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South PuHIC VOLUME98 NUMBER71 FRIDAY, APRILS, 1974 20 PAGES8. ONE SUPPLEMENT 15C Q THE MCHENRY PLAINDEALER "SERVING THE CH A IN-O-LAKE S REGION SINCE 1875 Approve Land Option For New City Park C.& N.W. Railroad Named In Citation Of I.C.C. April 10 has been set for a hearing of the Illinois Commerce commission on its own motion versus the Chicago and North Western Transportation company. It will be held at the office of the commission, 160 N. La Salle street, 19th flow, Chicago, at 10 a.m. The citation is concerned with commuter train operations of the railway on its Lake Geneva subdivision run between Crystal Lake junction and the village of Richmond. The commission recently entered an order, asking the railroad to appear and show cause why it should not make the necessary improvements to its tracks from the junction northward to provide for the passage of commuter trains at speeds adequate to safely maintain the time table schedules which were in effect and on file with the commission immediately prior to Feb. 23. Approve $58,000 Bid For Road Resurfacing Ciarem iwnship nnotinc Tag Day For Easter Seal Stan Jozwiak, left, chairman of the Easter Seal tag day for the McHenry Rotary club, sells the first lily to Dave Benrud, vice-president of the club. Again this year, McHenry Rotarians will be selling the lily tags in the various shopping areas of the city Saturday, April 6. This year's goal is $1,500. Eighty-five per cent of the collection will benefit the county's Easter Seal therapy center in Woodstock. The remaining 15 per cent goes to national headquarters. STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYLORD larence Regner, McHenry township road commissioner, announced this week that Ringwood road from Rt. 120 to McCullom Lake, a distance of 1.9 miles, will receive a 2^-inch bituminous surface at a cost of $58,430. Attempted Theft, Conduct Charges Made Against Two James A. Randall of 2981 Victoria, McHenry, and Roger A. Rairie of 4112 Crystal Lake road, McHenry, were arrested by sheriff's deputies following an incident at Continental Aluminum Prodbcts, 315 Wegner drive, McHenry. Randall was charged with attempted theft and Rairi*.for disorderly conduct. Bond for (Continued on page 17) Regner said the poor condition of the road warranted immediate attention. The township's share of Motor Fuel Tax returned to McHenry county on a monthly basis will pay for the improvement. The contract was awarded to Curran Contracting March 26 at the County Highway department building. The bid opening attracted many road contractors on improvements throughout the county. McHenry Men Named To Head County Political Committees Hiere was good news for drivers in two announcements this week. Biggest reason for enthusiasm is the prospect of a real boon to safety in the erection of a traffic signal at the intersection of Rt. 120 and River road. It's been a long time coming! The project of a few years ago which altered the east end of the bridge for the purpose of improving visibility was less than highly successful. It is still only a guess whether you'll avoid east or west-bound traffic if you try to enter the highway from River road. Efforts to entice state approval for the expenditure of a traffic signal has been going on for the past eight years. Only a nod from the County board for the remaining 25 per cent of the cost through MFT funds is necessary. The second project - still only a proposal - concerns the improvement of Rt. 120 west of McHenry from Draper road. Details are due for public airing at a meeting April 17. K.A.F. Eleanor Foley, Long Time Area Educator, Dies Both of the leading political^ parties elected their county^ leaders Monday evening in meetings marked by contrast. Both parties named McHenry men to head their committees. In a gathering held at the McHenry county courthouse, State Rep. Thomas Hanahan was elected Democratic Central committee chairman in a spirited contest. Peter Helli06, Jr., of Wonder Lake was elected vice-chairman; Lynn Desmond of Woodstock treasurer and Janet Mattern of Crystal Lake, secretary. Hanahan defeated Fred Wickham of Crystal Lake, 3104 to 2486. Wickham then ran for vice-chairman but lost to HeUios. 2614 to 2431. Each elected committeeman cast a vote equal to the number of Democratic primary ballots in his precinct. The meeting was held at the county courthouse following a court battle. Permission to use the courthouse was at first denied by County Board chairman, Walter Dean. Hanahan went to court the day of the meeting, however, and obtained an injunction forbidding Dean from denying use of the building. Dean had explained in court that his decision was based on a verbal agreement among county board members and between himself and Sheriff Arthur Tyrrell, a Democrat, not to hold political meetings in the new courthouse. Action, he said, was taken because of a highly contested 1972 primary. Later, Tyrrell admitted he had discussed the matter of keeping politics out of the new courthouse, but denied any agreement between himself and Dean. At the Moose hall in Woodstock, Albert M. Jourdan of McHenry was returned to the office of chairman by unanimous vote. Also elected were James Holmes-vice- chairman; Myrtle Knapp, secretary and E. Carney Gilkerson, treasurer. There are presently ten vacancies in the 121 precincts. From the remaining 111 (Continued on page 17) PAMELA L. ZIMNY CANDIDATE - First entry in the 1974 Marine Festival queen competition is pretty Pamela L. Zimny, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Zimny of 1719 N. Rogers, McHenry. A January graduate this year, Pamela is employed as a secretary. Her hobbies are swimming, horseback riding and tennis. After almost a year of seeking property for a city park, the City Council entered into an option agreement Monday night with Kenneth Peterson of 4112 W. McCullom Lake road, McHenry, to buy approximately 33 acres of land on the south side of McCullom Lake road-13.7 acres west of the Chicago Northwestern tracks and 19.6 acres east of the tracks. Cost of the property is $3,000 an acre or approximately $99,985. The city is seeking funds from the Illinois Department of Conservation for a grant which could pay up to 75 percent of the purchase price. Alderman Jack Pepping, chairman of the Park and Recreation committee, said that starting this year, the Conservation department has made funds available through House Bill 966 which encourages governmental bodies to acquire open spaces that might otherwise be developed and built upon. It is the state's philosophy to preserve open spaces in areas that are experiencing growth and insure that in years to come, there will be places open for recreation. Grants are made available in order to encourage participation by municipalities. * Pepping said the city intended to use some revenue sharing funds to purchase the property. If a grant is received from the state, the revenue sharing money could be used for immediate development of the park, probably next year. The filing deadline to receive 1974 funds from the state is April 15. Appraisals of the land, an endorsement by NIPC and a drawing by the McHehry Plan commission must be submitted by that date. The Conservation department has already viewed the property. After April 15, all applications will be considered and the city will be notified by Aug. 21 on the status of the grant. The city must exercise its option to buy the property by Sept. 30. Preliminary plans for the wooded area west of the tracks call for a picnic area. Possibly a municipal swimming pool could be built to the west of the wooded area in a clearing adjacent to Lakeland Park, Pepping said. The acreage on the east side of the tracks is high, flat land and would be suitable for activity areas such as ball fields, tennis courts, etc. There would be two direct access points to the park, one through Lakeland Park and the other from McCullom Lake road. Another favorable feature is that the property is located within a mile from the center of town, Pepping pointed out. The Council expressed its deep appreciation to Peterson for his fine cooperation on the project. Peterson indicated he wanted to do something for the community and he also wanted to be able to look out from his property and see open space as opposed to buildings of a subdivision. The agreement states that the land must permanently be kept as park land. Also, as part of the proposal, the city will allow Peterson the prerogative of naming the park. Peterson agreed to donate 1.5 acres for roadways in the area. Payment will be made with 20 percent down payment when the option is exercised and the balance would be paid over a period of five years at 7 percent interest. John J. Flood, executive director of Combined Counties Police association (CCPA), addressed the Council and asked it to reconsider its previous decision not to recognize the CCPA as a bargaining agent for McHenry police officers. He indicated the officers were dissatisfied with the ruling and felt the Council was doing them a disservice by not allowing them the right to be represented by counsel in the field of labor relations, grievances and budgets. Alderman George Harker pointed out that the Council had recently empowered the Police commission board to handle grievances for the Police department. Flood replied that the officers felt it was difficult for that board to act as a grievance body because members also do the hiring and firing in the Police department. Flood said this was not the proper procedure and could not be done. The officers are asking for the right to collective bargaining by a representative of their own choice, Flood said. He asked that the matter be mediated before some group or prominent individual. Flood explained that the purpose of the CCPA is to provide expertise to solve problems and to represent officers by counsel if they so decide. That is basically what they are asking for, he said. ' "The Police officers feel you have relegated them to second- class citizens by denying them the right to organize and to enjoy the same privileges available to most United States citizens", Flood contended. Alderman James Wegener took offense at that remark and retorted, "Mr. Flood, there are no second class citizens in McHenry and I do not feel we made them second class citizens by our decision." Flood replied that the Council was denying them rights that everybody else enjoys and "the problem is you are not giving them a choice, you are being dictatorial" Wegener answered quickly, "If the men are all that unhappy, maybe they should find jobs elsewhere" Alderman Rogers told Flood that in light of the steps the Council has taken to hear grievances, he would like to see it given a chance to work first. "If the dissatisfaction continues, I would be willing to look at it in the future but not at the present time," Rogers said. When aldermen mentioned that it would be too costly to the taxpayers to hire an attorney io