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Tri-County Press May 28, 2015 Volume 157, Number 36 - $1.00
Ten Events At State Memorial Walk The Polo-Forreston track team will compete in 10 events at the state track meet May 28. B1
Regional Title
It is time to sign up for the annual Lois Nelson Memorial Walk. A7
The Forreston-Polo baseball team picked up their first regional title May 23.. B1
Pranks were part of the fun for the Class of 2015 By Chris Johnson Reporter Trying to sell the school on Craigslist, a trip to the hospital, and other fun memories were shared during Polo’s Commencement Sunday afternoon. Valedictorian Madison Merdian and Salutatorian Jacob Hanlon gave the senior class remarks during the ceremony. The two shared ideas and even completed each other’s thoughts during their address to the class of 2015. Before talking about the memories that drew laughs from the audience, the pair discussed several great memories they had at PCHS. “Thank you for attending our ceremony,” said Merdian. “First we would like to Above, Madison Merdian and Jacob Hanlon deliver a speech during the Polo Community High School Commencement Sunday afternoon. Below, Alan Martoccia thank friends, family, and classmates for reaching this and Shelton Morris, walk into the ceremony. Photos by Chris Johnson milestone,” said Hanlon. “Without you this would not be possible.”
Merdian said the class was so close it is almost like they were family. “It just so happens that some of our classmates are family,” said Hanlon. The class of 2015 has been together throughout 12 years of school, with 46 of the 57 together since grade school. Hanlon said the class has gotten along fairly well. This was also due to having so many students involved with extra curriculars, said Merdian. “We have had a lot of great memories. Including when Alex slipped on ice and slipped underneath the bus,” she said “Or freshman football when Mr. (Andy) Faivre knocked Blake to the ground,” said Hanlon. Throughout the years, the class of 2015 worked as a team, Madison said. This was not limited to the athletic fields.
“We have worked as a team,” said Merdian. “We have won homecoming competitions.” “Speaking of which when do we get those pizza parties the school owes us?” said Hanlon. The students have earned labels during their time at PCHS. “Throughout high school we have given ourselves certain labels,” said Merdian. “A brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal,” said Hanlon while grinning. “Yes, that was a Breakfast Club reference,” said Merdian. “No one in our class fits just one of those labels,” said Hanlon. The two said the labels of who you are will change in the future. “Now let’s forget about all the serious stuff and reflect Turn to A2
County board planning to raze old gas station By Vinde Wells Editor
Agencies perform well during safety exercise By Chris Johnson Reporter Ogle County agencies showed they are able to protect residents in the event of an emergency at Byron’s Exelon Nuclear Power Station. Emergency plans were tested last week to prepare for a potential emergency at the power plant. “FEMA concluded that they demonstrated the ability to protect the area,” Sean O’Leary, US Department of Homeland Security National Preparedness Division Chief, Technological Hazards Branch, FEMA These findings were similar to what the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) found during the exercise at the power plant. “The preliminary results are adequate,” said Greg Hanson, NRC Region 3. “The Licensee (Exelon) can implement a plan and protect the public.”
He said the strength of the sheriff’s department was shown during the exercise. “They performed well,” said Hanson. FEMA and the NRC were conducting a post exercise press conference May 22 at the Ogle County Public Safety Complex. The preliminary findings for the exercise were announced at this time. Evaluators staged a hostile based scenario for the power plant and outside agencies May 20. The exercise simulated armed attackers trying to gain access to the power plant. “We had evaluators in Ogle County, Winnebago County, and Illinois,” said O’Leary. “We assessed 113 criteria.” A final report on the exercise will be released 90 days after the preliminary findings on the NRC’s ADAMS (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System)
In This Week’s Edition...
Sometime later this year, an Oregon gas station turned restaurant will be razed to make way for a parking lot. Ogle County Board Chairman Kim Gouker, Byron, said last week that the building that most recently housed Jackass BBQ, at the corner of Washington and Fifth Streets, will be coming down “sometime this year.” He said the exact timeline is not yet certain. Gouker told the county board May 19 that so far, the county has incurred an estimated $21,668 on the property at 501 W. Washington St., including $934 to remove the natural gas service, $2,592 for asbestos assessment and abatement, $2,450 for assessment of five underground tanks, and $16,250 for design work. He said considerable money was saved by having the county’s Highway Department
handle the bid process and do excavating and demolition work on the property. Gouker said the long range plan is to also remove the house from the property at 102 S. Fifth St., which is next door to the former gas station, and create one large parking lot with approximately 40 spaces. He said the project will be done in phases, with the removal of the underground tanks and gas station building and completing that part the parking lot as Phase 1, removal of the house next door as Phase 2, and completing the rest of the parking lot as Phase 3. Completion of all three phases is likely several years in the future, he said. A lawyer’s office is currently located in the house. An information sheet outlined the estimated costs of all three phases. Phase 1 is expected to cost $197,850, including the cost of removing the underground
tanks, removing the old gas station, and completing the first half of the parking lot. Phase 2 and 3 are estimated at a total of $161,950. The county purchased the property at 501 W. Washington St. for $150,000 in June of 2013 from John Spoor. In December of 2013, the board approved buying the house at 102 S. Fifth St. from Scott and Barb Spoor for $99,500. At that time the board entered into a three-year lease for the house with attorney Robert Lowe. The house property is adjacent to the Ogle County Judicial Center. The house was once part of the Spoor Hotel and was the home of John Spoor’s grandmother, the late Kathryn Spoor. The hotel was razed to make way for the gas station, which closed approximately 45 years ago. Over the years, several restaurants did business there.
website located at www.nrc. gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Safety exercises are held bi-annually in the 10 mile zone around the power plant for all agencies. In previous exercises, radiation leaks and natural disasters were simulated. The hostile action was a new scenario. Additionally, Hanson said other exercises are held internally throughout the year. “These exercises are important so we ensure we can protect the public,” said Exelon Generation Senior Communications Manager William Stoermer, Quad Cities Generating Station. “We want the public to be confident we can run these drills. It is a great learning opportunity for us.” The results of the drill are shared between Exelon facilities to improve the safety within the entire The Polo American Legion marches north on Division Avenue Monday morning in the company, he said. annual Memorial Day Parade. The parade route led from the downtown to Fairmount Turn to A2 Cemetery where a service honoring veterans was held. Photo by Vinde Wells
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B8-B14 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B5
Memorial Day Parade
Marriage Licenses, A4 Polo Police, A2 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B7 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Social News, A4 Sports, A12, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4 Weather, A2
Deaths, B3 Robert A. Gigous, Nancy J. Kaczmarzyk, Paul S. Kaminski, Darrell D. Rothermel
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com