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POLO
Tri-County Press March 5, 2015 Volume 157, Number 24 - $1.00
College Signing
Spring Ahead
Family Selected
A Polo athlete has signed a letter of intent to play college football. A11
Set your clocks one hour ahead at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 8.
A Mt. Morris family has been chosen for the 2015 Habitat for Humanity build. A10
Title search reveals who owns the old Polo hotel By Vinde Wells Editor A title search has revealed who owns a deteriorating building in downtown Polo. City attorney Tom Suits told the Polo City Council that B&L Partnership, comprised of Leo Hathaway and Brad Bartnick, is the owner of record of the Polo Hotel, 208 E. Mason St.
The partnership bought the hotel in 2006, he said. The council authorized Suits to do the title search at its Feb. 16 meeting as a necessary step before having the three-story brick structure demolished. The building has broken windows and doors and structural deterioration. An inspection found it to be in violation of the
International Property Maintenance Code and deemed it, under the code, to be dangerous, unsafe, unsanitary, and unfit for human occupancy. Suits said the search also revealed that the owners have not paid the property taxes for several years, causing it to be sold for the taxes. One of the partners bought it for the taxes but never
recorded the deed, he said. Another party later bought it for the taxes, Suits said, but also did not record the deed. The tax deeds have now been obtained by Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, the delinquent tax agent for Ogle County. The next step, Suits said, is to file a complaint for the demolition. Once
the building has been torn down, the property will be foreclosed on, he said. Clerk Susie Corbitt said that so far, building inspector Casper Manheim has been unable to inspect the building because Bartnick has not provided a key. The inspection is necessary to see if the building is safe for work crews to enter to begin the
demolition process. It still contains furniture and other items. Suits asked police officer Shawn Knight to get written permission from Bartnick for city officials to enter the property to inspect it. Corbitt said she has contacted Ironwood Environmental about inspecting the building for asbestos and lead.
Marijuana center will be constructed Company will build new facility in Hillcrest By Vinde Wells Editor
Youngsters made chickens from balloons Feb. 28 at Day of Dabbling to sharpen their skills at handling poultry when showing them at the 4-H Fair. Photo by Vinde Wells
Youth learn skills at Day of Dabbling By Vinde Wells Editor Ogle County 4-H club members beat the winter blahs Feb. 28 by learning about topics ranging from poultry to aerospace. The annual Day of Dabbling, held at the Oregon Church of God, offered 18 hands-on workshops. Classes included visual arts, cooking, natural resources, woodworking, aerospace, intercultural,
scrapbooking, poultry, and science. In one classroom, youth polished up their poultry handling skills by first making a chicken from a white inflated balloon and then adding paper wings, feet, and beaks, along with drawing on eyes. Then they practiced how to pick up their chicken for showing it off to its best advantage at fair-time. “Pin, hold, go with the grain, and out,” repeated
instructor Sarah Carter as she demonstrated the correct way to remove a chicken — or duck or goose — from its cage for a show judge. Down the hall, a group was stapling fabric to wood to create a memory board while in another classroom youngsters drew designs on a block of wood to create faux metal tiles. Wesley Immel, a member of Blackhawk Crossings 4-H Club, was happy with his finished memory board with
its camouflage fabric and green ribbon grid. Although he was not yet sure what he would display on it, he said he learned a lot from the project. “It was fun to make,” he said. “It was fun to use the staple gun on something besides my greenhouse at home.” Hannah Seaworth, a member of Ogle Jolly 4-H Club, was busy rubbing a Turn to A2
A Hillcrest official was ecstatic Tuesday with the news that a medical marijuana cultivation center will be coming to the village of 1,000. “It’s an incredible opportunity,” said village president Kim Whalen. “We’re trying to do a sewer project and this will help. The news about PharmaCann was the icing on the cake.” The medical marijuana cultivation center in this area was supposed to open in Dixon – and with a different company. However, state officials announced Monday that the permit will instead go to Oak Park-based PharmaCann. According to the Associated Press, PharmaCann CEO Teddy Scott said the company will open the cultivation center in Hillcrest, which is just north of Rochelle. The license had been awarded in February to GTI Clinic Holding LLC, parent company of Green Thumb Industries, but last week the company gave it up by failing to pay the state fees required. The Dixon license, for a lot in the Lee County Industrial Park, was one of three the company had been awarded. The purchase agreement between GTI and the Lee County Industrial Development Association for the lot in the industrial park was contingent on GTI being awarded a license. PharmaCann was the second-highest scoring application for Illinois State Police District 1, which includes Lee, Whiteside, Ogle and Carroll counties. PharmaCann has 15 days to provide the required
$200,000 license fee and a $2 million surety bond or escrow account. The distribution center for District 1 will be in Fulton. The Hillcrest Village Board gave its unanimous approval last August to a resolution supporting PharmaCann’s application for a license for the cultivation of medicinal marijuana under the Illinois Compassionate Care Act. A PharmaCann representative told the board in August that the facility will create an estimated 20 jobs. Whalen said PharmaCann broke ground for the facility last fall on land at the intersection of Twombly and Dement Roads, with the idea that the approval would likely come in winter when the ground was frozen. The company has a longterm lease for the property, she said. Having the facility within the village limits means officials there can go ahead with and complete a sewer project that’s been in the works for 40 years, Whalen said. The project calls for installing sewer mains which will connect to the City of Rochelle’s sewer system. Hillcrest does not have its own municipal wastewater treatment plant. Whalen said the village has already secured a grant for $500,000 and a low interest loan for $2.5 million from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, which will allow about a quarter of the project to be done. The revenue from PharmaCann will ensure the project can be completed in a timely way. The first stage of the project will include the business district and 60-80 homes, she said. Hillcrest has approximately 20 businesses and 425 homes. Matt Mencarini contributed to this story.
Toy show is Saturday
Go Marcos A group of Polo students cheer on the Marcos Feb. 25 at the Erie Regional. Photo by Chris Johnson
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B8-B12 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B7 Marriage License, A4
Oregon Police, B7 Polo Police, A2 Property Transfers, B6 Sheriff’s Arrests, B6
The 30th annual Polo Farm Toy Show, sponsored by the Polo Lions Club, will be on Saturday, March 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Polo High School, 100 Union Ave., Polo. Approximately 100 dealers will be attending the event with a wide variety of items.
Social News, A4 Sports, A11, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B6 Weather, A2
A 50-50 drawing will be held. The Polo Boosters will serve lunch in the school cafeteria. Admission is $2 for adults and children under 12 are admitted free. The school is handicapped accessible.
Deaths, B5 Duane A. Garkey, Angela K. Haak, Helen V. Naden, Nancy L. Peltz, Oren E. Stengel
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com