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POLO
Tri-County Press March 19, 2015 Volume 157, Number 26 - $1.00
State Finals
Pro Wrestling
Civil War Program
The Forreston Cardinals finished in fourth at the State Basketball Tournament. B1, B2
MWA Wrestling will put on a show in Mt. Morris March 28. A6
A discussion on the Civil War will be held in Oregon at the Rock River Center in April. A10
Old Polo Hotel has asbestos By Vinde Wells Editor An inspection of the old Polo Hotel at 208 E. Mason St. shows several areas that contain asbestos. Polo alderman Jim Busser told the city council Monday night that representatives from Ironwood Environmental Inc., Belvidere, inspected the deteriorating building March 5 and identified eight areas where asbestos must be abated (removed) before the building is demolished. The inspection, which cost the city $1,500, showed asbestos in flooring at various spots in the building and in pipe and boiler insulation. Ironwood estimated the cost of the abatement at $14,900. Attorney Tom Suits told the council that he would recommend getting at least two additional quotes for the abatement work. He said Ironwood cannot do the abatement work because the firm did the inspection, and that could be a conflict of interest. The council authorized Suits to file the paperwork to obtain a demolition permit. Mayor Doug Knapp questioned if further permission is needed from the building’s owner before proceeding. “The owner is denying any interest in the property,” Suits said. “It’s been abandoned. You can go ahead.” A title search done last month revealed that B&L Partnership, comprised of Leo Hathaway and Brad Bartnick, is the owner of record. 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 building has broken windows and doors and structural deterioration. An inspection done earlier 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. Alderman Randy Schoon voiced concern about the city “getting stuck” paying for unsafe buildings to be demolished. He pointed out that the city has already paid to demolish several others, and he can see the possibility of more in the future. He asked what alternatives the city has. Suits said the city can, and has in the past, put a lien on the property in question in order to recoup its expenditure when the property is sold. In another matter, alderman Dave Ackeberg said the street sweeper is in need of extensive repairs to its hydraulic system. The repairs are estimated at $15,000, but he said the cost could go as high as $20,000. Once the repairs are made, Ackeberg said, the sweeper should last at least another 10 years. He estimated that a used sweeper would cost at least $60,000. “It makes perfect sense to fix what we have,” he said. With the new fiscal year beginning May 1, the cost of the repairs will likely come from next year’s budget.
Greeting Cards Betty Obendorf, Polo, spoke about the history of greeting cards March 15 at the Mt. Morris Public Library’s Very English Tea at Disciples United Methodist Church. At right, an old greeting cards is pictured. Photos by Vinde Wells
Third Place The participants in the Three-Point Showdown hold their awards after the competition Friday afternoon. Pictured from left to right are fourth place Andrew Davis, White Hall (North Greene), third place Matthew Hanel, Polo, runner up Dylan Back, Patoka, and winner Jonathan Barth, Flanagan (F.-Cornell). A story about the showdown appears on A11. Photo by Chris Johnson
Underground tanks may be an issue Removal could cost Ogle County taxpayers plenty By Vinde Wells Editor A piece of property the Ogle County Board purchased less than two years ago could end up costing thousands of dollars more. Architect Guy Gehlhausen told the board Tuesday evening that the property at 501 W. Washington St., Oregon, may still have underground storage tanks and contaminated soil.
He recommended that the county hire an environmental engineer to determine what needs to be done to be sure Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) and other standards are being met. “You own a piece of property that is potentially non-compliant,” Gehlhausen said. “If it were mine I’d bring it into compliance.” The Long Range Planning Committee had asked Gehlhausen to come up with a plan and the cost to demolish the former building restaurant building on the site and to turn it into a parking lot.
“It’s never quite as simple as knocking the building down and paving it over,” Gehlhausen said. The county purchased the property at the corner of Washington (Ill. 64) and Fifth Streets for $150,000 in June of 2013 from John Spoor. Jackass BBQ was most recently located there, but several decades ago a gas station was at the spot. The underground tanks, if they still exist on the site, have never been registered, Gehlhausen said, which is required by the Illinois State Fire Marshall’s Office. “The previous owner
should have done that before transferring the title,” he said. “Your hands are tied as far as construction or demolition.” Gehlhausen said an inspection needs to be done to determine if the tanks are still there, and samples should be taken to see if the soil is contaminated. Soil borings were done several years ago, he said, but the results were not conclusive because the property owner at the time would not allow the samples to be taken on the site. Consequently, the borings Turn to A2
Small but enthusiastic crowd at toy show By Vinde Wells Editor The sky was blue and the temperature was in the 60s March 14, but the crowd was a little sparse at the 27th Forreston FFA Alumni Farm Toy Show and Craft Fair. “It’s a drought year, kind of like in farming,” joked ticket taker Harvey Bolen, a German Valley farmer. Richard Gann, Leaf River, who was working the front table with Bolen, agreed the attendance was down some but said there were good reasons. “It’s been a fair turnout with the circumstances,” he said. “The Forreston boys are downstate, and the Sublette toy show is today, too. It just happened to fall that way this year.” Gann was right. In fact, everywhere you looked the Village of Forreston looked a bit deserted. The only action in town seemed to be at the junior and senior high school where the show was being held. Many residents — all loyal
Andy Hinrichs, Oregon, helps Chloe Lee, 5, Byron, make a rope March 14 at the
Turn to A2 Forreston Farm Toy Show and Craft Fair. Photo by Vinde Wells
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B8-B12 Entertainment, A6 Marriage Licenses, A4
Oregon Police, A7 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B5 Sheriff’s Arrests, B5
Social News, A4 Sports, A11, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B7 Weather, A3
Deaths, B6 Henry H. Brechters, Frederick LaBudde, John L. Reinke, Andrew J. Ruiz, Fay M. Turner, Marie R. Wright
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com