OpiniOn

Taking a “pause” is how city officials have described the interruption in their ambitious plan to upgrade the condition of virtually every street in Woodstock over the next few years.

Before calling a timeout for up to a year because of the uncertainties involved with the coronavirus pandemic, the City Council had certainly been aggressive in pursing the plan.

Mayor Brian Sager first hinted publicly about the multiyear project in his State of the City address just 13 months ago, calling street improvements the city’s No. 1 priority.

Within weeks, the council had approved a new city fuel tax of 3-cents-a-gallon, effective April 1, to help pay off what turned out to be a $9.3 million bond to resurface more than 19 lane miles of streets in 2020 that were graded at “poor” to “fair,” a preemptive move to improve them before they failed. Streets that have already failed will have to settle for occasional patching until the expensive rebuilding they need comes in the later years of the program.

Before the contractor finished the 2020 job early this month, the council had already decided that now was not the time to leap into more years of work at a cost of tens of millions of dollars.

“I’m a little nervous not knowing the long-term impact of COVID-19,” Councilwoman Wendy Piersall said in voicing the concern of other council members, who voted 7-0 for a one-year delay – an action that could be reversed by another vote if economic conditions improve. After all, the engineering work for the second year of work has already been authorized, maybe even completed by now.

In discussions since spring, the council had yet to decide the biggest question involved in years two through five of the streets program: How are we going to pay for it?

“We” being the taxpayers of Woodstock.

Perhaps it’s for the best that the city will scale

INDEPENDENT FILE PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

back street work in 2021 to the normal $2 million to $2.5 million from present revenues, mostly the local share of the state fuel tax and the home-rule sales tax the council enacted effective Jan. 1, 2018.

Several options exist for additional revenue – an increase in the property tax or the city’s 2020 fuel tax, or a new tax on utility bills or food and drink sales at restaurants, or maybe a combination of those.

We suspect that with street improvements having been the justification for two new local taxes in the span of less than three years, local taxpayers might not have an appetite for further taxes so soon.

And it can’t hurt to have the streets program scrutinized by another set of eyes, which the council will have in April with the election of two new members to fill vacancies.

As a council member suggested, good streets is an economic development issue and a quality of life issue for Woodstock and its residents.

But as this is also a personal finance issue for taxpayers, it’s not a bad thing to take a little extra time to make sure we’ve properly balanced all of those interests.

For 8+ months we have been collectively suffering through this pandemic. Whether you’re a small business, someone (like me) who’s lost their livelihood, the loneliness, uprooting of lifestyles – you name it, we all can empathize with one another, regardless of political affiliation.

Which is why it is so incredibly enraging to once again see a Woodstock Police officer this week not wear his mask while patrolling the Square. I’ve seen him over the months either at the Farmers Market or on his daily route where he consistently shows outright refusal to model the simplest form of public safety: Wearing. A. Mask.

All of us need to do our part, and wearing a badge does not put you above CDC guidelines.

In fact, by wearing a mask, a police officer could inspire others to wear one as well. (I won’t bore everyone with stating once again the benefits and mitigation of wearing masks.)

The point is, we are now seeing a huge surge across the country and here in McHenry County.

Please, act carefully as we head into the winter months, because our own personal actions inevitably affect the overall health of this nation – even if it’s just businesses.

Some ideas? Order takeout, leave a large tip where you would normally spend on drinks, shop local for gifts this holiday season. Because the sooner we take this seriously, the sooner we can all go back to some semblance of normal.

And if someone reading this thinks I’m being righteous by “telling you what to do,” I’m not.

In fact, I’m being incredibly selfish because I work in live-entertainment and filmmaking. My job cannot work from home, so I and millions of artists are dependent on the personal actions of you.

Wear a mask. Buy local. Happy Holidays.

On Saturday, 7 November, City Square Dental hosted their second annual Veterans Day celebration.

Dr. Whitney Behm and all of the excellent staff provided free dental care for local veterans.

It was a wonderful experience, with a warm and caring atmosphere, lots of laughter, and good music to accompany the event. I would like to thank Dr. Behm and “family” for honoring veterans in this meaningful way.

This is switchover week. The annual Lighting of the Square Friday and Christmas parade Sunday left no doubt Thanksgiving was behind us and we were ready for Christmas.

Fall and Thanksgiving decorations are stored away, and winter and Christmas decorations are being hauled out and put about. I remain an advocate for fresh trees, so ours was purchased Saturday from the lot at First Methodist Church. I hope to have my collection of Nativities displayed around our house in the next few days.

Looking back at columns I wrote the first week of December in years past, I often went on at length about all that would be happening in Woodstock leading up to Christmas. I told about our high schools’ choir and madrigal concerts, productions at the Opera House like “A Christmas Carol” or “A Christmas Story,” and the much-anticipated presence of Santa in his hut in the Park in the Square. I shared my appreciation for the carriage rides, Tuba Christmas, and “The Nutcracker.”

Woodstock is switching over to Christmas this week. Hats off to everyone who has been reimaging holiday traditions in Woodstock to comply with COVID-19 mandates and to slow the spread. The Friends of the Old Court House moved the annual Gingerbread House Walk to Facebook; Santa will listen to children’s wishes at Stage Left Café; and his hut is in the Park in the Square for photo ops. The Chamber of Commerce and Claussen Pickle have teamed up to offer, for the first time, a Legend of the Pickle Contest. I am grateful to Judith Svalander and her ballet students for performing “The Nutcracker” at the Opera House, especially given the pandemic and audience-size restrictions. Christmas Clearing House, WoodCheryl Wormley stock’s annual dis- Declarations tribution of food and gifts to families in need, is a go! This year’s distribution will be Saturday, Dec. 19. Donations can be made at woodstockcares.com or by mailing a check to P.O. Box 53. The Independent will publish plans for packing food and gifts when they are finalized.

All of us at The Independent are watching for information about other holiday events and opportunities. Please help us by emailing press releases to news@thewoodstockindependent.com or calling 815-338-8040.

For about 10 years, I have thought I would enjoy being in a book club. The opportunity never presented itself, nor did I commit myself to starting one. Then, about four weeks ago, grandson Charles, 10, called and asked whether Jim and I would like to participate in a book club on Zoom. He said he also planned to invite “Sito” and “Papa,” his maternal grandparents; Thea Becky, a family friend; and his cousin Joseph, 8, all of whom live in Michigan.

Charles asked whether we knew how to use Zoom, since we would be using it for our meetings. We assured him we had been using Zoom for church committee and The Independent’s staff meetings for several months. “Good,” he said.

Then, he added he would “be the leader,” and “we’re going to read ‘Wonder.’”

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed our weekly meetings. It’s good to check in with others once a week, and the discussions have been rich and meaningful. Charles and Joseph offer insights about what it’s like to be a fifth-grader, like Auggie, the principal character in the book. Thea Becky, Sito, and Papa are retired educators, so they bring their experiences to the discussion. Jim and I share our thoughts, too. Word got out about the fun we were having. Now, Charles’ mother, Alexis, is in the group, and so is his brother, John.

“Wonder” has parts instead of chapters. We’ve read two each week. It has been hard not to read ahead, because it is so well written. Next week, we will finish “Wonder.” Already, I am eager to know what our next book will be.

I know other book clubs have been meeting via Zoom or some other video conferencing service since the pandemic began, but I think Charles’ multigenerational, geographically separated concept is worth replicating. It’s perfect not only during a pandemic, but anytime.

Cheryl Wormley is publisher of The Woodstock Independent. Her email address is c.wormley@thewoodstockindependent.com.

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