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Library News
2 POLO TRI-COUNTY PRESS BE AT POLO TRI-COUNTY PRESS TRI-COUNTY PRESS By ALEXA ZOELLNER Tri-County Press / ShawLocal.com • Friday, January 20, 2023 TRI-COUNTY oglecountynews.com ShawLocal.com OFFICE 113-115 Peoria Ave. Dixon, IL 61021 815-732-6166, ext. 2592 SUBSCRIPTIONS $39 in Ogle County, and $52 outside Ogle County. Single-copy price is $1 To subscribe, make a payment or discuss your delivery, call 815-732-6166, ext. 2518, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday or send an email to subscriptions@ oglecountynews.com. You also can subscribe online by going to oglecountynews.com and clicking on Subscribe. CLASSIFIED SALES classified@shawlocal.com HELP WANTED employment@shawlocal.com LEGAL NOTICES sauklegals@shawlocal.com POLO LIBRARY azoellner@shawmedia.com The only change in garbage and recycling pickup Polo residents might see in the foreseeable future is different uniforms on the truck drivers, according to a Republic Services representative. “You’re still going to see the same drivers, the same trucks. The invoices are going to still say Moring for the time being,” Republic Services Municipal Services Manager Jim Pozzi told Polo City Council members during their Jan. 16 meeting. “The only difference you may see right away is the drivers may be wearing the Republic Services uniform.” Moring Disposal was founded in 1977 by Larry Moring; it had property in Rock Falls and Forreston. In December, its operations and land were sold to Republic Services. Republic Services purchased the Rock Falls property for $964,800, and five parcels of land in Forreston for $749,369.
“We’re going to honor the contract [Morning had with the city of Polo],” Pozzi said. “The rates and annual increases are still going to be the same.”
The pickup schedule and routes aren’t changing either, at least for now, he said. There is a chance some routes might be adjusted in the future.
Customers can continue to contact the Forreston office for assistance or questions regarding day-to-day operations, Pozzi said.
Polo Alderperson Joey Kochsmeier said he has gotten multiple phone calls about garbage and recycling being dumped in the same truck, and asked Pozzi whether that is intentional.
“We do not co-mingle garbage and recycling,” Pozzi said. “It goes against our company standards. … You may still see a garbage guy dump a recycling can, but that would be because the recycling guy came by and said, ‘It’s full of trash; you have to pick this up.’”
No immediate changes for waste pickup It’s a situation the company plans to monitor, he said. Pozzi asked that council members, as leaders of the community, do so as well. Some people see the recycling bin as a place to put recycling, while others see it as just another trash receptacle, he noted. If a customer repeatedly uses the recycling bin for trash, the company will take action, Pozzi said. “We’ll tag the cart with, ‘recycling only; no more trash,’” he said. “If it continues happening, we might approach the city to ask for help.” Republic Services, which is based in Arizona, became the second largest nonhazardous solid waste management company in the U.S. after purchasing its larger competitor, Allied, in 2008 for $6.1 billion. Customers can continue to call 815-6220500 (Rock Falls) or 800-423-0759 (Forreston) or go to moringdisposal.com for further questions.
OBITUARIES saukobits@shawlocal.com Deadline for obituaries is 2 p.m. Tuesday for Friday’s edition
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Publisher
Jennifer Heintzelman
815-632-2502 jheintzelman@shawmedia.com Blood Drive - Monday, Jan. 23
Rock River Valley Blood Center will be at the library from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for donations. To schedule an appointment, contact the library at 815-946-2713 or email library@pololibrary.org.
Children’s Programs
“Tot Time” Tuesdays - Tuesdays at 10 a.m. Ages 0 to 5 yrs, come join Ms. Melanie for a story read, various hands-on play, with a mix of music and art fun for the little ones.
Ongoing programs - “Reading Buddies”, Seniors to Smalls, Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m.,
Senior Center - Buddy up to enjoy reading time together. For more information or to register call 815-946-2713, call or text 815-677-3586, email melaniew@pololibrary.org, go to the Polo Library website or Facebook page to look for the Google form link.
Adult Programs
January Book Clubs
Monday, Jan. 23, 1:30 p.m., Polo Library - “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig.
