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Illinois Celebrates Christmas Holiday Depression Farm Bureau Challenge Candlel ight And Sleigh Rides Head Start Program Annual Meet ing _ Page 20 -- -- Page 13 . Page 8 THE MCHENRY PLAINDEALER "SERVING THE CHAIN-O-LAKES REGION SINCE 1875 Object To County Funding For RTA Six members of the RTA board tffid Regional Affairs Officer Van Sells visited the Tuesday meeting of the McHenry County board, seeking money to meet a shortage they told members exists in McHenry county. The reception was cordial but con­ versation was marked by objections. Edward Buss of McHenry was among the strongest in rejecting any help through county funds. Thomas Huemann introduced the RTA board members, who pointed to a $150,000 shortage in this area next year. Unless this money is forthcoming, they said, fares must be raised. The state has been reluctant to give money to the RTA, claiming that the poor condition of highways is higher priority. The visitors said there were now 49 county trains running daily to Chicago, with a feeder service from Richmond to Fox Lake since the line beyond McHenry has been discontinued. They told of 280 persons involved in the Dial-A-Bus in McHenry county, a service RTA wants to expand. When the matter of bus size was brought to the attention of the RTA representatives, one of them said this was not important since 90 percent of the cost is in wages. Buss took issue with the claim of 5,400 citizen rides each day to Chicago. He questioned if this figure was not double since they were counting round-trip riders as two. He asked members if they knew the cost of RTA service in McHenry county, then proceeded to tell them that it was $15,000 a year for each rider from this (Continued on page 5) Musin' And Meanderin' Once There Was A Town... Once there was a little town where cranberries - fancy ones - were sold for .20 a pound and a big bundle of celery for just a penny more, all for holiday feasting. In this same picturesque little community you could buy an aluminum roaster to put the turkey in for just a buck. And if you had a real taste for finer things, sirloin steak was offered at .35. To get to grandma's house for the holiday you could ride in a new Studebaker for just $1,265 or a Chevy roadster for $525. The very latest movies cost just a few coins. One of them that drew the biggest crowds was "Lilac Time" starring Colleen Moore, the black-haired, black-eyed beauty with the bangs. Where was this quaint little town, and when could you make such ridiculous buys? It was McHenry, and the time was Thanksgiving weekend just a half century ago. The Studebaker is gone, and it's been a long time since we drooled over .35 steak or .20 cranberries. So are the businesses that offered them - Fox River Motor Sales, Riverside Grocery and Market and Erickson's Department store. Even Vycital's Hardware, where our family bought the aluminum roaster, finally closed its doors last June. ^ They were part of our childhood, and some of the memories we share today come first-hand; others come from grownups who were the backbone of the little town that barely merited a speck on the map of Illinois in 1930. And backbone, too, were the merchants who operated the stores in the post- Stock Market crash - John Vycital, Louie Erickson, George Barbidn, and all the others. Probably not one of them would have considered himself special as he used every bit of ingenuity at his disposal to make a go of his business as the jobless rate soared. But special they were - they were the business men of McHenry. Now we are entering the Christmas shopping season. We would place a bet that in no one's mind has the thought occurred that our business men and women who serve us in times as troubled with inflation as the Depression period, are special. But they are. McHenry has changed and it has grown. It is too big for some of us who remember the less hectic times when the departure of summer visitors left such a dent in the population that it prompted one old timer to observe, "You can roll up the sidewalks after Labor day". But growth is part of living. And today, McHenry business people are just as much the backbone of the community - its growth and progress - as their counterparts of 50 years ago. Without them there would be no schools, no library, no parks, no McHenry - nothing. Remember this during the Christmas season and support local merchants. They are the reason for the very existence of the city we call our "home town". K.A.F. VOLUME 105 NUMBER 35 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1980 1 SECTION 20 PAGES 25' Santa arrived early this year. Above, he Is shown whispering into the ear of Marge Olszewski, a member of the McHenry Chamber of Commerce Christmas committee. The big man in the red suit will be in the city park Dec. 13, 20 and 21 from 2 to 4 p.m. STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYLORD 1 TAJ Recommend Increase For Most Elective Offices In McHenry Jack Pepping, chairman of the McHenry City Council Finance com­ mittee, reports that his committee