The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Fire Destroys Home, Barns A mother and her t w o small children narrowly escaped unhurt in the early hours of Tuesday morning, ' July 2.5, when fire swept through their two-story Irame house at 4910 Barnard Mill road, Ringwood They were Mrs Joyce Merida arid her children, ages 3, 2 and 7 months Sheriffs deputies on close [>atrol were the lust to arrive on the scene and found the dirnrig room and rear of the house in flames hearing tliat someone might sti l l (*• inside. they attempted to enter hut were driven hack hy the smoke and intense heat Hire Chief Glenn Peterson said they found the family safe at a neighbor's home Mrs Merida told Peterson she was using a space heater and accidentally overturned an emergency kerosene lamp on it , resulting in the fire. The mishap occurred at 12:55 a m The entire home was,gutted and all contents were loV Randall Merida, husband and father of the homeless fire victims, was in Indiana on business when the blaze broke out He was notified immediately and returned home In the meantime, the family was cared for in the home of relatives in Wonder fake Peterson estimated damage in excess of $10,000 Within the span of five days, three barns in the McHenry area were destroyed by fire Two of them were due to be demolished and for this reason there was no building loss The most recent of the three occurred about 2 o 'clock Monday morning when Peter Reiland noticed his barn at 2412 S fily fake' road ablaze Damage to the structure, machinery and hay was estimated at about $50,000 Keiland told Fire Chief Glenn Peterson fie awakened during the storm and realized lightning had struck nearby As he sat up in bed. he looked into a pond in the yard and the water seemed to be afire Keiland went to the kitchen, and from the window could see that the pond had reflected the blaze which engulfed the barri in a matter of only a few minutes fightning was believed to have been the cause of the fire On Saturday night fire also destroyed a horse barn, one of two barns on the former Clinton Kaven farm •The building was unoccupied and is now owned bv the Ill inois Department of Conservation Eventually the farm will become a park area (( ontinued on page 10) City In Split Decision On \Zoning Requests Of Church THE MCHENRY PLAINDEALER SERVING THE CHAIN-O-LAKES REGION SINCE 1875 Approval has been given to three recommendations of the McHenry Zoning Hoard of Appeals regarding zoning application changes Action was taken at last week's City Council meeting In the first , the ZBA voted to deny the petit ion of Alliance Bible church and McHenry AMC Jeep to reclassify property located at 3815 W John street, which is approximately 190 feet east of the intersection of John and Front streets, from K-3 Residential to B-3 Commercial District to permit the use of said premises for automobile and IRK:K sales and service shopgirl# 'J.HA cited its reasons VOLUME 98 NUMBER 101 WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 1974 20 PAGES FIFTEEN CENTS Boat Crash & 1 Pilot Operators Of Boats, 'Cycles Receive Warnings Sheriff Tyrrell stated Friday morning that he was quite • concerned a tout the increasing number of boats on the river in the evening hours. The Sheriff said that after a recent unfortunate incident in which a three-boat accident occurred, resulting in the death of a man, he is urging the citizens to use extreme caution in the evening hours. Sheriff Tyrrell noted that although boats are equipped with running lights, this is not sufficient for traveling at any rate of speed. Sheriff Tyrrell said also that he is receiving a number of complaints regarding minibikes. These vehicles cannot be operated on any roads or highways. Minibikes (Continued on page 10) for denying the petit ion are that the property is better used for residential purposes, that the requested reclassification represents too deep an additional incursion into the residential neighborhood on John street and that it is contrary to the provisioas of the comprehensive plan of the city of McHenry and contrary to the development of the residential area The ZBA's second re<fohjmendation, which the Council upheld, was in regard to a petit ion that a special use permit be granted to the Alliance Bible church for the construction of a place of worship and other buildings consistent with such a place of worship but not a residence building The' property in question is a three-acre parcel located on the south side of McCullom fake road, about 1,000 feet west of the intersection of that road and Route 31. The premises are currently vacant. At the hearing, prelininary plans were shown for the building of a church 36 x 80 The petit ioners hope to use the church for ten years and build another structure using the new planned structure for a Sunday School No residence is planned for the entire three acres, which is triangular in shape with an approximate road frontage on McCullom fake of 720 feet The property is now classified R-4 multi-family district It was also noted that no "Coffee House" activities will be continued at the new location The mangled hull of boat driven by Howard Weiss of Mcllenry is shown after being brought ashore following last Thursday night's crash. The cabin cruiser in background shows only slight evidence Passengers in his craft , all of whom were injured, were his wife, Jane, who sustained chest injuries and multiple bruises, his daughter, Cynthia, 12, who suffered a skull fracture, and son, Eric, 21, who was treated for minor injuries and released from McHenry hospital It was at the hospital that Mr Weiss was declared dead on arrival The accident took place at 9:35 p.m. at 1509 W Sunnyside Beach road The Weiss boat struck, almost head-on, a cabin cruiser driven by Dennis W Bruzas, 24, of (>28 N Rt 59, l ,ake Villa A passenger in his craft was (Jail R Sebastian, 22, of 757 Chestnut, Waukegan Neither was injured Sheriff 's deputies who investigated said the Weiss boat was south bound and the Bruzas craft was proceeding north None of the passengers in the Weiss boat could recall seeing the oncoming Ixiat One of them remembered having seen a dim light on another Ixiat and found it difficult to distinguish whether it was a headlight or taill ight of the impact in the small hole near right front. Mr. Weiss died in the accident and>three members of his family who were bo< passengers in the boat were injured. STAFF PHOTO HOWARD WKISS Howard Weiss, 50, for twenty four years a commercial pilot with United Airlines, died in the crash of two boats just north of the Johnsburg bridge last Thursday night Mr Weiss was believed to have died instantly in the impact and was thrown from his tri hull inboard outboard craft Sgt. George Meyer of the Sheriff 's river patrol, said many persons had been interviewed for possible clues as to how the accident took place. One, a pilot, told authorities he was unable to say whether or not the boats were lighted, but observed that "everything seemed normal". The Weiss family had decided to take an evening boat ride for relief from the heat They stopped for a sandwich at the Bay, where someone asked the exact location of a McHenry business firm. The Weisses told him to follow them as they left to return home. The only member of the family not on the Weiss boat was Kevin, a counselor at Camp Arrowhead, Wis Mrs. Weiss, who was un­ conscious following the crash, recalls regaining consciousness for a short t ime and hearing her daughter ask, "Where's my daddy7" Cynthia, most seriously injured of the three, was reported improving nicely early this week The Johnsburg Rescue squad dragged the river for about two hqur before recovering the ;ly The county's Civil Defeii: unit was at the scene to provide light and assist in any other way possible. Roger Nash, Jr , of 1696 Orchard, DesPlaines, escaped with minor injuries to his head after the boat he was operating on the Fox river Saturday evening about 7:20 ran into a pier at Hansen Marine, just north of the old steel bridge in McHenry. According to the Sheriff 's report, Nash's boat was proceeding north at a high rate of speed when the operator lost control of the craft due to a big wave. The boat veered right into a fixed pier in the hoist area of the marina. The 300 horsepower, twenty-two foot outboard motor boat suffered damage to the hull and bottom The Johnsburg Rescue squad was summoned to take to the hospital a boy reportedly injured in a boating accident at the bridge on North Bayview lane, at the entrance to fake (( ontinued on page 10) Musin and Meanderin' Investigate Rash Of Area Auto Accidents Pretty girls thirteen of them - walked Ix-lore the judges last Thursday night in Woodstock for their final appearance belore the McHenry County Fair On opening night one of the thirteen will In-come the new McHenry County queen Mcllenry is well represented First , there is the Marine Festival t i t le holder, Donna llumaiin who is certainly as lovely a candidate as the city has ever entered in county competition A wholesome young lady with a twinkle in her eye and two attractive dimples, there is no doubt she has to be a front runner in the judging Donna is intelligent and mature, qualit ies that are a must for a good county queen The area lias two other young beauties * entered, but unfortunately we have not bad the op|H»ituinty to meet them Thursday's county community representatives included Bonita Berndt, Miss Wonder fake, and Katlue Pohlman, Miss Island fake They were impressive in a field ol very lovely girls The county fairgrounds should be fil led July 31 when the winner is named, and many of those most interested should I*1 from the McHenry area With such distinctive entries, there is a good chance that a local girl may be the 1974 t i t le holder The Thursday judging provided a most interesting evening, with one exception We found that more and more, rudeness is becoming the rule rather than lli^ exception Two very talented young high school youths from the county provided a pleasant musical interlude as the girls were changing attire II the audience had only been inattentive, the situation would not have been (( ontinued on page 10) Tickets lor no valid registration, improper use ol registration of t i t le (fictit ious plate) and defective or no brakes were issued to Rodney II Repke of 8<>I5 Howe road, Ringwood, following a one car accident Sunday night about 8 o'clock at the intersection of Wonder fake and Oakwood roads, Wonder fake According to the Sheriff 's report, Repke was east bound on Oakwood When he tried to stop at the intersection, he was unable to do so l>ecause ol defective brakes He told deputies he drove Ins vehicle into the guard rail in order to avoid hitt ing cross traffic He said he knew the brakes were defective and was en route to get them fixed Further investigation revealed the license plates on the car belonged to another vehicle ( 'hristme A ( ' icchini of 3711 W Timothy lane, Mcllenry, was charged with improper passing following a two car The third recommendation- given approval was to reclassify property located between 4307 and 4405 W. Route V20 from R-2 Residential to B-l. Commercial. The property in question contains 1.69 acres. The petit ioners, Fred and Irene Bykowski and James F. Place, requested the reclassification to erect a proposed 85-seat capacity Pizza Hut. The adjoining property to the west is zoned B-l A real estate office to the east is on a piece of property currently zoned B-3 Commercial and the area south across Boone Creek from the property in question is a park area The ZBA felt the proposed use of the westerly 100 feet of the property in question will not hinder or discourage the. appropriate development and best use of the adjacent land and the proposed building will not impair the value thereof. A l d e r m a n P e p p i n g , chairman of the Parks committee, reported he was very disappointed with the rating given to the Peterson park property by the (Continued on page 10) Favorite Attractions Of County Fair Are Scheduled Changes in ' the schedule of many familiar events at the McHenry County Fpir will prompt 1974 fair-goers to look over the lineup to be sure they'l l find their favorite attractions, Chuck Weingart of McHenry, president, suggested. Fair-goers will f ind many events that have become popular in familiar t ime slots, such as the livestock auction Saturday afternoon, Miss McHenry County contest opening night, and livestock judging the first day. The fair opens Wednesday, July 31, and closes late Sunday night with a new feature attraction. Clay Hart of TV fame, and fife, a musical group. There is one new addition--a closing night grandstand show. All grandstand events are free. One important change finds harness racing set %er Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, July 31 and Aug. 1. The tractor pull will be Saturday morning and again on Sunday afternoon. One of the.outstanding shows promises to be Thursday afternoon when the open class goat show is scheduled. More than 600 goats may be on the fairgrounds, attracted McHenry county in part because the preceding week a major national goat show is scheduled at Lake county. Entries from around the nation indicate goat owners plan to move their animals to McHenry county the following week. The dog show is Friday*' morning and the pony show is Friday morning, too., ' Additional horse shows are Saturday morning, including the Western Horse show at the corral. Weingart said reduced prices on rides are planned both Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. The popular 4-H Night where the king and queen will be crowned is set for its familiar time slot--Thursday evening Hospital Views Initial Medical Center Plans The new Northern Ill inois Medical center, to be built on Route 31 between McHenry and Crystal fake, will be designed and engineered by the same architects who created the UCLA Center for the Health Sciences, fos Angeles; Northpoint Medical Complex, Milwaukee; t he Beaumont General hospital, El Paso; and the Colorado Health Care Service facili ty, Denver. "The two firms which will cooperate in the planning and creation of the Northern Ill inois Medical center are Welton Becket and Associates, and Medica I Architectonics/ ' LeRoy F Olsen, president of the McHenry hospital board of directors, announced this week The new regional medical center will be sponsored by McHenry hospital, an Ill inois not-for-profit corporation "In accordance with the directives of the hospital 's board, we will continue to enlarge our medical staff of physician specialists and general practit ioners in independent and group practice," Olsen stated. # "The board of directors of McHenry hospital has been impressed with the medical centers which Welton Becket and Medical Architectonics have individually planned and supervised. "Their personnel who have counseled with us have exhibited great knowledge, background and willingness to accommodate to our needs and wishes." The Northern Ill inois Medical center, which has been five years in the planning, has received the approval of the Fox Valley Hospital Planning council , and an initial permit to build from the State of Il l inois Department of Public Health, Bureau of Hospitals. "A Regional Medical center with access to all population centers and with an open medical staff is the only facili ty that will serve this area adequately," said Olsen. "These determinations have been made by the board of directors of McHenry hospital after many years of cooperation and consultation with the health planning agencies of this area, and in accord with , the recom­ mendations of feasibili ty studies by independent research firms such as Ernst and Ernst, Gordon Friesen International, and others." The basic plan for the Northern Ill inois Medical center calls for a hospital to be built near the center of the 100- acre site. The hospital will be built on a broad, two-level base or "chassis," from which will r ise a five-story patient care tower. The two-level base will contain: (1) Extensive emergency care facili t ies, adjacent to the h o s p i t a l ' s r a d i o l o g y d e p a r t m e n t , s p e c i a l procedures, and surgery- delivery rooms. ( 2 ) S u r g i c a l s u i t e s w i t h attached post-anesthesia recovery .and intensive care units. (3) Pathology and clinical laboratories, pharmacy and i n h a l a t i o n t h e r a p y departments. (4) Support services such as dietary, central supply, and environmental services. The patient tower will contain approximately 210 "acute care" beds The tower's four-leaf>. clover design is structured to accommodate private rooms for all patients. Each circular cluster of eight to twelve rooms will be arranged around a nursing station. This arrangement will enable the nurses to maintain constant surveillance of all patients while still providing individualized bedside care. Each patient 's room will have a lavatory and shower, and will be on an outside wall, with windows on one end of the room and a doorway to the nursing station on the other wall. "These circular clusters and private rooms insure each patient the privacy and dignity which mean so much to a person in the hospital. They also insure immediate access to nursing care and other needed services, without the intrusion of unnecessary traffic and distractions," according to Anthony Corcoran, executive director of McHenry hospital. In addition to the hospital, tht 100-acre Medical center win include a Medical Arts building for independent practit ioners and ancillary health services; ft Medical Group building for group practice; a separate (Continued on peg* 10) collision at the intersection of Bull Valley and Ridge roads, west of McHenry. The mishap took place Thursday evening about 6:30 Ms Cicchini was east bound behind a car driven by James II Atchison of 7607 Bull Valley road, McHenry, and noticed his turn signal in operation. Atchison made a left turn into Ins driveway and was hit by the ( ' icchini car as it attempted to pass him. A three-car accident at the intersection of Main and Wilmot road, Spring Grove, resulted in a ticket l ieing issued to Michael B Rafferty of 910 Cherry lane, fombard, for failure to yield at a stop or yield intersection. According to a report ir the Sheriff 's department, Daniel P olemck of 8012 Lorraine, Spring Grove, was west bound on Mam when the Rafferty auto entered the intersection and he was unable to avoid a collision. (( ontinued on page 10) The 100-acre site of the Northern Illinois Medical center, west of Route 31 and south of Bull Valley road, is shown here in a scale model. Tin1 ^entrally-locatedhospital will be surrounded by buildings for physicians in group and independent practices, for health-oriented agencies, and for ancillary services. The I extensive Emergency Medical Service will be accessible from Valley road to the north; other entrances will merge at Route Ji.