Yoga with Becka - Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 6 to 7 p.m.
General Manager Earleen Hinton 815-632-2591 ehinton@shawmedia.com
News Alexa Zoellner 815-632-2590 azoellner@shawmedia.com
Advertising Sales Jennifer Heintzelman 815-632-2502 jheintzelman@shawmedia.com
The Tri-County Press, Ogle County News and oglecountynews.com are a division of Shaw Media. Ogle County Newspapers also prints the Mt. Morris Times, Forreston Journal and Oregon Republican Reporter.
The TRI-COUNTY PRESS (USPS No. 638-530) is published weekly by B.F. Shaw Printing Co., Shaw Media. Periodical postage paid at Polo, Illinois. POSTMASTER Send address changes to TRI-COUNTY PRESS, 113 N. Franklin, Polo, IL 61064. Phone 815-732-6166, ext. 2516.
All rights reserved. Copyright 2023
PINE CREEK NEWS
By KAREN MERLAK
Even though we might not see the sun, we know that it is still there shining bright beyond the clouds. Just like we know that God is always there for us. We are not alone in this world. For God’s constant presence, we give our thanks each and every day.
T h i s m o r n i n g i n c h u r c h , w e w e r e greeted by Sandra Ford. Pastor Suzanne Hall Stout shared her message for the morning. Pastor Suzanne had a special message for our young friends, Amelia and Fiona. Margaret Hammes and Don Hay also helped with the service.
It was so nice to visit with Sandra this morning. She has just returned from an extended stay with her daughters and their families. Over the past three weeks, she traveled between Bloomington and Wheaton visiting with her family.
A few days before Christmas, Sandra traveled south to Bloomington to visit with her daughter, Crystal Patterson, her husband, Jack, their children and grandchildren. The Patterson family and Sandra attended the Christmas Eve service at Eastview Christian Church.
A f t e r t h e i r c e l e b r a t i o n s , S a n d r a ’ s daughters had arranged for her to travel to Wheaton to visit with her daughter Kim Austin, her husband, Ron, and their children for the New Year. While there, the Austins and Sandra went to a performance of “The Sound of Music” in Aurora.
Last weekend, Sandra rode with the Patterson family to Bloomington to celebrate her great-grandson’s first birthday. Everyone had a wonderful time visiting over the holidays. Sandra enjoyed relaxing and spending time with the multiple generations.
On Monday evening, I had a nice, long phone conversation with my son, Clint. I ended the week with a conversation by text with my daughter, Stephanie. Everyone is handling life as it comes to them. For me, it always brings me joy to hear from them.
We are halfway through the first month of the year. We may be at the point where our motivation to keep up with our resolutions is starting to fade. It can be difficult to bring about change in our own lives, especially when we are trying to change things ourselves.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are not alone. We don’t have to make those big changes by ourselves. We start to live by sharing God’s love, the love that sent Jesus to be with us. Our hearts become filled and we start to change.
It is not always easy. There are times when we fall short and make mistakes, but when we are filled with His love, we are not broken. His love is strong enough for all of us. God’s love makes us complete every single day.
As we share His love, we grow and change in the best ways. God has always wanted us to have our best life. We build that life by following God and loving one another as He loved us. When we start with God, we can do great things.
M a r k y o u r c a l e n d a r s f o r M o n d a y , Jan. 30 for the next Our Table Community Meal. The Polo Council of Churches will provide dinner and fellowship. The meal will be hosted by Faith Discovery Church and our Pine Creek Christian Church.
I hope to see you next week in our church in the country. We meet in person and can be seen online on our Facebook page. We gladly welcome you and your family to our church for a time of worship and prayer. Come and share God’s love.
Sen. Duckworth comments on why she supported $1M grant
By ALEXA ZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com
The Mt. Morris Fire Protection District’s effort to secure funds for a new home base still has a ways to go.
A b o u t $ 1 . 1 3 m i l l i o n h a s b e en secured for construction of a new fire s t a t i o n t h r o u g h f u n d r a i s i n g a n d g r a n t s , b u t t h a t ’ s o n l y one-quarter of the estimated cost.
