Single Copy Cost 50¢ Volume 148 No. 6
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Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Hennepin votes on storm sewer project By Goldie Rapp
news@putnamcountyrecord.com
HENNEPIN — The Hennepin Village Board met in a special meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 30, to take action on the storm sewer project on Locust Street. Village engineer Bill Shafer reported the streets committee had met the previous week with Hennepin resident Charlie Judd who provided a solution to the storm sewer issue at a much lower cost. As previously reported, the storm sewer project was originally put out for bid by the board, with the lowest bid
Seeds to harvest PC Elementary’s gardening program By Dave Cook
news@putnamcountyrecord.com
HENNEPIN — For the third year, fifthgrade students at Putnam County Elementary have begun their school year with “Gardening: Seeds to Harvest,” a cool weather outdoor gardening project sponsored by the University of Illinois Extension office in conjunction with 4-H. For six weeks master gardeners make weekly visits to the classroom gardens and guide students through the entire process of growing a successful garden. For many students, this project is their introduction to 4-H. At the beginning of the program, they are enrolled with the help of 4-H youth development and program coordinator Anne Scheel. “Our master gardeners are here to teach you a small piece of our junior master gardener program. For the next six weeks these ladies will come visit you and you are going to plant a garden, weed a garden, watch your garden grow and then you’ll eat your garden,” said Scheel. She then turned the program over to master gardeners Sharon Gallup, Barb Dahlbach and Pattie Ong who directed the class outside. As the class gathered around the small, raised bed garden, the master gardeners wasted no time in getting to work. The students quickly impressed their teachers by demonstrating a knowledge of gardening and the conditions needed for a successful growing environment. Weeding was, unsurprisingly, the first task the class faced. “Weeds are fighting for all the nutrition and our plants won’t have a chance to grow, so we need a couple of volunteers to pull weeds. After we’re done today, you’ll see vegetables begin to come up in 7-10 days. Don’t pull anything out of the soil until we learn what each plant looks like. You’ll learn what everything is when we have weed identification next week,” said Gallup. Students then added fresh soil to the
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coming in at $123,351. The village was only expecting to spend around $85,000 on the project. Shafer said after checking into some things related to Judd’s idea, the idea wouldn’t completely cure the issue. Shafer reported he was able to take the original project plans that came in at $123,351, and by going back and eliminating some materials, labor costs and changing piping material he was able to get the cost of the project down to $105,000. He also proposed an alternative to the project, which would eliminate some work on the project, but still address the problem of storm water backing up
into the yards of property owners near Locust Street. He estimated the alternative would cost around $60,000. Shafer said the alternative would provide better flow, however the village would eventually need to do maintenance work later on down the road. Board member Matt Dean asked for Shafer’s opinion on whether or not the $60,000 alternative would be able to solve the current issues. Shafer said he would not have recommended the idea to the board if he felt like the alternative wouldn’t work. Board member Quentin Buffington pushed for the village to go with the $105,000 project. He said for $40,000
more, the village could complete the project that was designed to eliminate the issue entirely. “Plan B does leave us open for some future expenses and we don’t know what that future expense could be,” he said. Shafer confirmed the village could always do the remaining $40,000 of the project at a later date if they wished. A motion was made to rebid the project and reduce the scope of the project to $60,000. The board voted 3-1, with Buffington voting no, and Dean and board members Karyn Christiansen and Teresa Clausen voting yes. Comment on this story at www.putnamcountyrecord.com.
‘Just go ...’ Vern Gimbal (aka Scooty) and his scooter By Dave Cook
news@putnamcountyrecord.com
GRANVILLE — It’s been said that four wheels move the body, and two wheels move the soul. As motorcycles continue each year to get bigger, faster and more powerful, it’s refreshing to see it isn’t speed and horsepower holding the keys to enjoying two wheels. The ride itself is where the pleasure lies. Vern Gimbal, a Granville resident who turned 90 on Thursday, Sept. 17, has spent the last 15 years enjoying the road on one of the four scooters he’s owned since he began riding. Gimbal grew up without a bicycle and didn’t get his first bike until he was in his 40s. He and his wife, Mary, enjoyed bicycling for many years. As his legs began to grow weary, Vern realized he could no longer comfortably pedal a bike. While Mary was at the beauty parlor one day, looking at her stylist’s mirror, she noticed a photo of a scooter for sale by the stylist’s daughter. “He’d always kind of had his eyes on a scooter,” said Mary. “When I came home that night, there was a scooter sitting on the sidewalk,” Vern said. Mary is pleased to see Vern enjoying himself on the road, but is happy he’s not interested in motorcycles. He’s certainly a fan of being on two wheels, but Vern is no thrill seeker. Unlike most riders, Vern has never had the urge to fully open the throttle.
PCR photo/Dave Cook
Vern Gimbal, 90, of Granville, astride his trusty Buddy 50 scooter. Gimbal and his scooter are a familiar sight around Granville and at Putnam County girls’ softball games. “I’ve been 30 (mph), that’s all, and that’s when I was in a hurry. I just love to ride,” Vern said. When asked what he loves about riding, Vern answered, “I don’t know. I can’t tell you ... just go. There’s nothing I’d rather do than sit on the scooter and go. If I’m hurting real bad, I take a little ride, and I feel better. I don’t’ understand it. I just do.” “It relaxes him, and he does a lot of errands,” Mary said. Vern’s time on two wheels hasn’t been entirely unevent-
ful. He doesn’t quite know how it happened, but he once took a spill after striking a curb. “I laid there for a minute and then got up. A man and a woman stopped and offered me some paper towels for the cut on my forehead. They asked me if I wanted to go to the hospital, and I said ‘No.’ Then I got on my scooter and rode home. I’ve been very careful ever since,” said Vern. Vern has shown he has some of the rebellious spirit which is often associated
with two wheels. “When he had the spill downtown, the cop told him it was time to hang it up. So Vernon did. He sold it to his cousin. And then he went and bought another one,” said Mary. “He said, ‘You’re stubborn, aren’t you?’” laughed Vern, telling of the next time he saw the officer. Vern’s current scooter is a 2012 Genuine Scooter Company Buddy 50. Of the four
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