MCC Annual Fall Student Music Recital Sunday

McHenry County College will present its annual Fall Student Music Recital at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2 in the Luecht Conference Center at McHenry County College, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake

A variety of student performances will include instrumentalists and vocalists performing pieces in a range of styles. Soloists and small ensembles will be featured.

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

Walkup Avenue Construction--Crystal Lake--Continues

North Leg:

On Wednesday afternoon, primecoat (oil) was placed on Crystal Lake Avenue from Anvil Road to the north end of the project in preparation for Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) placement that began Thursday 11/29.  Hot Mix Asphalt placement will continue for the next several days.  Pavement striping for the winter will follow once HMA placement is complete.  Final landscape restoration will be completed following the asphalt placement.

South Leg:

Work will continue on the retaining wall along Walkup Road by Veteran Acres with completion scheduled for late next week.  Curb was placed Thursday 11/29 along Walkup Road from south of Crystal Ridge Drive and on IL Route 176 west of the Walkup Road/IL Route 176 intersection.  Paving of this area will begin early next week.  Also next week, paving will occur on the southbound lanes of Walkup Road from Talismon Drive to Burning Bush Trail.

New Police Chief For Crystal Lake

 A new year will begin in just over a month.

Crystal Lake will have a new police chief seven days later.

Chief David R. Linder will retire after 32 years of serving the City of Crystal Lake Police Department.

City Manager Gary J. Mayorhofer announced the appointment of James R. Black as the new Police Chief for Crystal Lake. Chief Black currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Police for the Village of Downers Grove.

Chief Black will begin his service to the City of Crystal Lake on January 7, 2013. He has served Village of Downers Grove for the past 25 years in the role of Police Officer, Patrol Sergeant, Detective Sergeant, Operations Lieutenant, and for the past six years as Deputy Chief of Police.

Rakow Road Construction Project Completed

Something not heard very often—PROJECT COMPLETED AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.

That phrase can be used for the Rakow Road construction project. –it was finished two weeks ahead of schedule. All lanes opened to traffic Friday, November 16.

Rakow Road was widened to four lanes from Illinois 31 to Pyott Road and to six lanes from Pyott to Alexandra Boulevard.   Free-flow right turns were incorporated into the design from both southbound Illinois 31 and southbound Pyott Road onto westbound Rakow Road.

All of the intersections along the project limits were channelized for improved traffic safety and flow. This includes dual left-turn lanes, where deemed necessary, for greater capacity and efficiency.

Now that the roadway has been fully opened, signal timings will be monitored and adjustments will be made to optimize traffic flow to the extent possible.

The project also includes some “green” features. A pedestrian/bicycle path bridge was constructed over Rakow Road just east of Pyott Road to replace the at-grade crossing along Pyott.

The underground drainage system includes the capacity to store stormwater inside the pipes and internal restrictors and sediment traps that control the quantity and quality of the water that flows out. This is a real benefit to the sensitive environmental areas along the project including the Three Oaks Recreation Area and wetlands.

The contractor, Bollinger, Lach Associates, Inc., sends a thank you for the patience of the drivers while this important project was completed.

Words Of Wisdom

"Nothing is more certain than that a general profligacy and corruption of manners make a people ripe for destruction. A good form of government may hold the rotten materials together for some time, but beyond a certain pitch, even the best constitution will be ineffectual, and slavery must ensue."

--John Witherspoon, The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men, 1776

Government At Work

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30 –

8:30 a.m. –McHenry County Board-

Meeting in the McHenry County Board Conference Room, County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock.

This is an orientation meeting for the “new” County Board. That is the newly elected members integrating with the continuing members.

1:30 p.m. –McHenry County Board Transportation Committee—

Meeting in the Main Conference Room of the Division of Transportation, 16111 Nelson Road, Woodstock.

The agenda calls for an “old” piece of business, Land Acquisition Management Services

"Dog Sees God-Confessions of Teenage Blockhead"

McHenry County College Drama Club presents “Dog Sees God: Confessions of Teenage Blockhead” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 6, 7 and 8 and a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Dec. 8. The show will take place in the Black Box Theatre, Room D167 at the College, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake.

The play by Bert V. Royal is directed by MCC student Frank Padour of Crystal Lake. This unauthorized parody of the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schultz takes a glimpse into the future when Charlie Brown and his friends are 10 years older and encounter modern threats to childhood’s innocence.

They examine questions like “What happens when we die?” as Charlie Brown mourns the death of Snoopy, his pet beagle. The play explores how teenage students address alcohol, drugs, sexuality and prejudice on a daily basis. The play contains graphic and explicit language, violence and sexuality.

Cast members as pictured, from left, front row: Joseph Rice and Jessica Miller, back row, Justine Aparri, Cody Oates, Jake Mathews, Alisha Reid, and Cecelia Long.Tickets are $5 at the door. For more information, call (815) 455-8746.