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

f < % » * » • - - . * - * » . " , C A T > # • u * i k • - * m** v . * - • . £ M l < * L l Gettin' A Snow Job Speaking of snow jobs, this is probably the biggest of the season. ° prompting a Whispering Oaks resident to take credence in the wise old saying, "Sometimes it doesn't pay to get out of bed in the morning"! A headache is in the making as he leans on his shovel and watches the city plow shovel a load of snow into his driveway. The scene was repeated throughout McHenry Sunday as city crews worked to clear the streets for motorists. STAFF PHOTO- WAYNE GAYLORD MCHENRY PLAINDEALER SERVING THE CHAIN-O-LAKES REGION SINCE 1875 Stoarti Winning jhbupaprr 1978' Illinois Press Association Newspaper ("onlest VOLUME 103 NUMBER 49 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 1979 2 SECTIONS 26 PAGES 20* The Blizzard - Brazen Blitzkrieg RDG Hearing Continued NOTICE The zoning hearing on the proposed Winding Creek annexation, proposed by Residential Development Group, before the McHenry Zoning Board of Appeals will be continued this Friday, Jan. 19, at 2 p.m. The McHenry Zoning Board of Appeals heard two witnesses testify Friday afternoon that the proposed RDG-Backhaus farm annexation is the highest and best use for the proposed property. Testimony was heard from Willis Martin, planner, and Thomas J. Peters, a real estate appraiser from Crystal Lake, who were called to testify by the developer. The hearing was not concluded and will be continued this Friday at 2 p.m. Martin explained that the property was contiguous to the present city limits and the annexation was in keeping with logical growth in the area. He added that utilities for the proposed subdivision would be able to blend in with those of Foit Ridge and Whispering Oaks communities. He also said that the roads in the subdivision would be tied to roads in the Lancer cor­ poration's Pheasant Valley development. Peters, who has*' been an appraiser for 18 years and had reviewed the proposed Planned Unit Development and the adjoining area said, "The PUD, as proposed, is the highest and best use for the subject property." Peters made his claim after examining nine aspects of the proposal, including the location, the current zoning in the area and the proposal, the physical characteristics, the proximity to the city, neigh­ boring uses, the demand, the general ecomonics of the period, the development trends in the area, and his own ex­ perience and general knowledge. "The proposal is similar to other developments in the county, Peters indicated. He added that the petitioner had furnished him with all the documents necessary for the study, and that he would have been able to obtain the records from files kept by the city and county. Peters said, "The value of property in the general or adjacent area will not be ad­ versely affected by the development." Attorney Richard Babcock, representing Shamrock farms, iiiii Maybe it's the extreme cold over a long period of time that snaps tempers as well as power lines. Whatever the reason, unhappy people have been calling the newspaper office to inquire whether we might be able to direct their messages to someone who can help. Two of them concerned flags - worn out flags that continue to fly for the public to see. One of the complaints pin­ pointed a flag on a building used by the public on Park street. The other was the one that replaces the old standpipe at the corner of Waukegan and Third street. Both callers were ladies,*1 and both were indignant, feeling that the frayed condition pf the national. flag showed a disrespect. We are inclined to think disrespect plays no part in it, but instead it's a case of busy people who haven't paid at­ tention. But respect for the flag is important, and if people care enough to complain, their in­ dignation may be sufficient to produce some action. Others have complained about the • presence of snowmobiles on city streets during the recent snowstorm. These were drivers who ob­ jected to the unlicensed vehicles taking priority over the limited number of cars that managed to be on the streets. We didn't mind their presence until we noted two of them travelling by at a mile- per-hour speed we had never seen even the most daring young auto driver approach within the city. The danger of a child walking into the street from a driveway piled high on both sides with drifts was enough to convince us that some snowmobile drivers would need considerably more instruction on rules of the high­ way before they are allowed to use these thoroughfares. Another unhappy caller was a member of the cast of "The Glass Menagerie", which played to an audience of one dozen people last Thursday night in West campus. MCHS is known for the high calibre of its young thespians, which in itself, is sufficient to cause discouragement when that quality is displayed for so few. Fortunately, those who attended made up in en­ thusiasm for their lack in number. And this is probably not the best time of year to debate such a critical issue as the com­ prehensive amendment to the McHenry county zoning or­ dinance. The lines are frawn and charges and counter­ charges can be heard in almost any public place. There is always some discontent and dissension, even in a nice little community like McHenry. But we can't help thinking the unmentionable weather of January, 1979, has been responsible for