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McHenry • • since 1875 aindealer 1 Section Friday A .. A January 13, 1984 Number 46 , Volume 108 STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYIORD Crystal Lakefirefighterspourthousandsof yallonsof water on the roof damage to the of Chroma Corporation in an effort to staunch the spread of flames to shortly after 1 the office area. The efforts of the Crystal Lake firemen and all the that morning, others were successful as the flames were halted before doing serious office and records of the company. The fire broke out a.m. Thursday and was still in progress by press time While most of McHenry slept peacefully, fire fighters from throughout McHenry County spent their night trying to put out a fire that destroyed Chroma Corporation, 3900 W. Dayton St., McHenry. By dawn Thursday, and on into the morning hours, dense black smoke was still billowing into the sky. Men and equipment from as far away as Huntley and Wauconda responded to the call for mutual aid from the McHenry Township Fire Protection District (MTFPD). The first responding fire fighters, those of Co. 1 MTFPD, found smoke pouring from a portion of the loading area and some smoke coming from the eaves of the main part of the building. Fire Chief Glenn Peterson explained that this meant the blaze had already "spread through the structure. ' - Employees at Chroma Cor­ poration said they smelled smoke, saw a glow and evacuated the building. Shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday, the first alert was sounded. When firemen extinguished the visible flames in the loading area, it became apparent that help would be needed if any part of the building was to be saved. The combined efforts of mar;y firemen from many company cut of^ the blaze before it destroyed the office and records of the,company. Responding to Co. l's call for help were tankers, engines and men from Companies 2 and 3 MTFPD; Crystal Lake, in­ cluding their snorkel truck; Richmond, Wonder Lake, Cary, Huntley, Spring Grove, Nunda Rural and Wauconda Fire Departments. Peterson said there was, at the height of the fire fighting activities, 20,000 gallons of water on wheels to the Tonyan Industrial Park, which is without fire hydrant service. Crystal Lake firemen were perched above the burning building in the bucket of the snorkel truck. They poured thousands of gallons of water on the roof of the building. As the fire rolled through the inside of the structure, small explosions could be heard as paint cans and other materials detonated in the intense heat. The fire broke through the easterni corner of the building, which was the farthest point from the\office area. It didn't take long for the flames to spread, .but the fire fighters were able to effectively stop the spread of the flames befyre serious damage was done to the office. In the morning, the office area was the only part of the struc­ ture that survived. The walls that remained were of metal, twisted by the heat. Chroma Corporation, which moved to the Tonyan Industrial Park in 1978, is involved in the manufacture of plastic parts. The amount of plastic and potentially hazardous or toxic materials in the building was of great concern to the various commanders at the fire scene. However, there were no in­ juries sustained by any of the company's employees or members of the fire fighting force. The corporation employs about 67 full-time people. It is believed that the corporation had shifts working 24-hours-a- day every day of the week. In late October, 1983, Chroma Corporation approached the McHenry City Council for assistance in a $1 million ex­ pansion project at the McHenry site. The council viewed the project favorably and passed an inducement resolution for the industrial revenue bonds. Arrest two for check fraud McHenry Police have charged an Island Lake woman with six counts of deceptive practice in connection with a number of bad checks passed recently in the McHenry area. April Lietz, 27867 N. Beach, Island Lake, IL, called McHenry Police to turn herself in last Friday, according to Lt. Robert Kranz. The on-going investigation involves numerous McHenry businesses and checks written from more than one bank. Police said Ms. Lietz posted $500, the required 10 percent of the $5,000 bond, and was released. In another incident, a McHenry man was arrested when he reportedly tried to cash a lost or stolen check at the First National Bank, 3814 W. Elm Street, McHenry. Prank S. Accetta, 21, 405 Lincoln Road, McHenry, was charged with theft follow ing his arrest by Off. Richard Meier. A bank employee called police when Accetta reportedly at­ tempted to cash a $181.76 check. The check has been reported lost or stolen. Accetta allegedly told police he found the check in the Lakemoor area in late November, 1983. Sunnyside village studies reconstruction of roads Preliminary okay for rehab unit Northern Illinois Medical Center's (McHenry Hospital) bid to build a rehabilitation unit and to obtain a $1 million scanning device received preliminary approval Monday from a state health agency, a hospital spokesman said. Paul Laudick, the hospital's associate director for corporate development, said a project * review board of the Health Systems Agency for Kane, Lake and McHenry counties gave the two projects a positive recommendation after a public hearing at the HSA - . KLM ^ offices in Cary. I The review board will now recommend approval of the combined $1.48 million projets at the HSA - KLM board meeting Jan. 26, Laudick said. The hospital is seeking to build a 15-bed rehabilitation unit for persons needing physical, oc­ cupational and speech therapy. The