You can't escape the rush hour traffic in Lake County.

You've tried leaving early. Going home late. Taking a bunch of different routes. Nothing works. You're losing sleep, time with your family and friends, time at work. Instead, you have lots of windshield time with your car. You're losing part of your life, wasting time in a congested mess on Lake County roads with no end in sight.

A simple "yes" vote April 7 can help change all that.

The Route 53 project has been planned for years. Now, you finally get to vote in favor of it. You can tell Lake County, state and federal leaders know you're sick and tired of traffic jams. You want to stop wasting dozens of hours behind the wheel every month, watching all the vehicles around you pollute the air while they inch along at a frustrating pace.

And, you can do more than vote. You can tell your family, neighbors and friends to vote "yes" for Route 53. Tell them how it will enrich their lives, help businesses and improve the economic future of the county. We can help you do that. Sign up for e-mail blasts, Twitter alerts, and a Facebook page that will provide the latest on our plan to bring some sanity to the crazy mess of traffic in Lake County.

Vote Yes on 53 this April 7th

Here is a great site about 53.

911 Service Gets its Facelift

A few months ago I wrote about the ongoing improvements to our area wide 911 service and showed a partial picture of the work that was done, well here is a picture of the finished product. Kudos to Director Lisa Berger and her team for improving our 911 services and of course making the center look very good.

I stopped by the center a few weeks ago, and was quite impressed with what I saw, the new cubicles are "state of the art" for the tele-communicators and the ones I talked to were very happy with the new stuff.

2008 Audit Report Highlights

Last night the village board discuss and voted to accept the 2008 Audit report. Here are some of the highlights of the report. Its pretty dull, but its all mostly positive, which given today's economic climate is a good thing!

• The Village’s Governmental net assets increased $11,978,849 from the prior year.
• Business-type activities unrestricted net assets increased $489,032 from the prior year. The fund balance for the General Fund equaled $3,310,475, an increase of $758,219 from the prior year.
• General Fund expenditures were 19.5% under the final appropriated amount of $8,736,188.
• Village-wide assets exceeded liabilities by $69.8 million at April 30, 2008.
• Program revenues for governmental activities increased $1,219,387 over the preceding year.
• All funds operated within legal budgetary limitations during the year.
• The Water and Sewer Fund reported total operating income before depreciation expense of $224,916.
• As of April 30, 2008, the Village had seven debt issues outstanding totaling $17,752,174 and during the year the Village’s total outstanding debt decreased by $820,713.

Major capital asset events during the current fiscal year include the following:

• The purchase of downtown land for $1,434,476 for future development.
• The completion of the West Townline Road project capitalized at $599,629.
• The capitalization of $2,136,661 for the trunk sewer / Dawn Marie pump station project. The capitalization of $889,292 of construction costs related to the 2006 CDBG Linden and Sycamore watermain improvements.

Our Drinking Water is first Class

From the Waukegan News Sun

It's so good it won a taste test, and it's so cheap it's practically free.

The Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency has won a regional taste test for tap water, beating out 12 other Illinois water treatment facilities that are part of the West Shore Water Producers Association.

JAWA communities include Grayslake, Gurnee, Lake Bluff, Libertyville, Mundelein, Vernon Hills, Round Lake, Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Heights, Round Lake Park, and the unincorporated areas of Wildwood, Knollwood, Rondout, and Countryside.

The processing plant in Lake Bluff can treat 50 million gallons of water per day and serves 205,000 residents in central Lake County.

The next level of judging will be at the state competition in March in Springfield.

"This is just another example showing our member communities that we have access to some of the highest quality drinking water in Illinois," said Round Lake Beach Mayor Richard Hill, JAWA's chairman.

A plastic bottle of Aquafina water from a vending machine is $1 for just over a pint. Meanwhile, residents of JAWA are charged $2.15 per 1,000 gallons, or .215 cents per gallon. Aquafina by the pint is about $8 per gallon.

William "Burr" Koepsel, director of operations for JAWA, said the last time the building in Lake Bluff was retrofitted, they had bottled water in mind.

"Actually, during the last phase of construction we actually put in piping so maybe we could look at that in the future," he said.

Call it JAWA JUICE. Think of the profits if the starting costs are just .215 cents per gallon.

The reason the water taste so good is that Lake Michigan water is a "very high quality water to begin with," Koepsel said.

It goes through ozonization (many plants use chlorine first), then it is filtered through a granular activated carbon -- charcoal in layman's terms. Then a quagulent is added to make suspended particles clump together and settle out of the water. "Some particles tend not to settle," he said.

Next comes ultraviolet light, which does not kill bacteria but destroys DNA -- thwarting reproduction.

Last is a shot of chlorine -- "the smallest amount possible," Koepsel said.

"This was the first year we won (the taste test)," he said.

