Thursday February 26, 2015 Vol. 3, No. 1
The Weekly Post
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Elmwood board approves junior high school renovation By BILL KNIGHT
ELMWOOD – The Board of Education on Monday voted 5-2 to contract with a Schaumburg firm to supervise the first step of a $1.5 million renovation of its Junior High School. Performance Services, Inc. will receive $$723,037 to handle mechanical, electrical, plumbing, windows and roofing work, according to the company’s Doug McMahan, who answered questions before the vote. That includes For The Weekly Post
Yates City group aids widows By MICHELLE SHERMAN
From the outside looking in, it isn’t obvious what brings a group of women to the meeting room of the Salem Township Public Library every third Saturday morning. It could be a book club, or a gardening group or a craft circle. But these women carry nothing that indicates membership to their club. At least not outwardly. “I don’t want to be a widow. None of us do,” said Linda Kennelly of Yates City, who leads the Widows’ Club. Kennelly’s husband passed away in March of 2012, and several months later she was in the library talking with Librarian Denise Hayes about the large number of widows living in the area. She suggested forming a widows’ club to reach out to those women. “The next time I was in and we were chatting, she (Hayes) said, ‘I kind of think maybe that’s a great idea,’ ” Kennelly said. Hayes then took the idea to the library Board of Trustees, who agreed it would help expand the library’s outreach. But meetings didn’t begin right away. For The Weekly Post
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$200,000 to replace an antiquated, inefficient boiler with two smaller, modular boilers in a space that could accommodate expansion if the need arises, he said. McMahan described the arrangement as a “turnkey” approach guaranteeing the price despite change orders, the performance of the new system, and returning to the District any unused funds. Board member Dean Cantu and vice president Terri Osmulski voted no. They and Board president Tom Conklin –
who voted yes – are running in the April 7 election, along with three newcomers for four open seats. “Given the uncertainty with the state and a feeling this was rushed, I’m not comfortable with moving forward this year,” Osmulski said. Board secretary Bill Frietsch disagreed, saying “We’re not rushing this. We’ve been working on this for six years. The timing’s right; the price is right.” Board member Rick LeHew argued,
ELABORATE CREATION
A monument to love Unique rock garden a lasting tribute By BILL KNIGHT
KICKAPOO – A modest marker in Swan Lake Memory Gardens in Peoria unites the late William and Ethel Notzke, but stone remnants of a more impressive, even extravagant, symbol of their relationship survive in a unique rock garden on U.S. Route 150 between Kickapoo and Brimfield. Winter is the “off season” for visitors, but Cheryl Becker and her husband John are caretakers of sorts for what remains of a massive tribute William built over decades at the site of the old Jubilee Dairy. Arches or flat entranceways, tiny rose quartz stones and shiny feldspar all occupy the nooks and crannies of the walls and
“Postponing this will only cost the taxpayers more money in the future, from materials and lawyers and labor. Interest rates are low right now. I’m ready.” McMahan said work will be bid in April for work to start in May and be finished before Aug. 18, when students return to classrooms. He added that workers will make program adjustments after school starts, but it won’t interfere with classes. To finance the project, the Board auContinued on Page 2
Educators antsy about budget plan By MICHELLE SHERMAN
For The Weekly Post
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s plans for stemming the tide of spending in Illinois was met with mixed feelings across the state, especially for those involved in public education. During his Feb. 20 budget address, Rauner announced more than $4 billion in spending cuts beginning July 1, which will mean over $6 billion in savings to the state of Illinois. Among those cuts is pension funding, which affects public employees in nearly all realms of the state. Included in the proposed $2.2 billion in pension cuts are public school teachers and administrators, even those who were employed by the state prior to 2011. Those employed prior to 2011 are considered Tier 1 employees, meaning they can receive their pension benefits at an earlier age and with fewer years of service than those who were hired later. Benefits for these retirees also are higher than for the Tier 2 retirees. Rauner’s plan would allow these employees to take a lump-sum buyout of their pension before switching to a 401(K)-style plan. There also would be a reduction in cost of living adjustments. “The retirement plans that so many educators have been planning on for years are going to be altered dramatically” if Rauner’s pension reform gets For The Weekly Post
The rock garden above was built by the late William Notzke as a tribute to his late wife, Ethel, between Kickapoo and Brimfield.
rock ropes on the lot. It was the 1930s when William began building, sculpting or shaping tons of stones into a kaleidoscope of shapes here. “It started out, they went to Colorado for a vacation,” says Cheryl, 57, who moved here with John, 65, and their two children 25 years ago next month. “They had two kids, a son and a daughter, and he
brought back trees,” she continues. “He just kept going back and hauling back all of the rocks. It became an obsession. It took 20 years.” Long gone is the dairy, where “the best ice cream in Peoria County” was sold until the 1950s, and where customers enjoyed the view and even picnicked while waiting to buy milk and other products. Continued on Page 8
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