unit would serve multiple injury, amputee and stroke victims. The unit is expected to cost $391,931 and is scheduled to be housed in space at the new center originally designed as office space. NIMC is also seeking approval to lease a TCT Whole Body Scanner, commonly called a CAT scan, at a cost of $1,089,316. CAT scans are capable of visualizing soft tissue through the use of computers, making it £ more versatile diagnostic tool than simple X-ray. The TCT Whole Body Scanner is capable of both head and body scan. Funding for both projects will come through existing hospital funds, according to Laudick.' The public hearing Monday was the first step to determine need for the projects. "Criteria on both projects was satisfied," Laudick said. The HSA - KLM review board will send the proposals to the full board "with a positive recommendation," he said. Pending favorable review, the proposals must be sent to the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board for final ap­ proval, which may be at the Feb. 2-3 meeting of the IKFPR, Laudick said. He added that the hospital is confident of gaining approval from the board, which makes sure costly medical services are not duplicated within a given area. "V . State Rep. Dick Klemm (R- Crystal Lake), State Sen. Jack Schaffer (R-Crystal Lake), NIMC doctors, and represen­ tatives from Memorial Hospital for Mctoenry County and Pioneer Center testified in favor of the projects at Monday's public hearing, Laudick reported. The Village Board of Sun­ nyside is negotiating the reconstruction of Wilmot Road between Chapel Hill and Ringwood Roads. This will be done under federal program, whereby the village is responsible for only 25 percent of the total cost. McHenry Township is participating in . a portion of that 25 percent.' Start of construction is not anticipated until late 1984, at the earliest. Aldon Thompson will be lieading a Citizen's Committee conc^rntng the project. TjKe village is looking into contracting with a graduate student in Public Ad­ ministration to help in the preparation of a Master Plan for the growth of the village. . The village hall is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Meetings are held at 8 p.m. <3n the first and third Tuesdays of every month. Village officials are Ray Nolan, mayor pro tem; William Sandell,^ Andrew Eichhorn, Kathleen Rogers, Lillian Pomonis, and Steve Bethel, trustees. Phil Fleming, clerk; Richard Flood, attorney; Loretta Davis, treasurer; Dean Pease, building inspector; William Zawislak, electrical inspector; Frepl-^--Alaimo, plumbing inspector. and\John Pomonis, chief of police. ) Village residents with/com- plaints about snow removal are asked to Call 385-3650. For matters concerning the police department, call 385-3250. The Village Hall phone number is 385-6023. by Anthony Oliver Following up on a no-smoking ordinance passed recently, the McHenry City Council voted Monday night to -prohibit smoking in council chambers. The measure applies to all functions occurring in the chambers', including court, classes, seminars and meetings of all kinds. Aid. Edward Datz (2nd) said the measure should be con­ sidered as serious by the council. He was supported by Aid. Frank McClatchey (3rd), who made the motion for its passage. The vote passed 5-3. Aldermen Bolger, Busse, Datz, Mc­ Clatchey and Snell voted in favor. Aldermen Nolan, Smith and Serritella opposed. Aid. Elizabeth Nolan (1st) said she felt smokers were entitled to legal rights, as were non-smokers. With sarcasm thick in the air, Aid. Cecilia Serritella com­ mented that as long as the council was taking these steps in the interest of the community's health, the council should prohibit any kind of spraying in the cityr In particular, Mrs. Serritella referred to mosquito spraying, a measure she has always opposed. Earlier in the meeting. Mayor Joseph Stanek reported to the council that the township was considering a mosquito abatement program for the unincorporated portions of the township. Stanek said the city should probably have some input as a means to avoid duplication of services. In otfrer busippss . ' --The couBeihput off for one week the granting of a liquor license to the new White Hen Pantry, in the old Jewel lot. Mayor Stanek sought advice from the council, noting this was the first time two licenses would be issued to the same person. -At the recommendation, of the Sewer and Water Com­ mittee, chaired by Aid. William Bolger (1st), the council ap­ proved the installation this summer of well 7 in the Winding Creek area. The well and pumphouse are expected to cost about $100,000. - The city -will also undertake an infiltration study in the Country- Club area in order to determine where excess water is entering the sewer system. The study may be extended to other areas of the city. -The council approved the cost sharing of water main construction from Route 31 to Orleans Drive. The Orleans apartments developer, Irv Koppel requested Hiaring the cost of looping the main. The total cost of the project is about $8,345. •y - • Trade Fair plans Good exhibit space is still available for the annual Trade Fair sponsored by McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce. The dates are March 30 and 31 and April 1. Chairman Brian Cunat an­ nounces that 36 additional booths have been added to the floor plan at Parkland School. This should provide plenty of extra space to accommodate the demand from new exhibitors. Con t inued on oaa« 3 A look inside... Census Survey Tillage Conference Regular features Obituaries Mostly Social New Classified Number Page 9 Page 13 Page 3 Pages 10 & 11 344-4800 No smoking • • /• - in chambers 22 Pages 25c