“I’ll estimate our total project will cost $4 million to $4.5 million,” said Scott Diehl, Fire Distri ct Board of Trustees p r e s i d e n t . “ W e ’ r e t a l k i ng maybe two years till we get this thing done; that’s an estimate, too.”
T h e e x i s t i n g s t a t i o n i s nearly 100 years old and features low ceilings and narrow overhead doors, is constructed with porous brick and doesn’t have space for outdoor work. The building originally was a car dealership and farm implement service station.
A site for the new station hasn’t yet been finalized, but they’re working on it, Diehl said. He declined to comment on specific locations, citing ongoing negotiations.
“We’ve got a couple locations in mind,” he said. “I’m trying to get it done as soon as possible, but I don’t have it done yet.”
The Mt. Morris Fire Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is shooting to raise $2 million through donations and fundraisers. Fire District trustees and staff are working to secure $2 million to $2.5 mill i o n i n g r a n t s , a n d h a ve hired a specialist to help them seek and obtain such funding. Fire Foundation fundraising The foundation has raised “just a hair over $89,000” so far, Foundation Board President Susan Scott Druschel said. “ I d o t h i n k w e ’ v e d o n e well,” Scott Druschel said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but everything starts with one small step.”
The Mt. Morris High School alumni Facebook group is running a Mounders legacy donation challenge to see which graduating class can raise the most money, she said. The challenge kicked off Jan. 3 and will run through March with a class being highlighted each week.
“The One Mounder and Mt. Morris High School symbol is still visible every day – it’s on every Mt. Morris
fire engine,” Scott Druschel said. “The legacy remains.” She encouraged anyone interested in making a legacy donation to also Sen. Tammy Duckworth contact classmates and let them know about the fundraiser. “It takes a lot to get to $2 million,” Scott Druschel said. “I’m really proud of the community. They’ve done an
Photo provided The Mt. Morris Fire Protection District is seeking to construct a new fire station. Their current one, pictured here, was built in 1924 and is too small to offer a safe environment from which to serve the community, Fire Chief Rob Hough IV said.
See FIRE STATION, Page 4
Temporary r umble str ips not holding up well at L owell Park, Pines Road intersection
Permanent rumble strips to be added later this year as part of paving project
By ALEXA ZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com
Roughly 60% of the temporary rumble strips on Lowell Park Road at its intersection with Pines Road remain.
“The temporary rumble strips are holding up as well as anticipated, which isn’t very well,” County Engineer Jeremy Ciesiel said following the Jan. 17 Ogle County Board meeting. “You can still feel them. They’ll still g r a b y o u r a t t e nt io n a s y o u c o me through, but the snowplows did tear them up as we were thinking they would.”
T e m p o r a r y r u m b l e s t r i p s w e r e installed at the end of July 2022 in hopes of alerting northbound and southbound motorists on Lowell Park Road that they are to stop at the intersection, which is located in rural Polo. Motorists on Pines Road do not have a stop sign.
See COUNTY BOARD, Page 7
Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media Temporary rumble strips were placed on Lowell Park Road leading to the intersection with Pines Road last year. The Ogle County Highway Department put the strips in place hoping to alert northbound and southbound motorists driving on Lowell Park Road that they are to stop at the intersection. Motorists on Pines Road do not have to stop at the intersection.
• FIRE STATION
Continued from Page 3
excellent job. It’s not where we need to be, but they’re supporting us.”
Fire District grant applications
O n J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 2 2 , O g l e C o u n t y Board members approved the Fire District’s application for a $42,500 econ o m ic d e v e l o p m en t g r a n t . T h o s e funds are coming from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act allocation.
“We can put that toward site assessment and purchasing real estate,” Diehl said.
The Fire District is working on a loan application to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Program for the full project cost, but first must secure a location for the n e w f i r e s t a t i o n , D i e h l s a i d . T h e USDA’s Rural Development Program supplies loans for capital projects, he said.
“It’s our cheapest interest rate,” Diehl said. “That’s why we’re going that direction. There’s just an awful lot of paperwork involved. The loan application is 50 to 60 pages.”
They might or might not receive the full amount they request, he said. It will depend on how their loan application is analyzed.
