Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
March 19, 2015 Volume 165, Number 14 - $1.00
State Finals
Pro Wrestling
Great Season
The Forreston Cardinals finished in fourth at the state basketball tournament. B1, B2
MWA Wrestling will put on a show in Mt. Morris March 28. A6
The OHS Academic Bowl team ends up third in the conference and in top 16 in the state. A10
Property may still have underground tanks? If true, clean up could cost county more By Vinde Wells Editor A piece of property the Ogle County Board purchased less than two years ago could end up costing thousands of dollars more. Architect Guy Gehlhausen told the board Tuesday evening that the property at 501 W. Washington St., Oregon, may still have
underground storage tanks and contaminated soil. He recommended that the county hire an environmental engineer to determine what needs to be done to be sure Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) and other standards are being met. “You own a piece of property that is potentially non-compliant,” Gehlhausen said. “If it were mine I’d bring it into compliance.” The Long Range Planning Committee had asked Gehlhausen to come up with a plan and the cost to demolish the former building restaurant building
on the site and to turn it into a parking lot. “It’s never quite as simple as knocking the building down and paving it over,” Gehlhausen said. The county purchased the property at the corner of Washington (Ill. 64) and Fifth Streets for $150,000 in June of 2013 from John Spoor. Jackass BBQ was most recently located there, but several decades ago a gas station was at the spot. The underground tanks, if they still exist on the site, have never been registered, Gehlhausen said, which is required by the Illinois State
Fire Marshall’s Office. “The previous owner should have done that before transferring the title,” he said. “Your hands are tied as far as construction or demolition.” Gehlhausen said an inspection needs to be done to determine if the tanks are still there, and samples should be taken to see if the soil is contaminated. Soil borings were done several years ago, he said, but the results were not conclusive because the property owner at the time would not allow the samples to be taken on the site. Consequently, the borings
were done near the property line on an adjacent parcel. Some petroleum residue was found in one of those borings, but it was not a large amount, Gehlhausen said. The five vent pipes on the outside of the building indicate that as many as five tanks could be there, he said. Funding may be available to help with the cost but only if certain guidelines and timelines are met, he said. “We bought that property in good faith,” said board member Lee Meyer, Byron. He questioned if Spoor had disclosed details about the tanks prior to the purchase. He asked state’s attorney
Eric Morrow to look into the details of the sale. Gehlhausen presented the board with estimates of what it would cost to demolish the building and pave the property for parking. If no tank issues exist, he said project will cost an estimated $186,153. If the building contains asbestos, removing it would cost another $10,000 to $15,000, he said. Tank removal would add $5,000 per tank, and removal and replacement of contaminated soil would cost an additional $250 per cubic yard.
Oregon School Board RIFs three teachers By Vinde Wells Editor
Copacabana at OHS Will Coots (Tony Forte) plays the piano as Kelsey Handschuh (Lola La Mar) and Gabby Kwak, Ellen Reckamp, and Tarah Patterson sing during a scene from “Copacabana”. More on A11. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Decreasing revenues and declining enrollment led the Oregon School Board to honorably dismiss three teachers Monday night. Through reduction in force (RIF), the board dismissed Laurie Hundertmark, grade school keyboarding instructor; Lisa Heal, sixth grade teacher; and Megan Adams, high school English teacher. “These staff reductions are a direct result of declining enrollment, declining funding from our local tax base, and from decreased general state aid,” said Superintendent Tom Mahoney. No other staff reductions are anticipated this year, he said.
Due to the declining enrollment at the high school, Mahoney said the district will eliminate five positions there for the 201516 school year. He declined to say what positions would go because the staff has not yet been notified. The information will be released in a couple of weeks, he said. Two positions currently held by teachers who are retiring at the end of this school year will be filled through reassignment of the present teaching staff, Mahoney said. Those retiring are elementary school physical education teacher Diane Lillie, junior high science teacher Lilly Welp, and junior high PE teacher Jeff Jahn. Mahoney provided the
board with charts showing the decline in high school enrollment and the financial picture. The number of high school students has steadily decreased from 577 in 200809 to 452 this year. Next year’s projected OHS enrollment is 434. The district’s overall enrollment has also declined. Mahoney told the board that the district’s equalized assessed value (EAV) has decreased from $208 million in 2011-12 to $186 million for the current school year. Projections show an EAV of just $180 million for 2015-16. That means the district’s property tax revenue has also declined from $6.3 million in 2011-12 to $5.6 million this year, and a projected $5.5 Turn to A3
Mayoral candidates take part in Chamber event By Chris Johnson Reporter The three candidates running for mayor of Oregon answered questions about economic issues facing the city Monday night. Approximately 60 people turned out to hear current mayor Tom Stone and challengers Mike Arians and Ken Williams answer questions during Meet the Candidates Night hosted by the Oregon Chamber of Commerce. Moderator Jeff Schlesingler, who is also a Chamber board member, informed the candidates that they would have a maximum of two minutes to introduce themselves and three minutes to answer each question. “This is not a debate,” he said. “Do not respond to other candidates, just the questions.” First, the three candidates had two minutes to introduce themselves to the audience. “Thank you,” said Williams. “I was the finance commissioner for eight years and when I started we had a
deficit budget.” He said the budgets of 2005 through 2008 were in deficit, and he worked to correct this issue. “The first thing I did was set up budget procedures,” Williams said. When there were talks to demolish a building at Fourth and Jefferson Streets, Williams said he worked to sell the building instead. That building now houses a local pizza restaurant. Stone emphasized his family during his introduction. “I am currently mayor on my third term,” he said. “Two of my children grew up in Oregon and graduated in Oregon.” He said many families in the community were born and raised in Oregon. Stone has been a resident for 37 years. Arians was the Oregon mayor from 1999-2003. “Many folks still call me Mayor Mike,” he said. Arians said he has been a business owner for 22 years in the community with the Roadhouse.
In This Week’s Edition...
“I am since retired,” he said. “I do part time work there.” Arians said he has worked with television and film companies to promote the community, including the Travel Channel. He said he respects both of his opponents. “I think the world of these two men,” he said. The first question of the night was for the candidates to explain their vision for the community over the next four years. “My vision has not changed a lot over the years,” said Stone. “My main goal is to keep Oregon the way people want. We are solvent.” Stone said he has worked to have the city departments and local agencies share resources to reduce costs. “I worked with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) on the sidewalks and street lights,” said Stone. “I also support Tom Felker and the new hardware store.” Arians said he is focused with his vision.
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B8-B12 Entertainment, A6 Library News, A10
Mike Arians
Tom Stone, Sr.
Ken Williams
Oregon Chamber of Commerce’s Jeff Schlesingler, center, served as the moderator for the candidates forum. He was assisted by Chamber officials Dan Griffin, left, and Turn to A2 Merlin Hagemann, right. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, A7 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B5
Sheriff’s Arrests, B5 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B7
Deaths, B6 Henry H. Brechters, Frederick LaBudde, John L. Reinke, Andrew J. Ruiz, Fay M. Turner, Marie R. Wright
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