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\ -V- I. \t m m mm yV<-A&>-'¥ wpm mm 'X -c w In Free Age may be a state of mind, but there are too many people out there attempting to influence the mental process. It is increasingly more dif­ ficult to conjure up a spirit of youth when they are constantly issuing reminders to the contrary. The greatest offenders are young people to whom anyone over 40 is a relic. We know because we work with gome of them. When we mentioned sometime ago (hat we were taking a grade school teacher to lunch, a bright, 25-year-old could not conceal her amazement. The words were never uttered, but the look of astonishment that covered her face, together with an embarrassed blush, told the story. She might as well have voiced her incredulous thought, "You mean one of your grade school teachers is still up to going out for lunch?" But if that drew disbelief, she was completely dumbfounded some time later when So I Hear's column con­ tained a picture of his high school coach, sporting shorts and standing in the Florida sun. Even sitting in the sun would have been a stretch of the imagination to this post-teenager. To stand, and to move, was utterly in the realm of Pyrrhonism. An occasional encounter with youthful incredulity can be accepted, but it is the constant reminders that nag at the spirit. Because we often enjoy the com­ pany of friends with physical han­ dicaps sometimes associated with the aging process, we could accept a waitress asking if we also deserved the senior citizen discount. It was a question we answered in the negative with an unflinching gaze. Senior citizen status, after all, extends from 50 up, with the deter­ mination in the hands of a particular organization or individual. We could - - and did ~ set our own standard with some smugness as we denied the designation and gave up the small financial gain But two weeks ago our 23-year-old- sports editor accompanied us to a local restaurant for a sandwich. The owner, wanting to be helpful and gain (Continued on page It) Name County Fair Committees Aug. 3-7 Event Page 17 i Lakemoor Zoning \ Recommend Lot Size Relaxation By Marion Olsen The Lakemoor Zoning commission has recommended an amended zoning ordinance whjlch would allow the building of smaller homes on smaller lots. ' ., • . • A quorum of the 11-member Zoning commission voted 4-2 to loosen the village's lot and home size ordinance which required 75 by 100 ft. or 7,500 sq. ft. lots and 1,200 sq. ft. minimum living space homes. In its place, minimums of 50 ft. by 100 ft. or 5,000 sq. ft. for lots and 960 sq. ft. of living space for homes were recommended. Village President Richard Hyatt pushed for the amendment, citing more likelihood of deviluyinf, advantage efr a> ten ger tax base and need to make usable 50-foot lots now comprising more than 35 percent of the village's vacant land. Hyatt said the previous ordinance was adopted when the village had no sewer system, and county ordinances required the larger lots for safe septic systems. This forced the village to deny building permits to owners of smaller lots, and affected the growth of the community. He said owners who had purchased lots years ago for future retirement homes could not build when that time arrived. With installation of a sewer system; the larger lot size a health need, be saftf. "We must encourage more con­ struction in order to retire the sewer bonds as well as lower sewer rates," Hyatt continued. <.--! "The same is true for maintaining roads. It is cheaper to maintain a road for 15 houses on a block than for one house. We have spent a whole year's road budget on three roads serving only one-fifth of the total housing in Lakemoor." Hyatt also cited the slow economy which limits the ability of the Frome seeker to build a laager home on a high-cost lot. Zoning Commission Member George Garbacz emphasized the 960 sq. ft. requirement applies only to living space, not garages or utility buildings. And Attorney Michael Poper added that furnace rooms ̂ or laundry areas are also not included in the 960 sq. ft. requirement. Zoning Chairman Norman Morrison <tfijted that 960 square feet is larger !han most of the present Lakemoor homes. But Member Charles Butler ob­ jected. "People moved out from metropolitan areas for privacy, peace and quiet. If you allow a 50-foot frontage, next you'll allow mobile homes on 25-foot lots." Butler and member Donna Hall voted against the amendment. Members Morrison, Garbacz, Kent Pahlke and Mark Zeffrey voted in favor. , The recommendation will be presented to the village board for action. THE MCHENRY PLAINDEALERI "SERVING THE CHAIN-O-LAKES REGION SINCE 1875" VOLUME 107 NUMBER 99 FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1983 1 SECTION 20 PAGES 25* Work For New Cleanup Ordinance No, these walkers aren't refugees, youngsters, along with a few adults, found the railroad tracks a good route to the fireworks display at Petersen park last Monday. Hiey missed roth the crowded parking lot and the admittance fee. STAFF PHOTO--WAYNE GAYLORD MCHS Student Fees Go Up By Marion Olsen Returning District 156 high school students this Fall will be greeted with increased student fees, a formalized drug-alcohol policy and changes in some co-curricular activities. The school board has increased the yearly student fee from $47 to $50 for textbooks and consumable materials. Supt. Robert Swartzloff justified the recommended increase with a report of increased costs for the materials. Board member David Be'nrud requested that a list of items covered in the $50 charge be made available so board members may explain the charge to questioning parents. The student fee covers books, workbooks, towel fees, lab fees and similar items which are totalled and averaged out on a per student basis. The Student Handbook for 1983-84 is being prepared for printing and will include a formalized drug-alcohol policy statement. Incidents of students possessing, using or selling drugs or alcohol during school hours will be reported to the McHenry Police department, Juvenile division. The policy has been followed on an informal basis in the past, but will become a formal policy in the school handbook to conform with a county- wide effort to fight abuses. The new policy includes training teachers to recognize chemical abusers, and informing the public about related laws. It also covers student instruction emphasizing establishment of values. In a cost cutting effort, East and West campus art clubs, graphic art clubs, international clubs and in­ tramural volley ball programs will be consolidated into single district clubs. Future Farmers of America and co- recreational jogging will be discon­ tinued because of lack of interest. Hie district's Pep clubs will be sponsored by the Student Council, and fishing derbies will be conducted by the Outdoor club. The Junior Engineering and Technical society will be upgraded to a district co-curricular program to encourage involvement in the math- science activity. In other action, the board approved: -A lower sales price for the building (Continued on page It) by Anthony Oliver The McHenry City Council cleaned house Wednesday night, addressing a number of problems that arose at the regular council meeting. McHenry Mayor Joseph Stanek suggested guidelines for the monthly brush pick-up be put into ordinance form and he received approval for the concept. Stanek suggested limits of four-inch diameter, five foot length and only organic matter be set for the city-wide brush pick-up on the first Monday of each month. "If we don't get it all done on Monday, we could run into trouble," said Aid. Edward Datz (2nd). "But we shouldn't let it lay there for four or five days." Aid. Gary Snell, a veteran of the city brush crews, pointed out that people tend to bundle and mo/e brush only once. He noted that, as it sits, the brush deteriorates making storage in a garage and later moving it to the curb most impractical. Supt. of Public Works Paul J. Halvensleben provided information regarding the extraordinary number of man-hours required to complete the pickup. In Crystal Lake, the city makes a brush pick-up once a year and in Woodstock there is no such program. Halvensleben also noted that there were two addresses where trucks had to be sent three times in order to pick up the brush. Stanek commented that some abuses, like commercial tree removers leaving the brush, did happen occasionally. "We'll get it the first Monday, and then we won't retrace our steps until the next month," Stanek said. The upcoming ordinance will be designed to alleviate some of the problems with the program. The ordinance will also require, at the request of Aid. William Bolger (1st), that brush be placed at the curbside. The council voted to authorize emergency repair work on the transmission of the nurse truck, which is used to haul sludge from the city sewage treatment facility. The transmission work was deemed an emergency because of new equipment installation at the plant which could place a greater load on the sludge hauling operation. The repair work was estimated at $1,500 and will be done at American Truck Parts, Lake Forest, a company that is familiar with this special transmission. Truck problems also crept into council discussions when Halven­ sleben reported that the two new dump trucks were having trouble dumping under a full load. According to Halvensleben, the power for the hydraulic hoist, which raises the box, is supplied by a belt off the truck's engine. In the old trucks, the belts were 25 inches long and the system worked fine. The naw trucks. however, require 72-inch belts because of a slight difference in engine construction. The longer belts tend to stretch and slip and will not provide the power needed to lift the box, Halvensleben said. In order to correct the problem, power-take-off (PTO) units are needed for each truck, at a cost of about $450 each. The PTO'S provide direct power from the engine and eliminate the need for the belts. Councilmen suggested that warranties and guarantees from the time of purchase be checked to see if the dealer might be persuaded to help in the cost of outfitting the two trucks. In another matter, Aid. Gary Snell pointed out that there was no or­ dinance regulating the "size and number" of pets which a resident may keep. He said complaints had been made about a particular resident who has upwards of 25 cats in and around the house. (Continued M page 1%) Shift Ih Mental Health Program Priorities The reallocation of federal grant monies, which are now distributed through the states by way of block grants, means a shift in local program priorities, explained executive Director Dennis Smith of the McHenry County Mental Health (708) board at its last meeting. As the board approved the budget changes, Smith said that he had always advocated a system of com­ prehensive services. The present state imposed priorities favor system responsibility only for people who were in state institutions and are considered a "high risk population." Smith indicated that the promised funding is not to be changed according to the current word from the state Department of Mental Health. It will remain at $1,365,000 with $200,000 fr<»m state funds targeted for the "Elgin project" care for persons released from the state hospitals. He also noted that the agreement bet­ ween the federal government and the state about block grant, funds provided that the state would not "defund" any existing programs, but the agreement was only for three years of which one is already past. Smith reported that his staff had to deal with a whole set of new faces at the DMH Sector offices and these people gave "a new meaning to the word negotiate." Local agencies will get their money in reduced amounts; but the state is setting the priorities, which is targeting money for supervision of the chronically men­ tally ill (MI), for case management, and sustaining care programs. The support of community based programs is being cut. However, Smi'h added, local 708 funds (raised through the property tax) could fill the gap Aim'her effect, added Ann Patla, assistant director, is requiring the smaller local agencies to submit their budgets to the state DMH for review. The two larger agencies, Pioneer Center for the Exceptional and the Family Services and Mental Health Center, already are doing this. Smith noted another effect which is for the budget approval process to ignore completely the authority of the community board (708 board). "It puts me in the position of making decisions" on budgets because of the state allowing no time for board review of proposed changes, (Continued on page It) vPF*1 • % m Beautification Oj\City Since the spring of 1980 there has been slow but steady progress to beautify McHenry. One of the best examples is the rose garden on the east side of Green street, which fills a vacant lot In the business section. Other examples can be seen in photos appearing on Page 20. STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYLORD It was just over three years ago that a small group of women, with en­ thusiasm for their goal, established the McHenry Beautification com­ mittee. That goal was to "lift the face" of McHenry by adding touches of beauty through plantings of flowers throughout the city. Supported by the City Council and the Chamber of Commerce and with the help of some Girl Scouts and two members of the Garden club, the first petunias went into the ground. En­ couraged by the beauty of the blossoms and the observations of some passersby, expansion set in the FREE TV Guide In Today's Edition following year with the purchase of barrels to be used as planters and by the establishment of a small rose garden on Green street. Always optimistic, and undaunted by some minor vandalism, the women attracted a few fervent flower lovers to their efforts. With the knowledge that five womeh alone could not physically handle all the "hands on" work required to prune, plant and weed, contacts were made to various organizations in the city for assistance with positive results. Believing that many hands make (Continued on page It) 14 Vie For Title Miss McHenry County Page 2