eekend W SV
Saukvalley.com
Your source for news and sports 7 days a week
Serving Lee, Whiteside, Carroll, Ogle and Bureau counties Saturday&Sunday, September 6-7, 2014 $2.00
Seven local teams going for 2 wins SPECIAL SPORTS SECTION
BEHIND THE SCENES AT FIESTACOMMUNITY, DAYS REHEARSAL C12 TINY TERRORS
ENTERPRISE SERIES | TIF DISTRICTS
Setting hooks deep Loveland trees lost Emerald ash borer wreaks havoc at historic site, around Dixon. Photos on PAGE A2.
THOMSON PRISON JOB FAIR
Let the hiring begin
First phase to hire about 300 workers
Local districts focus on future, try to lure new businesses
Illustration by Alex T. Paschal/ apaschal@saukvalley.com
"9 -!44 -%.#!2).) s MMENCARINI SAUKVALLEY COM s 800-798-4085, ext. 5529 This week brings to a close the fourth month of the Dixon downtown streetscape project. Much of its $6 million cost will be paid for with money from the city’s Central Business District TIF district. The project includes new streets, curbs, sidewalks, water and sewer lines, and landscaping throughout downtown. The project has a dual purpose, to beautify the downtown and improve infrastructure, which in turn could attract new economic development downtown that would not have been
there without the improvements. People familiar with the complex laws on tax increment financing know this as the “but for� test – but for the improvements from the TIF district, the development wouldn’t have happened. Dixon and Rock Falls each have two tax increment financing districts, and Sterling has three. The TIF districts, which are intended to spur economic development, were made possible by the state’s Tax Increment Allocation Redevelopment Act in 1977. When a TIF district is established,
a base equalized assessed valuation (EAV) is set. As the area is developed and vacant properties or blighted conditions are removed, the EAV – along with property taxes – often increases. That tax income garnered above the base level goes to the city to pay for the development that caused the increase. While TIF districts have been criticized for misuse, many experts agree that they can be valuable tools of economic development for cities. TIF CONTINUED ON A8
A closer look at TIFs This is the first of four parts in this series. In the coming months, Sauk Valley Media will take a closer look at TIF districts in Sterling, Dixon and Rock Falls, reviewing economic development they’ve spurred in each city in which they’ve been used.
WEEKEND FEATURE | SUICIDE AWARENESS
She knows how to save a life Student has pretty good idea, thanks to groups, training BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5521
ROCK FALLS – There’s a senior at Rock Falls High School, a 17-year-old girl with blond hair and rectangular glasses that frame her face. She’s mature for her age, and in the way she speaks, it’s immediately apparent how intelligent and observant she is. Sensitive, too. She’s close with her mother. She has
Sunny
VOLUME 7 ISSUE 1 50 Pages
Today: 73/48 For the forecast, see Page A9
s 7ARNING SIGNS TO LOOK FOR s #ONTACT INFO FOR PREVENTION TRAINING s #OMMUNITY FUNDRAISER UPCOMING
LIFE CONTINUED ON A5
New headquarters
)LLINOIS !MERICAN 7ATER IS BUILDING A new Sterling facility. See Page C1
THOMSON – It’s been a long time coming, but with a warden officially appointed, the federal Bureau of Prisons will have a job fair Sept. 16-18 for prospective employees of the Thomson prison. With unemployment running 6 percent to 8 percent around the region, that’s welcome news. Whether hundreds, or thousands, show up, though, is anyone’s guess. PRISON CONTINUED ON A4
STERLING PARKS
Long road to ADA compliance 5 years after complaints, district making progress BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570
Help is available ... on A5
an after-school job at The Dog House in Sterling. She thinks about her future, and what she might do when she grows up. “I kind of want to be a police officer,� she says. When she was 10, her father died – his life cut short by suicide. It’s an event that shaped Ciara Dickson’s interests and the trajectory her life has taken.
BY KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ kschultz@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5535
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
After losing her father at age 10 to suicide, Rock Falls High School senior Ciara Dickson began promoting suicide awareness.
Good sports? A special essay on NFL sportsmanship Also inside USA Weekend: Grilled oysters with green onion butter Filmmaker Ken Burns Quirky hotels
STERLING – The federal Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990, and 2 years later was extended to municipalities and park districts. Schools must also be accessible to people with physical and mental disabilities. While most public officials understand the need to comply, the law has set off a costly chain of events for public institutions that are already struggling to do more with less funding. ADA CONTINUED ON A4
Index Births.............. C11 Lottery .............. A2 Business........... C1 Markets .......... A10 #LASSIFIED .......... D1 Obituaries ......... A4 #OMICS ............. B6 Opinion............. A6 #OMMUNITY ..... C12 Scoreboard ...... B8 Scrapbook ....... C3 #ROSSWORD Saturday ........... D5 Sports .............. B1 Services ............ C11 #ROSSWORD Sunday ............. C8 Travel .............. C10 Dave Ramsey ... C1 7EATHER.......... A10 Dear Abby ........ C4 7HEELS ............. D8