BREAKING NEWS--- Giant Smoke Plumes over Valley Lakes

For those of us wondering why on Wednesday at around 7pm there were giant smoke plumes drifting, in the still air, over the south side of Valley Lakes. I found out the answer. The Fox Lake Fire Department scheduled a training burn until 9pm. The training site right in the middle of the construction site where the new Big Hollow School is going up was the chosen location. Seems quite "appropriate" to train at a construction site for a school.

It always nice to see taxing bodies collaborating on projects. Coordinating these things always is enjoyable I would imagine! I am sure all the relevant taxing bodies were involved in this one.

Road Construction + Patience = Better Roads

The picture has nothing to do with what I am writing about today, but I loved the concept, I only wish we passed the counties traffic referendum!

As many of you know already we are fixing Townline Road (the road between Madrona and Prairie Walk) The project is being paid for by both developers and will also line up Wildspring and Amarias road for improved traffic flow.

The goal is to make this happen as fast and as safely as possible and I can assure you we will be making sure no delays are occuring.

The village engineer provided me with the following PDF of the construction phasing TownlineRd.Phases.pdf

Plant a Promise

The Lake County Department of Health and the Illinois Department of Public Health are funding the program "Plant a Promise" celebrating those who are tobacco free and those whose lives have been touched by tobacco related disease. By planting red tulips in your garden, every spring there will be a spectacular red bloom!

We are going to plant some in front of the village hall thanks to the county who are providing free bulbs to non-profit based organizations.

To stimulate this go to a local florist and buy tulips! Round Lake has an excellent florist in Dave Daudelein who owns Ralph's Florist on Fairfield Road just South of Nippersink.

If you want more information or a "Plant a Promise" sign for your yard call the Tobacco Free Lake County at the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center at 847-377-8090 or via email.

The Drive for the 120 Bypass Heats Up

Tim Perry the Mayor of Grayslake and I have taken the steps of asking all taxing bodies in Lake County to pass the following resolution in support of the 120 bypass in preparation for the upcoming transportation summit here in Lake County. We sent a letter signed by both of us explaining our feelings and including the resolution below for them to pass. We have received overwhelming support as resolution after resolution has been passed and been mailed to our offices.

We believe that a result of the upcoming transportation summit will be the united front from municipalities, the county and state officials to make the 120 bypass the number one issue for the county to get accomplished in the next few years.

RESOLUTION SUPPORTING
THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW ROUTE 120 HIGHWAY
BETWEEN McHENRY COUNTY AND THE CITY OF WAUKEGAN

WHEREAS, Central Lake County and McHenry County are, and will continue to, experience growing traffic congestion, and

WHEREAS, a major cause of congestion is lack of road capacity on Illinois Route 120, and

WHEREAS, this Illinois Route 120 congestion in increased traffic congestion, severely impacts the travel for the transport of our student body at School District 127, and

WHEREAS, this Illinois Route 120 congestion results in increased traffic congestion throughout the Lake County road network as traffic seeks alternative routes, and

WHEREAS, this Illinois Route 120 congestion and the resulting congestion throughout the Lake County road network adversely limits road access in McHenry County, and

WHEREAS, these conditions severely and adversely impact the quality of life of the residents of Lake and McHenry counties and the regions'’ travelers who use the area'’s road network, and

WHEREAS, these conditions harm existing businesses and hamper the creation of new businesses in northeastern Illinois, thereby reducing economic activity and job creation, and

WHEREAS, based on forecasted population growth, these existing conditions will grow substantially worse in the next 20 years, further harming our quality of life and the area'’s economy,

Busy Day for the Mayor-- Although I am not Complaining!

Spent today working on real estate (the real job), delivering tickets to the Foreigner concert to the winner of the quickie ticket contest I ran. Went over to the WRLR 98.3 studios to practice for the upcoming radio show "Village Voices" I am hosting on Thursday nights at 7pm every week. Had a few people drop by including one of Round Lake's very own Republican heavyweight county board member Bob Powers and his wife.

I was also able to sneak onto to the internet to discover that my favorite soccer team in the whole wide world after the now defunct Univerisidad de Guadalajara Leones Negros. Manchester City won its third game in a row 2-1 over Portsmouth in the English Premier Division to go second after 4 games of the 38 game season. I suspect its downhill from here! But hope springs eternal!

I then proceeded directly to Long Lake where we finished 4th of 10 in the weekly sailboat races. I then got off the boat raced home to grill some delightful vegetables that Bob Newport of the Round Lake Area Park District gave us to try. I then sampled a glass (okay more then one) of an Illinois Cabernet Franc American Vintage 2003 from the Lynfred Winery that we had in the house since yesterday. Quite good! I think I am a red wine snob... So that is praise of the highest order! Who knew there was a winery in the Chicago area.

State of the State via the Illinois Chamber of Commerce

I get tons of mail, letters, magazines and other stuff every day. While I make a good faith effort to read or at least scan everything that resides in my inbox. I sometimes find things that are useful in a broader sense. Here are some things that the President of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Doug Whitley wrote in his most recent e-blast to his members.

PLEASE NOTE: I am bolding the times he refers to the statewide need for
A) transportation and B) education.

• Employment statistics in the first half of 2005 have provided proof that Illinois has finally started to experience the economic recovery that began emerging two years ago in other parts of the nation.
• The most important long-term challenge for our state is creating jobs and nurturing prosperity for Illinois’ citizens. A strong economy goes a long way towards resolving many civic, social and political issues that challenge our communities.
• A fundamental premise to sustained economic growth is recognizing capital investments are neither limited to nor captive of state boundaries. Investors and employers have choices that may not include Illinois unless they have confidence Illinois offers a competitive return on investment.To grow the Illinois economy, policy makers must be attentive to improving key elements that affect the cost of doing business: labor, energy, transportation, taxation, regulation and access to capital.
• Workforce development is critical. One of Illinois’ most appealing economic strengths has long been a work ethic that contributes to higher worker productivity than in other locales.
• A knowledge-based economy requires investment in education and an intellectual environment that welcomes entrepreneurial-spirited individuals. Vibrant economies encourage risk-takers and help new ventures become successful.
• Illinois is home to several high quality research institutions from Argonne Laboratory to the University of Illinois. These institutions are prized engines that can help propel the state’s economy through basic research and commercializing results from their work.
• We truly invest in Illinois if we encourage research and development activities, honor patent filings, praise science prize-winners, and continually focus on graduating a better educated population. The intellectual talent Illinois educates, retains and attracts will be a differentiating factor in our future economic success.
• Another cornerstone of Illinois’ economy is our central location in the nation. Highways, waterways, airways and railroads contribute greatly to our economy. During the last decade warehousing and logistics companies were among the state’s fastest growing employers.
• Businesses located in Illinois are well positioned to serve a huge portion of the North American market place in a timely manner. Chicago’s O’Hare Airport is a gateway to the world’s markets. Whether it is for people or goods, Illinois terminals are conveniently accessible for the exchange of inter-modal transportation services.
• Preeminence in transportation depends on continued investment in infrastructure improvements to assure speedy and efficient mobility of people, commodities, goods and services. Congestion threatens our economy because it is the greatest deterrent to Illinois’ future as a transportation hub.
• Illinois is a great exporter. We export grain, energy, machinery and services. What we must not export is human capital. To grow jobs we need to invest in education and infrastructure, promote industries where we have strategic advantages and establish a pro-business climate that nurtures entrepreneurial businesses so they will invest and grow in Illinois. It is in our common interest to make Illinois the home of successful and profitable employers.

Eleven bullet points and 9 of them mention education and or transportation.

Labor Day with the Round Lake Spartans

Saturday Sept 3rd is the Round Lake Spartans annual Corn & Brat Day!
It starts at 8am and goes until about 5pm. A full day of football
and cheerleading. Everyone is invited. It is at Hart Hill football field across
from the main park district blg on Hart Rd.  The Actual address is 761 Hart Rd.

They could use volunteers for just about everything. Grilling (You'll have to arm wrestle
Bill Stafford for the spot), working the chain gang, raffles, someone to run the brand new
scoreboard, someone to do announcing and play by play on the brand new sound
system, dunk tank operator, concessions, set up, clean up. The list goes on and on.

Or just come out and sit on the hill and watch these boys and girls show you what they
have learned in a few short weeks! You can also watch for Round Lake Trustee Brian Brubaker
who is very active in the organization and currently serves as President.

Kick off starts at 8am and games run about every 1.5 hours until 5pm
Hope to see you out there. If anyone is interested in volunteering
email them at info@rlspartans.org.

Metropolitan Mayors Caucus

One of the better organizations the village of Round Lake participates in is the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. I have invarariably gained insight and valuable ideas from this organization. The caucus was formed several years ago, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley recognized the need for a new spirit of cooperation between the Chicago area's municipalities. His vision was to unite Mayors from the six-county region in a common cause to push beyond the boundaries of local interests in order to serve the greater interests of us all. In 1997, Mayor Daley invited Mayors from nine suburban municipal associations to talk about this vision. The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus was formed out of that discussion.

Today, it is an active collaboration between Chicago and the suburban associations. It is a forum for independent thinking and discussion regarding important public policy issues. And, when there is consensus, it is also a powerful voice and force for change, creating programs and supporting legislation that improves our well-being and overall quality of life. Much has been accomplished for the 8 million people in 272 municipalities that the Caucus serves.

Replacing the Meeting with a Mouse!

One of the most interesting things in my first term as mayor was the growth of homeowner driven discussion boards and then websites catering to the needs of the residents in those specific developments. The first one I was aware of came about from an active lady in Madrona Homes named Donna Bavido. There had been one that predated that in Valley Lakes (formed by a Gregorio Peck and Miquel Tortuga who have both moved I think, although I might be wrong) but it was rather slow at first. These virtual meeting rooms are the equivalent of neighbors leaning over the fence talking about things going on in the area.

The Daily Herald, Chicago Tribune and the Round Lake News did features on the phenomena quoting Donna and myself about 2 years ago.

I am currently aware of ones in Valley Lakes, Madrona Homes, and Bright Meadows. There are also websites that are companions to these sites as well. All of them are quite impressive with an enormous amount of excellent information available to the residents.

Please note I am sure I am unaware of some, so please email them and I will post them here. (bgentes@eroundlake.com)

We Have a Winner

I received 8 emails last night. Apparently fans of Forreigner who read my blog only read it after 9pm. The winner is Kurt Rodewald who lives in Madrona! I won't identify his address to prevent enraged fans from storming his house. Oddly I received no emails on the tickets for 9 hours then within 2 hours I received 8.

Free Tickets

I got some free tickets (2) sent to me for a concert featuring Foreigner and with the opening act of Brian Howe (former lead singer of Bad Company) and local band Hudson McCoy. The concert is August 27th at Galt Airport in Woodstock. Its lawn seating and the gates open at 5:30pm and the main event starts at 9:00pm.

So here's the deal, I feel uncomfortable accepting free tickets so I will give them to the first person to email me requesting them. You must be a resident of the village. All entries are timestamped by my email program (bgentes@eroundlake.com) and the first one gets it. I will notify you of the winning entry. Let me have your phone number in the email so we can arrange the ticket drop off.

Walking across the State! One step at a time.

Walk Across Illinois is a year-long health initiative designed to encourage Illinois residents to walk at least 167 miles, the equivalent of walking across Illinois from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan, by August 2006. This interactive website allows walkers to track their progress on a virtual 167-mile walk across Illinois. Take your first step today!

This program is part of the Ready, Set, Go program! Join Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn's year-long fitness program, running from August 2005 to August 2006, and walk your way to a healthier lifestyle. Walk in a local parade or festival, map a route to school, do your errands on foot.

I know the Round Lake Park District has a map and contest tracking who is walking and how many steps they have taken. I glanced at some of the people who are competing and the number of steps and distances walked are amazing. So I know walkers are out there!

Lake County Fire Chiefs Annual Fire Expo

The Lake County Fire Chiefs Annual Fire Expo being held at Gurnee Mills this September 10th. They would like to invite you, your families and your employees to come out for a wonderful day of fun and fire safety education. For more information go to the website for the Lake County Fire Chiefs.

A Tough Mayoral Friday!

I was invited to a golf outing hosted by Bernardi Securities at Poplar Creek Golf Course in Hoffman Estates. Fortunately I took Trustee Brian Brubaker with me for special birdie activity. In the picture above Brian points at his tee shot on one of the par 3's where his tee shot was about 3 feet away and almost went in when it rolled past the pin. We finished 2 under in about 10th place of about 25 teams. Overall it was a nice day.

Village Voices-- A Radio Show about the Area-- Hosted by Me!

I have agreed to be the host of a weekly talk show on the new low power radion station in the Round Lake Area WRLR (98.3). Yesterday a press release was sent out to the media announcing the entire lineup. However every Thursday night from 7pm to 8pm I will host elected officials from local, state and federal offices. In attain I am going to invite others who are newsworthy to the show. The format will be conversational for the first part of the show then we deal with questions we receive via the phone and of course via email.

My hope is to answer pressing questions and get feedback on issues facing the area. I have learned over time that sometimes the best way to answer questions is go right to the horses mouth so to speak!

The new 100 watt low power station serves more than 100,000 residents living in the Round Lake Area, Hainesville, Lake Villa, Lindenhurst, Grayslake, Ingleside, Long Lake, Fox Lake and other communities in western Lake County.

I have blogged a few times about the radio station here and here.

Yesterday's press release with the full details on the stations lineup is here.
Press%20Release%20050817.pdf

Yesterday-- Midwest Security and Police Expo Tradeshow

Yesterday I attended the Midwest Security and Police Conference and Expo with our Police Chief Cliff Metaxa. There were numerous interesting booths. Among them were Sente Rubel Bosman and Lee the Architects designing our Police and Public Works building.

Among the booths that we stopped at were the following where we saw some interesting demonstrations.

• Tetra Tech with the product called ARVIS.
• AMR Digital Corporation with it's product called Mobile Digital Video.
• Lexis Nexis had a fascinating investigatory product called Accurint that had to be seen to be believed.
• The Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge is a program run by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police was a program that we are going to seriously look at for Round Lake.
  

We saw lots of local law enforcement people, Chief Doug Larson from RL Beach, Lake County Under sheriff Gary Stryker a variety of officers from surrounding departments to numerous to mention. Plus we saw the Illinois Attorney General Amy Madigan as well at the ribbon cutting before the show started.

Reminder to taxpayers: second installment of property taxes due September 6

Lake County residents should be aware that the second installment of their real estate taxes is due Tuesday, September 6. By Illinois State Statute, any payment received after the due date must include a 1.5% penalty. Please note, homeowners will not receive a mailed notice for the second installment. Payment options include payment via U.S. Mail, in person at most Lake County banks and in person at the Lake County Treasurer's Office, 18 N. County Street, Waukegan. Those paying at a bank must have an original or copy of their tax bill. Taxpayers may also make payments online by credit card at this site. There is a convenience fee charged by the credit card company for those paying online.

Two drop-boxes are also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for property tax payments. Those using either of the drop-boxes must pay via check and should include their tax bill stub in a sealed envelope. One drop-box is located at the northeast entrance of the Lake County Courthouse and Administrative Complex, 18 N. County Street, Waukegan. The second drop-box is at the Lake County Division of Transportation, 600 W. Winchester Road, Libertyville, a half block west of Milwaukee Avenue. Follow the Division of Transportation sign, and then look for "Collectors Drop Box"sign.

For the convenience of those residents paying at the Treasurer's Office, the office will have additional hours on Saturday, September 3, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon and on Tuesday, September 6, from 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM. Regular office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

For more information, contact Lake County Treasurer Robert Skidmore's office by phone at (847) 377-2323 or visit the Treasurer's website at www.co.lake.il.us/treasurer.

Grant Township-- Picnic in the Park is today

Today is the Grant Township "Picnic in the Park" which kicks off at 8am with a 5k race that yours truly is running in. This ought to be a personal disaster! Because of the heat and a very busy schedule I have not run much, and have focused on lifting weights at the air conditioned gym the last few weeks. My goal is to run in under 30 minutes (9:40 miles) over the 5K distance. We shall see, I am not hopeful. The backup goal would then be to survive the race!

I would urge runners and non runners to stop by the event held at the township headquarters on Molidor road. There are softball games, volleyball and of course a picnic. Say hi to Kay Starostovic the Township Supervisor who does an excellent job as your supervisor and as an organizer of the picnic!

UPDATE: Okay the race was run I ran in 34:05, I saw a few Round Lake area friends and residents running, Jose Velarde and his family, Steve Berwanger and his family, Len Dam and dispensing water Fox Lake Mayor Cindy Irwin. The highlight for me was the assigned number (1) how cool is that. The lowlight was the hills that I plodded up and down and seemed to never end.

Silver Leaf Glen Picnic

I was invited to the annual block party and picnic for the Silver Leaf Glen residents today. I had a great time and met quite a bit of people. There were about 100 people there! The food was great and so was the mango coolaid!

Got some nice feedback and some things to fix for some of the residents. There was a voters registration booth that registered some new voters.

The Round Lake Area Queens Pay a Visit to the Village Board Meeting!

The village board was lucky enough to receive a visit from the Round Lake Area Queens a few weeks ago. We presented them with flowers and applause. I go every year to the competition and it never ceases to amaze me the dedication and the preparation that the girls do to get ready. After the winners are annouced the real work begins! These girls show up at nearly 150 events throughout the area, for the length of thier reign!

How Many Taxing Districts can One State Stand!

If you read my post a few days ago about how many taxing districts there are in the state of Illinois you probaly got the point I was trying to make that its way to many! Why no consolidate some of them? A state commission is gearing to possibly do just that.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich (pictured above) last month signed House Bill 62 into law, approving the creation of the Local Government Consolidation Commission. The Commission will scrutinize Illinois' network of local governments, unparalleled in number by other states, in search of ways to cut financial waste.

The task force, soon to be created, has until the end of 2006 to analyze the structure of local governments, which account for more than 500,000 jobs, and propose ways to save tax dollars.

The 17-member commission will include six senators and six representatives along with five citizens appointed by the governor to represent counties, cities, townships, park districts and other local governments.

From Cairo to Winthrop Harbor, Illinois has more than 8,400 local governments, according to the Illinois Comptroller's office. Included in that figure are counties, townships, municipalities and school districts along with a laundry list of special districts for libraries, fire and police protection, water and sanitary service, even cemeteries and mosquito abatement.

Illinois has twice as many local governments as Pennsylvania, which is second to Illinois!

Wireless Surfing Warning!

I accidentally disconnected from my wireless network this morning and while reconnecting using the search for available networks, I noticed that 9 networks of my neighbors were visible from my home computer. Five of them were unsecured, at least according to the laptop connection wizard. I went online and read up on a coincidently topical article on the CNN/Money website. So if you can, secure your network, I have not heard of this problem in Round Lake, but on the other hand we should all be careful.

First Look at Business on 60 and Cedar Lake Road

Here is the first look at First American Bank that will be going at the corner of 60 and Cedar Lake Road. Anyone who has driven by the property has seen that quite a bit of activity is going on there and we have some positive feedback on other business as well, (I can't disclose the names until they are committed).

For the full developement plan in PDF format click on this link.

For a PDF to the rendering go here FirstAmericanBank.pdf

Prairie Walk Block Party

On Saturday I attended a block party at Prairie Walk. There was a nice crowd of residents I answered lots of questions about school districts, commercial development, Townline Road improvements, the new school, the new Public Works and Police Complex, and the extension of Cedar Lake road.
One funny thing happened however, I had purchased one ticket for the raffle, (not cheap I only had one dollar on me) and was asked to draw from about 200 total tickets, and I reached in an pulled out my ticket! I have done that at least three times in the last four years. Needless to say I threw it back.

How many Taxing Bodies the Village Can, and Does Deal With!

One of the most fascinating things about the state of Illinois is the sheer volume of taxing bodies there are. This village has an unreal amount of taxing bodies that fall inside our boundaries. I am going to list them, and I am sure I will miss some, in fact I can guarantee I will. The picture is appropriate sometimes when you deal with the number of taxing bodies in the area.

School Districts (8)

• Round Lake District 116
• Grayslake High School 127
• Community School District 46
• Fremont School District
• Mundelien High School District
• Grant High School
• Big Hollow School District
• Gavin School District

Park Districts (1)

• Round Lake Area Park District

Library Districts (2)

• Round Lake Area Library District
• Grayslake Library District

Fire Departments (3)

• Round Lake Fire Protection District
• Grayslake Fire Protection District
• Fox Lake Fire Protection District

Townships (3)

• Avon
• Grant
• Fremont

Sanitary Sewer (2)

• Lakes Region Sanitary Sewer
• Round Lake Sanitary Sewer

Countywide organizations (4)

• College of Lake County
• Lake County
• Stormwater Management
• JAWA-- Joint Area Water Agency

We are also served by 1 Congressman, 1 State Senator, 1 State Representative, 4 County Board Representatives, I will blog a little bit more about them in the future.

The View from the Water Tower on Wilson Road

The view from the water tower 170 feet up courtesy of one of Public Works "stars" Davis Clark. At the top of the picture you can see the Baxter complex, then some of the south side of Valley Lakes. This picture looks down into one of the Neumann Homes parts of Valley Lakes

National Night Out Last Night!

We had a medium sized crowd for National Night Out last night. About 40-45 people walked about a mile through our downtown area, and then back to the village hall where the event organizer Trustee Don Newby cooked everyone hot dogs.

Comments on the Blog

I use a software called Haloscan to track and manage the comments on the blog. I do ban certain comments using the following rules.

1. Profanity
2. Masquerading as someone you are not.

I have blocked 4 total domains in the last few months. One for profanity, the second for making comments about my daughter, the third and fourth were for using other peoples name to post. I received this email from a gentlemen named Jay Peters who apparently was banned.

Real classy, Bill. So voices of dissent are banned from posting on your blog? It's really nice to see your magnanimous personality shine brightly, as it appears people with a contrarian opinion are censored. Did we lose a war? I thought I lived in America, not 1950s communist Russia... If I had been rude or offensive, perhaps a ban on posting comments would be warranted, but to silence a viewpoint that is different and persuasive is nothing short of petty.

It's no wonder the opinion of you runs so low in many circles in this town. Enjoy your blog, and revel in the people privileged to post nodding along in agreement with you. It will surely salve your ego, and allow the blinders to remain firmly in place.

Jay Peters

I took a quick look at the voters registration list to see if you were a resident, there is no one of your name registered to vote in the village, there is someone with a similar name, who has not voted in years, but I don't think its you.

So if you would like to register to vote I am a precinct committeman and able to register voters I would be happy to help you with that noble American tradition, Choice.

Oh and email me with your IP address and I would be happy to unblock you.

Introducing the NACo Prescription Discount Card

Americans are paying more for prescription drugs than ever before. Without prescription coverage, staying healthy can come at a high price. With the NACo Prescription Discount Card, free to county residents, you can save money on many of your prescription purchases! Any county resident without prescription coverage can use this program. Even if you have insurance for prescription drugs, you may still benefit from the discount card, since it may save you money on prescription drugs your existing plan does not cover.

For more information on eligibility and details, including card pick-up locations, call toll free 1-877-321-2652 or visit NACo online at https://naco.advancerx.com.