Saturday, April 17, 2010

Athena Helps Property Searching In McHenry County

The McHenry County GIS Department now has "Athena" to help with searching capabilities. Athena is a property search viewer interactive map that includes property boundaries information by a parcel number, address, or subdivision.

Individuals will have the ability to research comparable property for purposes related to property tax information and other search information such as flood zone areas, topography, wetlands and aerials.

“Athena was developed as an information tool by taking multiple systems and combining them into one geographical interphase. This new search viewer will be a new useful tool to property owners, real estate agencies, title searchers, County departments for analysis purposes, and individuals looking to relocate to McHenry County,” stated McHenry County GIS Director Nicole Gattuso.

To view the interactive map, please visit http://gis.mchenrycountygis.org/athena/.
For more information, please contact the McHenry County GIS Department at gis@co.mchenrycountygis.org or 815/334-4496

A Summer Line-up At Raue Center For The Arts

Raue Center For The Arts has brought whole new meaning to the phrase “Summer Fun”. For the first time ever, Raue Center has put together a summer line-up…and it’s one you won’t want to miss!

On July 9 at 8:00pm Big Bad Voodoo Daddy takes the stage in a Mid-Summer Night’s Swing concert! They kicked off the swing revival in the mid-90’s with their fusion of classic American sounds from jazz, swing, Dixieland and big-band music. Their originals rocketed the group into its first phase of stardom, when “You & Me and the Bottle Makes Three (Tonight)” and “Go Daddy-O” were featured in the 1996 indie film landmark Swingers. They have appeared numerous times on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Live with Regis & Kelly and Dancing with the Stars.
Tickets are $51, $48 and $45.

On August 7 ay 8:00pm, Heartache Tonight: An Eagles Tribute Band performs on Raue Center’s stage. A cover band that authentically captures the excitement and style of one of the world’s true super-groups, they showcase all the Eagles’ greatest hits including "Hotel California" and "Take It East." They have continually wowed audiences in appearances at Ravinia, House of Blues, Hard Rock CafĂ©, Taste of Chicago and Wrigley Field.
Tickets are $35, $32 and $29

And to make sure you don’t miss either show, Raue Center For The Arts is offering a package deal for a limited time only! If you buy tickets to both shows before May 1, 2010, you will only pay $60 total for Zone B and $55.50 total for Zone C. Additional fees and restrictions may apply. For more information or to order tickets, contact the Box Office at 815.356.9212 or visit
www.rauecenter.org. Raue Center is located at 26 N. Williams Street in historic, downtown Crystal Lake, Illinois.

Friday, April 16, 2010

It's Time For Those Tiny Monsters--Ticks

McHenry County Department of Health is advising residents to take precautions against tick bites to prevent contracting the diseases they may carry. Ticks are most active in Illinois during April, May and June and live in and near wooded areas, tall grass and brush. If infected, ticks can transmit diseases including ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia and Lyme disease through their bites.

The best way to protect against tick-borne illnesses is to avoid tick bites by taking the following precautions:
Wear white or light-colored long-sleeved shirts and long pants so the tiny ticks are easier to see. Tuck long pants into your socks and boots. Wear a head covering or hat for added protection.

Ticks are usually found in ankle- to shin-high grass and weeds. Ticks cannot hop or fly. Walk in the center of trails so weeds do not brush against you.

Apply insect repellent containing DEET (30% or less) to exposed skin. Follow label directions. Permethrin repellents must be used on clothing only, not on skin.

Keep your grass mowed and keep weeds cut around your home.

If you are bitten, wash the bite area and your hands thoroughly with soap and water; apply an antiseptic to the bite site.

Know the symptoms of tick-borne disease. Consult with a physician if you develop a sudden fever, vomiting, severe headache and muscle pain following a tick bite.

If your pet spends time outdoors, check them before bringing them into your home. It's important for people to recognize the signs and symptoms of tick-borne diseases so appropriate treatment is not delayed. If left untreated, some tick-borne diseases can cause severe illness and may be fatal.

For more information about ticks and Lyme disease, visit
www.mcdh.info, Environmental Health Division or contact MCDH at 815-334-4585.

