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Surveying the WARRIORS AIM FOR A LION’S SHARE OF WINS artistic landscape BOYS BASKETBALL, B1
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Thursday, January 5, 2017 n SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
SAUK VALLEY | SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Getting a new business partner Center for Small Business Development gets state grant, new name, and more resources BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
DIXON – The Center for Small Business Development is now under the state’s umbrella, opening the door to a wide network of resources and funding to grow entrepreneurship throughout the community.
The center at Sauk Valley Community College, which has operated for about a year, received a long-awaited grant from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity that brings it into the fold of Illinois Small Business Development Centers. The grant awards the center with $80,000 a year for 3 years, along with access to state resources and data-
bases to help current and potential business owners with their needs. “Now, we officially become part of the state network, and any resources the state has, we have access to,” Center Director David Buchen said. “It gives us more to work with.” The center provides a diverse array of guidance to existing and potential small businesses, such as developing business plans, address-
ing issues, and bolstering marketing campaigns. It also helps owners looking to retire and pass their businesses on to others. Sauk President David Hellmich said business development is a beneficial tool in promoting community growth, whether it’s helping the creation of new businesses or strengthening current ones. BUSINESS continued on A54
ERIE SCHOOLS
TWIN CITIES
Things are shaping up on the land of Lincoln Workers take advantage of early head start weather gave them BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
Workers attach building wrap to the outside of the Lincoln Learning Center on Wednesday afternoon in Sterling.
STERLING – Neither rain, sleet, snow, nor mud could stop work at the Lincoln Learning Center site. The Sterling-Rock Falls Historical Society rolled the dice on the weather, and the unseasonably mild conditions held just long enough to get the foundation poured. Excavation work next to the Lincoln-Manahan Home started Nov. 7, and the project’s donors now have something tangible to see. The work is being done in two phases – the first by Mazomanie, Wisconsin-based Wick Buildings. The Wick team put up the structure, and will finish windows, walls, and other basic framework duties early next week. “We were lucky to get the foundation in right before the cold spell because that was the only part that was really sensitive to the weather,” said Bill Abate, president of the historical society. The second stage will be handled by the general contractor and subcontractors. SHAPING UP continued on A54
Unseasonably warm temperatures late last year helped pave the way for work at the Lincoln Learning Center site in Sterling. The foundation was poured before cold weather settled in, and today, the building is taking shape. “The second phase will start soon, and we will be ready to open when the weather breaks this spring,” said Bill Abate, president of the historical society.
Board says yes, but will voters? Referendum for nearly $25 million project will be on April ballot BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
ERIE – The cost of a campus overhaul went up a bit since the school board’s initial discussions, but members still opted Wednesday to let the voters decide whether the project is worth the price, voting to put a referendum on the April 4 election ballot for the project. If approved by voters, the proposed project to consolidate the district’s four buildings down to two, while adding about 13,700 square feet and bringing learning environments into the 21st century, will cost Online extra about $24.5 million. Read this story at The board was saukvalley.com given a $21.5 million to hear BLDD estimate at its Dec. Principal Mark Ritz 12 meeting, but once discuss how the the board voted 3 campus project days later to approve its contract with could play out. architecture firm BLDD, Superintendent Bradley Cox consulted the firm to double-check the numbers. The firm recommended factoring $265 per square foot for renovations in the middle school, rather than the previous $250 figure used. BLDD also recommended designating about $2 million for casework, lighting and doors in rooms alongside construction sites in the middle school. That would mean bonding nearly $14 million, with the rest of the funds taken from reserves and the 1 percent sales tax revenue. If the bonds were issued over 10 years, it would cost the owner of a $125,000 home about $240 annually. After a lengthy discussion, the board voted 6-1 in favor, with Joe Weaver casting the lone dissenting vote. Once the vote was cast, several members of the public spoke out. Chad Von Holten shared statistics from the U.S. Department of Education indicating Erie spends about $3.7 million a year more than other Whiteside County districts of similar size, which adds up to $37 million over the next 10 years, a number he said dwarfs the $14 million for which board is asking. “If we started a workdown curve now, we’d have enough money to buy whatever we need for improvements,” Von Holten said. PROJECT continued on A54
Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
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TODAY’S EDITION: 20 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 166 ISSUE 173
INDEX
ABBY.................... A8 BUSINESS............ A5 COMICS................ A8
David Buchen
CROSSWORD.......B9 LIFESTYLE............ A8 LOTTERY.............. A2
OBITUARIES......... A4 OPINION............... A6 POLICE................. A2
Today’s weather High 14. Low 1. More on A3.
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