2007-- A Year in Review

Well it's the end of 2007 and as this seems to be turning into a media outlet for Round Lake, a year end recap seems in order.

January--The big news this month was the commitment of Advocate to build a 142 bed level 2 trauma center hospital in Round Lake at the corner of 120 and Wilson. The other big story was of course the illegal gambling den we uncovered at the 4 Coynes in downtown Round Lake. Best part of this post was the comments!

Feburary-- This was a good month for me as I received a Forefronts award from the Lakeland Journal. The village was awarded a Tree City Designation as well!

March-- Had our first guest blogger with John Gutknecht talking about wetlands and how the Valley Lakes HOA was managing them. The 4 Coynes thing went on and on!

April-- The blog hit its second birthday in full stride! Plus I announced a complete overhaul of village government, which oddly enough I have no been able to enact!

May-- Roads and festivals dominated the month. With some trustees being sworn in, some new, some old and some recycled.

June-- Advocate's public hearing was held before the state board and we packed the room and wore out the rival hospital chains with our endless testimony about why we should have a hospital in the area.

July-- I announced that I was running for the Illinois State Senate in 2008 (you can read about all that here). I did my annual mayoral inspection of the top of the water towers, this time climbing the west tower. I was joined by Trustee Michael Blum as well! The picture in todays post is from the top of the tower as a matter of fact.

August-- I actually vacationed away from the blog along with doing tons of public events with the highlight being the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.

September-- The blog hits 200,000 unique users, and daily readership breaks an average of 1,000 a day climbing steadily it seems weekly. I also reprinted one of the more informative and popular posts I write on taxes here.

October-- Our cops went swimming in a retention pond saving a life! I wrote a three part story on Stormwater Management that was quite well read, much to my surprise.

November-- Seemed to be all about updates-- to the 120 bypass, more awards for our HOA's, reminders to watch out for deer as well as hitting 250,000 users!

December-- Slow month for the blog, but I was able to write about Mortgage assistance and update you on the seemingly never ending hunt for a hospital!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays, this blog, and this Mayor are taking time off until after Christmas. So Happy Holidays

Annual Christmas Raffle starts now!

Every year the village sponsors various events and the like in the village, one of the traditional sponsorships is the fireworks at the Round Lake Area Park District.

Every year the village gets freebies from the park district in appreciation of our sponsorship. In addition I win things all the time at the various local golf outings like the Chamber of Commerce etc.

The prizes are as follows:

• Family Pool Pass for the Round Lake Park District (you better have kids) valued at $135 dollars.
  
• One Year Membership to the Round Lake Park District Fitness Center (Value $235)
• $50 in Rec Bucks, good for any Park District program.
  

Here are the rules.

1. You must use it, I will find out!
2. You must be a resident of the Village of Round Lake.
3. I will take any email to bgentes@eroundlake.com within 72 hours of the blogs post time on the web site and then I will do a random drawing.
4. Please reference the contest in the subject of the email. (That means midnight on December 24th)
5. You may not be an elected official of the village.
6. All my decisions are final. As they should be!
   
7. You can't win any of the other two prizes.
8. You can not have been a winner of last years contest.
   

New Temporary Residents Moving In

The Waller family sent me this picture of some new residents (on the left) that are here for the season! A warm Round Lake welcome to them!

Fantasy Football Playoff Results-- The Road to Mayor Bowl!

Well the Mayor Bowl II Fantasy League Playoff's have started with the six teams lined up to go head to head over the next three weeks.

Jason King finished the season with the best record at 13-1 and has a bye
Tim Orris (Mayor Bowl I Champion) had the second best record at 12-2 and has the other bye.

The two playoff games were between:

Bill Gentes (8-6) and Steve Serres (8-6) the winner plays Jason King in the Semifinals.

Sean Gilette (9-5) and Rik Flor (8-6) with the winner playing Tim Orris in the other Semifinal.

Three Round Lake residents against two Grayslaker's and a Hainesvillian!

Rik Flor and Bill Gentes won there playoff games yesterday by the way!

Remodeling Project Takes Shape in the Downtown

The last few months have seen a nice remodeling project taking place in our downtown as you can see by the before and after pictures there is a big improvement! Also contractors will be starting on the new facade for the Millennium sometime in January.

They have 3 units available. 1,600 sf, 2,600 sf. and a 3,800 sf. unit, they can subdivide the 3,800 sf. unit as well if needed. They have some really nice features in the units including fully insulated walls & ceiling for energy efficiency, professionally painted dry-wall, and cherry wood stained trim. Each unit also has all new plumbing, and HVAC.

They have a contractor on site for anyone who needs to do a build-out and does not have a contractor. This could save them time looking for a contractor and possibly save them money on their build-out. Want some information on the project contact Lori Cole.

How much money was in the bottle?

Well the change bottle went into the bank and got counted by the change counter and the number was $339.99 in change up about $60 from 2 years ago. While the change was being dumped into the reinforced bags we needed to carry it to the bank, and single penny jumped out and made a run for it! I tossed that penny back in the new empty jar, I should have kept it to make the total $340 even.

I had 10 people send me guesses, the winner was Tom Yingling with a guess of $319, the guesses ranged from a low of $208!

Valley Lakes Awards

Last week at the Stormwater Management Meeting we recognized the Valley Lakes HOA. Here are the comments that our Executive Director made while recognizing the HOA.

The Association’s work to restore and manage 273 acres of wetlands, naturalizing and buffering stormwater detention ponds, stewardship and educating the residents of your community stands out as a model for other subdivisions and neighborhoods to follow. Thank you for being a leader in the restoration and enhancement of the green infrastructure servicing your community for the betterment of your residents and all residents in the Fox River watershed.

Fantasy Footbal Fiasco---- NOT

After starting the season 0-5 I closed hard to 8-6....and made it into the playoffs of the the Mayors Fantasy Championship. The likelihood of me making the Mayor Bowl like I did last year are much slimmer since my team only works when Drew Brees is playing!

The big question is can the Round Lake Contingent stop the out of towners Two Grayslake residents are the one and two seeds! I appear to be the 4 seed...Sean Gillete is the 3 seed.

During my 7-1 run I beat the top 2 seeds like a drum, so I am hopeful!

A Fellow Blogger on School's and Taxation

One of my acquaintances for the last few years is a gentlemen named Lennie Jarrett who is an activist crusading against taxes specifically against schools and the Grayslake ones in particular. He has a blog (EducationMatters) that is quite well thought out and executed. I usually go read his blog once a week or so to see whats going on in his world and I came across this video which is part of this post.

Comcast Newsmakers

Last week I appeared on Comcast Newsmakers which airs twice an hour at 24 and 54 past the hour on CNN Headline News. They say the camera adds 10 lbs! I wonder how many cameras were actually on me!

I am working on having the digital copy of it here so you can play it and enjoy my pearls of wisdom!

From Todays Daily Herald

This was in today's Daily Herald, another delay, how enjoyable! The picture is of the hearing a few months ago where 100's and 100's of people came to demand health care in western Lake County and Eastern McHenry County.

Lake County residents will likely have to wait four months to learn the fate of hospitals proposals in Lindenhurst and Round Lake.

The Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, which determines the need for and oversees construction of new hospitals and expansion projects, Tuesday deferred any decision until its January meeting. The board will likely defer both plans again at each monthly meeting until April, officials said.

New rules governing the way the need for patient beds is calculated will be published Dec. 14. Those rules must then go through a state approval process before becoming law.

"We are anticipating that these rules will be in effect sometime in March," said Jeffrey Mark, executive secretary of the facilities planning board.

It is unclear how those rules will affect either project.

Vista Health wants to build a 140-bed, $100 million hospital in Lindenhurst. Advocate Health Care's plan calls for a 144-bed, $251 million hospital in Round Lake.

There's likely room for only one to move forward. If either is approved, it would mean the first new hospital in Lake County in 30 years.

The planning board wanted to give both hospital groups time to digest the new rules and adjust projects accordingly.

Representatives of Vista and rival Advocate were pleased with the deferrals, as neither was ready for a decision Tuesday on their competing proposals.

"The new rules will only help the merit of our project," Vista CEO Barbara Martin said. "We're still in the game and we intend to have a successful project in the end."

Martin said the previous rules were more than 10 years old and not in step with today's standards.

In the previous legislative session, the facilities planning board was asked to revise how it calculates the need for services. It was asked to use 10-year population estimates and consider patient migration -- people receiving services at health-care facilities in a planning area other than where they live.

While the future of the hospital proposals hinges on the board's decision, none of the players would speculate how things will shake out.

Advocate spokeswoman Kelly Jo Golson said the new rules will provide a more accurate count of bed need.

"We are committed to the needs of the community, whatever form that takes," she said.

A 45-day public comment period and a public hearing will follow the Dec. 14 publication of the new rules in the Illinois Registry.

If the facilities planning board chooses, it can then make changes to the proposed rules, which still must be approved by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, Mark said.

Count the Pennies Contest

About 5 years ago I was at benefit for the Community Youth Network and I was the winning bidder on an assortment of excellent wine, the centerpiece of the purchase was a 3 liter bottle of King Estate Pinot Gris from an excellent winery in Oregon.


Needless to say there was no way I was going to open that and be able to do it justice. So we waited until our New Years eve party to open it and then it vanished in a hurry.

The bottle was so nice looking we did not want to throw it away so we have been using it ever since as a coin collector. It took us two years to fill it up the first time and yielded $276 in change! Now almost two years later its full (as you can see in the picture).

So here is the contest email (bgentes@eroundlake.com) me what you think is the total cash value of the wine bottle's coins and if you are the closest to the correct number I will get you some prize for the guess!

No you can not have a cut of the actual loot in the bottle, thats going to our New Years party!

Foreclosure Assistance

A few weeks ago there was a front page article in the Daily Herald about foreclosures. Since that time I have been contacted by two mortgage institutions about letting residents know about FHA loans which were quite common before the sub prime rush of mortgages in the last few years.

With the near collapse of the sub-prime market, these two gentlemen believe that stable, fixed rate, government backed FHA loans might be a solution to consider for refinancing.

I have met with both gentlemen and they make persuasive cases about the process, some of the main points are listed below:

• Credit scores are not considered
• Expanded ratios available
• Reserves not required
• High loan to value (LTV's) allowed (97%)
• Gift funds allowed towards the 3% required equity and funds to close
• Can be combined with other non-profit down payment assistance programs.
• Collection accounts OK
• Borrower must have had made timely mortgage payments for the last 12 months or the last six if within 1 month of rate adjustment on an ARM.
• Fixed rate and adjustable rate options available.
• Favorable rates and MI factors
  

Of course the loan has to have at least one strong leg that the underwriter can lean on. Current loan limits are $275K, but there is legislation passing in front of congress that would raise the loan limits to over $400K.

I am writing both our United States Senators and our Congresswomen to support the legislation that would raise the loan limits to over $400K.

The two companies are as follows.
Enterprise Mortgage-- Steve Lessman
Perfect Mortgage-- Al Villasenor

Please contact them directly using the links I provided. I would remind everyone that what I am doing is offering you a venue to find a potential solution to a problem.

Round Lake Police Tobacco Compliance Check

The Round Lake Police Department, completed a tobacco compliance check operation last monday, the Round Lake Police Department conducted a tobacco compliance check operation at fourteen establishments within theVillage of Round Lake.

Two of the fourteen establishments sold tobacco to an underage person: Four Coynes Tavern, 302 W. Nippersink Road, and the Marathon Gas Station, 1175 W. Railroad Ave. These businesses have had prior violations during alcohol countermeasure enforcement operations. The underage person presented the merchant with their valid Illinois identification card which clearly states that they are under the age of eighteen. Individuals who sold tobacco to the minor were charged with Sale of Tobacco to a Minor and must appear in Lake County Branch Court on December 21, 2007.

This operation was conducted pursuant to a grant from the Illinois Liquor Control Commission. Of course you all recall the give and take of the last few times we have had violations of our liquor sales to minors, and I am sure you can recall the names. The sad thing is that even though the grant comes to us via the Illinois Liquor Control Commission it does not fall under the liquor commission's guidance.

The public is reminded that an arrest is not evidence of guilt and that the defendant in this criminal case is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Pancake Breakfast with Santa this Sunday

Don't Miss Out on this Family Fun Event! Join the RL Chamber of Commerce for the Annual Pancake Breakfast with Santa & Holiday Gift Bazaar. Its this Sunday, December 2, 2007 from 7:30 am - 12:00 noon its, held in the Round Lake High School Cafeteria.

Don’t miss your visit with Santa! Sit on his lap and get a photo for ONLY $5.00 Plus you get to eat Pancakes, sausage, eggs, juice, milk & coffee for $5 for adults & $4 for kids under 12 or over 65 Purchase tickets in advance or at the door.

FABULOUS RAFFLE PRIZES:
Grand Prizes include:1 night at the Marriott Lincolnshire with theater tickets courtesy of Strang Funeral Home; $200 Shopping Spree at the ACE Homestore, courtesy of ACE Hardware; Choice of a Season Pass to the RLAPD Fitness Center -OR- a Season Family Pool Pass courtesy of the Round Lake Area Park District AND SO MUCH MORE....

Raffle tickets can be purchased for $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. Need NOT be present to win. (Prize donations are currently being accepted. Shop our Holiday Gift Bazaar. Visit area crafters to check out all they have to offer and check off your holiday shopping list.

Proceeds from this event benefit the Scholarship Program through the Round Lake Area Chamber.

CMAP Survey for you to take!

One of the good quality planning organization's in the Chicagoland area is the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning which is doing some excellent work. They sent me some information in the form of a survey so I figured why not get Round Lake involved at this grass roots building for the future. After all why not weight our opinions!

Metropolitan Chicago needs a long-term vision for the future to define the desired standards of prosperity and livability for its residents. With projections of an additional 2 million residents and over 1.2 million new jobs by 2040, communities across the seven-county region of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will must plan more collaboratively and comprehensively.

Anticipated growth can become real progress if all stakeholders -- including local governments, public agencies, developers, businesses, and especially residents -- work together to define and implement a regional vision of sustainable prosperity.

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is developing the region's first truly comprehensive plan for land use and transportation. To be published in 2010, the plan will articulate a regional vision based on a number of themes that have been identified by CMAP's working committees. This survey is a chance for you to provide input to the regional vision.

Library Sign Goes Up and then Down

Long time in the planning process, and funded by the Friends of the Round Lake Library a long needed sign went up a few weeks ago, and after a few days while waiting for the bottom part of the sign.

A sharp gust of wind took the sign down bricks mortar and all!

I have gotten about 20 emails about this amazingly enough, more then most anything else this year! Who would have thought that!

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Don't forget that this Friday the 30th at the Village Hall starting at 6pm we will have our annual Tree lighting along with Reindeer lights and a "special visitor" as well! If you want a hint...there will be elves around!

Officer G will be making a special appearance as well! Here is map to the Village Hall, hope to see all of you there!

Thanksgiving Vacation

The blog and the Mayor are taking a few days off from blogging for the Thanksgiving break. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

COMMENTARY--Round Lake Area Fire District

What would you say if there was a multi-million dollar public agency in Round Lake that spends your tax dollars with out any say from you the tax-payer? Seem outrageous? Welcome to the independent kingdom of the Round Lake Fire Department. Like a kingdom they have hereditary positions passed down from father to son and from husband to wife, and whats better is the three board members are appointed by the county board chairman who is in Waukegan. In other words we as tax-payers have zero say in how our tax dollars have been spent.

The Fire Department Union has been passing these petitions diligently and they need quite alot to be handed in next Tuesday to the Fire Protection Board who are mandated to turn them over so the following questions can be placed on the ballot in February of 2008.

Shall the trustees of the Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District be elected rather then appointed?

Shall the number of trustees of the Greater Round
Lake Fire Protection District be increased from 3 to 5?

They need your your help with getting more signatures, becuase the dirty tricks that are being used on businesses that the union firefighters are standing outside of are stunning so they need to make sure there are tons of signatures on the petitions and taxpayers can finally take control of where there tax dollars are being spent!

If you want to help you can download the first and second petitions here.

Visio-Elected.pdf
Visio-FivePerson%5B1%5D.pdf

Please pass them and contact this gentlemen to have them picked up

Lake County Citizen's Group Exposes Assessment Abuses

Another side heard from on the property tax discussion.

When it comes to property assessments, many homeowners feel utterly powerless. Assessments are carried out, for the most part, behind the doors of a veiled bureaucracy that is mostly unaccountable, opaque and often unfair.

After six months and hundreds of hours of research, the Citizens' Action Project (CAP) has found in a White Paper that there are serious problems in the Lake County assessment system that results in inaccurate assessment, lack of due process and uneven treatment of similar properties. CAP is calling for immediate investigations by the county board and state legislature into these practices.

"The major part of the problem -- at least in understanding the assessment process in Lake County -- is that few assessors can provide a consistent explanation on how they arrive at assessments, the process of valuing a property for tax purposes,'' according to CAP's white paper.

CAP examined home assessments because it was the collective experience of far too many Lake County taxpayers that this process was unfair. It was discovered during citizen assessment appeals – most of which were summarily rejected without much examination – that assessors were adopting methods that ran contrary to Illinois state assessment guidelines.

Like most Lake County taxpayers, CAP members are alarmed by the rate of increases seen in assessments – ranging from 10 percent to 50 percent. Illinois property taxes, according to the Tax Foundation, are among the highest in the country. If homeowners are going to be able to afford to stay in Lake County, the assessment process needs to be brought under control.

CAP has support from State Senator Michael Bond and Larry Leafblad, Lake County Board Member and Vice Chair of Revenue, Records, and Legislative Committee.

The Citizens Action Project is a newly formed volunteer organization dedicated to fairness, accountability and transparency in public agencies. The group has filed for 501(c)4 status under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. To read the complete white paper, go to www.citizensactionproject.org.

250,000 Unique Users

What has had 904 posts, 1,011 unique users a day, 33 months of shelf life and 980 day's later....I hit 250,000 unique users late yesterday!

Throw in 4,235 comments, and what do you have? Why my blog of course! I was impressed when I got to 50 people a day, now I get that in an hour on a slow day....amazing!

Residents can learn about tax assessment procedures and receive answers to their property tax questions

In an effort to help residential property owners understand the assessment process, their new property tax assessment and the tax assessment appeals process, the Lake County's Chief Assessment Office will hold a public information meetings for homeowners. The meeting will be held Saturday, November 17 at 10:00 a.m. At the College of Lake County Grayslake Campus in the Building C Auditorium.

At the meeting, the Chief County Assessment Officer will explain assessment procedures, provide the recommended steps to review a tax assessment, outline the assessment appeal process and answer questions from residential property owners.

"When property assessment notices are distributed, many residents do not understand what the assessment notice means or how they should evaluate their property tax valuation. We want to answer questions and provide property owners an opportunity to learn about how their property is assessed, their role in the tax process and how to evaluate their property's assessed value," explained Chief County Assessment Officer Marty Paulson.

Residents who cannot attend the public information meeting still have an opportunity to meet one-on-one with Lake County assessors at one of the five remaining Tax Assessment Help Centers. The Lake County website - www.co.lake.il.us - has information about dates, times and locations for the Tax Assessment Help Centers. Anyone can visit the Lake County website at www.co.lake.il.us/assessor for relevant information or contact the Chief County Assessment Office at 847.377.2050.

Valley Lakes Wins Yet Another Award!

The United States EPA in Chicago and the Chicago Wilderness Conservation has awarded Valley Lakes the Native Landscaping Award. This award was created to recognize outstanding efforts by corporations, park districts and municipalities to use native plants in the landscape or use conservation development practices within the Chicago Wilderness region.

Annual Pancake Breakfast with Santa & Holiday Gift Bazaar

Don’t miss this annual community event that raises funds for the Chamber Scholarship Program. Its Sunday, December 2, 2007 from 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon at the Round Lake High School Cafeteria

Over $12,000.00 in scholarships were provided to Round Lake Area students last year due to the support of this event. Enjoy great food, photos with Santa, fabulous raffle prizes and get some holiday shopping done at the “Holiday Gift Bazaar”! The cost for breakfast is ONLY $5 for adults and $4 for children/seniors.

Entertainment will be provided by the Round Lake Community Band and the Round Lake High School Choir and band Crafters and Direct Sales Consultants may contact the Chamber for an application for the Craft and Gift Bazaar. Spaces are only $40! Call today!

For additional information please contact the Round Lake Area Chamber of Commerce at 847-546-2002 or info@rlchamber.org.

Thanksgiving Communty Service

It is fast approaching that time of the year that our nation gathers to recognize the things in life that rise to the level of our gratitude. The annual Thanksgiving Community Service this year will again be on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 18th, at 3:00 P.M.

The village of Round Lake Beach has graciously consented to allowing us to use their new Cultural & Civic Center on Hook Drive. We anticipate a meaningful service that is right and fitting for a nation that has as its motto, "In God We Trust". Chaplain Gerald Felder of the Great Lakes Naval Base will be our featured speaker.

We are excited to have our newest clergy in the community, Father Tim O'Malley, participating. The St. Joseph's Hispanic Choir will bring special music. Ricky Bueno, a former gang member of one of the Round Lake gangs who has served time in prison, has been active in Christian ministry to gangs for the past several years and will share of his outreach to teens and at-risk youth in this area, as our offering for the service will be given to Ricky's work. Please consider this a personal invitation to you and your family.

Skating Fundraiser for the Nurnburg Fund

There will a Skating Fund raiser at the Round Lake Roller Rink, 766 North Hainesville Road on Monday, November 26th (6:00 - 8:30 P.M.) The cost is $5 and two can goods. (which includes admission and skating) (Rollerblade and Speed Skates will have a $3.00 Rental Fee)

Your $5 dollar donation will be donated to the Nurnburg Fund in honor of Keith Nurnburg the late husband of Village School Teacher Tonya Nurnburg who passed while on duty in Iraq

Your canned good will be distributed to deserving families by the People Lending Assistance Network on 1860 North Route 83, in Grayslake.

Everyone is invited. All students, all community members. Sponsored by Village Student Council (VSC) and Round Lake Roller Rink For more information, please e-mail adassow@rlas-116.org

Valley Lakes wins an Award

I am very pleased to announce that the Valley Lakes HOA has received a very prestigious county wide award from the Stormwater Management Commission as Development of the Year! For those of us who live in we know the hard work the boards put in to making this development one of the best in Lake County! I have included the before and after shots of some of the areas that were addressed above.

An awards dinner will be held on December 6th with the regular SMC meeting to follow at the Byron Colby Barn, Prairie Crossing Subdivision in Grayslake. The dinner will start at 6pm and the meeting at 7pm.

• Community of the Year: Village of Vernon Hills for various projects this year including the Seavey Ditch restoration and Lake Harvey restoration.
• Development of the Year: Valley Lakes Community Association, Round Lake, for restoring six natural wetlands and 21 ponds under their jurisdiction, and they will be doing more restoration of the 273 acres of wetlands the VLCA manages.
• BMP Project of the Year: Mundelein Park District's Aquatic Center Bio-swales.
• Stormwater Manager of the Year: Lydia Scott, for her work on several projects including the Des Plaines River restoration projects and the Florsheim Nature Preserve restoration. She also is very active in both planning committee and leadership roles in Upper Des Plaines River Ecosystem Partnership , Chicago Wilderness and North Branch Chicago River watershed plan process.
• Stewardship of the Year: Bill Grinnell, Fremont Township Highway Department, for his dedicated leadership on within Fremont Township on many drainage and stormwater related projects .
• Media Award: Pioneer Press' July '07 "Power of Water" series of articles on wetland restoration, rain gardens , a former SMC employee working in Bolivia on water projects, and the health benefits of drinking water. Reporters: Stephanie Fosnight and Dan Pearson.

Specific credit needs to go to the Valley Lakes Board John F. Flader, President, John R. Gutknecht, Secretary and Tami Bradford, Treasurer. Tallgrass Restoration and Mark Micek (project manager) and Linda Yunker (grant co-ordinator) Tallgrass does all the work and manages the project.

Also mention that Valley Lakes Community Association is a member of the Chicago Wilderness and is dedicated to pursuing "Best Management Practices" (BMP's) when managing the landscaped and non-landscaped areas owned by the Community Association.

Whats up with all the Black Helicopter's

Many of you have asked me what's up with my personal fleet of black helicopters landing at the Police and Public Works station last week.

What really happened is the Law Enforcement Aviation Coalition (LEAC) conducted a training/educational session at our facility. LEAC was started by the Winthrop Harbor Police Department to provide air support for law enforcement in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.

In 2005 they incorporated as a not for profit charitable organization. They own three Bell OH58 helicopters and have access to a privately owned Bell 430. The helicopters are based out of the Rockford, IL area and Kenosha, WI. The helicopters are equipped with Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR), Night Vision, flood/spotlights, and radios to communicate with ground units.

Two helicopters landed and were displayed. I have attached several pictures and more information can be obtained at their website, www.airsupport.com

All of their personnel are volunteers. Having these helicopters available are a great resource to the Village. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you.

Watch out for Deer!

I was driving last night along Fairfield and saw some deer bounding along in the dusk and decided that I would look up some statistics and some safety tips. More than 50,000 drivers will crash into a deer on Illinois highways this year, according to statewide figures from State Farm Insurance claims. That foreshadows chances of a crash occurring among one in 187 drivers. The incidence of car vs. deer encounters is far higher in Michigan at 1 in 86, and Wisconsin clocks in with chances at 1 in 99.

• Deliberately watch for deer, particularly when driving during peak collision times.
• Highest-risk periods are from sunset to midnight and the hours shortly before and after sunrise.
• When driving at night, use high-beam headlights when there is no opposing traffic. The high beams will illuminate the eyes of deer on or near a roadway. Watch for the reflection of deer eyes and for deer silhouettes on the shoulder of the road. High-beam headlights will not necessarily frighten a deer, so do not rely on the high beams to deter deer, but rather rely on the lights to better illuminate the animal.
• Deer are often unpredictable, especially when faced with glaring headlights, blowing horns and fast-moving vehicles. Sometimes they stop in the middle of the road when crossing or cross quickly and come back. Sometimes they move toward an approaching vehicle. Assume nothing, slow down and blow your horn to urge the deer to leave the road. If the deer stays on the road, stop, put on your hazard lights and wait for the deer to leave the roadway; do not try to go around the deer while it is on the road.
• Deer frequently travel in groups and in single file. If you see one deer on or near the road, expect that others may follow.
• Brake firmly when you notice a deer in or near your path, but stay in your lane. Many serious crashes occur when drivers swerve to avoid a deer and hit another vehicle or lose control of their cars.
• If you do strike a deer, and are uncertain whether or not the deer is dead, then keep your distance, as this is an injured, wild animal with sharp hooves that can inflict injuries. If the deer is blocking the roadway and poses a danger to other motorists, you should report the incident to the Game Commission or a local law enforcement agency.

Halloween with Madrona

I was special guest costume judge at Madrona's pre-Halloween warm-up party last weekend. Great time was had by all! There were some great costumes!

120 Project Status Update

Recently I got an update from Transcom and the Lake County Department of Transportation on the status of the Illinois Route 120 Corridor Feasibility Study. We have a variety of task forces working on the project and this is an approximation of where we are.

Public Information Task Force

• Public Information Task Force leading the majority of the work with assistance from Lake County Partners Potential Task Force meeting to be scheduled for November

Environmental & Stormwater Impact Task Force

• Initial data collection completed including GIS from all task forces Data reviewed and base maps created Field visits by TranSystems and Roux scheduled for October 23 to evaluate sensitive environmental resources.

Land Use, Economic Development & Municipal Impact Task Force

• Reviewing data collection and task force studies Field visits by TranSystems and Lakota with Task Force Chair Dennis Sandquist scheduled for October 19 to discuss land use studies

Technical Task Force

• Received traffic data from County
  
• Requested traffic data from IDOT
  
• Traffic counts for the eastern portion of the corridor completed prior to IL 120 at I-94 construction began
  
• Traffic counts for the western portion of the corridor began after the completion of the Fairfield / Gilmer interchange and to be completed by October 18
  
• Met with CMAP regarding CMAP preparing regional traffic models for various scenarios
• Existing 2030 projected with LCTIP IL 53 expressway option and with IL 120 Bypass
  
• 2030 projected with LCTIP IL 53 arterial option and with IL 120 Bypass 2030 projected without IL 53 and with IL 120 Bypass
  
• 2030 projected without IL 53 and without IL 120 Bypass CMAP has completed the existing model and one of the four projected models and estimates completion of the final three projected models by the end of November
  

• TranSystems has begun creating sub-regional traffic models based on CMAP regional traffic models calibrated to provided traffic data and counts
  
• Character of Road studies to move forward after further traffic, land use, and financing studies
  
• Placement of Road studies to move forward after further character of road and environmental studies

Going Going Gone!

Tearing down the old Public Works and police storage facility near the village hall, which completes the three buildings along Cedar Lake from the village hall to the train station.

We wanted to have a clear view of the boxcars parked at the station from the village hall!

It amazing how fast they can take down a building!

METRA-- The Way You Really Tag!

For the last 4 weeks METRA has thoughtfully parked a series of freight cars in our station siding. The best part of this enhanced portion of Metra's service is the colorful artwork on the box cars commonly known as gang graffiti!

In an attempt to remove the cars and or paint over the cars I called the Director of Metra, 4 times, and our administrator called him and others repeatedly and were either ignored or told "the guy" in charge of that was out. Like "the guy" in charge of the location of box cars and trains for Metra is a one man department and is gone on vacation for a month.

So after trying to do things the right way I directed our Public Works staff to paint over the graffiti. This is what we would do to any business who left graffiti up after ignoring us like this.

I am sending a letter expressing my disappointment to Metra, and a bill for public works time and expenses.

The area police departments have worked very hard to minimize gang graffiti throughout the Round Lake area. If you have noticed, there have been very few outbreaks, if any, in the area this year (knock on wood).

I realize that Metra is not the one tagging the trains, but to put these cars here for so long with out any regard for the process or the way it looks in a community is so unfortunate. At a time when Metra needs to consolidate the good will of municipalities and elected officials across the region this shows them as unresponsive.

Local Area Blood Drive at RL Library

Dramatic Rescue from Pond in Madrona

Yesterday , at 1:21PM, our police department received a call for a vehicle that had driven into the water at Concord and Wildspring in Madronna Village.

I would like you all to know that two of our officers were the first to arrive on scene and immediately swam out to rescue the occupant of the vehicle. Police Chief Cliffton Metaxa and Officer Kraig Kapusinski along with a Sheriffs Deputy in the area, swan out to the vehicle and pulled a lady out of the vehicle to safety.

Several other officers arrived along with the fire department and assisted the officers out of the water. The vehicle was eventually located and pulled from the water where it was determined no other occupants were in the vehicle. The occupant was transported to the hospital and it is believed she had a medical condition that may have contributed to the accident.

From Daily Herald--- A woman had to be rescued from her car after driving it into a retention pond in Round Lake Wednesday afternoon.

Police said the unidentified 28-year-old Round Lake Park woman was driving east on Concord Drive and drove directly into the pond where Concord dead-ends with Wildspring Road.

Police officials said witnesses reported the woman didn't appear to try and turn the Chevrolet Cavalier she was driving at the intersection. She was transported to Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. Hospital officials would not release her condition.

Round Lake Police Lt. Pete Molidor said the crash occurred around 1:20 p.m. The car was floating in the pond when emergency workers arrived at the scene, but sank after rescuers popped a window in order to rescue the unresponsive woman.

The car was eventually extracted from the pond. The investigation is ongoing, Molidor said. Police have not interviewed the woman and no citations have been issued.

From the News Sun-- Woman rescued from sinking car-- Drove into pond in Round Lake

ROUND LAKE -- Quick teamwork by rescuers helped save the life of a woman who drove her car into a pond Wednesday afternoon.

First responders were able to reach the woman and pull her out of her car before it fully submerged, after it went crashing into the Madrona Village retention pond near Route 120 and Wildspring Road, in Round Lake.

The unidentified woman was westbound on Concord Drive around 1 p.m. when she failed to yield at Wildspring, and drove her gold Chevy Cavalier into the large retention pond.

Round Lake Police Chief Cliff Metaxa was one of the first on the scene Wednesday. When he arrived he said he saw the car nose first in the water, about 70 feet off shore. Before divers arrived he jumped into the chilly water and swam to the car where the woman, who he described in her 30s, was in neck-deep water.

Metaxa was joined by Round Lake Police Officer Kraig Kapusinski, Round Lake Firefighter Jay Vandeberg and off-duty Sheriff's Deputy Stephen Hennelly. The four were able to break a window in the car and pull the woman to shore where she was taken away by an ambulance.

"I credit the officers that were in the water with me," Metaxa said. "Along with the firefighters, we were able to save a life today."

Metaxa said the woman was conscious but disoriented. She was taken to Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where her condition was unknown.

The accident was still under investigation Wednesday afternoon. Round Lake officers did not know how the woman wound up in the pond, or if citations would be issued. No tracks were visible leading from the road into the pond. Tire marks were visible on the curb and it appears the vehicle was airborne when it entered the pond.

Divers worked with a tow truck to pull the car from the bottom of the pond, which is deeper than 8 feet at its center.

When the car was pulled out of the pond, it was caked with mud and grass. Water filled it up to its windows and the windshield wipers were working. Firefighters poked holes in the door and smashed windows to allow it to drain.

The accident drew large crowds to the quiet subdivision. Resident Jim Kerwin was among those gathered around the pond. He was working in his backyard about a block from the pond when the accident occurred. He said he heard what sounded like a crash and then a bunch of geese squawking as they flew away.

"I didn't really think anything of it," Kerwin said.

Is this too Early?

NOTE: This is a post I did last year and I thought it was an excellent post, and a reminder to everyone about the rules and regulations about snow, even though its in the 70's!

I have gotten a ton of emails and comments on neighbors not cleaning the sidewalks off after a snow storm. So I decided to go to the village code and find exactly what it says. However the Valley Lake HOA already had an excellent flier and I asked John Gutknecht to send it to me.

Frequently Asked Questions and Reminders

Question: Who’s supposed to clear the sidewalks?
Answer: It is the responsibility of each property owner to remove the snow from ALL PUBLIC SIDEWALKS adjacent to their property.

Question: But can’t I be held liable if someone falls on a sidewalk that I cleared?
Answer: Individuals who shovel snow or ice from sidewalks are NOT liable for personal injuries allegedly caused by the snowy or icy condition of the sidewalk resulting from their shoveling unless their conduct is willful or wanton. (Willful or wanton conduct means with an actual intent to cause an injury or with a conscious disregard for the safety of others. Illinois Compiled Statutes, Chapter 745, Section 75/2.

The Village Code even weighs in on the subject as well.

12.04.070 Snow on Sidewalks.
The person occupying the ground floor of any building, the user of any lot without a structure thereon, and the owner of any vacant building or other premises shall remove the snow and ice accumulating on the abutting sidewalks within twenty-four (24) hours after any snowfall has ceased. If snow or ice cannot be removed the surface shall be sanded or otherwise treated to lessen the hazard for pedestrians until the climate permits removal.

If you see an address in which the owner is not removing the snow, please contact the Round Lake Police Dept. at 847-546-8112 and file a complaint. Our first priority however will always be the roads during a snow event.

Government Study on my Blog

The IBM Center for the Business of Government recently commissioned a study examining government blogging by David Wyld a professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University. Guess which blog was mentioned more then a few times? The report is here, be careful its a huge PDF!

In the study Dr. Wyld examines the phenomenon of blogging in the context of the larger revolutionary forces at play in the development of the second-generation Internet, where interactivity among users is key. This is also referred to as "Web 2.0." Wyld observes that blogging is growing as a tool for promoting not only online engagement of citizens and public servants, but also offline engagement. He describes blogging activities by members of Congress, governors, city mayors, and police and fire departments in which they engage directly with the public. He also describes how blogging is used within agencies to improve internal communications and speed the flow of information.

Based on the experiences of the blogoneers, Wyld develops a set of lessons learned and a checklist of best practices for public managers interested in following in their footsteps. He also examines the broader social phenomenon of online social networks and how they affect not only government but also corporate interactions with citizens and customers.

Development Article in Chicago Tribune Recently

NOTE: I found this on a Construction Law Blog, I have no idea of the veracity of this, but Neumann built about 500-600 homes in the village a few years ago, so its seems of some interest to us.

"Builder chief denies firm is in trouble; 'Most profitable year' for Neumann Homes": Ken Neumann, president of Warrenville, Illinois-based Neumann Homes, lashed out at other builders in connection with speculation the company is for sale or on the verge of bankruptcy. "No, the company is not for sale. I own the company," Neumann said Thursday. "This is the most profitable year in the company's history." Family-owned Neumann, which opened in Chicago in the early 1990s, is one of the largest of the remaining independent local builders. The company is the builder of megadevelopments such as the The Clublands in Joliet and The Clublands in Antioch. The firm is among the 50 biggest builders in the United States, with operations in Wisconsin, Colorado and Michigan as well as Illinois. In 2005 the company built 1,900 homes and had $518 million in revenue, Ken Neumann said. Neumann said he believes the rumors began when someone claimed, at a meeting of officials of rival Centex Homes earlier this year, that Dallas-based Centex was buying Neumann. Dan Star, president of the Illinois division of Centex, said he is unaware of any such statement and does not believe it was ever made. Whether or not that incident occurred, Neumann Homes recently raised eyebrows in local building circles when the company took the unusual step of auctioning 1,000 acres of land in high-growth suburban areas such as Huntley, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.

LA Can't Drive

I came across this website in one of my late night surfing trips and thought it was quite funny. I know many of us can identify with whats going on here. I think that LA is a bit more extreme then some of the goofiness we see here in Lake County. Careful there is some salty language on here

Mayoral Forum with Congresswomen Melissa Bean

Two days ago Congresswomen Melissa Bean held a Summit at the Round Lake Police and Public Works meeting room with the Mayors of some Lake County municipalities to discuss the foreclosure issue and some of the steps she and the government are taking on this issue.

I have been talking to her and her staff about this issue for some time, and the Congresswomen has been taking some impressive steps on attempt to help homeowners. The congresswomen has been incredibly receptive towards these issues and I think she has a firm grasp on how we can prevent and assist people suffering from losing homes and facing financial ruin. Here is a partial list of some of the things the Congresswomen has been working on:

1. Congress Has Held Several Hearings on the Status of the Mortgage Industry specifically focusing on Predatory Lending, the Role of the Secondary Mortgage Market, Government Sponsored Entities (GSE) Reform and FHA Reform.
   

2. Through Hearings and Working with the regulators and the industry, Congress has taken actions already that will help troubled borrowers stay in their homes:
   


1. Clarified that banks could use their discretion to avoid foreclosing on borrowers
   
2. Expanded the flexibility of servicers to rework mortgages
   
3. Raised awareness among borrowers encouraging them to proactively seek help from their lender of HUD certified credit counseling service through organizations like the Homeowner Preservation Foundation.
   

3. In addition the House of Representatives has passed GSE Reform, FHA Modernization Legislation and Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief.


4. The GSE Reform will increase the liquidity in the mortgage market, which in light of the still lingering effects of the liquidity crisis in August, is very much needed to help rebound the Housing industry.


5. Congresswoman Bean is working to expand the ability of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to provide additional liquidity to the market


6. Legislation was introduced by Congresswoman Bean last week that would temporarily increase the cap of Fannie and Freddie’s portfolios by 10 percent so they can inject more liquidity into the market.


7. The FHA Modernization legislation will update the FHA program to serve subprime borrowers at affordable rates and terms, recapture borrowers that may have received risky loan products in recent years and offer refinancing opportunities to borrowers currently struggling.


8. In particular it will increase loan limits allowing more borrowers to participate, lower down payment requirements and direct FHA to provide loans to higher risk but qualified borrowers.


9. The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act will provide tax relief to families on mortgage debt that is forgiven when a borrower and lender rework mortgages.


10. The House Financial Services Committee (Congresswomen Bean is a member) is work on a a bill that will:
1. require clearer mortgage disclosure requirements that average borrowers can fully understand
   
2. Curb predatory practices: Congresswomen Bean is considering an Amendment that would
1. either encourage or require loan counseling for negative amortization loans similar to the counseling individuals receive when taking out a reverse mortgage
   
2. provide options with reasonable protections for borrowers who may be trapped in a resetting ARM.
   

3. Beyond that the bill will likely require proper licensing and oversight for all mortgage originators and all lenders. Illinois is a good example of how to ensure all mortgage originators are appropriately licensed and regulated.
   


4. She is personally looking into whether there can be some sort of notification to a borrower when his or her loan is discounted in the secondary market due to the inherent risk of taking on that mortgage.
   

Liquor Issues-- Basset training

In July of 2007, the Village of Round Lake approved an ordinance amending the liquor license provisions of the village code and providing for a BASSET (Beverage Alcohol Sellers and Servers Education and Training) program. The purpose of the BASSET program is to educate sellers and servers on the short and long-term effects of alcohol and drugs on individuals, families, friends, communities, businesses and the economy. The objectives of the BASSET program are:

• To train sellers and servers of alcohol on the proper techniques of responsible sales and service;
• To stop all sales of alcohol to underage patrons;
• To prevent DUIs and alcohol related fatalities;
• To promote responsible business practices and community safety;
• To educate industry professionals on alcohol related legislation;
• To promote the benefits of practicing responsible sales and service.

Three police department members have become certified and state licensed BASSET instructors. The police department is prepared to properly train all persons affected by the implementation of the BASSET program (sellers, servers, managers and owners). The village code was also amended to include a parental responsibility section prohibiting parent or guardian authorized underage drinking parties and giving the police department another tool to prosecute irresponsible parents. For more information on BASSET:

Blog Action Day---Lets try to reduce our carbon footprint!

Today is Blog Action Day a worldwide movement that is encouraging all bloggers to write about one topic and one topic only today....the Environment. I love the idea and of course I could write about some of the things we have done here in Round Lake since I have been Mayor, like recycling garbage cans, electronic recycling, and of course Tree City status as well.


There is an interesting website called Zerofootprint which brings together the power of social networks on the web — the best environmental science, risk management and software engineering — to create an environment for change that focuses on an individual's impact as part of the human collective effort.

I signed up for Zerofootprint to see if I could reduce my carbon footprint, and I discovered where there is an outreach to Mayors, so I contacted them to see what's up with that! More to follow, I am sure!

By the way my carbon footprint was 17.4 tons of CO2, my daughters was 14.0.

Taping of Comcast Newsmakers

Earlier this week I taped a Comcast Newsmakers show which is a daily five-minute interview segment which airs at :24 and :54 minutes past the hour on CNN Headline News sponsored by Comcast. It was a lot of fun and a nice opportunity to talk up your community and the issues surrounding it. The show is hosted by veteran, award winning news anchor Paul Lisnek. Who definitely made me feel good about the whole process.

Naturally I talked about three things, transportation, hospitals and economic development, with a little bit about this blog thrown in for good measure. The whole process was quite efficent and the 5 minutes went by quickly as well.

Many thanks to Gwendolyn McNutt, Comcast Community Affairs Manager, Paul Lisnek for making me feel comfortable and Frank Deuel, Comcast Government Affairs Manager for being helpful as well.

I am not sure when they air, but when I find out I will let you all know! You get to some fun things as a Mayor and this was certainly one of them!

Fantasy Footbal Fiasco

I am 0-5 and there is no improvement in sight. We have 16 players this year which is great, and I am holding up the league. There is no way I can talk trash...so this is a short post.