recommended increases few all the elective offices except treasurer at a special meeting last week. In at­ tendance were seven aldermen, Mayor Joe Stanek and City Clerk Barbara Gilpin. Pepping indicated that following long discussion, including comments from others In attendance, the committee recommended a salary of $1,000 per month for the mayor, presently paid $3,200 per year. Compensation for an alderman was recommended to go to $75 per meeting, from the $50 now paid. The clerk's salary would be set at $18,000 per year. Presently the clerk is paid under two classifications, $10,000 as clerk and $14,000 as city collector. Pepping said the collector portion of the salary would be adjusted down later to reflect the appropriate proportion of responsibility. Probably the total would show an increase. No increase was recommended for the $1,500 annually paid to the treasurer, which is a position with only nominal duties. If accepted by the City Council the new rates would be ef­ fective when officers begin their new terms after April. The Council will consider the recommendations at their regular meeting Dec. 1, Pepping said. As background to the salary discussions, employees at the city hall furnished the following information. McHenry's current population, ac­ cording to preliminary census figures, is 10,665. The Police department con­ sists of a chief, a lieutenant, and 22 officers, six civilian communication employees and two office employees. In the Public Works department are 18 employees including 14 assigned to the garage or shop, one in the water department and three in the sewer department. Handling administrative and clerical duties at the city hall are seven persons and the city clerk. The director of Parks and Recreation presently uses only part-time em­ ployees as needed. Presently the position of superintendent of public works position is vacant following the resignation of Fred Meyer. Budgeted for city operations during the current year is $4,458,457. Revenues received for the past year were reported as $4,247,&;>*», including $509,163 in property tax; $1,983,407 in state sales tax; $167,742.89 as city's share of state income tax; and $2,587,245 from other local sources such as licenses, water and sewer payments, and various fees, penalties, fines, etc. The figures do not include any federal grant money, it was reported. Pepping indicated after the meeting that they found they didn't have to go into executive session. No further discussion of personnel by name had resulted. He noted that discussion on salary was lively, with moat aldermen present agreeing with the need for increases, especially in the mayor's stipend. About half said they would support even a larger increase for the mayor. Go-Ahead For Development Santa Makes Early Visit The construction of a 102-unit row house development in the McHenry Lakes Estates subdivision received the green light Monday night when an unanimous vote approved a third amendment to an annexation involving zoning changes and variations requested by the developers, Milfred Towne and Howard Orleans. The site for the development is a 12.5 acre tract of land at the northwest corner of the intersection of Orleans street and McCullom Lake road, in the subdivision. The row houses are slated to be grouped in four or six-unit buildings and each will have a yard, garage and driveway. In a change from the condominium concept, the purchaser of the unit will also own a 2,500-square-foot lot as *v as the airspace of the unit purchased. According to previous testimony; the development will have more of a single family detached housing character than condominium and Attorney Daniel Curran, representing the developers, noted that the density of this development was half of what was allowed by the original annexation agreement. The original agreement called for the construction of 207 rental units on the 12-acre site. backs, lot Vv^e bod square footage requirements. The sticky part of negotiations bet­ ween the City and the developers concerned questions of roads and the construction of a swimming pool and community house portrayed in the site plan, which the developers said they planned to follow. The developers agreed to widen certain roads - particularly an east- west road in the middle of the development which was requested by Alderman Jack Pepping - and City Attorney Bernard Narusis assured the Council that the City could, if it deemed it necessary, widen other roads onto the 12-foot perpetual easement (which Replaced the traditional dedicated right-of-way). _ ^ w Regarding some sort of insurance that a swimming pool and community house would be built, the developers agreed to set up an escrow account where $1,500 would be deposited after each unit sale is closed. If, after five years, the pool area is not built, the money in the escrow account, which had drawn interest and can only be used for the pool-house construction, would be turned over to the homeowners' association. nearby municipalities, McCullom Lake and Sunnyside, that have been tardy in paying their bills for having their police units dispatched by the City of McHenry. The dispatch rate is set according to a per-call basis. Alderman Jack Pepping, chairman of the Finance committee, reported to the Council that McCullom Lake, which had received a reduced rate from $600 a month to $300 a month, had "not paid dime one since May." The Village of Sunnyside, he said, owes from July. The "boom," which was approved, is that if the bill is not paid in full in 30 days, service will be terminated. Voting in favor were Aldermen Pepping, Datz, Harker, Schooley and Meurer. Alderman Nolan passed and Aldarmen Wieser and Adams were abaent. The Council also voted to take action concerning the intersection of Waukegan road and Front street, where westbound cars on Waukegan block the intersection trying to get into the left turn lane of Front street. The topic was presented by Alderman Ernest Schooley, chairman of the Streets and Sidewalks committee, who proffered two different plans for dealing with the problem. "Schooley Plan A" was a proposal to barricade the westbound lane of Waukegan road. This proposal would still allow traffic to turn onto Waukegan from Front street, but would alleviate the congestion at the intersection. "Plan B," which was proposed by Alderman Pepping, included the total barricading of the intersection. Members of the Council discussed the subject among themselves before the meeting and a third alternative was offered, and later approved. This alternative was to post the in­ tersection "Right Turn Into Right Lane Only." This would leave the in­ tersection open to through traffic, but that traffic would be channeled into the "Right Turn Only" lane of Front street. Mayor Stanek suggested that the center line of Waukegan be moved a bit so that there is no mistaking one-lane traffic west. As the road is striped now, he pointed out, many motorists have the impression that there are two-lanes turning onto Front street. The measure to re-stripe and post the intersection passed unanimously. (Continued on page 5) After numerous and occasionally stormy meetings, the much revised petition cleared the Zoning Board; of Appeals with a favorable recom­ mendation, but received a negative recommendation from the Plan commission. As presented originally, the petition contained requests for six variations from the Zoning ordinance, primarily dealing with various *et- The accords reached Monday night further allowed that the development could be built in phases, but no oc­ cupancy permits would be given until each unit seeking a permit was fully serviced by municipal utilities. Building permits, on the other hand, would be granted after plat approval. In other action, the City Council voted Monday night to lower the boom on two New Membership Joins County Board At December Meeting Seven new board members will join the McHenry County board at swearing-in ceremonies Dec. 1. Early this week the board acltf- knowledged the $16.2 million budget established Nov. 12 and approved the levy to raise money needed to operate the county government for the fiscal year beginning this Dec. 1. On Dec. 1, the new board will assume jurisdiction, seven new members joining in time to help elect a new chairman to succeed Richard Klemm. After serving efficiently as a board member and chairman for several years, Klemm, of Crystal Lake, will assume his duties as a state representative from the 33rd district. He was elected to that office at the Nov. 4 election New board members will include Paul Fidler, Bill Fitzgerald, and John O'Hagan, all of McHenry, Bill Caveny, Thore Emricson, Ann Hughes, and Jim Powers Retiring board members will include Bill Beese, Leo Benecke, Don Doherty, Dianne Easty, Ernie Foote, Dick Klemm, and Chuck Weingart. At the November meeting last week, Clint Claypool, of McHenry, chairman of the Courthouse Operations com­ mittee, said his committee awaits schematic plans from Orput and Associates, Rockford architectural firm The current study involves remodeling and new construction at the north end of the present building to relieve the jail complex of its space ^ shortage. This is the most critical space problem, and more jail space along with a state-approved bullpen for prisoners could go a long way toward lessening the space pressure demands, Claypool summarized. Other departments have asked for more space, but the County board so far has not yielded to those pleas after turning down a plan to expand the south end and an investigation to buy the 666 Russel court building. Claypool said the garage on the northwest corner of the present building "could be included' in a remodeling-expansion plan but nothing is definite yet. Blood Drive Set Some early practice for the forthcoming blood drive sponsored by Zion Lutheran church has as participants Karen Haurl, the patient, and Marge Schwab, medical technician for McHenry hospital and a member of the church. The drive is scheduled Monday, Dec. 1, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Zion Lutheran church, 4206 W. Elm street. STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYLORD