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•r^ *> JULIE ANDERSON AND SCOTT TVAROH t Camp District McHenry ™-m «=lll y m Since 1875 aindealer - # 2 Sections 30 Paget 25' Friday May 11, 1984 Number 80 Volume 108 ^ * ComEd workmen confer in one cooling towers. If the plant were in opergyon, several feet of water, destined to cool off turbine- driving steam, would be pooled here. Cascading water will be pumped to the top of the gigantic louvers behind the men. f Reporter sees the 'power' behind Byron nuclear plant 1 is the wcondof Its examining lison's nuclear ng ir article s tour MHoCs Not*: This a three-part sarlas Edison This a reporter'! Byron nuclear is presently under It explains now the iww piano are constructed and operated, and how nuclear power is monitored. The final installment in the series will be in Wednesday's service By Jim Nash Plaindealer negrs For the people who cannot comprehend the awesome powers - and dangers - unleashed ,as nuclear energy, the sheer size of Commonwealth Edison's Byron nuclear power station is a good yardstick. I recently took my second tour of the nuclear plant and was no less awed by the titanic scale of the project. Approaching the Byron station, it became obvious the plant is still under construction. About 2,500 workers, scurrying like ants on a high-tech hill, were preparing for the startup of Reactor One, scheduled for February. Security precautions increase for the station as the start up date ap­ proaches. In order to enter the plant, visitors must pass through a soon-to-be meticulous security building. Upon entering this building, a somber guard asked me to sign and then print my name, my reason for visiting, the company for which I work, who I was to s$e in the plant and my citizenship. Turning, I was confronted with walk-through security gear like that found in major airports that would detect any metal objects or ex­ plosive devices I might be carrying. On the other side of the machines was my guide, Sam Powers, one of ComEd's nuclear com­ munications coordinators. A magnetic strip on each >8- I left tte > enroute to . ilding where nUCLEA3 fill badge like the ones on bank cards will identify the visitor's level of security^ The badges would be slipped into small electronic boxes at the entrance to each sensitive area. Based on the information stored in the strips, entry will be granted or denied. Using this method a central computer, Powers said, will track the travels of visitors tad workers. Radiation detectors not only , will warn visitors of contamination, but also will stop contaminated people and objects from leaving the grounds. The final barrier to the station's interior compound was a revolving gate similar to those used in many public pools to keep swimmers from re-entering. Powers and security house the service building we picked up hard hats. It is here, along brown-toned hallways appointed with nature photographs, that much of the administrative duties of the plant take place. \ The polished office at­ mosphere ended abruptly as we passed through one doorway and into a con­ struction zone that soon will be the cavernous turbine room. Starting from where I stood, I first focused on the box-car size high pressure turbine. Steam, heated by the reactor to 600 degrees and flowing under 2,200 pounds of pressure, will scream into the turbine blades. Un­ derneath' layers of in­ sulation, the pipes carrying the steam will glow cherry red. Three other "low pressure" turbines on the same shaft further down in the room will use up vir­ tually all of the remaining energy in the steam. At the end of the shaft is the generator itself. The generator will produce 1,120 megawatts-enough to power Rockford and its surrounding county three times over. From the turbine room, Continued on p«f« 4 By Anthony Oliver Plaindealer staff writer A request from MclUnxy residents to put a 26-foot house trailer on their property brought concerned action by the McHenry City Council at Monday night's meeting. Hie owners of the home, at 4406 Clearview, McHenry, which was rendered unlivable after a recent fire, made the request to the city building inspector, Richard Rosing. House trailers and the like are not permitted under McHenry's ordinances. Rosing brought the matter to would wind up in court to resolve the matter. ^ An impromptu committee of the fourth ward aldermen, Snell and Cecilia Serritella, and the building inspector was authorized to make the final decision. The council did hot want to wait two weeks, until the next meeting, because of the school factor. The council also voted to hold off on a request from Residential Development Group for some relief on various fees paid for building permits taken out but cancelled later. The council felt more in- the attention of the Building and "formation was required before Zoning Committee, chaired by/ making a decision. Aid. William Busse (2nd), who, in turn took it to the council floor for some direction. Aid. Gary