Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
February 25, 2016 Volume 166, Number 11 - $1.00
Hawks Win Again
Headed to State
Donations Sought
The Hawks win big over Stillman Valley in their final regular season game. B1
One BNC team is headed to the Class 2A state finals. B1
OHS Student Council students are seeking donations for foster kids, A10
A redo for city hall?
New ACE store opens
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Despite a few last minute details, Oregon’s new hardware store is open. “We’re ready for business!” store manager Scott Fauster said Tuesday afternoon as crews did some final set-up at the Ace Hardware store connected to Oregon Snyder Pharmacy at 201 N. Fourth St. “We’re in operation except for some finetuning as far as pricing and displays,” he said. “We now have a full-service hardware store, a fullfledged liquor store, and a pharmacy and gift shop.” The hardware store features a full line of Stihl tools, Fauster said. A grand opening is planned for April 15-17. Kathy Heather was a long-time employee of Basler’s Ace Hardware on
Employee Patrick Keaty, left, and store manager Scott Fauster work in the paint department Tuesday at Oregon’s new Ace Hardware. Photo by Vinde Wells
Pines Road, which closed in October of 2014, and is now working the aisles in the new store, owned by Tom Felker. She said she’s glad to see her former customers coming in. “It’s good to see the old familiar faces again,” Heather said. “It’s good to be home again.” Felker started work last
year on a 75x130 foot addition on the north side of his pharmacy. The pharmacy and gift store moved into the addition several weeks ago, while work continued on the older portion of the building to transform it into a state-of-the-art Ace store. The liquor department was added in the new part of the store.
Felker purchased a house at 206 N. Third St., northeast of the pharmacy, last year and tore it down to make room to expand his building and allow for more parking and a loading dock. He purchased the former Bemis Ford building and parking area across the street last fall to enhance the hardware business.
Felker said Bemis property may be used for rental equipment associated with the Ace store, as well as pallet goods, such as mulch. Felker also owns a pharmacy and grocery store in Byron, as well as pharmacies in Polo, Dixon, Winnebago, and Poplar Grove.
A remodeling project may be in the works for the Oregon City Hall. The city council agreed Tuesday look into what the cost would be to renovate the former ambulance storage area into modern offices for the police department. Police Chief Darin DeHaan told the council that the police department’s portion of the building is no longer adequate to serve the city’s needs. He said the biggest problem is that his administrative assistant is not readily accessible to the public. Because she and police officers are in private offices on the north side of the city hall, anyone who wants to talk to them must first go to the city clerk’s office. Employees in the clerk’s office then page police department employees. DeHaan also said the current space is inadequate to conduct interviews in private. Turn to A2
Sessions aimed at finding what residents want Have ideas? Officials say your input is wanted
Steering Committee, led by Donna Mann, was formed then. All Oregon residents are encouraged to take part in the planning sessions, but are asked to attend all five. “It’s a big commitment,” Schuster said. Because the meeting will be held over the dinner hour, a full meal will be served each night. Anyone who is interested in being a part of the planning sessions, is asked to contact Mann at dmann@ niu.edu or 815-751-8756. To learn more about the Community MAPPING process,visit: http:// mappingthefuture.org/. To get connected with Together Oregon, like its Facebook page at https:// w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / OregonTogether/.
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Two of the organizers of Oregon Together are hopeful that a series of upcoming planning sessions will reveal what Oregon residents truly want for their community. Steering committee member Terry Schuster said five upcoming community planning sessions are aimed at getting participants to share their goals and dreams for Oregon. “There’s no agenda, no pre-conceived projects. Everyone in the group wants to make Oregon better,” said Schuster, who is also a city commissioner. “My guiding principle behind this whole project is that it’s we the people of Oregon.” Rick Ryland, also a steering committee member, said they are hoping for 60 people to participate in the planning process. Community planning sessions are scheduled for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, April 11, 18 and 25 and May 2 and 9 at the Rock River Center 810 S. 10th St., Oregon. Oregon Together has hired the Illinois Institute
Hands On Oregon board member Rick Ryland cuts a beam with a saws all as it is held by Conover Square owner Lou VanderWyst Tuesday afternoon. The men were busy working on the south side of the historic building. Photo by Earleen Hinton
for Rural Affairs (IIRA), based at Western Illinois University, to help through its MAPPING the Future of Your Community program. Experts from WIU will attend the planning, or mapping, sessions to facilitate the process. Their role, Schuster said, is simply to help get the ideas for projects out there, prioritize them, and then determine what is needed to make them happen.
In This Week’s Edition...
“The people from Western have no skin in the game,” he said. “They just know how to facilitate.” After the planning sessions the facilitators will continue to work with community members to assist with implementation, he said. The money for hiring IIRA is coming from donations from local businesses, Schuster said. “No city or other government funds are being
Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B5-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
used,” he said. The IIRA is a branch of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development, and its purpose is to assist economic development in communities with populations less than 20,000. It is also funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and WIU. Several IIRA staff members also teach in WIU’s rural affairs program.
Oregon Library, A3 Oregon Police, B4 Public Voice, A4 Property Transfers, B4
Schuster and Ryland credited Chris Busker, who works at Stronghold Castle, with suggesting IIRA and its community mapping process. Busker is familiar with IIRA from when he attended WIU. A group of 19 interested people met Oct. 15 to learn more about the MAPPING the Future of Your Community program. The Oregon Together
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Sports, B1-B2 State’s Attorney, B3
Hands On Oregon Late last year, Hands On Oregon, a new volunteer organization was formed with the purpose of enriching the lives of Oregon citizens through local caring and creating excitement through volunteerism. The south side of Conover Square, a historic centuryold commercial building in Oregon that was once the a piano factory, is the organization’s first project. Lou VanderWyst, owner of Conover Square, and Ryland, who is also a board member of Hands On Oregon, spent Turn to A2
Deaths, B4 Guy J. “Bill” Lomax James T. “Doc” O’Connor
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com