Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
August 11, 2016 Volume 166, Number 35 - $1.00
Hangar Dance
Hammer In
New Licenses
A classic 1940s era Hangar Dance will be held at the Ogle County Airport Aug. 13. A6
Visitors try blacksmithing at the John Deere Site. B2
Security upgrades include a new Illinois driver’s license design. B3
City to explore TIF district
Project PLAY is no more By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com Project PLAY is no more. Benesh & Sons, Oregon, brought in their heavy construction equipment and demolished the large playground complex in a matter of minutes on Monday morning. The popular playground was located just outside Oregon Elementary School. On Monday evening, the Oregon School Board unanimously voted to “condemn Project PLAY as it is no longer useful for school purposes.” Superintendent Tom Mahoney said school district’s attorney advised the board to condemn the playground complex. “This is to protect the district from liability,” he said. Mahoney said the attorney advised the board to take the action in case someone who took lumber from the playground is injured by it. He said the attorney also advised the district not to directly give or sell the materials to anyone, but rather those transactions should go through Benesh & Sons. Two board members, Stephanie Haugh and Bryan Wills, said they were in school when Project PLAY was built. “It was awesome,” Wills said. Mahoney announced two weeks ago that the 27-year-old all-wood playground with its castles and twisting walkways would be demolished before school starts for safety reasons. “We’ve had an increase in kids getting injuries on Project PLAY, mostly splinters,” he said then. “There’s no way to maintain it and guarantee no injuries.” The unique playground was built by volunteers in 1989. A committee, chaired by Nancy Ryder and Deb Wuebben, spent months raising the needed $45,000 and planning the playground with the help of the Leathers Company that designed it. Hundreds of volunteers turned out at the school grounds on Oct. 11-15, 1989 Turn to A9
By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com
Spectators take pictures of the demolition of Project PLAY Monday morning. Photos by Chris Johnson
Turn to A2
Jason Mudge removes bolts from a metal Mike Mudge uses a chainsaw to cut down a tower on brace that held up a swingset. Project PLAY Monday morning.
Estimated 18,000 people attended the fair By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com A carnival, grandstand shows, and varied exhibits drew an estimated 18,000 to 19,000 people to the 163rd Ogle County Fair last week. “The fair went very well. Overall it was a good fair,” said fair board president Harlan Holm Monday. “We don’t have exact numbers yet but attendance was a little higher than last year.” The only glitch was a power outage Thursday afternoon when equipment at the ComEd substation in Mt. Morris failed, taking down electricity not only at the fairgrounds, but also to the entire village of Mt. Morris, part of Oregon, and the rural area in between. “We’re starting generators,” Holm said. “We’ll be fine.” With the temperature
Oregon may soon have options to assist with economic development. The city council unanimously approved an amended contract Tuesday night with Jacob & Klein and the Economic Development Group to begin the process of forming a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district. “It says the three-year agreement rolls over for another three years and needs a one year notice to terminate,” said commissioner Jim Barnes. “Good point,” said mayor Ken Williams. “Would you like to amend the contact to three months (notice)?” “Yes,” said Barnes. City officials, department heads, committee members, and representatives from local taxing bodies visited Aug. 2 with representatives from the company to discuss the benefits and concerns of a TIF district. “The meetings had positive responses,” said Williams. “We had county officials, and business representatives at the meetings because we wanted to get everyone involved with the process. This will be an ongoing
Zoning decision prompts lawsuit By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
hovering near the 90-degree mark, generators were already powering large fans to keep the animals cool in the livestock barns. Power was restored by 5 p.m., just in time for food vendors to gear up for the suppertime crowd. A fast-moving storm late Thursday evening cooled things down for the final three days of the fair. Holm said the biggest crowd was Saturday under clear skies with low humidity and the mercury just under 80 degrees. “It was a perfect day for going to the fair,” Holm said. The big draws at the fair included the Big Hat Rodeo on Friday night and the demolition derby Saturday night. Youngsters of all ages lined up all five days of the fair for the unlimited carnival Mud flies as Nathan Meeker, Oregon, car number 3X competes against Andy Dei,
Three rural Forreston residents have filed a lawsuit against Ogle County and their neighbors over a recent zoning decision. Walter Paul and his daughter and son-in-law Linette and Curtis DeHaven are suing the county as well as Mike and Colleen Stukenberg and STKE LLC, a company owned by the Steve and Kevin Moring. The county board approved a special use permit May 17 requested by Mike Stukenberg and the Morings to allow a Class 2 Motor Carrier Facility on property zoned for agricultural use. The property, at 11123 W. Ill. 72 just east of Forreston, is owned by Stukenberg and being purchased by STKE LLC. Paul and other nearby property owners, including the DeHavens, objected
Burlington, Wisconsin, during a heat of the demolition derby at the Ogle County Fair
Turn to A8
Turn to A8 Saturday night. Photo by Earleen Hinton
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B19 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, A7 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, A10 State’s Attorney, B3
Deaths, B4 Nancy A. Greenfield, Alan D. Jones, Pearl A. Myers
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com