Single Copy Cost 50¢ Volume 147 No. 34
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Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Courthouse repair cost shrinks $58,000 By Ken Schroeder
kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
HENNEPIN — The Putnam County Board received some good financial news at its Monday, April 13, meeting. Renovations on the county courthouse will come in well under budget after re-examination of sections of the walls and columns
revealed less problems than originally thought. Initial estimates for the work came in at approximately $160,000. New figures show repairs will actually cost about $58,000 less. “As we’ve been pressing along, we’ve looked at all the brick surfaces on the buildings a little more closely. In the original construction estimate, we estimated 2 percent of the face
of each elevation of the brick and tuck pointing,” Kurt Rimmele of Basalay, Carey, Alstadt Architects Ltd. said. “As things progressed, we found we do need to replace the cracked brick, but some with the worn surface is holding up better than expected. We don’t recommend replacing it at this time. That was a substantial savings. “We also looked at the
concrete more closely. It was parged and covered over with a skin coating. We took some of the actual skin coating off and the structure of the staircase and the stoop itself are in good condition; better than anticipated,” Rimmele said. “Instead of tearing that all out as we had originally discussed and installing new concrete, we decided we’d go over
it with a new skin coating and that should hold up with a 10-year warranty. We thought at this time that would be more cost-effective.” Although the columns on the front of the courthouse had some rot on the interior, repairs were made that will allow the columns to remain with some extra support added. Care is being taken to
make repairs to the courthouse while maintaining the necessary standards to keep the courthouse on the National Historic list. The target date for renovation completion is May 29. In other action, the board: • Voted to grant authority to State’s Attorney
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Taking a gamble There’s gold in them there slots By Ken Schroeder
kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
Editor’s note: This is the first in a three-part series on video gaming in Illinois; how it works, where the money goes and who can benefit from allowing video gaming in their establishments. From its beginning in July 2009, video gaming in Illinois has been growing steadily. In 2014, state coffers took in almost $165 million from individuals playing the machines. That figure is just the tip of the iceberg compared to overall totals for video gaming terminals (VGTs). The nuts and bolts of Illinois’ video gaming The state allows up to five terminals per establishment, and the number of terminals in the state went up by almost 33 percent during the year. In January 2014, 14,426 machines were operating in 3,527 establishments. By year’s end, 19,182 terminals filled 4,675 businesses, an average of 4.1 terminals per location. How much money has gone into the terminals statewide? According to the Illinois Gaming Board, more than $8.24 billion was fed into the terminals in 2014, with a payout of more than $7.5 billion — an overall payout rate of 92 percent. Illinois requires a minimum payout rate per machine of 80 percent. The nearly $660 million dollars left over after payouts to VGT players is divided four ways. Using the rounded figure, the VGT profits would be separated Vol. 147 No. 34 One Section - 16 Pages
by percentage like so: Local municipalities — towns and counties where the VGTs are located — get 5 percent of the total, which statewide amounted to $33 million. The state receives 25 percent of the income for its share, the aforementioned $165 million. The owner of the machines and the owner of the establishment split the remainder down the middle for 35 percent each; roughly $231 million each statewide. The online application form for a license to have a VGT in an establishment is 10 pages of fill-in-theblanks that covers type of the establishment, names on the license, financial status of the business and the licensees, liquor license number and expiration date, any felony record and more. The site also says it will time out after one hour of inactivity, so applicants need to have all their information handy before they start. While there’s no application fee, there are annual fees for technicians, machine owners and VGT establishments. As a participating establishment, the Illinois Gaming Board charges a $100 license fee per year. There’s also a per machine license fee of $100, so carrying the full number of terminals costs $600 in state licensing fees per year. Many local municipalities will also ask for annual license fees ranging around $30 in the Bureau-LaSalle-Putnam County area. The affect on existing casinos For years, people who wanted to participate in video gaming legally had one option — trekking to the nearest casino, which in the Illinois Valley meant
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PCR photo/Dixie Schroeder
Putnam County Junior High (PCJH) school student Becky Ramey (left) reviews her presentation project board with PCJH teacher Jennifer Dudek. Ramey has qualified to participate in the state level of the Illinois Junior Academy of Science competition on May 2.
Do blondes have more fun? Just ask PCJHS student Becky Ramey By Dixie Schroeder
dschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
MCNABB — For Putnam County Junior High School student Becky Ramey, hard work has paid off in dividends. Ramey recently participated in the Illinois Junior Academy of Science (IJAS) regional science fair at Northern Illinois University. Ramey, who has worked for the past 18 weeks on her science project “Does Hair Color Affect the Per-
ther questions when a special judge came back over to speak with her. To participate in the science fair, the students had to write a minimum 30-page scientific paper, create a tri-fold back board display and write a presentation on their project. Each of the three parts are then judged in the contest. Ramey was amazed with several different things during her experience. “I was impressed by how many different types of projects there were. I didn’t realize how many people did behavioral science (the division she was
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515 Bureau Valley Parkway, Princeton, Illinois
815-875-3347 • fax: 815-875-2012 Contact Arin Peterson at apeterson@colonialhrc.com © The Putnam County Record
ception of Intelligence” has had her project selected for the state level. She noted it was a unique experience. “I was assigned a station to set up my presentation. It was No. 115. I set up my presentation board and had three identical copies of my paper for the judges,” she said. “I had my raw data set out as well.” Ramey learned the science fair was a lot of hurry up and wait time, as first parents were able to go through and review projects; then the judges came
by each station. She was able to use the time to also go and look at other student projects as well. “After the parents left, I went back to my station and practiced my presentation,” Ramey said. “I was very nervous, as I tend to talk with my hands a lot. So I was trying to not do that.” Ramey ended up being the very last student to present, so her wait was a little longer than some of the other students. She noted when the judges finally came to review her presentation, she answered their questions. Her paper was taken and then judged in another area. She answered fur-
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