The majority of the money secured so far is coming from the federal government’s fiscal 2023 budget.
The federal government allocated $1 million to the Fire District for design, engineering and site work of the new fire station in its fiscal 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Dec. 29, 2022.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth submitted the project for inclusion in the federal budget as congressionally directed spending. She said the project earned her support for several reasons.
“The fire station, it’s been 100 years without any updates, so these updates are critically needed,” Duckworth said. “I put my priority on this, gave this to the leadership and said, ‘When the Omnibus passes, this is a top priority for me. Of all the things I’m asking for, this is one of my very top priorities.’”
That the project went up against similar projects across the country and was able to secure the full funding requested said a lot about the Fire District’s need, she said.
“The fact that they have continued to operate and meet the needs of the community despite having a fire station that is essentially obsolete by any modern standards” is remarkable, Duckworth said. “They’re performing and stepping up to the plate and continuing to do the work instead of just walking away from it.”
A project’s fiscal responsibility is very important to her, Duckworth said.
“I’m not going to throw money if this Fire Protection District had not gotten their ducks in a row and had an actual plan, knew what they needed to do, knew exactly what they needed to fund, was willing to come up and do the fundraising themselves,” Duckworth said. “If they didn’t have all of that in a row, no matter what the need was, I wasn’t going to fund it.”
Diehl said that if the USDA Rural D e v e l op m e n t l o a n a p p l i c a t i o n i s approved, the $1 million will flow directly there and come off the Fire District’s loan balance.
“The biggest thing is we can’t put so much money into the project that we can’t operate as a Fire District,” Diehl said. “We have to fund our ambulance and fire.”
— Senator Duckworth
Card shower planned for Ila Mae Sieberns’ 90th birthday
The family of Ila Mae Sieberns of Oregon is holding a card shower in honor of her 90th birthday on Feb. 3.
Ila was born in 1933, the daughter of Howard and Eva Rogers, of Ohio, Illinois. Her family includes her late husband, Ken Sieberns, who passed away in April 2020 after 70 years of marriage; her late daughter Susan, who passed away in August 2020, and husband Hilo Hanson, of Plano; daughter Sharon and husband Brent Stanford, of Homewood; grandson Sean of Denver, Colorado and granddaughter Maddi and husband Jonah Buckels of Homewood.
Cards of congratulations will reach her at The Meadows, 510 N. State St., Apt. 202, Franklin Grove, IL, 61031.
Ila Mae Sieberns Ila Mae Sieberns was born in 1933.
Pat Bronkema to mark 85 years on Jan. 24 with card shower
A card shower is planned to celebrate the 85th birthday of Pat Bronkema on Jan. 24.
Cards and well wishes can be sent to: 204 W. Logan St., Forreston, IL 61030.
“Happy 85th birthday to a very special mother. Love you,” your daughters Deb Brady and Dawn Wood. Pat Bronkema
A lumni games are Saturday, Jan. 21, at Forreston High School
Forreston High School’s girls and boys basketball teams will be holding alumni games on Saturday, Jan. 21, in the high school gym.
The event will begin at 3 p.m. with the women’s game followed by a co-ed game at 3:30 and the men at 3:45.
The number of alumni participating will determine game matchups. Twenty-minute games will be played with decades playing against each other based on alumni’s graduating year falling on an even or odd year.
Band, Cheer and Dance also will be hosting their alumni night at that time.
Contact Kristin Crase (cheer) at kcrase@fvdistrict221.org, or Hanna Kasten (dance) at hkasten@fvdistrict221.org.
Band members can contact Travis Cunningham at tcunningham@fvdistrict221.org.
Participants are asked to bring a white and a red T-shirt for the games. Shirts also will be available for purchase.
All participating alumni, including past coaches and their immediate family, will be admitted free to the game.
The high school boys basketball game versus Oregon High School will follow the alumni games starting at 5:30 p.m., with the JV contest followed by the varsity game around 7 p.m.
Anyone interested in attending and/or playing in the alumni game can contact Jake Groom at jgroom@ fvdistrict221.org. with your name and graduating year.
We ask for a $10 donation the day of the game to cover the costs.
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