Northbound Virginia Road Closure

Virginia Road between Illinois Route 31 and Rakow Road in Crystal Lake and Lake in the Hills is being reconstructed. The northbound lane of Virginia Road will be closed to traffic beginning Tuesday, April 20 and until approximately July 2, subject to variation due to weather.

Southbound traffic will be maintained throughout the course of the project.

The detour for the northbound lane will be via Illinois Route 31 and Rakow Road.

The work being accomplished includes earth excavation, roadway drainage, shoulder reconstruction, roadway reconstruction and pavement markings.

Curran Contracting Company, Crystal Lake, is the contractor retained by McHenry County Department of Transportation, with Mark R. Dammyer as Resident Engineer and Construction Manager. He may be reached at 815-334-4967 or
email.

The view can be viewed at the
website

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Two Meetings This Evening For Crystal Lake Park Board

Crystal Lake Park Board Commissioners will hold two meetings this evening. The first, beginning at 7:30 pm is a regular board meeting to handle the necessary business of the board, hear a president's message, then select a president pro tem for the next session.

A second session is scheduled to follow where new officers will be elected, various offices and committees will be filled by appointments and other regular business of the board conducted.

The Park Board meets in the District offices at One East Crystal Lake Avenue, Crystal Lake

Personnel Committee of Crystal Lake Library Board Meeting Monday

The Personnel Committee of Crystal Lake Library Board of Trustees is meeting at 4:00 pm on Monday, April 19 in the Library Director's Office at the Crystal Lake Library.

McHenry County Board Considering 2030 Plan

McHenry County Board Planning and Development Committee is meeting at 8:30 this morning to consider two subdivision matters regarding extensions and interviews of four people for the Zoning Board of Appeals.

McHenry County Board Considering 2030 Plan
At 9:30 the Board will meet as a Committee of the Whole to consider the 2030 plan.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Publicity Workshop Sponsored by TribLocal and MCC

McHenry County College and TribLocal are co-sponsoring a TribLocal community workshop from 7-8 p.m. Thursday, April 29 in Room B166-167 at the college.

The workshop is open to anyone who wants to post articles, events or photos on TribLocal, the Chicago Tribune’s local online newsroom.

"TribLocal is an entirely new way to deliver, share and comment on news that’s important to you,” said Kyle Leonard, TribLocal managing editor. “At triblocal.com, residents become citizen contributors. The stories they write and the photos they post will not just appear on the website, but many will be selected for the weekly print edition, which comes out every Thursday on top of the Chicago Tribune.”

The workshop will provide information on how to register and post articles, events and photos. The area’s TribLocal community manager, Lawerence Synett, and his staff members will be on hand to answer questions and give advice as to how to get the most out of TribLocal. The communities covered include Algonquin, Cary, Crystal Lake, Huntley, Lake in the Hills, McHenry and Woodstock.

The workshop is free and open to the public. Synett and other TribLocal staff members will be available to answer questions. To reserve a seat or for more information, contact Synett at lsynett@tribune.com or call (708) 498-0458 by Wednesday, April 28.

Two Meetings Thursday For Crystal Lake Park Board

The Crystal Lake Park Board will hold two meeting sessions Thursday beginning at 7:30 pm. The first session is the regular board meeting and the second session is the annual meeting of the board.

The first session will include the approval of minutes of prior meetings, approval of bills, committee reports and discussion along with consideration on any unfinished business, the President's message and selection of a President Pro-Tem for the second session of meeting of the Board and then adjournment.

The second meeting is the Annual Meeting of the Park Board, with the nomination and election of officers, appointments of secretary, treasurer, legal counsel, and various committee appointments.

Other matters proposed for consideration in the first meeting of the new year for the Park District include a request of the Crystal Lake Rowing Club to hold a bake sale along with their hosting the Greater Chicago Junior Rowing Championships on Saturday, May 1; request by Pendergrast Photography to hold a photo shoot at Veterans Acres Park on May 9; and a request by Crystal Lake Babe Ruth Baseball League to host a USSSA Baseball Tournament at the Mickey Sund Baseball Complex, Friday July 16 to Sunday, July 18.

