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PLAIN DE ALE R~ HERALD Ready by January Workmen hoek up steel girders more than IN feet leag to a large crane used at the reconstruction of the Route 12* bridge over the Fox River. Trucks brought in the large beams all last week and work has continued it a rapid pace. According to the latest word, By Anthony Oliver last week an 50 people to a public i meeting of ; Still a hot topic in the area, residents met to hash out dif­ ferences of opinion concerning the creation of the library district. Whether there was any meeting of the minds, or swaying of opinion one way or another, only time will tell. 1 The opponents to the district were more or less divided into two camps. : On one side of the opposition are those people who are not against a library per se, but who are displeased with the three referenda it took to establish the district. One of these people, Alan Stewart commented that he had been an active member in the early committees to form the district and dropped the matter when he sensed the public was not really behind it. Other people, he added, also let the matter slide. "It should be passed, or not, in a new referendum," Stewart said. "If there was nothing shady about how it was done, what's the big objection to bringing it out again?" asked Virginia Kapelansld. In the other opposition camp are those people who resent the added tax burden and resent the library district for that purpose. Gaiy Adams Said the people of the district were 'laulliedrinto the taxing district by people who were "unconcerned*v and showed "total disregard" for the other residents; He argued that the two unsuccessful referenda, in April, 1983 and November, 1983, made it clear that the people did not want the district. He also charged that the proponents of the district "jerrymandered" the boun­ daries, cutting out areas of strong o oDDosition. Board member Elsie Munsqp admitted that the 15th Precinct had voted 2-1 against the district during two referenda, showing they d did not want to be a part of it. Therefore, she said, the district was eliminated when the district lines were redrawn for subsequent referenda attempts. Regarding the second referendum, which was defeated by two votes, Board President Richard Kucik said the committee knew a lot of users of the library did not vote. "We felt the vote was very dose. We feel very strong about the library," Kucik said. "A petition (to dissolve) is being recirculated. What if it is suc­ cessful?" asked Stewart. "Can NILS (Northern Illinois Library newspaper and no petitions are System) withdraw its support?* brought ob" Board Attorney David Le Attorney Sueur replied, "If the referendum to dissolve is suc­ cessful, what happens is it dissolves. The assets are returned to the creditors." "Can it be redistricted and put to a vote?" Stewart continued. "As far as I know, it could be petitioned to reform im­ mediately," Le Sueur said. Another resident voiced fears about the board using a "back door referendum" to further tax the district for funds related to construction, maintenance, remodeling, etc., of a building. Munson commented that a "big, spacious building" was not the primary concern of the board right now. to the referendum (with a specified percentage of the voters signatures) within 30 days, the referendum goes through. Kucik said he certainly hoped the board would take the matter to the people of the district. „ Board members pointed to statistics to show tne library was being used by the people. Edna Robel said there were more than 1,500 cards issued to adults and more than 900 issued to Youngsters. She also indicated that cir­ culation has increased significantly over last year- 20,497 transactions in the first nine months of 1984 as compared to 18,080 in all of 1983. County airports are hobbled by conditions No place to land cHenry ty- fees and new or expanded industry attributable to the airfield. Because it is a village-owned enterprise, however, Lake in the Hills Airport suffers from a disadvantage unique to McHenry County airfields. Some insiders doubt village dedication to its itmightbethe airport While state studies indicate^ might be the only general- purpose airport in the county still open 20 years from now, and President Barbara Key promises a it, doubts remain about the airport's This is the third part of a four-part series overview of the problems facing aviation in f By Jim Nssh PUtaduUr-Htrald Nowa Sarvtc* v Lake in the Hills Airport, like its northern neighbor, Gait Airport, is hobbled by short runways and inadequate technology. Lake in the Hills Airport's longest runway is a hard-surface 3,000-foot strip. Ray Klaus, president of Metro Aero Inc. flight school at Lake in the Hills Airport, said although there are landing lights for the paved runway, they are not bright enough to be reliable in poor visibility. There also are no lights marking the end of the runway. Despite its shortcomings, the airport pumps $15.8 million into village's committment McHenry County, Shaddel said. The revenue comes from taxes, in the Hills Vilkge^esidenTBarbara steadfast commitment longevity. Part of the reason lies in the airport's troubled past. The City of Crystal Lake sought to own the airfield, only to see Lake in the lulls successfully annex the land along with surrounding parcels. All the airport land has been zoned for gravel mining. The village signed a 19-year, 9820,000 purchase agreement with the airport's owner, Material Service Corp., a gravel-mining firm which owns hundreds of acres in the area, the agreement was for the 27.4 acres occupied by the hangars, offices and runway. Actually, the village only pays interest on the agreement- $4,783 a month. . In -order for the acreage to remain zoned for mining, some dicing, if only token amounts, must be done periodically. Key will be relocated by the corporation if digging airport land. Major gravel mining will occt village but not near the