"SERVING THE CHAIN O LAKES REGION SINCE 1875 1 SECTION 18 PAGES 25 VOLUME 107 NUMBER 9 FRIDAY, AUGUST. 27, 1982 Budgetary Guillotine Conservation Program Near End At Chain Of Lakes, previous YC- C'er* built a nine-mile equestrian trail and a half-mile trail designed for the blind and those people confined to a wheelchair. "The kids got minimum wage and a certain amount of environmental education," Rodlek said. 1 ..is summer, the main project was the construction of s seawall and concrete walkways to the channel. In the past, Rodiek said, the progrsm wss funded 80 percent federal money and 20 percent state. This year, all the money came from Illinois. "There is nothing in the upcoming budget for this progrsm," Rodiek saia The 20 people who sttended the Chain Of Lakes YCC program csme from McHenry, Spring Grove, Wildwood, Crystal Lake, Richmond and Woodstock Rodiek said there are always a lot of applications and he pointed out that the decision is made via computer in Springfield "Some of these kids are really dedicated," Rodiek said "They're really surprised at what they can do " by Anthony Oliver The budgetary guillotine is poised to fall on the Youth Conservation Corps < YCC) program and it appears there will be no stay of execution. "ft looks Hke this is going to be the last year for the YCC," said Ed Rodiek. superintendent of the Chain Of Lakes state park, near Pox Lake Rodiek noted that moisive financial cutbacks at the federal and state level have apparently sealed the fate of the YCC • Superintendent John Schweder, at Moraine Hills state park, south of McHenry. noted. "We finally got all the bugs worked out of the program and now there is no money . Funded with federal monies, neither federal nor state government has allocated funds to continue the program. Schweder explained that the dif ferent parks submitted project proposals to the IfTinois Department of Conserve!ion. which distributes the YCC monies after the approval has been given "Basically, it's an opportunity for IS- to 18 year-old kids to have a job for •he summer." Rodiek said. "It also gives them a chance to get some environmental awareness and training Instead of just being told 'gq do this.' ihey were given reasons why front an environmental standpoint " Schw»»der said it was interesting to watch the attitudes change as the sbmmer progressed The kids gain a new respect for (he parks snd learn at*>ut some of the other things in volved with the state parks Ai Moraine Hills, Schweder over saw ihe operation of two, four week sessions The first group refurbished 'he nature trail at Pike Marsh -- repairing the floating dock, spreading wood chips and cutting back the brush 'hat was Tying to reclaim the trail The second group built a shelter at Pike Marsh to provide some shade for park visitors "They finished the work so fast we had to find other projects for them to do." Schweder said That was not too hard because the same budget con siderations that axed the YCC program have been steadily nibbling away at Schweder's staff From a one 'ime high of 38 people, he now manages the park with six. "We're just able to keep the park up." Schweder said "The program allowed us to put in some im provements." Those improvements included upgrading lavatory facilities at McHenry dam and providing a paved walkway for handicapped park visitors. Other projects included erosion correction measures at various places in the park. The YCC groups also assisted area biologist Harvey Brown with monitoring the breeding of northern pike and distribution of the fry into area lakes and the Fox river "The kids were just super, they really worked hard," Schweder said "In fact, the first group volunteered to come l>ack and work for nothing We couldn't let them because they weren't insured " Participants in the YCC program were paid about'$3 90 an hour In past years at Chain Of l,akes state park, the program was operated on a different basis and on a larger scale "For the last five years, we had a resident program where the kids ate and slept here at the park," Rodiek said This year, the program was scaled down to where the YCC par ticipants provided their own tran sportation on a daily basis YCC members (above) ai ChalfrOf-Lakea slate park. Fox Lake, put the flalshlng touches oa a seawall COM tract ed this past summer. Another project (right) Involved building concrete walkways down to the channel. Ed Reusk, IDOC site supervisor, (second from left) and the project manager oversee work at the park. STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYLORD Vegas Trip Brings Little Hope Of Solving Murders Laurence Neumann as the killer of a "man and woman" in McHenry county during June of last year. The disclosure involving Culotta reportedly was made by Charles Parsons, chief of the FBI's organised crime division in Las Vegas. Culotts reportedly told agents (CenlSiived MI ML» 1.6) by Angela Burden Shaw Media News Service Statements given to FBI agents in connection with two 1961 PM Pub murders in Lakemoor have been discounted by local authorities. "We don't take too much stock in his story ... he hasn't told us anything he couldn't have read in the papers," Sheriff Henry "Hank" NuHe said of reputed Chicago mobster Frank J. iCtfyta's statements to FBI agents in Laa Vegas about a double slaying in Impasse In Negotiations In a joint press release on the status of negotiations in High School District 196, the board of education and the McHenry High School Teachers association revealed that a state of impasse now exists between the two parties. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation service will now be used to continue negotiations. The board and association are hopeful that an agreement will be reached as soon as possible. Riverfront Views Voiced Mixed the sheriff's department to the FRF subdivisions broke down, as did ac companying enforcement of the closure to boats. Result wss severe wavewash and erosion damage to riverfront piers and lands One of the two resolutions sd- dressed to the IDOT Division of Waterways was highly com plimentary of both IDOT and McHenry Dam Supervisor Frsnk Novak for responding to earlier FRF pleas in placing navigational spar (Continued on pe§e 14) department and reliable to all of our subdivisions " The Federation further appealed to Nulle to "assure the performance of patrol and enforcement of river condition restrictions of no-wake and closure " FRF trustee Don Costa, chairman of its resolutions committee, ex plained (o the Federation mem bership that during both the May and July closings of the Fox to boating because of high waters, promised river condition communication from while the third addressed the McHenry county sheriff's river lew enforcement division The resolution to the sheriff's department commended Sheriff Henry A. Nulle's ongoing plec^e of "s high level of communication and cooperation" concerning openings and closings of the Fox during high- water periods But then it asked Sheriff Nulle to "maintain within his department administration" a communication system that is "consistent within the Sheriff's McHenry County State's Attorney Theodore Floro and Chief Deputy Sh6riff George Hendle are in Las Vqps this week to interview Culotta, but they do not have "high hopes" of clearing the June 2, 1961, murders of Ronald Scharff, 37, and Patricia Freeman, 32, in the living quarters of the P.M. Pub, at 238 Rand road. Nulle said the two McHenry county lawmen are in Nevada for "a routine follow-up" in such a matter, since an FBI agent has told a U.S. District court in Las Vegas that Culotta named Approval and frustration were contained In a mixed bag sent to the McHenry County Sheriffs depart ment and the Illinois Department of Transportation by the Fox Riverfront Federation. During its summer-quarter meeting in Algonquin township hall, the civic alliance of subdivisions fronting the Fox between the McHenry -and Algonquin dams enacted three reaolulions unanimously. Two were directed to the IDOT Division of Waterways dam facility at McHenry. Along with Frank Gans and Bob Green, Leo was in the basement of the school when Carl Bickler locked the door Unable to find another way to leave, the boys broke a window. Anxious to keep their experience a secret for fear of disciplinary action, they hurried away. None of them gave thought to the possible consequences. Only the arrival of the janitor the following morning disclosed frozen pipes. Every public school student in McHenry had a vacation on Monday. It was some years later that Catherine Walsh entered the school st one of the exciting times in McHenry's educational history. landmark was experiencing growing pains, and leading citizens were taking to soap boxes tb stump for a new school. And they moved forward from soapboxes to the old Empire theatre. Catherine remembers her very progressive mother. Loretto Walsh, stsnding alongside board president, Jos. W. Freund, and carrying the rally cry for a new school *o aH who would listen Site still recalls a feeling of pride for her mother's role, "for I knew she was rightbut at the same time there was a wariness for the position she assumed in an era before many women spoke out publicly. ' The new building, now East campus, became a reality in 1924, and Catherine Walsh and her classmates, with two years of high school behihd them, entered a wliole new world of education. From a high school housed in a portable building to the east of Landmark, connected to the main building by a boardwalk, she remembers the move to the shinv. new school at the east end of Main street. "We were ecstatic", she remembers well even though that September day of 1924 was almost six decades ago "It was big. it was lovely, it was fun. and very exciting", she recalls "And we iiud a Home Economic* lalx»ratorv" (Continued •* Ml* '*) Musin9 and Meanderin It waa September. 1907, and a few dozen youngsters filed into their classrooms at Landmark school on Waukegan street. Their names? Not all of them are vivid even in the memory of one member of the first grade class. Leo Heimer But be does recall classmates Glenn Wells. Ellen Walsh snd Thomas Frisby If any of them had older brothers or sisters, they were enrolled at Landmark loo. for it was many years that the historic old building, erected in 1894. served both grade and high schools. Except for the west wing that was built for use as a gymnasium, and the nmms above that gym, the building was much the same as it is today. 88 years later The remodeling inside has provided modern classrooms, and the clean-up job •n 'he exterior has restored all of the pride the structure once knew But to the passerby, it is the same building that has stood so long as sentinel over s««netimes hectic activity in progress below the hill It wasn't that way when Leo. and Glenn, and Ellen and Thorfias-entared first grade _ !*<> remembers very well when the city hall was used for ba*k:*'ball games |4ayed by the crack BUiomer Girls team lie also recalls with the impish delight .>t the youngstei he was 'hen the day lie and a few friends provided a dav » \ acation for 'he entire school It was iliegvm had been add«*d onaFridu* night during.« basketball game I HrlNml before addHluw Memorabilia At Freund Fest September 4 Gathering Page 4 Set Test Dates For ACT College Testing Page 7 FREE TV Guide In Today's Edition