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V t>- McHenry riuncury* • Since 1875 aindealer 2 Sections 34 Pago* 25* April 27, 1984 Number 76 Volume 106 - >"> «*** ftgW g$» $ M| ^ -- r-f ~ y - . - ~ ' , : iT*,>nfc^ i>^--• ** "* • • ^ • -a * "*!;'•-'" ' >J This view, off a private beach on the east side of Wonder Lake, shows a stretch of exposed lake bottom, uncovered when the lake level was dropped over 10 feet. The Wonder Lake Master (Plaindealer photo by Donna Bertulia) Property Owner's Association has contracted for repairs on the Wonder Lake Dam, which necessitated a temporary drop in the lake level. Who pulled the plug on the lake? New employees bring question ̂from council By Donna feertuHs Plaindealer editor Much of the periphery of Wonder Lake is now a mass of mud and babbling brooks. Boats sit landlocked beside waterfront homes and once sunken boats and snowmobiles are being un­ covered in the receding waters. Although it appears that nature has pulled the plug on Wonder Lake, it is actually a calculated, man-made occurance. The Wonder Lake Master Property Owner's Association has contracted an engineering company to make necessary repairs on the Wonder Lake Dam, which necessitated dropping the level of the lake. "The property owners association has been doing work on the dam for a couple of years, to bring it up to specifications of the Illinois Department of Transportation, division of soil and water resources," explained Wonder Lake Village President Duane Zeman. a month ago, the sluice escapes located on the of the dam were opened, slowly releasing the water from the Jake. Itoe lake now varies in depth in many areas. "The west bay at this point is dry," said Zeman, and on the east side of the lake, the water has receded to over 30 feet from shoreline. A road, which bridged the east and west sides of Wonder Lake before the lake was built, has been uncovered as well as other "treasures" once lost. "Of course by dropping the lake level, it also allows many people to clean up their lakefront property and beaches," added the village president. Originally, dam work was to continue only until April 15, but now has been extended to April 30, she said. Once complete, it will probably take almost 30 days to bring Wonder Lake back to its original level. Hie lake level has been dropped at least twice previously, but this project brings it to its lowest level. By Anthony Oliver Plaindealer staff writer 1%e hiring" of two new em­ ployees brought questions from some coundlmen at the last McHenry City Council meeting. The hiring of a full-time man for the Parks and Recreation Department met with little opposition because the alder­ men were informed of the need at a previous meeting. But, when Mayor Joseph Stanek said a full-time replacement was needed for a Public Works employee who quit, aldermen were quick to question. "I didn't know someone in Public Works had quit. Why was there no advertisement?," asked Aid. Cecilia Serritella (4th). She commented that when a policeman quit recently, the council froze hiring in that department. "Maybe we should consider whether to freeze this too. Maybe we should let the ap­ plication ride a little," Serritella continued. "Personally, I feel that the department needs this em­ ployee," Stanek said. Aid. Frank McClatchey (3rd) commented that the city could "barely afcford to pay employees now." J The manner in which the situation was handled, no notification,. also irritated Aid. Ray Smith (3rd). "When there is an opening, we should know and have some idea of who la applying. How can 1 express my feelings as to who is hired? Previously, the aldermen could present someone," Smith saki- "Ttie initiation must come from this chair or through the department head. I don't know if we can employ people by committee," Stanek said. Aid. Gary Snell (4th) also registered his objection, saying he was elected to make a decision. "I've got nothing to compare to," Snell said. Stanek was not without council support as Aid. William Bolger (1st) pointed out the aldermen are only to concur with an appointment. A motion to hire the two full- time employees passed 6-2. Voting in favor were Aldermen Bolger, Nolan, Busse, Datz, Smith and Snell. Voting against were Aldermen McClatchey and Serritella. In other business : -The council voted to close out the Public Benefit fund and place the remainder in the General Fund. -Bill Wilson, of McHenry Shores, said he and some residents would like to meet with the Building and Zoning Committee concerning the construction of a modular home. The residents have expressed concerns about sufficient building requirements. -The council will be ad­ dressing speed limit variations on Curran Road. In some places the speed limit changes drastically, from 25 mph to 55. -In a related matter, the council also voted to permit Sunday openings of establish­ ments with Class A or G liquor licenses no earlier than 10 a.m. 9 Pool passes on sale May 1 The City of McHenry Department of Parks and Recreaton will begin selling pool passes for the summer of 1984 starting on May 1. The fees for city residents and non-residents, respectively, are as follows: Family, $45. and $90. Individual adult, $25. and $50. Individual child, $20. and $40. Persons can purchase pool passes at McHenry City Hall, 1111 N. Green St. The hours are weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon. City resident v status is anyone residing within the corporate limits-of the City of McHenry. This year the pool will open on Memorial Day Weekend Saturday. Mav 28. Gypsy moth trapping to begin Spraying program has reduced moth population By Angela Burden Plaindealer news service and the Associated Press About 100 traps to monitor gypsy moths will be set in the McHenry area this spring. There will also be some around the Covered Bridge Trails subdivision north of Crystal Lake, where the destructive insects were prevalent a couple of years ago. "Other traps will be set throughout the county • on a survey basis. There will be no heavy trapping program in McHenry County, 'though," plant and pesticide specialist Stan Smith of the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDA) reported. Smith said the spraying program in the McHenry and Covered Bridge areas ap­ parently proved successful, and no spraying will be done this year. "I don't foresee any spraying in McHenry County for next year, either/' he said. Aggressive spraying in the state in the past two years is credited with reducing the gypsy moth population, believed to have arrived in Illinois in egg form on vehicles and furniture from eastern states with major infestations. Smith said 2,753 male moths were trapped in the state in 1961. After a stepped-up spraying program, the number dropped to 614 in 1982 and 232 last year. University of Illinois en­ tomologist Roscoe Randell said most of the credit goes to the municipal leaders who "had enough courage to use the spraying program in the face, of some pretty stiff opposition." Officials selected a particular A look inside. Fiesta Signup Treating Stress Regular features Musin' and Meanderin' Crime of the Week Obituaries Classified Reader Ads - Page 4 Page 9 Page 2 Section 2, Page 2 Page 8 344-4800 organic spray, BT (bacillus thuringiensis), that will kill the pests but is not harmful to people and pets, and that decision ended some of the complaints about spraying, Smith said. "This year, spraying programs are planned on only three acres apiece in Mundelein in Lake County and Aurora in Kane County," Smith said. By comparison, he said 1,400 acres were sprayed in 1983 and 2,200 in 1982. Trapping will be done in most Illinois counties this year to locate any new outbreaks. The cardboard traps, safe around children and pets, contain a chemical that female gypsy moths use to attract males, plus a sticky material to keep the moths from escaping. In the northeastern United States gypsy moths have defoliated millions of acres of woodlands as completely as a forest fire, and the volume of gypsy moths in its caterpillar stage was high enough to stop trains by making the rails too slick for movement. ^ The gypsy moths spread to a new area primarily through eggs that are attached to things like lawn furniture, automobiles and trailers in highly infested areas. The eggs hatch early in the spring, and caterpillars feed for about seven weeks on a wide variety of hardwoods and evergreens. Randell said most trees are susceptible to attack. The adult moths appear about mid-July. f J*'i ••"£< • '•* '• " (Plaindealer photo liv Anthony Oliver) Co. 1 firemen examine the damage caused by a down" in a matter of minutes after firemen fire Wednesday night. The fire was "knocked arrived on the scene. $25,000 loss estimated in home fire Plaindealer news service A fire broke out at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday causing an estimated $25,000 damage to the Mantor - residence at 4408 Clearview, McHenry. Flames were visible from the front of the two-story structure when fire fighters from Co. 1 of the McHenry Township Fire Department arrived on the scene. Fire Chief Glenn Peterson said the fire scene was handled by Lt. Paul Farwell and he said the firemen did a good job containing the fire to the at­ tached living room and dining room area of the home. Peterson said the fire was probably electrical in origin and the matter is under in­ vestigation. According to Peterson, a baby-sitter was watching television at the residence when there was a puff of smoke from the set and the curtains caught fire. The baby-sitter then ran to a neighbor's house to call the fire department. The fire chief said there were no injuries at the fire and ;e from heat, smoke and water totaled about $25,000. A tanker from Co. 3 was called to stand by at the Co. 1 firehouse on Elm Street i