While taste is important, the professionals are more impressed with other awards like the Phase 4 Award given out by the Partnership for Safe Drinking Water and the American Water Works Association. JAWA received the reward for its personnel, physical plant and operations.

"The award recognizes the highest quality operations and drinking water we produce," Koepsel said.

3rd Annual Beat the Mayor 5K-- Save the Date!

Well my third annual "Beat the Mayor" 5K has a new location and is being contested earlier this year then usual. The race will be held on May 31, a Sunday, at 9am, at the Nippersink Forest Preserve. I wanted to hold the race last year at the Nippersink Forrest Preserve, but it wasn't ready in time, so we did the loop around the old section of Round Lake.

Here is a link to register for the race. The cost of the race is $22.50 if you register early, day of race registration is $25, Kids are $16.50 apiece, and on the day of the race its $18.50. Race registration will get you a Race T-Shirt, while supplies last, a wonderful experience and the ability to try to beat the Mayor at a 5K.

NOTE: For those of you who notice the fact that the date is after the April 7th election and I might not be Mayor on May 31, the race will merely be called Beat the "Former" Mayor in that unlikely case. For those of you who want to nit pick even further, this race is in no way affiliated with the Village of Round Lake in any way shape or form, any profits will go to an organization of my choice or be used for the 4th annual race.

Round Lake Chamber of Commerce-- Casino Night

Win a Seat at the World Series of Poker!
$150 Dollar Buy-In with a $30 rebuy (must have 100 players for the seat to be awarded)

Proceeds benefit the Round Lake Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fund

February 13th, 2009 CASINO NIGHT!!
6PM-Midnight
Held at: Round Lake Beach Cultural & Civic Center
Complete w/ Texas Hold'em Tournament, Blackjack, and many more table games.

Texas Hold'em Tournament Winner (based on 100 players) will win a $10,000 seat to the WSP/Vegas

Call the Chamber office for details: 847-546-2002

Another Hospital Denied

Is'nt this amazing? This board is the more incompetent board in the state.

From the Daily Herald-- Officials at Vista Health System say they will revise plans to build a new hospital in Lindenhurst after their latest proposal was denied by the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board.

Barbara J. Martin, president and CEO of the Waukegan-based hospital group, said Thursday she will present the board a new or modified proposal in March.

"While we are disappointed by the outcome, we remain focused on improving access to health care for the residents of northwest Lake County and serving the health care needs of all our communities," Martin said in a written statement. "We will need to evaluate our new hospital plans and determine the next steps that are best for our communities."

In a split decision Wednesday in Chicago, the planning board denied Vista's proposal to build the nearly $100 million facility near Deep Lake Road and Route 132. It was the fourth time in the last two years Vista has sought approval from the board. The lack of a majority means the plan was rejected.

The planning board has repeatedly cited an over abundance of hospital beds in Lake County as its reason for denying Vista's effort.

Planning board executive secretary Jeffrey Mark said the two members who voted against the proposal believed Vista failed to comply with the specific criteria set by the board. Mark did not offer details about the decision.

The proposal presented Wednesday by Martin was a modified version of one that was deferred at a September meeting. It called for an increase in the number of medical/surgical beds from 64 to 100. The total proposed hospital beds would be 132, with 12 beds for intensive care and 20 for obstetrics. In turn, Vista would agree to discontinue the 108 beds not being used at Vista Medical Center East.

The Vista proposal called for a Level II trauma center, which would be equipped with a helicopter pad to transport the most critical cases to other area Level I hospitals.

Supporters said the facility would benefit the Lindenhurst-area economy. As a for-profit hospital, it would increase the tax base and attract professional offices and other businesses, they said.

Lindenhurst Mayor Susan Lahr called the decision "very disappointing."

"The village of Lindenhurst and our residents, as well as surrounding communities, continue to support the efforts of Barbara Martin and Vista Health in its endeavor," Lahr said.

Earth Hour returns!

On March 28, we will celebrate Earth Hour 2009. Once again, residents in the Chicago region will join millions of people around the world to voluntarily “turn off the lights” for an hour from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. to make a bold statement about climate change. Earth Hour will demonstrate that by working together, each one of us can make a positive impact on this global issue. Governments, business, communities, and individuals on six continents will participate in Earth Hour and agree to make changes that will curb their carbon dioxide emissions.

Like last year, Chicago has been selected as a flagship city for Earth Hour. Earth Hour Chicago and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus are asking the region’s mayors to participate and make Chicago’s efforts regional. All we ask is that you encourage the businesses and residents in your community to turn off their lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on March 28.

As you will recall, Earth Hour is an initiative of the World Wildlife Fund. In 2007, 2.2 million people took part in the world's first Earth Hour in Sydney Australia. Just one year later, 50 million people in 370 cities and towns, in more than 35 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour. Earth Hour 2009 aims to reach more than one billion people in 1000 cities around the world, inviting communities, business and governments to switch off lights for one hour at 8:30pm on Saturday March 28 and sending a powerful global message that we care enough about our environment to take action.