negotiate with CCPA attorneys whenever an officer had a complaint, Flood replied that a high turn-over rate of personnel was also expensive. He felt it would save money to spend ten or fifteen hours in negotiating an agreement with the officers. Following the lengthy discussion, Mayor Joseph Stanek ended the matter by stating that the Council was standing by its previous decision and would not recognize the CCPA as a bargaining agent for the polic Following the May<" statement, Flood and fi McHenry Police officers at meeting, stalked out of the' Council Chambers. The Council unanimously passed an ordinance prohibiting employees of the citv from engaging in strikes, deliberate work slowdowns and absenteeism from work. Hm ordinance states, "A** employee of the city -af McHenry who engages in$ a strike against the city -e< McHenry or who deliberately absents himself from his job without case shall be subject lo the possibility of permanent discharge from fiis employment with the city af McHenry". Alderman Jack Pepping (Continued on page 17) is a dice. S Rt. 120-River Road State Promises Traffic Signal Public Meeting April 17 Tell Proposed Improvements Of Rt. 120 West Of City The Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Highways, is presently d e v e l o p i n g p l a n s f o r t h e v improvement of Illinois Route 120 from Greenwood road easterly to Ringwood-Draper road west of McHenry. A meeting will be held Wednesday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Valley View elementary school on Route 120, west of McHenry. It is being held fa* the purpose of contacting residents along that highway and other interested parties regarding details of the proposed improvement. Representative of the Illinois Department of Transportation will have on exhibit, preliminary plans and other details relating to construction, together with information relating to right-of-way and easements required to complete the project. After a brief presentation by D.O.T. representatives, the meeting will be open for questions and discussion relative to the proposed improvement. Persons unable to attend the meeting and interested in o b t a i n i n g i n f o r m a t i o n regarding this project may call or visit Alex Jordan at the Department of Transportation Regional office in Elgin at 595 South State street (Illinois Route 31), telephone (312) 741- 5300, Extension 230. Written comments regarding this project should be directed to Sigmund C. Ziejewski, Regional «Engineer, 595 South State Street, Elgin, Illinois 60170, Attn.: Paul F. Riddle. After an effort of eight years for permission to erect an electric traffic signal at the intersection of Rt. 120 and River road, County Board Member Charles ' "Chuck" Weingart has met with success. He learned early this week through information released from Highway Commissioner James R. Rakow that the Department of Transportation of die state will allow the traffic control. The project wilfljf be undertaken in conjunction with the McHenry County Highway department. Weingart is vice-chairman of the county's Transportation committee. Estimated cost of the project is $48,500. The state will assume the payment of 75 per cent and the remaining amount will be paid for by the county. The state of Illinois has agreed to prepare plans and specifications, receive bids and award contracts. The bidding is expected to be done by July 1 and construction completed by next fall. The traffic lights will be maintained by the state. It is anticipated that the county will pass the necessary resolutions at the April 9 board meeting to expedite the expenditure of Motor Fuel Hm funds for this program. Section B of the ordinance will prokAft parking on the east side «f River road for 100 feet from dMe intersection of Rt. 120. Arrest Three In Burglaries; Investigate Other Break-Ins ELEANOR E; FOLEY >: Mrs. Albert (Eleanor) Foley, -for thirty-five years a teacher -* and administrator in the area (Continued on page 17) Detectives Joseph Eisele and Elof Borgeson of the McHenry County Sheriffs department arrested three McHenry youths last week for burglaries of two area homes. Ronald Dew of 306 Nippersink drive and Dean L. Hamil of 607 Barreville road, both of McHenry, were arrested for burglary and theft in connection with the burglary of the William Vines home at 1020 W. River Terrace drive, McHenry. Some of the property taken in the burglary was recovered. Bond for both youths was set at $2,500 each. They are to appear in court April 11. During investigation of a burglary at the Harvey Brown home at 617 Lily Lake road, McHenry, which occurred March 20, detectives determined the identity of the offenders. Both were charged with burglary and theft, with bond set at $5,000 each and Against a beautiful ocean background, these nurses from the cast dance to the popular tune, "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair**, McHenry high school cast will present the musical Thursday through Sunday nights, April 4-7, at 8 p.m. in West campus auditorium. « STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYLORD court appearance scheduled for April ll. During the investigation of a burglary at the home of Edward Markova of 3915 E. Solon road, Solon Mills, March 18, county detectives developed information which led to the identity of the offender, who was an area juvenile. F u r t h e r i n v e s t i g a t i o n revealed that he and another juvenile companion had been (Continued on page 7) Nurses Dance In "South Pacific"