the more intense feelings of recent days. Want a solution? Buy a thermometer like the one we look at to start and end the day. It never goes above 90 degrees in the summer or lower than zero in the winter. Don't let anyone tell you it isn't mind over matter. We're enjoying the winter! KAF % which is objecting to the an­ nexation, questioned whether or not the Shamrock feedlot would be affected by or affect the proposed multi-family housing which would be con­ structed on Curran road, near the farm. "There will be no problem with the multi-family being within one-half mile of the feedlot," Peters answered. "In my opinion, the feedlot will have no impact on the development." Martin, who was the first of five witnesses scheduled to testify by the petitioners, had explained that condominiums were planned for construction on Curran road with a specific purpose in mind. He explained the multi- family should be on the exterior of the subdivision, so the traffic flow wouldn't have to drive through the single family residences. Babcock probed Martin for the reasons behind the location of the multi-family on Curran road. At previous open hearings, objectors had ex­ pressed disproval of the multi- family on Curran road. "Good planning is to have the most traffic flow toward the best access," Martin said, in reference to the location of the multi-family on Curran road. "Curran road is listed in zoning ordinances as a secondary thoroughfare," Martin said. "If single family housing was located on Curran road, that would mean larger lots, With larger frontage, (Continued on page 15) Rescue 50 Postponed When snow stops a snowmobile ride, it is con­ sidered a variation of the old man-bites-dog story. This is news. It happened last Sunday when Harmony Snowmobile club was forced to postpone the ride which was scheduled to benefit they McHenry and Johnsburg rescue squads. The new date is Sunday, Jan. 21. F i f t y - f o u r s t a l w a r t snowmobile drivers made an appearance at Crescent Bay Landing, ready to brave the blustery winds and deep snow. However, at 9:30 a.m., Co- chairman Dale Pitts made the announcement of the post­ ponement for the reason of high winds," causing drifting and closing of roads. The latter made it impossible for back-up vehicles, sheriff's police and resctie squads to follow the ride and direct traffic Safety was the chief con­ sideration in making the decision. Many of the snowmobilers scheduled to ride were on their machines most of the weekend, doing rescue work during the blizzard. The schedule for the Jan. 21 ride remains the same, 8:30 to 9:45 a.m., for registration at Crescent Bay Landing, with th' ride starting at 10 a.m.' * With predictions of more snow ringing in their ears, McHenry residents con­ tinue to spend their time digging out from under what many have termed the "worst snow ever." During the blizzard and after, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the same scene was being constantly repeated throughout the city .It was of Public Works employees working hard to keep streets open, private o p e r a t o r s p l o w i n g driveways and parking*.* lots, and residents trying to shovel their way out of their predicament. "We have an open city," said Mayor Stanek Mon­ day. "We thank the people for their patience and tolerance. We are doing the best we can and are giving the snow removal the highest priority." Public Works employee Gary Gilpin explained what his department had been doing since the storm began. Gilpin had worked from 6 a.m. Saturday until 11:30 p.m. that night, and then was back on the street at 6 a.m. Sunday and worked until 8 p.m. Monday, he was back on the street again at 7 a.m. and worked until evening. The entire department worked the long hours, plowing snow, clearing intersections and sanding streets to make them less slippery. "We are trying to keep things passable until we can catch up," Gilpin said Monday afternoon. At Monday night's City Council meeting, the superintendent of Public Works had high praise for the men in his department. "I would like to give special thanks to the people in my department who worked without seeing their homes in an effort to keep up," Meyer said. He acknowledged the police department for its assistance during the snow removal operation apd also the operators of the Lakeland Construction company heavy equip­ ment, which removed much of the snow from the city's streets. i l d e r m e n e c h o e d yer's sentiments and alsb praised the city's police department and fire and rescue squads for their hard work during the storm. Mayor Stanek .read a letter from the McHenry ' State bank president, Thomas Bolger, which called McHenry's snow removal, "the envy of s u r r o u n d i n g c o m ­ munities." The letter contained a check for $1,000 to be used in the city's snow removal program, "since the good Lord appropriated more snow than the city ap­ propriated money for snow removal." The storm kept the police department busy, with the , men on emergency 3-day standby. "We've been busy transporting people to the hospital," said patrolman Bill Zujewski, "and shoveling paths to door­ ways for rescue squad members to get in for emergencies." Sgt. Robert Zujewski explained that while on routine patrol, officers had to push many cars out Jof the ditch, to keep the roads clear. Police Chief George Pasenelli thanked his men and said that nothing but glowing comments had been heard for all the city's departments during the storm. City Clerk Barb Gilpin estimated the cost of the snow removal operation for Saturday, Sunday and Monday to be in excess of $17,000. "It's money well spent," said Stanek, "when you consider, the loss of wages and income the workers and businessmen would lose if the streets were not open." Stanek indicated that the city would apply for f e d e r a l d i s a s t e r a i d b e c a u s e G o v e r n o r Thompson had included McHenry county in his disaster area declaration. Pasenelli said accidents in the city during the storm had been at a minimum because the weekend storm kept many people inside. Crime in the city was also reported to be nearly nonexistent. "The switchboard was kept busy with information phone calls," explained the chief. The McHenry Area R e s c u e s q u a d h a s a n ­ swered 13 calls since F r i d a y m o r n i n g , a c ­ cording to Vice-President Tom Uttich. A barn collapsed on Bull Valley road early Saturday morning, injuring three people who were taken to McHenry hospital, treated and released. Robin Muir, 3116 Thompson road, Wonder Lake, had been giving riding lessons to Dawn Tonyan, 1640 N. Park avenue, and Nancy Graham, 4305 W. South street, when the roof on the riding stable at Our Farm, 670o BulL Valley road, collapsed on them. Other calls answered by the Rescue squad included heart attacks, several falls on ice and snowmobile accidents. Squad member Bob Dooley said that Saturday night, a member with a four-wheel drive truck led the squad to the scene of a snowmobile accident. "The truck had a plow, and we could follow it with the equipment truck to get to the injured persons," he said. Dooley indicated that the ambulance could not make it through the snow. Uttich asked people to watch for the squad to " arrive during an emergency and signal which house needs the emergency assistance. . "Time is lost when the driver has to drive up and down the street looking for the right house," he said. Schools in the area remained closed Tuesday and several businesses and factories in the area were either closed or sent their employees home early Monday afternoon. A spokesman for Illinois Bell telephone explained the company was ex­ periencing no problems because of the weather, although it was taking people a longer time to get a dial tone. "So many people aren't working," said the spokesman, "and many more calls are being made, creating an abnormal peak load." He asked that people just stay on the line and a dial tone would be heard in a short time. The fire department responded to two fires over the weekend and were also - plagued by one talse alarm. Saturday, a fire in the Villa Vaupell subdivision caused an estimated $1,000 damage. An outlet in a garage shorted out, possibly because of the cold weather, and started the fire. Sunday morning, an electrical fire in a residence on Barnard Mill road in Ringwood caused minor damage. During the blinding snow Saturday morning, the department braved slip­ pery and snow-packed roads to respond to a reported house fire on Route 120. After arriving at the scene, it was determined the call had been a prank. Assistant Fire Chief Chris Bennett said Tuesday that firemen were donating their time to uncover fire hydrants buried by the storm "Monday night," Bennett explained, "about twenty men went around uncovering some very important fire hydrants on a volunteer basis." Bennett and Superin­ tendent Meyer urged city residents to dig out fire hydrants near their homes, if possible, or to at least mark their location so firemen or city employees could uncover them. Snowmobilers who assisted in the emergency situation were thanked, a l t h o u g h o t h e r snowmobilers were criticized for driving on city streets. "It is against the law to operate a snowmobile on the roadway," explained Pasenelli, who indicated that the department will catch and ticket violators. Pasenelli added that the presidents of area snowmobile clubs said their members did not drive on the streets, but the o f f e n d e r s w e r e "mavericks" who were not members of any club While McHenry's streets were reported to be in better condition than surrounding communities, some drivers expressed their disgust with the timing of the street removal activities During the evening rush hour Monday, only one lane of traffic was open on Elm street, while heavy equipment was used to remove snow from the parking areas along the street. "I appreciate the fact that the streets are open, but why couldn't they, do this busy street during th^ (Continued on pape 15) \ Departmental cooperation was very important over the weekend as McHenry battled what has been termed "the worst winter storm ever." Public Works employee Gary Gilpin (far left), stops while fixing his plow to discuss his activity during the storm, while snow#continues to fall, indicating that hli job is far from over. Patrolman William Zujewski (center, fight) and Sgt. Robert Zujewski (center, left) warm up inside their squad car before going back out into Monday afternoon's snow to direct traffic, while snow removal continued on the city streets. Rescue squad member Bob Dooley (far right) relates his experiences during the weekend, which kept the squad busy answering emergency calls, some which necessitated a leading snowplow to clear a path for the emergency vehicles to make it to the scene. STAFF PHOTOS-WAYNE GAYLORD