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Tri-County Press November 19, 2015 Volume 158, Number 9 - $1.00
Season Over
Recycle Nov. 20
SA Charged
Mistakes proved costly when Polo faced Stark County Nov. 14 in Wyoming. B1
Don’t forget to recycle your electronic items this Friday. A6
The Lee County State’s Attorney is charged with driving while under the influence. B3
County finalizes Rochelle real estate purchase Board approves $190,000 to purchase one building By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com The Ogle County Board finalized a real estate deal Tuesday to purchase property in downtown Rochelle.
The board unanimously approved a contract to buy the Rochelle Clinic at 510 Lincoln Highway from the Rochelle Community Hospital Foundation for $190,000. The board agreed last month to offer that amount for the building, and the hospital foundation accepted. Board chairman Kim Gouker said the closing on the property is scheduled for Nov. 30.
“Part of the agreement is that we will allow them to use the building until April,” — Kim Gouker Board Chairman The county currently rents the basement of the building to use as its Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Rochelle Clinic is in the upstairs but will likely move out in the spring when a new building is
completed, Gouker said. The hospital put the building up for sale because of the large addition that is under construction. Once the real estate transaction is completed, Gouker said, the county will terminate its lease
for the building, and lease it back to the clinic at no charge. “Part of the agreement is that we will allow them to use the building until April,” Gouker said. “They will probably move out in February or March.” The hospital foundation has not charged the county rent to use the basement as its EOC, but the county did make some repairs, he said. Once the clinic relocates, the county is considering
moving the health department’s Rochelle clinic into the building. Probation offices already located in Rochelle may also move in, Gouker said. The health department currently pays $43,000 annually to rent space in Rochelle, and the probation department pays $7,500 in annual rent. Both have leases that will need to be discussed with the respective property owners, he said.
Camera use questioned By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Surveillance cameras at a neighbor’s home are making a Polo woman uncomfortable to be in her own yard. Billie Jo Quaco, 510 E. Mason St., told the city council Monday that a neighbor has installed cameras aimed at her (Quaco’s) house and yard. “It’s kind of creepy,” she said. “It’s getting a little bit out of hand. I feel uncomfortable being outside.” Quaco asked if it is legal for someone to put up cameras to record their neighbors. City Attorney Tom Suits advised her that the cameras
are legal, but if they are recording sound that would be illegal. Alderman Cheryl Galor advised Quaco to take photos of the cameras to see if they are recording sound. Quaco said she doesn’t know what the neighbor hopes to discover with the cameras or why she has been put them up. She said she minds her own business and tries to ignore the cameras, but that has not eased the situation. Alderman Troy Boothe was sympathetic. “It feels almost like stalking,” he said. Quaco said she spoke to Police Chief Dennis Christen about it, but he advised her it is a civil matter. Christen was ill and did
not attend the meeting. “I’m tired of it,” Quaco said. “It has gone on long enough.” “It wouldn’t hurt to consult an attorney,” Suits said. In another matter, City Clerk Susie Corbitt said she has been asked by several residents if the city would consider a ban on leaf burning, especially since other programs to deal with leaves are available. One was a parent whose child has asthma and struggles to breathe when leaves are being burned in the neighborhood. The city street department picks up leaves raked into the street, and Moring Disposal picks up landscape waste that is properly bagged.
Veterans Breakfast
Gun range decision postponed By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com An Ogle County committee postponed making a decision last week on a special use permit for a handgun caliber range at the Byron Sportsman’s & Conservation Club. The Supervisor of Assessments and Planning & Zoning Committee decided to put off its decision until Dec. 8 to allow members
more time to review the information presented. The committee will make a recommendation on the request to the county board, which is the final authority on the issue. Sportsman’s club president O.K. Welty filed the special use request on behalf on the club, and it was considered by the county’s Zoning Board of Appeals at a lengthy hearing on Sept. 24 Several neighbors voiced their opposition to the gun
range due to safety concerns at the hearing. More than 150 people, many of whom live nearby, signed a petition opposing the gun range, and it was also presented to the ZBA. The ZBA voted 3-2 to recommend that the county board approve the request. The ZBA found that the request met the six required standards for special use permits, if it is properly designed, built, and operated. Turn to A2
Above, Reid Scott, 5, was all smiles Nov. 11 as he eats breakfast with his grandfather Bill Haws, Dixon, at the Veterans Breakfast hosted by Centennial Elementary School. At left, John Allen, Dixon, was the guest of his granddaughter Emily Nov. 11. Photos by Vinde Wells
Fallen Soldiers Memorial dedicated on Veterans Day By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Go Marcos Polo fans react to a pick-6 by Brad Cavanaugh in the first half to give the Marcos the lead over Stark County. Polo eventually lost the game. Photo by Chris Johnson
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Byron Police, B5 Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B5
From the opening flyover by a Huey helicopter to the closing strains of “Taps,” Ogle County gave a fitting dedication on Veterans Day to its newest tribute to military men and women killed in battle. A large crowd of veterans, school students, officials, and residents ringed the Ogle County Fallen Soldiers Memorial on the courthouse lawn Nov. 11 for the dedication ceremony. “I’d like to thank the community of Oregon for dedicating this monument — it’s the right thing to do,” said keynote speaker Ret. Brig. Gen. Steve Huber, Byron.
Marriage Licenses, A4 Polo Police, A9 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, A7
The focal point of the memorial is a bronze statue depicting a young soldier kneeling before the grave of a comrade on a black granite base flanked by two black granite tablets on bearing the names of soldiers who gave their lives in conflicts from World War I to the present. It was created and cast by sculptor Jeff Adams at his studio inBronze Foundry, Mt. Morris. “Our veterans have taken the idea of a free nation and turned it into the reality of a free nation,” Huber said. “Veterans Day is not a celebration of war. In fact it started as a celebration of peace. Today it is a celebration of gratitude.” Huber said things have changed in the military over
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the years — many buttons on uniforms have been replaced by Velcro and soldiers now carry computers along with their weapons. “One thing remains the same — the heart of the American soldier, sailor, airman or airwoman….,” he said. Ogle County Board Chairman Kim Gouker thanked the Oregon VFW and Oregon American Legion Posts for placing the memorial on the courthouse lawn. “It is important that we dedicate this ground for those Ogle County citizens who put aside their lives to fight tyranny and oppressors who have sought to take
Deaths, B4 Dennis E. Bennett, Lloyd E. Bolen
Turn to A2