Expanded Dial-A-Ride Services In McHenry County Begin March 2

McHenry County has partnered with Pace Suburban Bus and several communities to offer expanded dial-a-ride services in McHenry County starting on March 2, 2015. The MCRide dial-a-ride transit service will be expanded to the following partner communities:

City of Harvard

Village of Huntley

City of Marengo

Village of Johnsburg

Village of Ringwood

Grafton Township

Marengo Township.

The service is available to everyone, regardless of age, ability, or trip purpose for travel within and between the City of Crystal Lake, City of Harvard, City of Marengo, City of McHenry, City of Woodstock, Village of Huntley, Village of Johnsburg, Village of Lakewood, Village of Ringwood, and Marengo Township.

Seniors (60 years old and over) and individuals with a disability can also travel within and between locations in McHenry Township, Greenwood Township, Dorr Township, Grafton Township, and Nunda Township.

All MCRide buses are fully wheelchair accessible. MCRide is funded by Section 5310 federal transit grants administered by the Regional Transportation Authority and the Senior Services Grant Fund. There will be no changes in service hours or the cost of fares.

For more information visit the MCRide page at www.McHenryCountyDOT.org or contact Kirsten Mellem, Transportation Planner at 815-334-4981.

About MCRide

MCRide is a curb-to-curb, demand-response public transit service available to McHenry County residents traveling within and between partner communities. Riders call the Pace Call Center 800-451-4599 to schedule a trip the day before they need a ride. The fare is based on distance traveled: the general public pays a base fare of $2.00 for the first five miles and $0.25 for each additional mile; and seniors and individuals with a disability pay a base fare of $1.00 for the first five miles and $0.25 for each additional mile. MCRide service hours are Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

MCRide partner communities include: City of Crystal Lake, City of Harvard, City of Marengo, City of McHenry, City of Woodstock, Village of Huntley, Village of Johnsburg, Village of Lakewood, Village of Ringwood, Dorr Township, Grafton Township, Greenwood Township, Marengo Township,

Nontraditional College Fair Offered March 4

For those wondering how college can fit into their lives, McHenry County College is hosting a new nontraditional College Fair featuring programs offered through flexible delivery methods such as online, hybrid, evening/weekend and accelerated classes. The fair takes place from 4:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 4 in the Commons area at the college, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake.

Representatives from 29 colleges and universities will be available to meet with MCC students and community members to provide information about undergraduate and graduate degree opportunities offered through convenient and flexible delivery methods. In addition to online classes, many programs offered in a classroom setting are located at colleges in close proximity to McHenry County. Plus, some of the programs offer credit for prior learning and life experience.

According to Juletta Patrick, assistant vice president of Academic and Student Affairs, this college fair is different from the traditional college fairs that typically attract the recent high school graduate.

“This college fair is unique because it caters to the prospective student who is looking for a convenient way to pursue a college education while juggling work or other responsibilities,” Patrick said. “The flexible delivery options allow a student, for example, to complete classes from the comfort of their own home or take classes only on the weekend. I encourage all who’ve pondered the question, ‘How can I ever do this?’ to attend the fair to find out.”

The event is free and open to the public. For a list of colleges and the programs they offer, visit www.mchenry.edu/flexible.

For more information, contact Laurie Cubit, (815) 455-8792.

MCC Faculty Recital Slated Sunday, February 22

The music faculty at McHenry County College will present its fifth annual faculty recital at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22 featuring jazz, euphonium, vocal, and string quartet music. The concert will take place in the Luecht Conference Center at MCC, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake.

Featured faculty performers will include: Michael Bazan, woodwinds; Tara Singer, piano; Chris Ray, bass; and Joe Beribak, drums; Steven Szalaj, tenor vocalist; Paige Lush, euphonium; and Michael Hillstrom, piano; plus a string quartet will perform original music by Hillstrom. A reception will follow the concert.

The following Second Sunday and other MCC concerts are free and at 3 p.m. in the conference center unless otherwise noted; March 8, Winds Off the Lake; March 11 at 7 p.m., St. Patrick’s Day Concert with Pat Gaughan and L.J. Slavin; April 12, Sessions Jazz Quartet; April 22 at 7 p.m., MCC Jazz Concert; April 26 at 6 p.m.; MCC Concert Band and Chorus; and May 10 at 6 p.m., MCC Student Recital.

The concerts are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Michael Hillstrom at (815) 479-7814.

Crystal Lake Library Committee Meeting Wednesday

A meeting of the Facilities Committee of the Crystal Lake Public Library Board of Trustees will be held on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 at 1:30pm in the Library Director’s Office at the Crystal Lake Public Library.

Recycling Drive Saturday, February 14

The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County (EDMC) will again conduct a recycling drive on Saturday, February 14^th from 9a.m. until noon. They will be in front of the Soil & Water Conservation District building at 2222 S. Dean Street, just south of Route 14, in Woodstock. The Defenders recycle materials that are not collected in curbside recycling but would be harmful to the environment if put in a landfill.  It costs them to recycle these unusual items and therefore monetary donations of any size would be appreciated from everyone who brings materials to the drive. 

EDMC will take household batteries (alkaline & rechargeable), car batteries, fluorescent tubes, clean Styrofoam™, VHS & Cassette tapes, CDs, DVDs, packing peanuts and re-usable, unpopped bubble wrap. Electronics, such as computers, televisions, phones, printers, clean microwaves, and electronic toys, are accepted. TVs and computer monitors will be accepted for a donation of $10-$35. (Become a new member of EDMC at the recycling drive, at the Basic or higher level, and get two coupons to recycle a television or monitor for FREE!)

USAgain Clothes Collection System (http://www.usagain.com) will be providing a truck at each EDMC drive to accept any kind of cloth items—clothing, linens, or just plain rags, clean and bagged.  They will also accept shoes, tied together by their laces and placed in the bag. 

There are additional drop off sites for electronics:  Algonquin Township Road District 3702 US Hwy 14, Crystal Lake, 847-639-2700 X6, Computer Recycling Center in Crystal Lake (computers only) 815-455-6300 (call for information) and Lakewood's electronics drop-off site at 6570 Haligus Road, south of Ballard Rd. Also, Styrofoam can be dropped off any time at the Lakewood Village Hall or the Lakewood Public Works building on Haligus Road.

EDMC will accept donations of aluminum cans at all recycling drives to help fund their educational and advocacy programs.

Defenders’ recycling drives are held on the second Saturday of each month, alternating between McHenry in odd-numbered months and Woodstock in even-numbered months.  Area residents may drive up and drop off their recyclables with Defenders’ volunteers, who help to unload and sort the materials.

For more information about the recycling schedule and types of materials accepted, or to access the Green Guide recycling directory which is put out annually by the Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute at MCC, visit the Defenders’ website at http://www.mcdef.org/recycling, or find them on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalDefenders.

The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the environment. The group provides the community with educational programs and volunteer action on pollution prevention, sustainable land use and energy and natural resource conservation. Donations are encouraged and are tax-deductible as charitable contributions.  For more information, visit www.mcdef.org or call 815-338-0393, Monday-Thursday, 11am-4pm.