (diabetic or otherwise) for at least six months, and nothing has helped.

Now, What’s the Next Step You Should Take?

We will only be able to accept 15 new patients, so you must call as soon as possible to schedule your complimentary (free) Qualifying Assessment.

THE FREE 4-POINT QUALIFYING ASSESSMENT NO CHARGE at all and you don’t need to buy anything.

But, you will find out if you qualify for this revolutionary new therapy. You won’t leave our office wondering if it’s something that could have helped you get rid of your pain.

During your assessment, we’ll check out your: pain levels, reflex response, balance & risk of fall assessment and a complete quantitative & qualitative examination.

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Call Today!

815-561-4171 Dr. Stacy Wills, D.C.

*THE PATIENT AND ANY OTHER PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS A RIGHT TO REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT, OR BE REIMBURSED FOR PAYMENT FOR ANY OTHER SERVICE, EXAMINATION, OR TREATMENT THAT IS PERFORMED AS A RESULT OF AND WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RESPONDING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE FREE, DISCOUNTED FEE, OR REDUCED FEE SERVICE, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT.

Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C11

Ogle County

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When you need to see a doctor, your family deserves the very best. SwedishAmerican is pleased to offer three clinics in Ogle County to care for you, with locations in Byron, Davis Junction and Rochelle. No matter which location you choose, you’ll be connected to great doctors and nurse practitioners who are part of the northern Illinois health system that has won the most awards for quality and excellence.

In addition to primary care, our clinics offer other convenient services, like on-site lab and X-ray, as well as Saturday hours. Our Rochelle clinic also offers OB/GYN and pulmonology care.

To learn how we can meet your needs, or to schedule an appointment, please call one of our three Ogle County clinics today. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C12

Truck regulations have raised several concerns

By Chris Johnson Reporter

Truck lengths and weights go hand in hand and recently have been under question by local farmers.

Last month, farmers were at the Ogle County Board meeting to address concerns with the length of semis and Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle addressed the topic.

Local businesses build products to meet the standards in the regulations.

County roadways are built to different specifications.

County engineer Curtis Cook said roads that are designated truck routes have upgraded pavement to handle the weight of a truck.

“Designated truck routes connect load generators to other designated truck routes and connect designated truck routes to each other to form a network,” he said.

A truck route is designated by the county board following a recommendation from the Road and Bridge Committee.

Non-truck routes are posted with lower weights during the spring thaw.

Cook said roads are susceptible to damage during the freeze-thaw cycle and a truck route is designed to be thicker and stronger to allow the roadway to bridge over the soft base aggregate during the spring thaw.

Currently 22 percent of the Ogle County roads are designated truck routes.

All state roads and interstates are truck routes.

Brian Duncan, a Polo farmer and president of the Ogle County Farm Bureau, who was at the county board meeting, said farmers and truckers are concerned because of the recent increase in enforcement of a state law that limits semis to 55 feet in length on roads not designated as truck routes.

Adrian Book, Leaf River, who farms and operates a trucking business, said many township and county roads have 80,000 weight limits — the maximum allowed for trucks — but since they aren’t designated as truck routes, the law limits the bumper-to-bumper length of trucks to 55 feet.

Most trucks are now 65 feet long, he said.

“It can’t be met,” Book said. “There’s not a truck short enough.”

Buffalo Township Road Commissioner Bill Clothier agreed.

“It’s a law that’s never been enforced. It should go away,” he said.

Duncan said the length limit on state highways and county roads that are designated truck routes is 65 feet.

To further complicate

“It is important to remember we do not make the laws but it is our responsibility to educate the commercial vehicle drivers while making your safety our priority,” — Sheriff Brian VanVickle the issue, he said, federal law mandates that trucks be built longer to spread out the 80,000 pounds they are allowed to carry.

Duncan said the limits need to be consistent. For example, he said Pines Road from Spectrum Meats west to Polo is not a truck route.

However, from Spectrum Meats east to Oregon, the road is designated as a truck route.

Consequently, a semiload of pigs headed from the Polo area to Spectrum Meats for slaughter must go either to Dixon or to Ill. 64 to get to Pines Road in Oregon, rather than just traveling through Polo and on east.

Duncan offered two solutions to the problem.

He asked the county board to support a bill in the state legislature to change the length limit from 55 feet to 65 or abolish the law together.

“Another way to solve this is to create more truck routes in Ogle County,” he said.

Board chairman Kim Gouker said the board’s Agriculture Committee is working on the problem.

He said the sheriff’s department had, at that time, nine warning tickets for length violations.

Cook addressed how Pines Road was designated a truck route to Spectrum Meats in March.

“Spectrum Meats came to the highway department many years ago and offered to financial assist in the upgrade of Pines Road from Ill. 2 to their facility, so that they could have year round truck access to their facility,” he said. “This public-private partnership was the method utilized to improve several county highways to designated truck routes.”

Cook said the cost to improve every road to a truck route is not economically feasible.

The sheriff also sent a letter to this newspaper about truck lengths.

In his article he wrote, “A primary concern of the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division is the safety of the motoring public and our goal is the education of the motoring public to ensure they understand the traffic laws and abide by them.”

He said the sheriff’s office received complaints regarding commercial vehicles on county and township roads.

The violations his department was addressing was the length of the commercial vehicles.

“On our rural roads, commercial vehicles that are in violation of length limits, must use the oncoming lane of traffic to complete the turn or turn in such a way that no damage is caused to the intersection,” VanVickle said. “One citation has been issued and the length was determined to be a factor in an accident.”

He said over the past three months deputies have contacted nine commercial vehicle drivers to provide this information and issued nine written warnings.

“Our goal is not impede on commerce or make it difficult for the commercial vehicles,” VanVickle said.

“There is federal law that allows exceptions for these concerns. It is important to remember we do not make the laws but it is our responsibility to educate the commercial vehicle drivers while making your safety our priority.”

Ron Kern, the Ogle County Farm Bureau manager, offered a solution to the truck weights and length restrictions.

“In 2010 Illinois adopted the bridge formulas for large trucks but did not change the truck length rules on the roads,” he said. “We now have two conflicting standards currently. and legislatures were short

A semi travels through downtown Oregon on Ill. 2 past the Ogle County Courthouse.

Photo by Chris Johnson

sighted with the regulations.

This is a state issue and it is frustrating locally because we are the ones that see the unintended consequences of the regulations. These should have been addressed at the same time.”

Kern said the farm bureau works with the regulations they have and support their members. He would like to see a change occur with the regulations.

“Trucking comes down to rules and regulations.

There are EPA regulations and other regulations that are made without knowing the industry being affected,” Kern said. “There is a compromise that can be reached, but this is an infrastructure issue for trucking and this will be a national issue, not just a local issue.”

He said the road systems across the country were designed and built in the 1950s and they need to be upgraded to the newest standards.

“We now have new bridge

laws and larger trucks were needed to spread the load for this standard,” said Kern. “As for fixing the roads — the state is broke but infrastructure is going to be a key for everything.”

A local manufacturing company E.D. Etnyre & Company designs and builds a variety of trailers.

Their engineers work to design equipment that meets all regulations both federally, and in the region where the equipment will be used.

“There are a few different standards which affect what we build regionally,” said Patrick O’Brien, president and C.E.O. “We design and build our trailers to meet the local regulations. In most of the United States the federal bridge laws rule. Those set a maximum gross vehicle weight limit of 80,000 pounds with certain axle spacing.”

He said in certain areas of the northeastern United States the weight limits are greater and extra axles may

be used. Canada also has their own rules for truck and tailer lengths and weights.

“The state of Illinois has its own peculiar weight regulation for certain roads; 72,380 pounds instead of 80,000 pounds and the Illinois regulation allows shorter length trailers with the lighter weight,” said O’Brien.

He said every trailer the company produces has the weight of the trailer posted for the customer.

In the end it is ultimately the responsibility of the truck driver to ensure they are following the local regulations for roadways.

“Our raw materials are unencumbered by the special Illinois 72,380 pound limit as Daysville Road is rated as a truck route for the normal 80,000 pound GVWR (gross vehicle weight),” O’Brien said. “At least far enough to get from Ill. 64 to our gate.”

Vinde Wells contributed to this article.

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C13

Visitors traveling through Oregon were unable to see Lorado Taft’s Black Hawk Statue after a protective wrap was put up around the statue and scaffolding. Photo by Chris Johnson

Black Hawk statue to get needed repairs 104-year-old icon under wrap for the winter

By Vinde Wells Editor Now that spring is here, the Black Hawk Statue should soon be shedding its winter cocoon for long-awaited repairs.

The Friends of the Black Hawk Statue, headed up by Frank and Cherron Rausa, Sterling, began working more than five years ago to secure a plan and the funds to have the statue repaired.

Most of the estimated $900,000 has been raised, and experts have developed a plan to repair the beloved statue’s crumbling exterior.

“We should know soon when the work can begin,” Frank Rausa said March 20.

“Hopefully we’ll get word next week.”

Red tape and getting official approval of the plan and the contract for the work delayed the start of the project.

Black Hawk has spent the winter encased in a protective mesh wrap.

Last December, to protect it from further damage from cold, ice, and snow, project conservator Dr. Andrzej Dajnowski and his crew, from Conservation of Sculpture & Objects Studio, Forest Park, erected a scaffold around the 50-foot statue, put a roof over it, and then enclosed it in dark green plastic mesh.

The 104-year-old world renowned statue stands on 125-foot bluff overlooking the Rock River at Lowden State Park, near Oregon.

Created by sculptor Lorado Taft in 1910 as a tribute to all Native Americans, the statue draws thousands of visitors each year. It was unveiled and dedicated in 1911.

The effects of time and weather have caused parts of the statue to crumble and fall off.

Engineer Amy L. Woods said last July that testing and evaluations done showed three areas are in dire need of repairs.

“Three areas of the statue show significant deterioration,” she said.

The folded arms of the statue, especially the elbows and underneath the arms; the middle of the robe; and the

vertical fold in the robe from armpit to toe are the critical areas, Woods said.

The areas are spalled, meaning chunks of concrete have already fallen out, and delineated, meaning areas of concrete are loose and ready to fall.

Woods was a member of the team of experts who measured, cored, and poked the statue last fall and again this spring to find out how bad the toll taken by the ravages of time and weather actually is.

Their findings showed the damage to be significantly worse than expected.

Getting the work done is urgent, Woods said, Scaffolding was put around the Black Hawk Statue late last year. The statue and scaffolding were then covered for before the statue’s surface the winter to protect it from further damage. Photo by Earleen Hinton deteriorates even more.

Woods’ presentation included photos of the damaged areas, as well as illustrations of how the statue was constructed, and a plan for how to restore it.

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Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C14

Portions of the Black Hawk Statue have started to crumble after being outdoors in the elements for 104 years. This photo was taken in 2013. Photo by Earleen Hinton

Taft’s historic statue is in need of major repairs From C13 Because it has landmark status, the IHPA also had to sign off. Black Hawk has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2009.

The statue has been patched and repairs numerous times over the years.

Ironically, Woods said, epoxy injections done in the early 1990s to repair cracks actually made the damage worse.

Epoxy is plastic, she said, and traps water causing even more freeze-thaw damage.

The epoxy will be removed from the cracks and the cracks will be repaired, according to the repair plan.

Rausa and the repair team had hoped to begin last August, but the contract was not approved by the IDNR until late November.

A rededication ceremony is planned once the work is completed.

The Friends of the Black Hawk Statue have raised more of the money needed for the repair project.

Much of it came from a $350,000 grant the IDNR received from the Illinois

Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

The rest came from donations, as well as funds raised during the annual Oregon Trail Days festival held at Lowden Park since 2010.

A large contributor was the Jeffris Family Foundation, Janesville, Wis., which gave a $150,000 matching grant.

The Chicago Black Hawks hockey team got on board with what Rausa said is a sizable donation.

Last fall, limited edition Christmas ornaments depicting the statue were sold.

To donate checks can be made out to the Illinois Conservation Foundation

and marked for the Black Hawk Statue.

Donations can be mailed to Illinois Conservation Foundation, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield IL 62702.

Christopher Ciaston watches as Robert Zarycki and Leszek Zarebski of Conservation of Sculpture & Objects Studio Inc., Forest Park, began on removing stones from the base of the statue last year. Photo by Earleen Hinton

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C15

Ogle County communities face tough challenges Some bright spots appear to be on horizon

By Vinde Wells Editor Ogle County communities face a tough set of challenges as they work to attract new businesses and keep the ones they have.

Economic conditions have led to declining property values in most communities, and several villages and cities have seen both residents and businesses leave town in the last decade.

Downtown storefronts stand empty as retail businesses have closed their doors.

Despite that, there have also been some bright spots.

While Oregon lost its only hardware store last fall when its owner retired, another one will soon fill the void.

Basler’s Ace Hardware on Pines Road at the south edge of Oregon closed Oct. 1 of last year when owner Jeff Basler retired and moved to Florida.

The Oregon City Council gave its approval last month to a zoning change that will pave the way for Tom Felker, owner of Snyder Pharmacy, 201 N. Fourth St., to expand his drug store to include an Ace Hardware store.

Felker said he hopes to break ground for the expansion as soon as possible this spring.

According to a preliminary drawing, a 75 by 130 foot addition will be built onto the north side of the Snyder Pharmacy building on the corner of Fourth (Ill. 2) and Franklin Streets.

Felker said the present pharmacy will become the hardware store and the new addition will be the pharmacy. The two will be connected.

A house on the rezoned property at 206 N. Third St., which is northeast of the pharmacy, will be razed to make way for a larger parking lot.

Another Oregon business, Casey’s General Store, 901 W. Washington, broke ground late last summer for a brand new, larger facility

to the south of the current building.

Two neighboring properties were purchased

by Casey’s, and existing buildings were demolished last fall in the first stage of the project.

The new 3,269-squarefoot convenience store and gas station, slated for completed late this spring, will offer customers more of everything.

Gas pumps on the site will increase from two self-serve pump islands to four, said William Walljasper, Casey’s Chief Financial Officer.

The new store will offer additional amenities to customers, including madeto-order sandwiched and self-serve ice cream.

The larger site will provide much more parking as well.

Washington Corner, one of the largest and most distinctive commercial buildings in downtown Oregon, was sold in December to local restaurateurs Antonio and Peter Alfano.

Warren Miller, longtime owner of the property, announced the sale but did not disclose the details.

Dating from the 1870s, Washington Corner encompasses three structures, the oldest of which is the F.C. Jones building at 304306 Washington St. Miller and his late wife Nancy purchased the property that they renamed Washington Corner in 1985, when it was on the verge of being condemned.

They rehabilitated the space into storefronts on the main floor and offices on the second floor and reopened it in 1989.

Another recent addition to Oregon, which serves as the county seat, is a nearly completed Ogle County Public Safety Complex in the 200 block of South First Street.

The facility, which will hold its grand opening April 8, will house the sheriff’s department, 911 operations, and the coroner’s office and county morgue.

Plans call for county offices to move into the space early next month.

The new building is the latest of several county

The new Casey’s store is being constructed behind the current facility on Ill. 64 between Ninth and Tenth Streets in Oregon. Photo by Earleen Hinton

construction projects that started a decade ago with the building of the Ogle County Judicial Center.

Completed in 2005, the judicial center houses the courts and related county departments.

At about the same time, a building on Pines Road was purchased and remodeled as the Health Administration Building to serve as the headquarters for the health, solid waste management, and zoning departments.

The existing courthouse was completely remodeled in 2010 to house the county clerk, treasurer, supervisor of assessments, animal control department, geographic information system (GIS), coroner’s office, and administrative offices.

Last year, the county highway department completed a large storage building for its trucks and other equipment.

A new jail has been discussed as the next county project and may be located on the same site as the public safety complex.

Mt. Morris, struggling with the loss if its two largest employers in recent years, is looking at a major expansion this year of the Sullivan’s Foods store on Ill. 64.

Turn to C16

A demolition crew from Fischer Excavating, Freeport finishes clean-up of the Kerwin Building at 120 E. Mason St. in Polo’s downtown. The crew demolished the dilapidated building, owned by Midwest Tulsa Properties Inc., Wauconda, last year leaving an empty space in the downtown. Photo by Vinde Wells

Work is expected to begin this spring on an expanded Sullivan’s Foods in Mt. Morris. This is a photo of the existing store which is located on Ill. 64, east of the village’s downtown. Photo by Vinde Wells

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C16

Service jobs should continue growth in NW region

By Pam Eggemeier Sauk Valley Media The composition of the workplace in Northwest Illinois reflects larger trends statewide and throughout the country – continued growth in the service sector and declines in manufacturing.

For data purposes, the region includes Lee, Whiteside, Ogle, Carroll, and Stephenson counties.

Looking at the region’s three largest industry sectors – services, manufacturing and government – provides insight into how the region’s economic base is evolving.

Released in 2013, “Promoting Prosperity in Northwest Illinois” is a compilation of economic data produced by the Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies in collaboration with regional development leaders.

The NIU study tracks the three major sectors from 1970 through 2010. During that time, percentage of employment in the region has doubled in the services group. In 1970, it was 16.5 percent of total employment, and those jobs were 32 percent of the jobs base in 2010.

Manufacturing has declined from 28.9 percent of the workforce in 1970 to 13.5 percent in 2010.

Government jobs, which includes education, have held steady in those 4

Northwest Illinois unemployment The Northwest Illinois region includes Lee, Whiteside, Ogle, Carroll and Stephenson counties.

2000 - 4.7% 2001 - 5.8% 2002 - 6.5% 2003 - 7.0% 2004 - 6.5% 2005 - 5.6% 2006 - 5.2% 2007 - 5.6% 2008 - 7.2% 2009 - 11.1% 2010 - 12.0% 2011 - 10.6% 2012 - 10.2% Source: Illinois Department of Employment Security

decades, dipping from 15.2 to 12.3 percent.

While the manufacturing losses have been evident throughout the region, Lee and Whiteside counties have held up considerably better than other parts of Northwest Illinois, even during the recession. Manufacturing is now about 20 percent of total employment in those two counties, while other areas are still at the 10 percent to 15 percent level.

“We’ve had less impact from the economic downturn than many other areas,” said John Thompson, president and CEO of Lee County Industrial Development Association. “We’ve had more diversity in our

business base – all the eggs aren’t in one basket.”

The region has fewer manufacturing jobs, but wages have held up well, even during the recession.

According to the NIU study, in 2010, manufacturing employees on average were making $54,332. That was 1.5 times the average for all other industries in the fivecounty region, which was $35,701.

Manufacturing earnings went up 16.1 percent between 2000 and 2010, and are projected to rise about that much from 2010 to 2020.

Reflecting a global trend, the services sector continues to grow at a rapid pace. The average pay is well below that of manufacturing and government, however, which serves as a reminder that employment numbers don’t tell the entire story.

Many service jobs start at or near minimum wage, and are often part time with no benefits. One part of the service sector, health care, is in a sweet spot for continued growth and good pay.

“The service sector will continue to grow,” Thompson said, “but surveys demonstrate that this region will still be heavily weighted in manufacturing, especially in the metals.”

Services hot, but manufacturing coming back John Gvozdjak, president

Dixon City Commissioner Jeff Kuhn, left, and BorgWarner plant manager Paddy Lange talk about a product manufactured at the auto parts plant in Dixon. BorgWarner held an open house to celebrate a safety award. Photo by Alex T. Paschal, Sauk Valley Media

and chief operating officer at Frantz Manufacturing in Sterling, said that based on what he’s seeing throughout the region, his sector has bounced back nicely from the recession.

“Manufacturing is about 20 percent of GDP in the region, which is surprising to many,” Gvozdjak said.

“It is significantly higher when compared with what’s happening statewide and nationally.”

The high concentration of manufacturing in a certain area is no accident, Gvozdjak

said. Logistics is critical to business efficiency, and access to suppliers and markets is a plus for operating in the area.

“Many supply chain locations are here, and transportation is easily accessible in the region,” Gvozdjak said. “There are a lot of good things here right at our fingertips that help improve business efficiencies.”

Another story that isn’t accurately reflected in employment data is a dramatic shift in the nation’s

economic base. The growth of the 1099 economy – consultants and other selfemployed workers – can be seen locally.

From 2001 to 2012, the number of self-employed jumped from 1.3 million to 10.6 million. During hard times, Americans have learned a job shortage doesn’t mean there isn’t work.

Technology has allowed companies to save money on benefits, and made it possible for more Americans to work from Turn to C17

Polo officials are hoping to see a grocery store in town From C15 Scott Sullivan, one of the owners of the grocery store chain, purchased three houses adjacent to the store last year and had them razed to make way for a new $3 million facility.

Sullivan said the new concrete block building will be built in sections so that the store can remain open for business throughout construction.

To entice the store to stay in town, the Mt. Morris

Village Board granted Sullivan’s request for several financial incentives, including establishing a 15-block Tax Increment Financing District that includes the site where the store is situated.

Other incentives included an annual payment to Sullivan’s of $50,000 for each of the next 12 years, for a total of $600,000; a real estate tax abatement totaling $140,000, and sales tax rebates for 12 years estimated at $118,170.

Polo officials, too, are

hoping to get a grocery store back in the community.

They are currently working with Ahmad Farraj, who owns the former Polo Super Valu building at 203 S. Division Ave. (Ill. 26).

Farraj approached the city council in December for financial incentives to help him repair the building and open a grocery store there.

Polo has been without a grocery store for approximately seven years.

Polo Super Valu was owned

and operated by Paul and Terri Koenck for many years.

They sold the store to Yong Shim in 2007, and it closed several months later.

City council members have voiced their support for rebating a portion of the city’s share of sales tax back to Farraj to help get the store up and running.

Dangerously dilapidated downtown buildings, left to fall into ruin by property owners, have been an issue the Polo City Council has had to deal with in recent years.

Last year, the city took steps to condemn and demolish one downtown building, and they are presently in the process of doing the same to another.

The Kerwin Building at 120 E. Mason St. was torn down last spring after the roof caved

in.

In a deteriorating condition for several years, the building was owned by Midwest Tulsa Properties, Inc., Wauconda, a company that buys properties that are sold for delinquent taxes.

The lot where the building stood remains vacant.

Just up the street, the Polo Hotel, 208 E. Mason St., will likely suffer the same fate.

The building has broken windows and doors and structural deterioration.

An inspection done last year found it to be in violation of the International Property Maintenance Code and deemed it, under the code, to be dangerous, unsafe, unsanitary, and unfit for human occupancy.

The building has been

unoccupied for several years.

The city council authorized its attorney Tom Suits last week to file the paperwork to obtain a demolition permit.

Before demolition can begin, however, asbestos in the building’s pipe and boiler insulation and flooring must be removed at an estimated cost of $15,000.

A recent title search revealed that B&L Partnership, comprised of Leo Hathaway and Brad Bartnick, is the owner of record.

The search also revealed that the owners have not paid the property taxes for several years, causing it to be sold for the taxes.

Suits told the city council that they could put a lien against the property to recoup expenses when it is sold.

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The Polo City Council has started the process of getting the old Polo Hotel, 208 E. Mason St. demolished. Photo by Vinde Wells

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C17

1,100 new jobs are expected with Thomson prison From C16 home.

“I think services will continue to be the fastest grower, but we will also see more 1099 jobs, with people working on contract,” said Betty Steinert, administrator of Whiteside County Economic Development and enterprise zone.

Steinert said the 1099 trend is indicative of how the thought processes of young professionals have changed.

“Workers used to find a good job after college and stay there for 30 years,” Steinert said. “There is so much more labor force movement now because everyone is always looking for a better opportunity.”

In the government sector, where there are many union employees, wage growth averaged 17.6 percent between 2000 and 2010. The opening of the federal prison in Thomson is expected to bring about 1,100 new jobs to the region in this sector.

Technology’s opportunities, challenges Technology will continue to have a huge impact on the workplace moving forward. While it is increasing productivity and creating hot occupational areas such as technical services, technology has also challenged workers and employers.

“Technology is a strange animal,” Thompson said. “It both creates and eliminates jobs, and it demands a rapidly evolving skill set that some employers are having a difficult time finding.”

Gvozdjak agrees that technology has given and taken away. Most of the unskilled assembly jobs that have been the first to be outsourced over the years probably aren’t coming back anytime soon.

“Those jobs have continued to leave because

of technology, and it’s hard to compete globally when companies keep them here,” Gvozdjak said. “The flip side is that automation has made us the most productive nation in the world, and companies continue to invest capital there.”

Employers anticipate the worker shortage will soon go beyond the skills gap challenges.

“At some point, we’re going to have problems with available labor,” Thompson said. “The baby boomers are retiring, and as we compete for workers, that puts even more emphasis on qualityof-life issues.”

Gvozdjak said the average age of his workforce at Frantz is 53, and that many other area businesses are in a similar situation with aging employees.

While the anticipated labor shortage is problematic for businesses, it empowers skilled employees, many who are still struggling to bounce back from concessions made during the recession.

“A shortage will be good for worker incomes,” Thompson said. “It could make it even tougher to get workers with higher-end skills.”

Bringing work back home Another dynamic, this one global, could enhance job security in the manufacturing sector. Often referred to as reshoring, industrial work is starting to make its way back to America after decades of accelerated outsourcing. Especially in Asia, a growing middle class has demanded higher wages, narrowing the competitive gap with American labor.

Companies are making more capital investments at home, and bringing back some of the lost jobs.

When the pay difference narrows, the advantages to

Workers at Sterling Steel Co. separate the 7/32nd rods at the 12-inch rod mill in this 2011 file photo. While manufacturing has declined from 28.9 percent of the workforce in the region in 1970 to 13.5 percent in 2010, the sector has held up considerably better here than in other parts of Northwest Illinois. Photo by Phillip Marruffo, Sauk Valley Media

keeping production at home become more compelling.

“We operate in a lean environment – we don’t keep much extra inventory on hand,” Gvozdjak said.

“You aren’t taking as many risks with disruptions in production when you locate closer to home.”

Thompson said that despite skills gap challenges, area employers convey general satisfaction with the area’s workforce.

“We continue to hear that employers are happy with the work ethic in this area’s employee base, especially in manufacturing, where that long tradition counts for a lot,” he said.

Gvozdjak agrees that the long history of manufacturing success here is impetus for future growth.

“This region’s workforce is geared to manufacturing – it’s a heritage that they are very proud of, and it keeps the work ethic at a high level,” Gvozdjak said. “There are also a lot of entrepreneurs here, and I believe industry will continue to grow.”

Gvozdjak said the

sector must work harder to market itself to ensure that it reaches its potential in the region. Many area businesses participated in National Manufacturing Day events for the first time this year with that goal in mind.

Manufacturers want to get the word out that factories continue to get safer, quieter and cleaner.

“We want to make manufacturing an attractive career to students, and give them a reason to return to the area,” Gvozdjak said.

“We offer good, high-paying jobs on the management and technical sides of the workforce.”

Looking to Springfield for help While the economic base and labor force have changed greatly in the past decade, economic development leaders have been forced to adjust in the way they do their jobs.

Steinert said the biggest change she had seen in her development career is in technology.

“Computers, especially

the Internet, have dramatically broadened the base of people we deal with, and how quickly we can do it,” she said.

A constant challenge has been government laws and regulations that can handcuff officials at the local level.

“The state and federal government must make it easier for companies to do business at home,” Steinert said. “We are often at their mercy with how much support we can give them.”

The new administration in Springfield has promised to make Illinois more business friendly, but for now, local officials are working to solidify working relationships and keep open the lines of communication with the threat of significant budget cuts looming.

Steinert, who is a board member and secretary/ treasurer of the Illinois Economic Development Association, was one of 40 officials statewide who participated in a meeting with Gov. Bruce Rauner on Feb. 27 at the Union League Club in Chicago.

At the meeting, Rauner said his top priority was the economy and making Illinois a more competitive and compassionate state.

“That effort must be closely coordinated with the work taking place in local economic development offices,” Rauner said.

“It’s easier to address the challenges facing Illinois when leaders at all levels are working toward the same goals.”

IEDA Board Chairman Terry Denison said there are valid reasons that Illinois businesses are exploring options elsewhere. He said the state is faced with the difficult task of balancing the need for short-term fiscal responsibility with providing tools for retention and expansion of its economic base.

“The corporate tax burden is among the highest in the nations, workers’ compensation needs reform, schools have not been adequately funded, workforce training programs are under attack, and revenues are shrinking,” Denison said.

Steinert believes the recession would have been the ideal time to beef up funding for workforce training programs.

“I think government missed an opportunity to create a positive from the economic downturn,” Steinert said. “When so many people were out of work, they should have stepped up efforts to address the skills gap by increasing funding for high-tech manufacturing training.”

Steinert believes more focus must be shifted to the trades.

“Not everyone is supposed to go to college for 4 years,” she said. “Technical training in the trades is critical if we are to address the skills gap and future labor shortages.”

After the stinging impact from the loss of large manufacturers, development officials have a new appreciation of smaller businesses.

“Don’t get me wrong; I love large manufacturers,” Steinert said, “but when GE closed in Morrison, and the mill in Sterling, that kind of hit to the workforce and the taxing bodies is very difficult to recover from.”

Sterling’s Wahl Clipper has become an example of what is good about smaller companies, Steinert said.

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C18

Transportation options increase for Sauk Valley

By Kathleen Schultz Sauk Valley Media Changes are afoot for the various ways to get in to, out of, and around the Sauk Valley.

Starting this summer, folks will be able to hop a Greyhound out of Dixon and head for Chicago, DeKalb, or the Quad Cities.

In August, Lee-Ogle Transportation Service (LOTS) announced it was heading up a 2-year pilot program to offer bus service from Chicago to Davenport, Iowa, with stops along the way, including Dixon. It’s part of a federally funded Intercity Bus program aimed at connecting rural areas and small cities with larger cities.

Other stops will include Naperville/Aurora, DeKalb (at Northern Illinois University and the oasis stop on Interstate 88), Rochelle, and Moline.

It’s a program that Jamie Blatti, executive director of the Lee-Ogle Transportation Service, hopes to see become permanent.

The federal government, which decided the state wasn’t spending enough

money on rural transportation programs, is funding the route from Chicago to Davenport, and LOTS will partner with Greyhound Lines, she said.

Local service offered LOTS and Whiteside County Public Transportation are among 11 regional systems statewide offering rides closer to home.

Both agencies have seen an increase in ridership, in part because of the recent rocky economy, and also to a push for more public awareness of what used to be popularly referred to as “the senior buses.”

Tori McDaniel, Whiteside’s executive director, has said she expects annual ridership in the county to more than triple in the next 15 years, from about 39,000 a year in 2013 to more than 123,000 in 2030.

LOTS ridership hit 120,000 in 2013; Blatti projected 160,000 rides in 2030.

For now though, ridership is stable, because the size of the fleet – 35 vehicles – has not changed. Although the agency constantly sees new

Lee/ Ogle County Transportation driver Al Reece, looks over his route information while on a stop at Sauk Valley Community College. Photo by Philip Marruffo

riders, it can’t always meet everyone’s demands.

Changes in the administration and coordination of the various transportation agencies are in the works, which will streamline services to increase access and make longer trips even easier.

State network coming State and federal mandates are calling for even more improvements. Within the next few years, Illinois residents “will have access to transportation that covers every square inch of the state ... without ever stepping foot

Projections for Lee-Ogle and Whiteside transportation systems Lee-Ogle Transportation System 2013 2030 Annual ridership 120,000 160,000 Vehicle miles 800,000 1,200,000 Vehicle hours 24,000 36,000 Number of vehicles 29 45 Expenses $1,200,000 $2,000,000 Whiteside County Public Transportation 2013 2030 Annual ridership 39,251 123,179 Vehicle miles 257,070 806,796 Vehicle hours 15,000 56,561 Number of vehicles 13 41 Expenses $597,309 $1,874,612 Sources: Jamie Blatti, executive director of the Lee-Ogle Transportation System and administrator of the North Central Area Transit in LaSalle County, and Tori McDaniel, executive director of Whiteside County Public Transportation.

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in your car,” Blatti has said.

That is, if the funding remains available.

For Blatti, Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget cuts – he has suggested slicing her $800,000 budget in half – have hit a nerve.

“It’s so extreme, ... and it makes no sense,” she said.

Not only has the federal government determined that such service is vital to rural residents, but public transportation also is a proven boost to the economy – studies show that $1 spent on local transportation generates $4 in revenue, she said.

She also has her eye on more regional connectivity.

“One thing that I’m preparing for is to see Lee, Ogle, LaSalle, Whiteside, and Carroll [counties] combine into one transportation agency,” Blatti has said. She expects talks on a potential long-term partnership to begin sometime after June 2016, when the current contract with the Ottawa public transportation agency ends.

Passenger train on hold For those who hate navigating toll booths

and battling traffic, plans have been in the works for several years for a passenger line slated to run through Rockford on the way to Chicago.

Amtrak service between Rockford and Chicago – and eventually, Dubuque, Iowa, on Union Pacific Railroad, with stops in Elgin, Huntley and Belvidere – was expected to begin late this year. When it eventually was to be continued west to Dubuque, stops were planned for Freeport, which is closest to most Sauk Valley communities, and Galena.

That multimillion-dollar project, however, along with many others in the state, “is on hold and under review,” said Guy Trigdell, IDOT’s deputy director of communications.

It’s among a raft of projects to which Gov. Rauner has applied the brakes, as his new administration reviews the state budget, which is facing a $1.6 billion deficit.

It may not come as much of a blow to folks in the Sauk Valley, who can always bite the bullet and make the commute to The Windy City, around 2 hours from most

local points. It’s also possible to hop the Metra in Aurora, or Amtrak in Princeton: The train travel time to Chi-town is about the same, but the aggravation may be less.

And for those heading south in a hurry, one segment of the Chicago-to-St. Louis high-speed corridor is running at 110 mph; more segments were expected to be up and running by the end of the year, but they too are likely on hold for now, pending further review.

In 2012, a handful of mayors dreamed of a highspeed commuter rail zooming 110 mph along Interstate 90 between downtown Rockford and O’Hare International Airport.

“As mayors representing approximately 1 million residents who live and/ or commute along the Rockford-to-O’Hare-Airport corridor, we are united in our support of high-quality passenger rail service along the Jane Addams Tollway to alleviate traffic congestion and support longterm economic prosperity and environmental sustainability,” the six Turn to C19

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C19

Airports have impact on economic development From C18 mayors said in a letter to the Illinois Department of Transportation that October.

The idea died on the vine: The ridership projections didn’t justify the cost of such a line – there were not enough users in Rockford alone – and it would require too many stops along the way to pick up riders for such short distance, IDOT officials said.

Go to www.idot.illinois. gov and click on travel information, then passenger service, to keep tabs on the progress of all rail projects.

At the airports Whether a community has an airport can be a major factor in economic development.

The Sauk Valley is fortunate in that it has two airports – one on Rock Falls, one in Dixon – that area economic development leaders have said will be key to the area’s future growth.

In Dixon, a seven-member task force has been created to examine the role the Dixon Municipal Airport can play.

Its task will be to study other small, rural airports and see how commercial, retail and airport-related businesses might be attracted, Mayor Jim Burke has said.

“We have to look ahead,” he said. “Probably in another 20 years, that airport is going to be very, very important. ... That airport is kind of an unrealized asset.”

The airport’s long-range plan calls for tearing down one of the hangars and building a bigger one – there’s good money to be made renting space and selling fuel to plane owners.

That plan also proposes a new 5,000-foot runway, the length most insurance companies require as a minimum for corporate jets.

Now, those mid-size corporate jets can land at Rochelle and Whiteside County airports, but must bypass Dixon.

The city also looked up the road and saw how Rochelle had managed to turn its sleepy little airport into a bustling business and tourist attraction in less than a decade.

Rochelle’s then-City

Manager Ken Alberts decided his city would take a bigger role with the airport and help to facilitate publicprivate partnerships.

City officials made changes to the airport’s management and became more aggressive in its pursuit of businesses. It built a $1 million hangar, which now houses Rochelle Avionics, a full-service airplane repair business.

Then, about 3 years ago, Chicagoland Skydiving Center built a $2 million hangar and has a restaurant, bar and sand volleyball pits.

During the skydiving offseason, November through April, the hangar is used as a banquet hall that can hold 500 people.

Dixon took note.

Its task force will look not only at the airport itself, but also at the surrounding area, where plenty of opportunities The pilot of this 1941 Waco airplane owned by the Poplar Grove Airmotive Inc., Poplar Grove, receives a thumbs for retail and commercial up from a spectator July 4 during the annual fly-in breakfast at the Ogle County Airport between Mt. Morris and development abound, Burke Oregon. Photo by Chris Johnson said.

The city owns 11 acres at the west end of the airport.

The land has water and sewer lines, and Burke said it’s an ideal spot for development.

Whiteside County Airport officials aren’t expecting a big increase in traffic anytime soon, in part because nearby Rockford Chicago International Airport and Quad Cities International Airport handle the bulk of area cargo shipping.

Unless the Sauk Valley becomes a bigger business center, or tourism becomes more of a draw, passenger Better hearing no matter traffic at either airport isn’t where you are. With family likely to pick up.

Officials there also are and friends. Out and about. pinning their hopes on more At home. At work. development in the rural areas around the airport; on attracting more rentals and tenants through more aggressive marketing in the suburbs; and on selling more fuel.

Whiteside County Airport, manager Mike Dowell has said, is a good place to park a plane, and easily can accommodate “90 to 95 percent of all the business Call today to schedule your better hearing experience today! aircraft out there” in the region. Those who move their aircraft from the burbs to the county can halve their fuel costs and cut rental fees 60 percent, he has said.

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Below are the number of jobs created and the economic impact of a variety of area airports, according to a study released In December 2012 by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Jobs created includes those created by capital improvement projects and visitor spending.

Dixon Municipal Charles R. Walgreen Field Total employment: 59 jobs Total economic output: $5,492,600 Erie Airpark Ultralight Flightpark Total employment: 9 jobs Total economic output: $332,400 Ogle County Airport in Mt. Morris Total employment: 6 jobs Total economic output: $94,600 Rochelle Municipal Koritz Field Total employment: 86 jobs Total economic output: $7,858,700 Whiteside County Joseph H. Bittorf Field in Rock Falls Total employment: 57 jobs Total economic output: $5,466,600 Online: Go to www.illinoisairportsmeanbusiness.com to read the full study.

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Progress

Ogle County Newspapers, Thursday, March 26, 2015, Page C20

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