airport, snei explain ~ until 199! after L has been assured by Material Service that the airport were to be done on occur on land in the _ explained. The village board has until 1992 to come up with the money to buy the facility. Soon after Lake in the Hills signed the agreement, then-president Ken Olsen announced his intention to seek federal funding to buy the land. No application has been filed yet, but administrators have begun researching the ap­ plication process, Key said. One source close to the situation has little confidence in the to me airport. The faculty is a political jPka* turn to page ft Whitt sentenced to 25 years By Angela Burden Plaindealer-Herald Photo by Anthony Oliver ihe first two lanes of traffic are expected to be open for use by Jan. 1,1985* When the two lanes are open, the bridge will be used by both eastbound and westbound vehicles. The resident pressed for some statement that the board would not use the back door referen­ dum and would take the matter to t the residents. The back door referendum allows a library district to publish notice of its intent to levy an additional tax for building construction, main­ tenance, equipment, etc. If no one sees the legal notice in the A 25-year prison term has been imposed on 19-year-old Patrick E. Whitt, who was convicted Aug. 17 of the baseball-bat death of David Garrelts in McHenry. • Judge Michael Sullivan, in handing down the sentence, said that the court found, from evidence presented in the week- long jury trial in August, that Whitt did inflict serious bodily harm on his victim. The judge said Garrelts* death was "totally unreasonable, tragic and useless. The victim offered no physical violence that called for the defendant's ac­ tion. The court believes the sentence is necessary to deter such actions." Sullivan said that, while he felt sympathy for Patrick Whitt and the tragedy of his life, the tragedy of the victim and his family must also be considered. Whitt pleaded for leniency in a statement before he was sen­ tenced. He apologized to Garrelts' family and said he would remember them in his prayers. . .va beg the court for mercy," Whitt pleaded, string that he would uke to have taken his own life, "but I'm a coward." Testimony in the trial revealed that Garrelts, 28, of Wonder Lake, was beaten to death by Whitt after the victim arrived uninvited at the home of his ex-girlfriend. Whitt said he hit Garrelts with the baseball bat "to get his attention." He testified that he did not intend to kill his friend when he hit him. "I did not plan on hurting him. I did not plan to kill him," Whitt said. Assistant State's attorney Gail Moreland, who prosecuted the case, told the court Thur­ sday that evidence heard in the trial should be considered as well as the fact that Whitt had * prior conviction for aggravated battery, according to pre- sentencing investigations. She said that alcohol abuse and a violent temper were the reasons Whitt left his family's home. Moreland said that Whitt was released from probation in 1962. "The defendant failed to straighten himself out, even 'though given the opportunity. The beating with a baseball bat was a completely unprovoked attack with a deadly weapon," Moreland said. Because of the defendant's history and because of the severity of the case, the state asked the court to impose a sentence of 40 years im­ prisonment on Whitt. By state law, a murder con­ viction can draw a sentence of not less than 20 years or more than 40 years of imprisonment. Defense counsel John Ridgway said that Whitt had involved adth atonhol t/L an age. Much of his life has been messed up in relation to booze," Ridgway said. He said that Whitt was "clearly not a criminal and not likely to commit similar charges. His acts were responsible for Garrelts death (Patrick admits that) but the acts were not an intention of murder," Ridgway said. After the sentencing, Ridgway said he intends to file an appeal of the case early next week. niugw been! early Am, Parents voice concerns about gravel pit project By Marion Olsen Hilifcilir nrtca Concern about sand and gravel pit expansion toward valley View Elementary School brought a contingent of parents and residents to the Dist. 15 school board meeting Oct. 17. "What has the school hoard done to improve the situation for the c children?" asked Gary Lieder. "I must tell you, we have been very active since the last meeting (July meeting on gravel pit annexation)." "To the best of our knowledge, the owners of the sand and gravel pit have not responded (to our concerns)." he said. In a prepared statement. Lieder requested the school board to ask the McHenry Sand and Gravel Company's representative to attend a board meeting to answer four questions: -Will the company sell property on the east side of Valley View School to the district? -If they will not sell, what depth of excavation do they anticipate? (This will help ascertain the exact distance the excavation will be from the school, if rules of the Surfaced Mined Land and Conservation Reclamation Act are followed). buidWrn to insure that all visual, noise and air pollution associated with the operation does not interfere with the education of the students. -Request that the install a chain-link enough to prevent access to the property. 'We are trying \ he company fence high a student's [ t o s h o w tte action," said another patience, but we're looking for immedia ----» are uivnun^s in present fence that even an a^ilt can get through," warned one (Plraue turn to page ft GOOD MORNING! MCHLMIf McHenry High's girls' tennis team will send four players to the state meet tomorrow Details in Sports, pagei8. I N D E X Neighbors. Sect. 2, Page 1 Twice Told. Sect. 2, Page 2 Business.. Sect. 2, Page 5 Vol. 109, Number 18 Obituaries PageS Births Page 8 Sports - Pages 1620 2 Sections, 38 pages mmmmmmmmammmm O c t o b e r 2 4 , 1 9 8 4 2 5 C E N T S New Arrivals LIFE TODAY > » . ;).* ' v SPORTS • S H A W F R E E P R E S S M E D I A I N C