Please consider participating in Earth Hour 2009. For more information, visit www.earthhour.org.

Some stuff to smile about while it's freezing outside!

Here is the Washington Post's Mensa Invitational, which once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

The winners are:

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
2. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole.
3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts only until you realize it was your money to start with.
4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
5. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
6. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
7. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
8. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
9. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.
10. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
11. Karmageddon: It's when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, and then the Earth explodes, and it' s a serious bummer.
12. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
13. Glibido: All talk and no action.
14. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
15. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
17. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.

And the winners are:

1. coffee, n. the person upon whom one coughs.
2. flabbergasted, adj. appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
3. abdicate, v. to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. esplanade, v. to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. willy-nilly, adj. impotent.
6. negligent, adj. absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.
7. lymph, v. to walk with a lisp.
8. gargoyle, n. olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. flatulence, n. emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.
10. balderdash, n. a rapidly receding hairline.
11. testicle, n. a humorous question on an exam.
12. rectitude, n. the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. pokemon, n. a Rastafarian proctologist.
14. oyster, n. a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. frisbeetarianism, n. the belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.

Route 53 Referendum-- UPDATED

There is a move afoot at the county to place an advisory referendum on the April Ballot that endorses Route 53 and calls for it to be built. UPDATE...if you roll your mouse over the more button on the survey you can find out how many people voted (28 so far). Not so sure I like this survey software.

Okay I took the survey off...someone voted NO 53 times, which is quite funny, but not exactly, one man one vote! I had the survey software turned on to make sure only person can vote, but that apparently did not work.

When Blizzard's Attack!

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHICAGO HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD WARNING... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 12 PM TUESDAY. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ACCUMULATING AND BLOWING SNOW IS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO THE ONSET OF THE BLIZZARD WARNING. HIGH WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MILES PER HOUR ARE EXPECTED. ARCTIC AIR MOVING INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS BEHIND THIS SYSTEM WILL ALSO PRODUCE BITTER WIND CHILLS OF 15 BELOW TO 20 BELOW LATE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING.

Area wide 911 service gets facelift.

Over the years we have seen enormous changes and improvements to Cencom our Round Lake Area 911 service, the agency went from a scary pit, to award winning in 5 years. That's a testament to the hard work put into the process by the Cencom board with the 4 Round Lake Area communities, the Round Lake Fire District, the Round Lake Park District as well as Barrington all having a say in the improvements.

Recently the facility (the Round Lake Beach Public Works building) that is home to Cencom has been undergoing some changes, and the Cencom board has approved a complete remodeling of the facility. Some time soon when its all done there will be an open house.

Trustee Brian Brubaker is my appointment to the Cencom board of directors and Police Chief Cliff Metaxa is on the oversight committee for operations.

Christmas Tree Pick-up

If you drag your used Christmas tree to the curb on Monday Waste Management will pick it up, they will pick up the discarded trees all four Monday's in January. They dispose of them for us in a clean environmental so that way your tree keeps on giving! Kind of a nice service we were able to negotiate with them!

UPDATE NOTE: You are certainly not going batty, I wrote the post thinking Wednesday and when I checked with Waste Management they said Monday...my apologies!

Welcome to the New Blogging Mayor's Blog Version 2.0

Happy New Year! Welcome to a new beginning of my Mayor's Blog! I have been posting on blogger and then using pointers to the village's eroundlake.com website since this blogs inception way back in the spring of 2005. One of the things that I have always felt unable to do because of its quasi-official status is not post about ongoing issues in the village with complete candor.

Over the years I have not written about some issues that I could have because of my sensitivity to the political process and my position as mayor. I have separated the blog as of last night completely from the village's website, and it no longer has any links that I know of on eroundlake.com (Harder then it seems given the nature of the internet).

One of the original reasons I started this blog was to keep a diary of what I did on a day to day to basis for future reference. An underlying reason I blog was so I could write a book about "being mayor" (that project has not been slumbering by the by). The blog took a different direction, which I am not sure was a bad thing.

However the new version blog will be harder and more behind the scenes at politics in Round Lake, the Round Lake Area as well as the county and state. An example of something I started to write about way back when was the Police and Public Works building. As I wrote it I realized that I was going to have talk about the then political climate and some individuals who were serving then who made poor decisions that cost the village money. So I decided not to continue the process, this blog will carry through on future issues.

I will write about topics that I feel like as opposed to topics I felt I had to write about, so there should be a change in the tenor of the blog.

The blog is as you can see changed format wise, however it still has the 1,400 old posts on it, and the comments. My rules have not changed, I allow unrestricted comments, and of course, profanity, attacks on my family and libel will be removed and the offending commenter banned until I decide to allow them back.

I also may from time to time allow guest bloggers to take over the driver seat here and "spout" there opinions on things, however they will be clearly identified as such and subject to the same rules as me.