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------- a -- Free TV Guide in Today's Edition Plans are in full operation for the McHenry Area Chamber of Com­ merce's eighth annual Trade fair which will be held March 27, 28 and 29 at Parkland school. Chairman Butch Meyer has an­ nounced that many new features will be added to the already successful fortnat. A second room, the Learning center, will be used to provide additional exhibitors' booths in excess of the 66 booths in the gym. This large, open, fully carpeted room has great 'flexibility and will also provide for a large lounge area for resting weary feet, as well as as a staging area for style shows that will be presented on a pre-set time schedule throughout the three days. A separate classroom will provide seminar space for any exhibitors who wish to present their produce, service, or concept in more detailed and-or multi-media form. Seminars also will be on a pre-arranged schedule. The local FM radio station, WXRD, will be broadcasting live from the fair from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, March a. Miss McHenry, Lisa Grimmonpre, will be flying home from UCLA to spend the weekend with people from the town for which she wears the crown. For exhibitor information or any inquiries, contact the Chamber office, 3BS-O00 Issue New Voter Cards County Clerk Rosemary Azzaro has announced that all McHenry county registered voters have received, or will be receiving soon, new voter registration cards. These are necessary because of the new Consolidation of Election Law, referred to as ELCO, which became effective Dec. 1, 1900. Ma. Azzaro, requests all voters to destroy prior registration cards and to carefully check the new cards for ac­ curacy The cards now specify the units of government and will entitle the elector to vote in elections for each unit of government. If the card does not reflect the correct unit* of government in which the voter resides or in the event a voter does not receive a new voter's card, they should contact the office of the county clerk at 2300 North Seminary avenue, Wood­ stock, or phone 815-338-2040. Harrison Boy DAR Division Essay Winner Chamber Gears For Trade Fair With plans well under way for the 1981 Trade fair sponsored by the McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce, Don (Butch) Meyer, right. Trade fair chairman, and Keith Leathers, board and committee member, leek at broad area represented by survey taken at last year's fair. STAFF PHOTO-WftTNE GAYLORD Mrs Richard D. Gardner, regent of Kishwaukee Trail Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), was notified last week that John Ruzicka, of Harrison school in Wonder Lake, had won first place on the eighth grade level in the DAR Fourth division American History essay contest. John's essay, which was on General Charles O'Hara, who served in the British army under Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, competed with other first ice winners from the northeast eight- ltyjturea which makes up the Fourth (Continued on page 16) THE MCHENRY PLAINDEALER S E R V I N G T H E C H A I N O - L A K E S R E G I O N S I N C E 1 8 7 5 " VOLUME 105 NUMBER 59 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1981 1 SECTION 18 PAGES 25' Seven Ask Revenue Sharing SHAW MEOIA NEWS SERVICE SHAW MEOIA NIWS SERVICE Seven groups in addition to the aldermen submitted requests for a piece of the $207,000 revenue sharing pie at a public hearing held Monday night at city hall The requests, according to Alderman Jack Pepping, finance committee chairman, «totalled $275,000 without taking into account requests from city department heads. President Carmon Hodges and Chief Phil Gust were present on behalf of the McHenry Area Rescue squad. Gust told the Council that it was becoming "harder and harder to provide the service to the community" , , , - A bit of information from the State of Illinois puts the early traffic toll this year on the rise. It prompts an argument on the cause. Is it because there is less adherenece to the 55-mile-per-hour law? But if the accident toll is our big concern today, we can be sure it wasn't always so. There was a time - many, many years ago - when motorists were plagued with less perplexing but nonetheless annoying situations. For instance, there aren't many drivers alive today who remember the instruction manuals issued to new car owners at the turn of the century, giving hints On how to negotiate against a head wind and pass a horse on a hill. One dealer presented the proud buyer with other instructions covering a wide range of subjects. The younger generation may find trouble in comprehending some of the following: "Don't imagine that your motor runs well on equal parts of water and gasoline. That's a mistake." "Don't drive 100 miles the first day* (Continued on page 16) in the face of more technological ad­ vancements and rising costs. The 39-member squad operates three advanced life support ambulances and one equipment truck and has a station in Holiday Hills, Gust said. The chief reported that the squad has received about $19,000 from the fund drive and had spent about $19,000 to date. "Unless we get support, it will be hard to meet operational costs alone (about $30,000)," Gust said. Alderman Pepping asked what other government agencies the squad had applied to and received support from. Gust told the Council that McHenry township does contribute revenue sharing money, but he said that the squad ha$ served part of Nunda township for nine years and had received nothing. A representative of the McHenry Public library appeared to ask finan­ cial help "in order to provide the ser­ vices that citizens need." The spokesman cited increasing costs of materials averaging at about 30 percent, in addition to the $15,000 that the library board owes the City of McHenry. Nancy Fike, representing the McHenry County Historical society, appeared to request revenue sharing monies to help with the continued operation of the museum and the new plaquing program. A request of $6,800 was made by representatives of the Youth Service Bureau, which recently opened an office in McHenry. The bureau provides counseling and services to youths, primarily between the ages of 12 and 17. Referrals to the bureau come from schools, police and parents and the services are provided free of charge. TTie spokesman said 17 percent of the "registered clients" come from the City of McHenry, although many more are treated on a less regular basis. Doug Pratt, from the McHenry Alternative high school, asked that about $9,000 -- 20 percent of the cost of educating students from the city who attend -- in revenue sharing money be allocated to the school. Pratt said the school succeeded in wiping out a large deficit that existed earlier in the year. In response to questions about tuition and enrollment from Alderman Schooley, Pratt said the tuition, which covers a third of the education cost, was $1,000 and there were 25 students enrolled. Fran Olsen, representing the Chamber of Commerce, asked the Council to consider using revenue sharing money to fund its part in Fiesta Days and the McHenry Queen contest. A request of $7,500 was made by Lynne Oleson of the county Senior Citizens Council. A written request was also filed by the county Easter Seal society. At the close of the "outside group" requests for revenue sharing funds, the aldermen put in requests for their pet projects which cannot be budgeted due to a tight financial situation in the city. Mayor Stanek asked that the council approve $45,000 for the proposed dredging of Boone creek. He said the project could be done for not more than $50,000 by Jerome Miller. Five thousand dollars was allocated for Boone creek improvement at last year's revenue sharing meeting. Hie mayor said now was the ideal time to undertake the project because the equipment is available, due to the economic slowdown. Alderman Elizabeth Nolan asked that $1,000 be allocated to the McHenry Beautification committee. A request of $85,000 in "traffic relief" was made by Alderman Ernest (Continued on page 16) SHAW MEDIA NEWS SERVICE An ominous harbinger of the times. Finance Committee Chairman Jack Pepping said he would recommend a wage and hiring "freeze" to the McHenry City Council as Round 2 of the budget meeting continued Tuesday night The alderman was hesitant to call the recommendation a "freeze" and said* the Council should take a "fresh look" at the salary situation in six months, if the revenues improve. "The budget is predicated on income and I don't know if the expected revenues are realistic," Alderman Pepping said. "There is no assurance that tax receipts will increase at all and I can't see the city committing itself to an increase in s^aries." Pepping noted that the city would not be taking anything away from its employees because the step raises and longevity benefits would be "plugged into the budget." The recommended action would not alter the base salary structure. Police Chief George Pasenelli commented that the freeze could cause friction among employees because some were due for step increases, while othea were not.._ said, "I have no real i with not giving raises to some. There is nothing in the ordinance that says we have to raise the entire salary structure every year. Fortunately, the city could da it in the past, but this is an unusual situation - where the revenues have not come in." "I can't alt here and say the money will come in," he continued. "If we commit the city to a wage increase (Continued on page 16) . . o Hotel Fire Horror "Flames billowed 100 feet above the 30-story building - it was terrible!" That was Arnold Rauen's description of the fire that sweot through the Las Vegas Hilton hotel, given after his return this week from a convention in the Nevada city. He was one of the 3,500 hotel guests who escaped while eight lives. lost their Rauen, who lives on Regner road, McHenry, was attendii^ a Savings and Loan national convention and had arrived shortly before the fire broke out. He was in his tenth floor room when word from the switchboard sounded the alarm. Just two floors below, nozzles had been cut from noses and stutted witn flammable material, he explained. Material used in draperies and wall coverings were such that they burned quickly, and when he returned to pack his smoke-filled clothing the following day, hie found even the name plates on the door melted. Outside the building, he and hundreds of others watched in horror as a Boone, Iowa, man jumped from the ninth floor and came to his death on the deck of the third floor. His widow stood beside Rauen, quietly crying, as she returned for their belongings the next day. Rauen had only the highest praise for rescue efforts and the calm that prevailed among those getting guests out of the hotel. With precision teamwork, the 12 helicopters earned out their mission. In all, they took 128 people from the roof as others stood screaming in the windows One particularly sad death occurred to an elderly couple who followed directions to keep the door to the hall shut if it felt warm, and to remain in the bathroom with some water in the tub. Unfortunately, he related, they failed to shut off the air conditioner, and as a result the fire spread to their room quickly. u All who died suffered from smoke inhalation except the man who jumped Convention guests were taken from the hotel to a nearby convention area, where the Red Cross, the Salvation Army and other sevice units continued to bring in food throughout the night. At 5:30 the following morning, Rauen and others, weary after a sleepless night, arrived at another hotel assigned to them. It was then that the McHenry man issued an ultimatum: "Only if I am given something below a second floor room will I accept it. Otherwise I will stay in your lobby the rest of the night". County In Economy Move SHAW MEDIA NEWS SERVICE Prompted by a finance committee recomendation for a 90-day moratorium on hiring new and replacement personnel at Tuesday's February meeting of the McHenry County board. County Auditor A1 Jourdan of McHenry, announced, "We're not broke yet - we'll survive". In its recommendation, the com­ mittee softened the action with the words, "except in those areas in which current policies or demands show this cannot be done". The committee also recommended a 90-day freeze on non-essential materials. "The county is holding the line on expenditures, just like the average housewife is doing in these difficult economic times", Jourdan noted Committee Chairman Clint Claypool, who like Jourdan is from McHenry, said his committee had reviewed the January treasurer's report, and after comparing balances in the previous ye^r, observed a decline. In addition to the previous recom­ mendations, the committee also suggested that all travel, such as seminars, conventions, etc., should be suspended for the 90-day period. According to the treasurer's report, receipts for January in the general fund totalled $515,350 82 while spending during the same period totalled $798,953.50. The balance Jan. 31 was $1,230,712.63 compared to $1,700.144 98 at the same time last year Last year's expenditures were more than $250,000 less than this year Claypool called the 90-day moratorium recommendations a belt tightening move He also noted that sales tax receipts to the county were down about $40,000 per month and the higher expenditures this January included three pay periods instead of just two last year, an extra $220,000 Claypool told members he had checked with surrounding communities on the drop in sales tax receipts McHenry's sales tax revenue, he continued was down from last year by about 10 percent. Woodstock was down between 12 and 15 percent and Crystal Lake was "holding its own because of the addition of a couple of large stores there" Gaypool said he felt that by April more money should be coming into the county treasury "We should be receiving the liquor and license fees by then, he said, "and hopefully by June there will be property tair receipts". Jourdan noted that people are not working and they are not buying either He, too, said he felt things should pick up in a .few months. One note of encouragement came through Claypool's announcement that tax bills should be issued on time this year. This is important to school districts, which find it possible to operate without having to issue costly tax anticipation warrants Cluster Housing When a 251-acre parcel of land with frontage on Lincoln road, McHenry. was reclassified from agricultural to estate zoning by the McHenry County board Tuesday, it opened the way for a new residential cluster development. The land has Lincoln road and the proposed location of FAP 420 for its north boundary On the south there is an operating gravel pit. On the east is open space and agricultural land, and on the west, woods and a combination of one-to-five-acre residential estate lots Two bank trusts and Walter and John Fritsche were petitioners to rezone the property. Denial was made last March by the county Zoning Board of Appeals and the matter tabled by the entire board in July because of the intended use as a cluster development when the county did not have a "clustering" amendment in its zoning ordinance However, such an amendment was completed in late fall and adopted by the County board The petition claims that several slopes, high water table and existence of flood plain on portions of the property present a severe limitation on the residential development in the con­ ventional subdivision manner For this reason they prefer the cluster development Development plans for the property have not been completed, but the petitioners representative, Daniel F Curran, of Holmstrom and Green law firm, explained that more than half of the property, which has four ponds, will remain as open space It is expected that between 150 and 200 housing units will be constructed in a cluster design on a portion of the site Recommend City Wage-Hiring Freeze % HAW ME IMA NIWS ifllVlCK * MCHS Protests Edison Proposal For Increase Over 130 school districts located in 15 counties in Commonwealth Edison's service territory, including McHenry High School District 156, have banded together as the association of "Project COST - Conserve Our School Taxes" to protest Commonwealth Edison com­ pany's proposed increase in electric utility rates. Edison is seeking an average annual revenue increase of 19 7 percent or $628 million A review of some of the school districts indicates a rate increase of as much as 40 percent. During the past year, Commonwealth Edison company has received two rate increases from the Illinois Commerce Commission, a 14.4 percent increase in February, I960, and an 8.9 percent interim increase in November. 1980 The association claims Edison's ear­ nings in 1980 showed its greatest growth in more than a decade For the year, Edison's net income rose nearly 34 percent and operating income rose 28 percent The school districts throughout northern Illinois are facing a financial crisis. School officials hope that through "Project COST" the proposed rate increase can be successfully challenged. If not, the financial situation will worsen as the prospect for increased state aid to schools appears dismal. Overturn Ruling Judge Leonard Brody, at a hearing in the 19th Circuit court Thursday morning, overruled the decision of the McHenry Electoral board in the case of Ernest Schooley, who had raised six objections to the petition of Cecilia Serritella for alderman of McHenry'* Fourth ward. The judge's decision was in favor of Schooley. In announcing his decision, Judge Brody said signers of a petition should be informed of the oHice being sought. Mrs. Serritella s petition (which did not contain llif(l|MlMloii"|i to Which ward she resided in) could, he sold, have misled signers of her petition. A description of the office sought was not sufficient, he ruled. In a previous hearing before the McHenry Electoral board, the three members -Mayor Joseph Stanek, City Clerk Barbara Gilpin and Senior Alderman George Harker--did not sustain objections made by the in­ cumbent alderman, Schooley, against Ms. Serritello's petition. (Continued on page 16)