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Clip file: Amboy YOU SAY TOMATO; kicks off previews WE SAY DELICIOUS FOOD, A9-10
FOOTBALL, B1
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Wednesday, August 12, 2015
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON | REGIONAL SPORTS COMPLEX
A simple goal; a complex plan Recreation under one roof: The idea is easy enough; making it a reality will take some work BY BRENDEN WEST bwest@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529 @BWest_SVM
DIXON – It’s not a new discussion. YMCA officials have been contemplating expansion. The Dixon School District once asked voters for a sales tax increase to pay for an improved sports complex. (It failed). But with the new City Council comes a renewed conversation on whether to
make a regional, Dixon-based sports complex a reality. A group of local leaders has met monthly since May, fleshing out what such a project might look like. “There’s really just a bunch of community leaders getting together and talking about it,” Mayor Li Arellano Jr. said Tuesday. “We’re just trying to get our heads together about getting this off the ground without a big tax increase.” And with the parties involved, Andrew
McFarlane, CEO of the YMCA, said enthusiasm is building. Several years ago, his group identified the need to grow recreational services. He said community leaders are still in the early stages of discussion, but that discussion demonstrates the willingness of multiple entities to come together for one goal – and that, he says, is a good sign for Dixon.
‘‘
This is a great vision. If we can come together to make this happen, how powerful of a message does that send to our residents?
’’
Andrew McFarlane CEO of the Dixon YMCA
COMPLEX CONTINUED ON A4
ROCK FALLS
MOUNT MORRIS
Mother Nature’s son A couple ‘hooked on prairie’ has honored a son, and the state of Illinois has honored their work
She’s off and running the show City administrator: Interim tourism director is doing a ‘fantastic job’ BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
ROCK FALLS – The city has named an interim tourism director, and she is well versed in local hotels and special events. Janell Loos, 43, of Sterling had been doing work for the new city department as a member of the Tourism Committee. She started working there full time the last week of July. Loos had worked with the Rock Falls Days Inn for more than 2 years, where she most recently had been the hotel’s director of sales and catering. The city had wanted a part-time interim director, but decided to give Loos 40 hours a week after seeing how well she worked with Janell the committee. Loos “Janell is doing a fantastic job,” City Administrator Robbin Blackert said. “She is very self-motivated, and I just had to tell her once what needed to be done, and she took off running.”
Paul and Carol Soderholm returned 130 acres of farmland next to White Pines State Park to native prairie grasses and flowers. The couple is shown here on their deck, overlooking the prairie.
TOURISM CONTINUED ON A5
MORRISON
Delay is in the city’s best interest
BY SARAH ZUNIGA Special to Sauk Valley Media
MOUNT MORRIS – When a mother loses a son, it’s only natural that she would want to preserve his memory. That’s exactly what Carol Soderholm did – in a big way. The Mount Morris woman, along with her husband, Paul, helped return 130 acres of farmland next to White Pines State Park to native prairie grasses and flowers. In the process, they found a way to keep her son’s memory alive forever. The Soderholms, self-proclaimed conservationists who have been married 19 years, named their endeavor the Edward F. Vassallo Land and Water Reserve, after Carol’s son, who died of leukemia in February 2014.
Sewer work could be pushed back until 2016, but mayor says it’s worth the wait BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
MORRISON – The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is again asking the city to wait for a better financing deal for its new wastewater treatment plant project, but this time it’s only for a few weeks. The city had delayed the project for a year at the recommendation of the EPA, which said new financing rules were being put in place that could make it more affordable. Of particular interest to Morrison was the addition of a 30-year loan option. The city still isn’t sure whether the longer loan period will be available, and the EPA contacted city officials Monday to make Everett another recommendation. Knowing that the Pannier city was likely to approve a bid for the first phase of the project at Monday’s council meeting, the agency suggested the city hold out for a few weeks to get a better interest rate on the loan.
PRESERVE CONTINUED ON A5
A compass plant points to the sky in the restored prairie. Photos by Sarah Zuniga/Special to Sauk Valley Media
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TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 164 ISSUE 73
INDEX
ABBY ................... A8 BUSINESS ......... A11 COMICS ...............B5
CROSSWORD....B10 FOOD ..............A9-10 LIFESTYLE ........... A8
LOTTERY ............. A2 OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6
SEWER CONTINUED ON A4
Today’s weather High 81. Low 60. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B6.
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