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MEET THE CANDIDATES FOR CITIZEN OF THE YEAR MORRISON, A5
BOYS BASKETBALL, B1
MORRISON | GENERAL ELECTRIC PROPERTY
Gaining ground during cleanup While GE continues work on former plant site, city gets storage space for $1 BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
MORRISON – While GE continues to work with state regulators to remedy environmental concerns surrounding its closed plant, the city’s one consolation is cheap storage. The city renewed a storage agreement with the company Jan. 9, which allows it to use
one of the buildings at GE’s sprawling site on West Wall Street. Known as Building 17, it once was home to a Carnation milk factory. The city first entered into the pact with GE in 2013, and the amended version extends the arrangement until March 21, 2021. Use of the building through that period will cost the city $1. The extra storage space allows the city to delay a pressing
capital project – a new public works building that could cost up to $500,000. A new sewer plant under construction at an estimated cost of $19 million, and several pricey road projects are higher priorities. “We have a public works building, but we’re still cramped for space, and it’s in a flood plain,” City Administrator Barry Dykhuizen said. “It’s getting toward the end of its
useful life, but until then, the GE space tides us over.” The need for space was also partly created by the upheaval to the city’s water system brought on after allegations of groundwater contamination from the GE plant. “The city tore down a well house on Winfield Street in 2010, when one of the wells was closed,” Dykhuizen said. “We abandoned that site and
THE PEOPLE’S VOICE | DAVE STUTZKE, STERLING
The league that Stutzke built Longtime Sterling Little League overseer steps down
D
ave Stutzke is sort of the Jamie Moyer of Little League baseball. Similar to the way the journeyman southpaw pitched into his late-40s in Major League Baseball, even notching a win at the ripe age of 49, Stutzke spent 43 years umpiring, overseeing, enhancing and reuniting youth baseball in Sterling. Without arrogance, christopher simply being HEIMERMAN realistic, he made a Heimerman is prediction the Enterprise and Projects Wednesday Editor at SVM. afternoon, He can be about 3 reached at cheimerman@ weeks after saukvalley. stepping com or down as 815-625-3600, president ext. 5523. of Sterling Youth Baseball. “I didn’t think I’d hang around that long, and I don’t see anyone doing it as long as I did,” the 59-year-old said, laughing. That’s a tribute, more than anything, to how close it’s been to his heart. He grew up playing at Gartner Park, where in June 1996, a cool 30 years after he’d toed the slab as a young lad, one of his proudest moments played out. Yeah, he’s crazy-proud of the district and state titles, the girls’ historic Little League World Championship in 2012. But watching his home diamond under the new lights, with many former players and managers in attendance? “That was special,” Stutzke said. “I played at Gartner, and I know how the diamonds were back then.” A lifelong Cubs fans – even though he played for the Giants in Little League – the fact that Sterling’s diamonds were lit up after so many others in northwestern Illinois, it sort of hearkened back to Aug. 8, Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com 1988, on the north side of Chicago, when Dave Stutzke, 59, sits surrounded by memories of his 43 years serving for youth the Cubs became the last MLB team to baseball in Sterling. He became an umpire at age 16, and served as president play its first game under the lights. many years, during which several ballparks were lit and remodeled. “To see it lit was just something. … I mean the diamond basically faces WrigOnline extra ley Field’s direction. It was really someClick on this story at saukvalley.com to watch video of Dave Stutzke reflecting on thing to see.” his 43 years with youth baseball in Sterling. PEOPLE’S VOICE continued on A44
Cloudy
VOLUME 9 ISSUE 20 36 Pages
Today: 31/17 For the forecast, see Page A10
Business
Stop by Discount Eyewear in Dixon for a friendly approach to eyewear. See Page C1
Community Looking back over a year’s worth of images, SVM Chief Photographer Alex T. Paschal shares his favorites in “Photographer’s Picks, 2016.” See Page C12
drilled a new well, and without the well house, a lot of items in storage didn’t have a home.” While the storage space comes in handy, the long-term future of the site is a much larger issue. The city has fielded inquiries about reuse of the buildings, but serious conversations can’t begin until the IEPA signs off on the environmental situation. CLEANUP continued on A24
DIXON
Local kids get invited to camp Camp Dixon director to include Sauk Valley’s at-risk youths BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
DIXON – Last summer, a camp nestled on a breathtaking property off Rock Island Road gave about 60 inner-city kids something many of them had never experienced: a breath of fresh air in the great outdoors. Hector Corona, the 53-year-old Hector Chicago man who Corona owns the property and put on the camp, is a commodities trainer. Thus, he’s all too aware a lot of Sauk Valley kids have a limited scope of the world. “I understand demographics,” he said. “That’s what I do: look at statistics and markets. This area is so depressed financially that I know it would be difficult for people to donate to this camp.” Or attend any other camp, for that matter. So, as Corona expands the free camp, he’s inviting underprivileged kids from the area who haven’t had a chance to enjoy the beauty right in their proverbial backyard. CAMP continued on A34
Online extra Visit shawurl.com/2zen to watch a video recap of Camp Dixon 2016. Click on this story at saukvalley.com to watch video of Hector Corona describing the camps he plans to host, and the trip he plans to lead, all later this year.
Index Births................. C5
Lottery............... A2
Business............ C1
Markets........... A10
Classified........... B7
Obituaries.......... A4
Comics.............. A8
Opinion.............. A6
Community...... C12
Scoreboard....... B5
Crossword Saturday............ B9
Scrapbook........ C3
Crossword Sunday.............. C8
Support groups... C5
Dave Ramsey.... C1
Weather........... A10
Dear Abby......... C6
Wheels............ B12
Sports............... B1 Travel............... C10