The Crystal Lake Park Board meets in the District offices at One East Crystal Lake Avenue, Crystal Lake.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Busy Time In Some Areas Tonight

Tuesday could be a busy night for some Illinois citizens. This is the date of the Annual Township Meeting. There are 102 counties in the state, with 85 of them divided into 1,433 townships serving more than 8 million people. The remaining 17 counties are divided into 261 precincts. These operate under a different form of county government.

Illinois Statutes provide that "Notice of the time and place of holding township meetings and the agenda approved by the township board at their prior meeting shall be given by the township clerk (or, in the clerk's absence, the supervisor, assessor, or the collector) by posting written or printed notices in 3 of the most public places in the township at least 10 days before the meeting and, if there is an English language newspaper published in the township, by at least one publication in that newspaper before the meeting. That notice shall set forth the agenda as approved by the township board. Additional agenda items may be added only by a three-fifths majority vote of the electors in attendance at the meeting."

How It Began
In Illinois, townships were established as units of state government under the 2nd Illinois Constitution of 1848. Up to this point, a County Commission form of local government prevailed. Under this form, the county unit was the governing body, with commissioners responsible for the administrative and legislative affairs of towns and villages within a county.

In 1849, voters within Illinois counties were given the right to adopt the township form of local government. With the option of choosing a township type of government, voters had the opportunity to elect officials from their local communities who would be directly responsible for conducting business necessary to maintain their communities.

Townships near Crystal Lake include Algonquin, Dorr, Grafton and Nunda. All will be conducting annual townships meetings Tuesday evening.

Algonquin Township
No detailed information was found on the Algonquin Township website regarding the annual meeting which is being held in the Township office, 3702 US Highway 14, Crystal Lake.

Dorr Township
Dorr Township is holding its annual meeting in the Woodstock High School, 501 West South Street, Woodstock, beginning at 7:00 pm. No further information was provided.

Grafton Township
Grafton Township, no doubt, will have the largest attendance. That meeting is being held in the Huntley High School Central Gym (entry through Door 19), 13719 Harmony Road, Huntley.

The agenda found on that township website indicates handling the necessary Annual Meeting Business such as approval of minutes from the previous year's meeting, presentation of annual financial reports by the Supervisor and the Highway Commissioner.

Under Old Business, an overview of issues related to Township Hall/New Township Hall/court order is to be presented by the Township attorney.

A number of resolutions are listed including:
Authorization the purchase of Township Real Property by the Grafton Township Road District;
Authorization the Conveyance of Road District Real Property;
Authorizing the lease of Road District real property:
Authorizing the Township to lease real property:
Authorizing the purchase of Village Real Property by Grafton Township (Haligus Road):
Authorizing the Sale of Township Real Property (Haligus Road):
There is also to be general discussion of Township hall space, potential new town hall or potential lease of space for township hall and financing options related to these;
Potential action on purchase, sale, conveyance of the township's corporate property, or the lease of township property, or other lawful action under State Statute 60 ILCS 1/30-50.

Additionally, new business includes a motion to sell surplus road district equipment including a 1995 International Dump Truck and a 1997 Chevy Silverado Pick-up Truck.
Also a motion to sell surplus township equipment, though not described.
There will also be a motion to set the Annual Town meeting for Tuesday, April 12, 2011.

Nunda Township
In Nunda Township, an agenda on the Township website indicates a question to be resolved by the Electors:
"Do you authorize the following advisory question of public policy to be placed on the ballot at the next regularly scheduled election in the Township?
Shall the Nunda Township Open Space Plan which was adopted in April of 2007 be repealed?"

Any voting on the matters handled in the township meeting can only be done by registered voters in the township. Voter registration cards used in the regular county elections will be used to verify voter registration.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Third Week of Cleaning Crystal Lake's Water Distribution System

If you see water running down a thoroughfare in Crystal Lake, it is not a broken main. The Crystal Lake Water Division is flushing fire hydrants throughout the city. This is the third of a seven-week program to clean out the City's water distribution system and allow for inspection of hydrants.

This week the area south of Route 176 to Route 14 and East of Route 14 to Main Street is the selected area.

During flushing, water may become temporarily discolored due to material being removed from water mains. The water is safe to drink, but may stain clothes washed during hydrant flushing. Residents should try to limit water usage during this time, but if this is not possible, the City offers Rover, a chemical that can be used as a cleanser in laundry to remove iron stains, free of charge, should problems occur.

Residents with questions are asked to contact the Water Division at (815) 356-3614

McHenry County Farm Bureau Could Use Your Help

This message from State Representative Mike Tryon-R-64th District:

Ag Expo, one of their largest events, will be held at the McHenry County Fair grounds from April 13th to the 16th. The expo is held on an every other year basis and features 20 agricultural topics for third and fourth grade students. Since it began in 1988, 37,000 youth have attended this event. They are now accepting volunteers for the following positions: group leaders, bus parkers and time keepers. Please forward on to others that might be interested as well. You may also share the info on your Facebook page by copy and pasting this
link.

Group Leaders:
They would like to have one group leader for each classroom (106 registered) that will visit the expo. Group leaders will assist teachers around the grounds as they visit each of the booths. Group leaders would need to arrive to the grounds by 9:00 a.m. for the first session. Group leaders for the second session will need to be on the grounds by 11:40 a.m. Group leaders with or with out an agricultural background are welcome.

Bus Parkers:
They would like some assistance with bus parking and traffic flow. The person or persons would be responsible for directing traffic and bus parking. This person(s) would need to be on the grounds by 8:45 a.m. for the 1st session and 11:25 a.m. for the second session.

Time Keeper:
One person is needed for each session. Time keepers would need to arrive by 9:00 a.m. for the first session and 11:40 a.m. for the second session.

If you are interested in helping, please contact the McHenry County Farm Bureau office at 815-338-1520 or email Dan Volkers
at

As always, do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns regarding state issues. It is an honor to serve you in Springfield.

Budget Approval For Lakewood Village Board Meeting Tuesday

The Lakewood Village Board is meeting Tuesday evening at 7:00 to present a proposed Annual Budget for Fiscal Year 2010-2011. Following the public and Village Board comments on the matter, the meeting will be adjourned with the regular Village Board meeting to follow.

Approval of the Budget is included on the agenda for the regular Village Board meeting. Additional items for consideration of the Board, in addition to usual and necessary matters such as approval of minutes and bills, is a resolution opposing State Withholding of Municipal Income Tax Revenues.

Approval of the Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Budget is also on the agenda, along with a motion to approve Water Tower #1 Replacement Design Work Order with Baxter & Woodman in an amount not to exceed $28,700.


The Village Board meets in the Red Tail Golf Club, 7900 Red Tail Drive, in the Village of Lakewood.

McHenry County Board Committee Meetings Tuesday

The Management Services Committee of McHenry County Board is meeting at 8:30 Tuesday morning in the County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock.

In addition to considering approval of a Worker's Compensation claim, the committee will also give more consideration to a proposed Disclosure Ordinance as presented by the citizen's group ALAW.

Following this committee meeting, the Finance and Audit Committee will meet jointly with the Human Resources Committee regarding a mid-year classification for an internal auditor position.

Other matters for the Finance and Audit Committee concern the awarding of contracts for pavement preservation and maintenance of 41 lane miles of County Highway using crack routing and sealing with a contract to be awarded to Denler, Inc. of Mokena, IL for $125,211.06.

Another road preservation and maintenance contract is to be awarded to Peter Baker & Sons of Lake Bluff for $2,560,270.95 for resurfacing 20.6 miles of county roads.

New Assessment Officer For McHenry County

The Human Resources Committee of the McHenry County Board is meeting this morning at 8:15. In addition to approving a Worker's Compensation claim a resolution is also being presented for approval appointing Robert Ross and the Chief County Assessment Office for McHenry County. The current Officer, Donna Mayberry, is retiring following many years of keeping track of assessments for McHenry County.

The position compensation is $100,000 per year and reviewed after December 2010 for performance based increase; plus the county benefits of accruing 15 calendar days per year vacation; health and life insurance according to the County policy; and full participation in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund.