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McHenry 1'll.liciu ya • Since 1875 aindealer •i J... 2 Sections 34 Pages 25' Wednesday June 20, 1984 Number 91 Volume 108 mm rati mil Nf WSFAPM SHOUT Bridge traffic detours to start By Anthony Oliver Plaindealer staff writer Traffic snarls and headaches, worse than the usual, could begin as early as this afternoon when the Route 120 bridge detour is scheduled to take ef­ fect, according to information at the Monday City Council meeting. Supt. of Public Works Paul Halvensleben reported that the detour is slated to begin Wed­ nesday afternoon at the earliest, following state inspection of the detour route and signals. "If the Com Ed signal people don't get their act together, it could be as late as Friday," Halvensleben said. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), eastbound traffic will not be affected by the detour. Westbound automobile traffic will be detoured.north on River Read, to Pearl Street, and west to Route 31. Westbound truck traffic will face a longer haul, having to go north on Chapel Hill Road, through Johnsburg to Johnsburg Road, then turning west to Route 31 and back into McHenry. Mayor Joseph Stanek voiced concern about the truck traffic. "What size trucks will be going over the Pearl Street bridge?" Stanek asked. Police Chief George Pasenelli said that, to his knowledge, all truck traffic would be routed through Johnsburg. "The information I have says nothing about local trucks, says nothing about size. I am told there will be no exceptions. I am told they (Illinois State Police) will enforce it," Pasenelli said. "I have notified as many of the local truck businesses as possible." The replacement of the Route 120 bridge is expected to take two years to complete at a cost of more than $3.7 million. The contract was awarded to Peabody Midwest Construction Co., DesPlaines. Work on Dartmoor park scheduled By Anthony Oliver Plaindealer staff writer Residents in the Fox Ridge area, particularly those who lite to play ball, may finally get some work done at the lot on Dartmoor, according to council discussion Monday night. Aid. Ray Smith (3rd) brought up the matter of the ball diamond at Dartmoor, a project that was simply intended to give area children a place to play. Support came immediately from Aid. William Busse (2nd) who reported that there had been attempts to play there by area children. ' "Hie weeds are growing. It needs attention soon," Busse said. , Mayor Joseph Stanek com­ mented that the council had deferred action on this for about a year and Aid. William Bolger (1st) put in a plug for work at Creekside park, in McHenry Shores. Park Director Peter Merkel said the department had a lot of big projects "ready to go" but it was a question of coordinating manpower and equipment with the Public Works department. "We've got 10 truckloads of dirt to be spread at Petersen Park tomorrow," Merkel said. The park director said he could send in the mowers, but Miss McHenry series is completed The last three contestants in the 1984 Miss McHenry com­ petition are pictured in this issue. A total of 15 girls will be vying for the title in a pageant, scheduled for Wednesday, June 27 at Parkland Junior High School. The contest is sponsored by the McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce. Cathi Moscarello of 404 S. Emerald Drive, is a 17-year-old McHenry resident. She attends McHenry Com­ munity High School, East Campus, where she has been a member of the school chorus and participated in the school's spring musical. Her hobbies include playing tennis and running. Donna Marie Hopp is 19 years old and a resident of 3015 W. Scott Ave., McHenry. She is a graduate of Marian Central Catholic High School in Woodstock, where she was a member of the school tennis, cheerleading, track and pom­ pon teams. Currently she at­ tends McHenry County College. Her hobbies include painting and dancing. Seventeen-year-old Shelly Miedzianowski lives at 1506 Sunnyside Drive. In her free time, she enjoys running, biking and swimming. Hie Johnsburg High School student has participated on the school cheerleading, pom-pon and softball teams. CATHI MOSCARELLO DONNA MARIE HOPP SHELLY MIEDZIANOWSKI AN! A look inside. Parade Marshall % Johnsburg Library . Regular features So I Hear Obituaries New Circulation Phone I Page 7 Section 2,Page 5 Page 4 Page 5 385-0178 pointed out that the council raised concerns at the last meeting about abuse of equipment. Stanek suggested that maybe something could be done with hand tools and shovels. "One solid day's work could probably get the park playable," Busse said. "I just want to get a level play area out there." The council also questioned a $700 bill to foam-fill the tires of the newly-purchased bobcat. Stanek explained that the foam replaces air, giving the tires longer life and more resistance to punctures. "I was undeir the impression that it would cost $175 for all four tires," Stanek said. "If you authorized $175, how i could he spend $700?" Smith^ asked. "The foreman said he made a mistake," Stanek said. The council voted to pay all the bills. In other business: -Stanek reported that benefitted property owners in Tonyan Industrial Park had Continued on pog* 5 Northern Illinois Medical Center board members James Frazier, left, and David T. Kent cut the white ribbon signifying the dedication of the new Plaindealer photo by Anthony Oliver hospital facility at the intersection of Route 31 and Bull Valley Road. NIMC opening is celebrated Crowds which numbered over a few thousand people were in attendance Sunday at the ribbon cutting and official dedication of the new Northern Illinois Medical Center, Route 31 and Bull Valley Road in McHenry. Hie ceremonies culminated a aajor building project, which began in September of 1982 with groundbreaking. Throughout the building program, McHenry area residents were able to witness the eight-floor, 171,000 square foot facility grow from what was once a dream, into reality. Following the traditional ribbon-cutting, champagne christening and guest speakers including George Graham, past president of the American Hospital Association and McHenry Mayor Joseph Stanek, hospital officials conducted tours of the new facility. This Saturday will be the second significant move from the hospital's old location to the new one. While tfie'new faCttfty now houses most administrative offices, on Saturday all patients and remaining equipment will be transferred and the hospital, including emergency room, will be fully open for day-to-day hospital occurrences. The older facility, located in the heart of the city, will remain open with the func­ tions of most non-medical departments, including the ot- fices of community