Serving the Polo Area Since 1857
POLO Close Match
Golf Season
The Lady Marcos gave Milledgeville everything but came up short. B1
Tri-County Press September 22, 2016 Volume 159, Number 1 - $1.00
Scenic Ride
The high school golf postseason will begin next week. B1
A fundraising bicycle ride will be held in Ogle County on Saturday, Sept. 24. A6
Ongoing garage sale still an issue By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com A Polo alderman isn’t so sure that efforts are proving successful to curb an ongoing garage sale. “He’s added stuff. Now there’s a camper there,” Alderman Randy Schoon told the city council Monday. Schoon was referring to the garage sale being run by Richard Jeter, 901 S. Division Ave. (Ill. 26). The issue has been discussed at least twice at previous city council meetings, and city officials have reported getting numerous complaints from citizens who are unhappy with the situation. Residents have complained about the continuing sale, as well as abandoned vehicles and open burning on the property. The city has no ordinance limiting the frequency or duration of garage sales. Police Chief Dennis Christen told the council that he has issued Jeter notices to abate, based on violations of Ben Bittinger and Keith Chesnut, separate 50/50 raffle tickets Friday night before the start of the football game city ordinances. against Eastland-Pearl City. Photo by Chris Johnson The notices were issued Sept. 2. Christen said Tuesday that a notice to abate is issued to a citizen who is violating a city ordinance before legal action By Vinde Wells After a discussion, the Rochelle offices of the Ogle is taken. an estimated $372,000 vwells@oglecounty to redo the roof and two board approved by a vote County Health Department news.com of 16-5 moving to the and Ogle County Probation parking lots. Rewerts said Tuesday that next phase of the project Department in the building, After plan revisions and he met with the building’s and spending $30,000 as well as the University of inspections, the estimated tenants and based on those for Rewerts to prepare Illinois clinic. cost to remodel a county- discussions, he has refined construction documents. The two county owned building in Rochelle and improved his original The county purchased the departments currently rent has decreased by more than design. clinic building, previously spaces in Rochelle for The Polo Chamber of $200,000. Changes to the plan a bank, and its two large almost $50,000 per year. Commerce will hold its Ogle County Board lowered the anticipated parking lots at 510 Lincoln Last month several board Chairman Kim Gouker cost, he said. Highway in downtown members questioned the annual Chili Cook Off on told the board Tuesday “We feel we now have Rochelle last fall for cost of the remodeling Saturday, Sept. 24 at Louise evening that the estimated floor plans everyone has $180,000 from Rochelle and asked for another D. Quick Park at the corner cost of renovations to the approved,” Rewerts said. Community Hospital. architectural firm to of Mason and Franklin Streets. former Rochelle Clinic is Gouker said one of The county had already inspect the building. The location has been $642,000. the biggest changes was been renting the basement Long Range Planning changed from the Polo city Last month, architect turning the elevator 90 for its Emergency Committee member Zach lot on Division Ave. Greg Rewerts of Rewerts degrees so that only one Operations Center (EOC) Oltmanns, Stillman Valley, Cooking will begin at 8 Design Group, Rockford, door will be required when hospital officials put said Tuesday that two estimated the cost at instead of two. the building on the market building inspectors went a.m. with public tasting and $877,000. through it in the month judging at noon. He said that significantly late last summer. Trophies will be awarded Neither amount includes reduced the cost. The plan is to locate the between meetings.
50/50 Raffle
Cost of remodeling building comes down
The citizen has seven days to comply with the ordinance. Jeter was issued notices for having an abandoned vehicle on the property and for a zoning violation. The property is zoned B-2 (business use), but Christen said ordinances require that salvaging operations must be done fully inside a building “out of public view.” Schoon said he will contact officials about possible environmental hazards at the site. In a related matter, Polo resident Marv Bushman voiced safety concerns about two apparently abandoned pick-up trucks parked at 903 S. Division Ave. “They haven’t moved for months,” he said. “You drive up to the stop sign [on West Dement Street at the intersection with Division Avenue] and you can’t see anything.” In other business, the board discussed electrical upgrades and repairs at two city parks. Mayor Doug Knapp said the electrical feed for Polo Community Park is inadequate and not up to code. He said he expects correcting it will cost $15,000 to $20,000. At Millard Deuth Park the light poles are in need of repair, Knapp said. The council agreed to get quotes on the projects.
Chili Cook Off will heat up Polo for People’s Choice, Judge’s Choice, Showmanship, and Non-Traditional Chili. “Blind” judging will be conducted. The 10th annual Larry Lannen Memorial Blood Drive will also be held in conjunction with the chili cookoff at the same location. This day also marks Polo All Town Garage Sales event.
Sunshine, bison bring visitors to Autumn on the Prairie By Earleen Hinton ehinton@oglecounty news.com Close to 1,000 visitors came to the Nachusa Grasslands’ Autumn on the Prairie Sept. 17 with most of them hoping to get a closer look at the preserve’s bison herd. Some of them did and some did not, but such is the case when it comes to seeing an undomesticated herd that has 1,500 acres to choose from. “This is a wild herd, we may not be able to see them on demand,” Grasslands’ volunteer Mike Carr told a
wagon full of visitors as they used binoculars to search bison in the distance. And there they were… walking very slowly with the just the tops of their large brown bodies framed against a hill of flowing prairie grass. “Yes, the grass is very tall, but there, there they are,” said a tour participant. Carr confirmed the sighting. “Seeing them at distance like this is one of the best things for me,” he said. “It’s a balance here. We don’t want them to become domesticated.” The tour wagon Sarah Zuniga, an Oregon resident and student at Eureka
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College, was riding in watched as bison neared their group. “Our tour had a group of bison run past us to catch up with the rest of the herd. It was exhilarating seeing them run, and I think all of us were amazed at their power,” she said. Wagon rides out into the fenced bison unit were just one of several educational offerings available at the event. Kids could check out animal pelts, play with wooden toys, or see how Native Americans used bison hides and bones in their Visitors to the Nachusa Grasslands’ Autumn on the Prairie could ride wagons out into the bison enclosure, but no guarantees were made as to how close the herd would be. everyday lives. Turn to A3 On this wagon ride some of the bison can been seen at a distance. Other tours saw
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
the bison up close when they walked by. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Marriage Licenses, A4 Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4
Sports, A10, B1-B2 State’s Attorney, B3 Weather, A3
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com
Death, B4 David E. Buzinski