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.

Stormwater Management Commission (Part Three)

NOTE: This is the last part of the three articles I have written on SMC, I am amazed at how many people have either emailed me and or called me asking for the "rest of the story" (apologies to Paul Harvey). By the way this is the sequence of events that I can recall bright and early in the morning, so I may actually have some of the facts and timings slightly off, but the gist is basically correct.

About 3 years ago numerous communities started to undergo the re certification process required under the Wetland Development Ordinance (WDO). One of these was Antioch. A vocal group of residents from Antioch township came every month, and in public comment publicly proclaimed how the village were acting poorly, not at all, and should not be re certified.

They brought many special effects, memorably a big mason jar filled with the white mud/slurry that ran into one lake, the gentlemen making that presentation actually was waving that above my head during public comment (tight meeting space). Needless to say their concerns were addressed and slowly put to rest to the comfort level of the board of commissioners of SMC, although eventually leaving Antioch the only community with a "contentious" renewal. The other communities being re certified with no controversy.

Back in April the whole matter was finally put on the agenda for a vote and after an impassioned argument between village officials and residents and then a lively discussion between the commissioners with two options on the table certifying or placing Antioch on probation.

Ultimately the certification process was approved by one vote, my vote was for certification by the way, because that was staff's recommendation.

Some decisions have a way of going away for long periods of time and then returning and biting your posterior, others don't get so far away. This one barely left the room!

A project in Antioch called the Tim Osmond Sports Park was given a grading permit by the Village of Antioch to grade the entire site, without sequencing. If the project had of been sequenced the retention pond would have been graded first, and then the rest of the site would have then been graded. During the discussion in April we received a letter indicating Antioch would be addressing a variety of matters including this project (with sequencing) and gave specific steps they were taking to make sure nothing untoward happened.

Retention areas are at low areas and are designed to accumulate run-off, so having the retention area done first would have protected the entire site during the second part of the sequencing from a major rain event. Water would run into and be held by the detention area at the sports park, protecting the surrounding areas.

So guess what happened, no sequencing, and mass grading of the site, with no retention pond built first. Now think back to early August! What happened? Why the monsoon-like rains that hit the county! The result on this site was the graded area ran down towards the low area that should have contained the newly graded retention pond but did not. So it continued on into a nearby wetland and lake.

To Antioch's credit they took immediate action, and stopped the run off and addressed the issues they needed to, however after the fact not before the fact.

At the September SMC Board meeting (which I did not attend, but my alternate did and other members of the board passed this along to me) the irate residents were back with an "I told you so" and amazingly the Village of Antioch's administrator cockily told the board they handled the incident perfectly! Needless to say the board split 4-4 on de-certifying Antioch, or putting them on probation. The consensus was however to have a public hearing at the next board meeting in October and of course that brings us to last Thursday.

Where after many hours of testimony and debate we voted 9-3 to put Antioch on probation. (the 3 votes were to decertify). Ultimately the 9 decided that if we decertifyed Antioch, SMC would have to drop many valuable projects on our work plan for the rest of the county, to allocate manpower to Antioch's project (even though Antioch would be paying for it). The probation has a huge oversight component and is going to be effective at bringing Antioch back into the fold.

Hopefully this solves the problem, and Antioch has received the message.

Stormwater Management Commission (Part Two)

One of the things that SMC oversees are projects that can effect the watershed in a particular municipalities or county area. This oversight has quite a bit of major impact to the speed projects get done (speed is relative in the government world by the by).

The Lake County Watershed Development Ordinance or WDO is a major portion of the SMC mission, and over time a program where communities that follow steps and procedures can be certified to administer internal projects rather then having SMC have to come out and administer, which leads to slower projects and a greater manpower burdens on some of the other projects SMC administers.

Round Lake is one of the 42 communities that are certified to manage the WDO, there are 11 communities that do not have certification for one reason or another.
Certified Communities are those communities who have been delegated the authority to administer, all or portions of, the WDO within their own jurisdictions. Lake County communities have one of the following WDO designations:

• Both Standard and Isolated Wetland Certification
• Only Standard Certification
• Non-Certified

SMC administers the WDO and issues permits for the developments within the Non-Certified Communities. In addition, SMC administers the Isolated Wetlands program and issues associated approvals within communities with only Standard Certification.

Communities are rated and ranked using criteria over a period of time and periodically they come up for recertification. Generally this is not controversial nor is it a topic of concern for anyone within or without SMC.The last three years however have had one community have serious issues both with the public and with SMC's certification process.

Being certified can be beneficial to a municipality because projects can move faster since SMC does not have to be involved in every step, which is why for example Round Lake is a certified community and has been for decades.

Some communities do not take the certification process as seriously or pay attention to what's going on internally with the attention we do as you will find out in the thrilling conclusion to this series!

Stormwater Management Commission (Part One)

NOTE: I got quite a few emails and questions about Friday's post on the late night SMC meeting so I decided to write about SMC, and then after laying the groundwork I would talk about the Antioch issue and how it relates throughout the county. This is probably going to be a three part series!

I wrote last week about the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) board that I serve on. SMC is a county agency that has 6 county board members and 6 municipal members who serve as its board of directors. I serve as the municipal official paired with County Board member Bonnie Thompson Carter for the 4th district which represents 11 communities.

The commission is run by Mike Warner who has been with us as the number 2 man for many years and last year he emerged as the new Director and has done quite well and instilled an enormous sense of mission in the organization. I wrote about his eventual hiring in a post here which is an interesting piece in its self after re-reading it just now.

Almost immediately a much clearer and consise way of problem solving emereged giving me a much more solid feel for the performance of SMC, and I trusted and valued staff input again. Which was a huge step forward.

This is so Funny! (Need sound to be on)

This is so funny, I can't figure out to load this on here....but check this out.

Stormwater Management Meeting goes well into the night

A picture from inside the ultra exclusive 12 person board of the Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) at about 10 last night. We were listening to the pro and cons about removing the certification from that community in response to a major violation.

Antioch has been an issue in front of this board for nearly 4 years and last night it came to one of its many low points. We voted to place the community on probation by a 9-3 vote, which we have done before but not without this much rancor! The 3 votes were for complete removal of certification by the way. I voted for probation! I may write more on this in the future, since its an interesting topic, but I overslept this morning and can't write the essay this deserves!

Nippersink Takes Shape

NOTE: This is a post that I ran quite awhile ago about the Nippersink Forest Preserve Project, I have gotten a couple of questions about the project recently so I decided to re post it here. I would add that the proposed Synnesvedt project has a connection from the Millennium Trail to this park. One of my long range goals is to then get a crossing for 120 so we connect via a path to the homes on the south side of 120. This project is between Cedar Lake and Fairfield on 120 if you look at the graphic upper right corner you can see the compass so you can orient yourself.

A couple of years ago I got frustrated with a series of developers who kept insisting that they need to build homes on Nippersink Road across from Village School. In a partnership with County Board Member Larry Leafblad we were able to chase off Neumann Homes and secure the 219 acre marsh to be added to the Lake County Forest Preserve. Now granted I did not do much other then frown and express dismay with the project and the Forest Preserve did the buying of the land.

I do have issues with the Forest Preserve buying land and then not letting any one use the land that they buy, if you doubt me drive around and see all the land in the Forest Preserve, but this purchase made long term sense for the village and the area. Then about 2 years ago Toll Brothers wanted to bring 300 senior oriented houses to the Country Lakes Resort on 120 across from Bacon Road. I had some conversations with the owners and the desire of the family who owned the resort to sell the property.

I then thought about it and referred to our comprehensive plan which led me to invite Bonnie Thompson Carter who is the President of the Lake County Forest Preserve and one of Round Lake's county board members. I drove her around the property which she knew well since her family owned portions of it way back when! I told her that I could prevent the development from happening if the Forest Preserve put up their money and bought the land for active recreation purposes. Kudos to her and the rest of the Forrest Preserve for carrying through.

The result of all of this is the Nippersink Forrest Preserve area in Round Lake. The Millennium Trail will also be coming through the area as well which is a wonderful addition to the area.

History of One of Our Townships

The new book, Images of Grayslake and Avon Township, arrived at the Grayslake Museum on Monday. It will be available for purchase at the Historical Society's booth near the NW corner of Center and Whitney Streets during Farmers Market on Wednesday, October 3. There will be a book signing at the Grayslake Public Library on Sunday, October 7 at 1:30.

The price is $19.99. To order by mail. send an additional $4.25 to cover postage and handling to the Grayslake Historical Society, P. 0. Box 185, Grayslake, Illinois 60030.

They book will also be available at the Grayslake Village Hall and the State Bank of the Lakes with the Grayslake Historical Society getting the proceeds. The book published by Arcadia contains 127 pages with 215 images. There are chapters on Hainesville, the Round Lake Area, the Lakes, and the Land with the major focus on Grayslake. Vintage pictures help to tell the story of the area.

Great Thrill and Huge Chills

Last week I took a pause from mayoring and campaigning and spent time taking my daughter to see colleges in Indiana and Ohio. Our favorite was one of the "Public Ivies" Miami of Ohio, my wallet however was not consulted on the issue, or else someone would be enrolling in the College of Lake County.

We also went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art which was quite interesting, I saw an exhibit of contemporary art that was excellent, the daughter wanted to see an exhibit on Dior.

One of the highlights was my two laps on the famed Brickyard, home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the most famous race track in the world! I went to the museum and got the tour of the grounds as well! The picture is from the tour which costs $3 for a one lap trip of the track, I liked it so much I did it twice!

Make A Difference the Round Lake Way

Make A Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others -- a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. Everyone can participate! Created by USA WEEKEND Magazine, Make A Difference Day is an annual event that takes place on the fourth Saturday of every October. The next event is Saturday, October 27, 2007. Millions have participated. In 2005, 3 million people cared enough about their communities to volunteer on that day, accomplishing thousands of projects in hundreds of towns.

Make A Difference Day Comes to Round Lake!
A food drive is being organized on behalf of our village this year. Kicking off in early October, area schools and residents will be able to make food donations to benefit the COOL food pantry, our area’s newest food pantry, which is located on Route 134 and serves over 325 families monthly! Round Lake High School and St. Joseph’s School have already volunteered to participate. Watch this blog and the Daily Herald newspaper for more information and publicity on Make A Difference Day or check the website www.makeadifferenceday.com.

How Can You Help?

1. You can make a food donation!
2. You can volunteer your organizations participation to collect food.
3. You can volunteer to be a food drop off location.
4. You can volunteer to help pick up food from drop off locations
5. You can spend October 27th helping out with collection at the COOL food pantry!
6. Ready to Help?
   

This year’s area coordinator is Mary Barry. Please contact Mary at disneymar@yahoo.com.

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