Serving the Polo Area Since 1857
POLO
Tri-County Press January 2, 2014 Volume 156, Number 15 - $1.00
Title Game
A New Year
Altered Records
The Polo Marcos faced Eastland Monday night for a tournament championship. B1
2013 has come and gone—have a Happy New Year!
Some Ogle County credit card statements were altered. A7
County awarded $150k grant Staff Report Ogle County has been awarded a $150,000 state grant for water and sewer work where systems are at risk of failure. A press release from Governor Pat Quinn Dec. 26 said the county will receive an emergency set-aside fund grant. The money is earmarked for the design of a sewage treatment plant in White Rock Township to address sewage flowing into a creek that feeds the Rock River. Quinn announced $299,000 in state investments in northern Illinois to support critical public works
improvements, part of nearly $2 million statewide to help rural communities improve their water and sewer systems. Carroll County will receive $149,000 for design sewer line and lift station improvements in Savanna. The press release said the grants are part of Quinn’s agenda to create jobs and bolster the state’s infrastructure while improving health and safety in Illinois. “These projects are vital to central Illinois and support basic community needs,� Quinn said in the press release. “Investing in infrastructure in Carroll and Ogle Counties is
creating jobs and providing a foundation for a healthier and safer Illinois.� The investments were made under the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO)’s Community Development Assistance Program, which targets areas with populations of less than 50,000 that are outside of urban counties. Larger towns and cities are eligible for similar funding by direct application to the federal government. Most of the money is for design work on water and sewer lines, with a portion dedicated to emergency needs. The funds originate from the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development and are administered by the DCEO. “These investments are crucial to healthy water services in communities statewide,� DCEO Director Adam Pollet said. “Investing in sanitary public works projects will not only directly benefit health and quality of life, it will also help create job opportunities in these communities.� Statewide, investments totaling $1.996 million were made in 17 rural low-income communities, and with the required local matching funds the total expenditure will be $2.095 million.
Brrrr Another cold spell has tightened its grip over northern Illinois. On Monday at noon the temperature was -1 in Polo. Photo by Chris Johnson
County board approves plan By Vinde Wells Editor After hearing a presentation from an architect Dec. 17, the Ogle County Board voted to proceed to the next step with a proposed $4.1 million sheriff’s department administration building. The board approved seeking bids next month on the project. Board chairman Kim Gouker, Byron, stressed to the board that the vote was not approval of the building’s construction, but was only to advertise the project for bids. Architect Guy Gehlhausen of Saavedra Gehlhausen Architects, Rockford, said the new one-story building will be on the property where the present administration building is located at 103 Jefferson St., Oregon. He said the estimated $4.1 million price tag does not include the cost of abating asbestos or demolishing two buildings on the site. The county morgue and the current sheriff’s administration building will be razed. The cost of asbestos removal is estimated at $50,000 and demolition at $100,000. Money for the project will come from the Long Range Planning Fund, which was also used to pay for construction of the judicial center in 2005 and renovations to the courthouse in 2010. Fund revenues come from the host fees paid by garbage haulers to dump waste in landfills in the county. The fees bring $2 to $3 million annually into county coffers. Some of the costs associated with the 911 call facilities will be paid for from 911 funds. Gehlhausen told the board
that the current administration building is approximately 100 years old and is inefficient and non-compliant with building codes, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). He said the building is not sufficiently secure, and the restrooms are too small. In addition, Gehlhausen said, the information and technical equipment is in the boiler room. “Your IT equipment is on a rack next to the boiler,� he said. “You usually don’t do that.� The morgue building, which is approximately 60 years old, lacks proper ventilation, and has problems with controlling temperature and humidity. Neither building is being used for the purpose it was intended, he said. “To remodel something like that would be throwing good money after bad,� Gehlhausen said. The new building will be located at the east side of the sheriff’s department property to the east of the current building. It will include space for the sheriff, the department’s patrol and detective divisions, the 911 call center, evidence storage, training and meeting rooms, as well as the coroner’s office and the morgue. Currently the coroner’s office is on the third floor of the courthouse, approximately three blocks from the morgue. Gehlhausen said the sheriff’s department and coroner will have separate, secure entrances for the public. He said several security features are planned, but he declined to specify them in
Snowman Family The cold weather did not impact one family this holiday season. This family of snowmen were spotted next to a house on Colden Street Dec. 30. Photo by Chris Johnson
Two fires in Oregon cause little damage By Vinde Wells Editor Two fires in Oregon early this week resulted in no major damage to structures. Oregon Fire Chief Don Heller said a skid loader caught on fire Sunday morning in a building at Blackhawk Lumber, 800 E. Washington St. (Ill. 64) and a conveyor belt caused a fire Monday morning at Unimin Corporation, 1446
W. Devil’s Backbone Rd. No one was injured in either fire, Heller said. The cause of the skid loader fire has not yet been determined. The business has been closed for sometime. “No one was around. It may have been a mechanical malfunction in a block heater,� Heller said. “It’s under investigation.� The skid loader was destroyed, but the building
housing it was not damaged. The fire was reported around 9 a.m. Stillman Valley Fire Department was called for mutual aid. Firefighters remained on the scene for approximately an hour. A conveyor belt used to move sand got stuck and caught on fire at Unimin around 8:30 a.m. Monday, Heller said. The only damage was to the
belt, he said. Mt. Morris, Byron, and Franklin Grove Fire Departments assisted at the scene. Heller said several more departments were called for mutual aid, but were turned back before they arrived. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, Heller said, and remained on the scene for and hour and 15 minutes.
Eagle Watching
Visitors to the Rock River in Oregon were out watching bald eagles Saturday morning. Above left, an immature eagle flies over the Rock River while visitors stand on the Ill. 64 bridge (above right) to view the birds. Photos by Turn to A3 Chris Johnson
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B8 Entertainment, A6 Marriage Licenses, A4
Public Voice, B2 Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4
Sports, B1 State’s Attorney, B4 Weather, A2
Deaths, B2 John D. Basler, Danny Beck, Helen M. Erdmier, Dorothy M. Hartje, John R. Heckman, Theodore R. Norris, Joan R. Strauss
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