Snell (4th) com­ mented that the family's in­ surance should pay for a motel or some other accommodation, if it would pay for a house trailer. But, the issue was com­ plicated further because of the family's desire to have the children complete the school year. Mayor Joseph Stanek voiced a concern about the precedent- setting nature of granting the request for variation. "Our ordinance won't allow someone to live in a basement while building is going on top. The fire happened two weeks ago. What are they doing now?" Aid. Ray Smith (3rd) asked, "What time limit control do we have?" City Attorney Bernard Narusis said the city would have the ultimate authority to evict the family from the trailer. "That's not to say it wouldn't be painless," Narusis said. Narusis said if the family abided by a time limit, the plan could work. If the family abused the time limit, however, the city Gym floor repairs set for summer By Donna Bertulis Plaindea(er editor Substantial work is needed to improve the McHenry High School East Campus gym­ nasium, the District 156 school board has determined. Repairs to the second floor roof and 37-year-old floor are expected to take place this summer. The school board has been made * aware that the gym­ nasium..' floor is weak and splintering in some areas. A new wooden floor is recom­ mended, but not until the ceiling in part is repaired or replaced. Falling tiles from the ceiling has been an "ongoing problem," said Tom Carl, assistant prin­ cipal at East Campus. Improper drainage could be the cause, but the improvements were delayed . until a study could be made this \spring. Once the roof is repaired, the school will contract to install a new wooden floor. A synthetic floor * was discussed by the school board, but later ruled out. "There's a lot of disad­ vantages I wasn't aware of associated with a synthetic floor,"1 commented Robert Swartzloff, superintendant. "And a wood floor is pretty much in the same price range." The wood floor was durable, but is now very old and brittle. A synthetic floor has a replacement life of seven to 10 years, while a wood floor is about 20 to 25 years, at about the same cost, said the board. The floor presently in the gym­ nasium is about 37 years old, 10 years past its useful life. In other business : -A loading zone area on the east side of Riverside Drive by the small park was approved by a unanimous vote. -The council set a speed limit of 40 mph on those parts of Curran Road in the city from Draper Road to Bull Valley Road. The move eliminates a wide discrepancy and confusion in the speed limit on that stretch of road. -The speed limit on Route 31, from a point 1,000 feet south of High Street to the south city limits (Tonyan Industrial Park) was dropped from 55 mph to 50 mph. The council action brought the local ordinan the state stat ie with -As a result of a unanimous council vote, the subdivision control ordinance was amended to require all sidewalks to be ramped where they meet a street. -Councilmen clarified that outside beer sales would be allowed during Sidewalk Sales by liquor license holders (taverns) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Beer will not be "sold" outside during the Fiesta Day parade. -Noting problems with beavers cutting trees and damming drainage areas, Stanek said, "If they disappear, I hope no one comes down on me too hard. It would be nice to live trap them and relocate them." Snell said he would contact a Department of Conservation employee to find put what could be done. -The council approved a request from Pioneer Center to be included on the automatic alarm board in the Police department communications center. -A city donation of $500 to the McHenry County Historical Society was authorized by council vote. The city had committed to the donation from revenue sharing funds at a previous meeting. $ -The council gave approval for the annual Rusty Nail soft- ball tournament August. to id in Johnsburg students name 1984 prom king, queen Anderson and Scott TvaTOh were chosen by their classmates to reign as king and queen of the Johnsburg High School prom, held last weekend. Julie, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Anderson, is in­ volved in the school volleyball team, Softball team, National Honor Society and the Quill and Scroll club. She plans to attend Illinois State University and major in mass communications. Scott, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Terry Tvaroh, is involved in the student council, baseball team, weightlifting and Junior Engineering Technical Society. He has performed in school plays and is listed in the top 10 percent of his class. He plans to attend 'the University of Illinois with a majdr in engineering. A look inside. . . Pioneer Center Anniversary Section 2, Page 12 Fiesta Theme Night Regular features Musjn' and Meanderin' Twice Told Tales Speaking of Soaps Obituaries Section 2, Page 5 Page 2 Section 2, Page 3 Section 2, Page 2 Page 6 if