relations, Emergency Medical Services and education. Completed three months ahead of schedule, the new building holds 195 beds with four patient floors, including a 15-bed comprehensive physical rehabilitation unit, which is the first of its kind in Kane, Lake and McHenry Counties. A professional arts building also on the new hospital site, was also opened Sunday. Construction of the expanded facility was built with $1.6 million, in addition to $26,355 In bonds that were sold. HHP * W® Poverty takes a toll on daily living By Deborah Collura Morning Herald News Service She by no means has an easy life. She even attempts to smile when she says "my three children and 1 survive." The woman, who wished to remain anonymous in this story, is just one of many poverty-stricken people in McHenry County. According to B. J. Jones, a case work supervisor at the McHenry County Public Aid Department, only 1.5 percent of the McHenry County popula­ tion are on some type of public aid. IHWVA "I believe we are the second lowest county in the state," Jones said. . But when you examine the numbers and hear the stories, 1.5 percent is more than Just a few people who need assistance. There are two types of assistance, Jones explained. First there is Aid to Families with Dependent Chi ldren (AFDC). The second type is Aid to the Aged, Blind or Disabled (AABD). In order to qualify for AFDC certain re­ quirements must be met. According to Jones, the definition of having dependent children includes: •A child must only have one parent at home. •A child has a disabled parent. •A once-employed parent has lost his or her job. According to the April 1984 McHenry County figures, 535 families are on AFDC and in 490 of those cases a child has only one parent at home or has a disabled parent. The woman, who qualifies for AFDC, goes to school at 7:45 a.m. at McHenry County Col­ lege, where she's taking secretarial courses. She returns home at 1:30 p.m. and studies most of her free time when she's not attending to her children: Darcy, 7, Danny, 5, and Kim, 4. Her goal is to succeed; her ultimate goal is to become self- supporting. During some of her married years, she worked as an assembly worker in a factory until she had Danny. She left the factory and started a new profession, so to speak. She b e c a m e a h o u s e w i f e , homemaker and bill caretaker. Then when things hit rock bottom, the couple divorced in 1981. She was left unemployed with three children to support and no more than a high school education. The only trait she knew -- factory work -- she couldn't go back to because she found out she had rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic disease marked by stiffness and in- flamation of the joints which would not permit her to work assembly anymore. "After the divorce I went to public aid. I didn't have any other options. When I started case work, I felt very un­ comfortable and even today I hate this situation," she said. She was put on a long list for public housing with other poverty victims. For three years, things were really tough during the wait. Bill collectors were calling continuously while she pleaded for a bit more time and hoping they would accept all that she had to give them. "The first time I had to admit I couldn't pay all of a certain bill and that I wasn't trying to cheat anyore out of ^their money, I've got to say it was a hard experience," she explain­ ed. \ "Bill collectors and the peo­ ple I owe money to are just ter­ rific in understanding, but it still doesn't make things any easier," she added. Just this year she has been blessed with public housing, so she has the burden of a rent payment off her back. Public aid gives her a monthly check for $368 and she also receives $206 in food stamps and a Medicare card. Her yearly in­ come amounts to $6,888, which does not include the expenses the Medicare card pays for or the housing that is provided for her by the McHenry County Housing Authority. According to the Housing Authority, 398 families are housed by means of funds from the federal government. Of those 398 families, 284 are non- elderly families and 113 are elderly. According to the woman, the winter is the hardest time to live off the check. Her payments include: gas/heat, $125$ 150; electric $20; garbage $23; water $40. During* those cold months the heat never goes beyond 65 degrees, everyone wears sweaters, and she does exceptionally big loads of laundry. In the summer things get bet­ ter. The payments are the same in the summer months except for heat, which runs her about $50 a month. Other ex­ penses include cleaning and laundry and miscellaneous items which include shoes for the children. "When the kids need shoes I always go to the one who needs the shoes the worst. The others have to wait their turn until we can afford another pair," she said. / There are not only shoes to put on six extra feet, but there is always the fact that there are three extra mouths to feed. The $206 she receives in food stamps monthly can only be us­ ed on food items. Each stamp is equivalent to $1. According to Jones, she is only one of the 940 case families using food stamps. Some of those people use the stamps on a regular basis and others on a tem­ porary or emergency basis. "Overall, approximately 2,600 peopled McHenry Coun­ ty are on food stamps at any given month," Jones said. The woman said: "The $206 in stamps goes easily. I always shop in bulk, and check the cost cutting tips on the back of the stamps. I use coupons a lot, too, and usually never buy an item I don't have a coupon for," she said. But when it comes time to check the groceries out she adds, "I always go to a dif­ ferent line when checking out if I see someone I know. It's em­ barrassing and I don't even care how long the other lines are," she expained. "We eat pretty good but there are times when we see a lot of macaroni, rice and hot dogs. At the beginning we eat fresh vegetables and stuff like that but towards the end of the monthwhen there are no more stamps we eat mostly canned goods," she said. Groceries are a must but clothing, candy, toys and other items which some people take for granted are not purchased in her home. "My family and real friends help me out. When their children grow out of clothes they give them to my kids. Peo­ ple are always giving me things. When it gets really rough 1 can count on my family and friends, without them I just couldn't do it," she said. "For Christmas the girls grandmother and grandfather, my stepfather gave them Cab­ bage Patch kids and Danny got a train. People are always giv­ ing to me which helps me out so much. My parents are especial­ ly supportive with my school­ ing and they tell me they're Continued on pogo S • * 4 )