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Archive for the ‘Kane’ Category
‘With fire in my belly’ to avoid toll, chair to urge Longmeadow funding from other counties, state
Posted in County, Kane, Longmeadow Parkway, Politics, Taxes on March 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Kane County Chair Corinne Pierog says she will focus her near-term efforts on pushing for a combination of state and county funds to eliminate a toll for the Longmeadow Parkway.
The next few months may decide the ultimate fate of the toll portion of the Longmeadow Parkway.
Kane County Chair Corinne Pierog said during a virtual state-of-the-county address Friday she will focus her near-term efforts “with fire in my belly” on pushing for a combination of state and county funds to eliminate the toll before the entire parkway opens to traffic.
Soil contaminated with lead is the only remaining delay in finishing the 5.6-mile corridor on the northern end of Kane County.
Kane County Division of Transportation officials have a new plan to clean up that dirt and finish the project by the fall of 2024. If more money for Longmeadow is found by then, it will become the only locally operated bridge with a toll in the entire state.
The toll was planned because Kane County officials couldn’t get enough state or federal funds in the ramp-up to construction to avoid borrowing money, via a bond, to fund the project. The total bond payment is about $35 million.
The bond seemed to make the need for a toll to pay off that debt inevitable after county officials failed to squeeze any more cash out of the state to pay off the bond as construction began. But state lawmakers included $17.5 million for Longmeadow in the current budget.
Read more here.
Related: “$14 million lead contamination plan would open Longmeadow Parkway next year”
Kane County forest preserve may once again become home to bison
Posted in Animal Welfare, BACT, Cook, County, FPDCC, Going green, Horizon Farm, Kane, Land Use, Mówimy po polsku, Nostalgia, Politics, Property Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Uncategorized on March 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »
A bison grazes in 2013 in a forest in eastern Poland. Kane County Forest Preserve Commissioners approved a plan this week to bring bison to the Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve. (Associated Press)
It’s been 200 hundred years since bison roamed the prairies of Kane County, but a new plan to reintroduce them into a local forest preserve may turn back the clock.
Kane County Forest Preserve commissioners approved a plan this week to bring a handful of bison to the Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve. The plan centers on one of the main ecological goals of restoring tallgrass prairie to the county’s preserves. Before the surrounding area developed, fire and the grazing habits of wild animals, such as bison, provided natural management of the grasslands. Preserve officials reintroduced controlled burns to the preserves many years ago.
Executive director Ben Haberthur told commissioners now is the time to reintroduce bison to restore the grazing aspect of grassland management. Up to 90% of the diet for bison is grasses.
“The grasses evolved with grazing,” Haberthur said. “So it actually promotes the soil microbiome to grow more. Bison are native to Illinois, and they are definitely native to this county. They will bring a big component back to the ecosystem, namely fertilizer.”
District officials experimented with the benefits of animal grazing in the preserves with cattle in the Aurora West Forest Preserve. That experiment resulted in the flourishing of the restored grasslands in the preserve. Officials see bison as the next step in returning the grasslands to their most natural state and care.
The Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve is in the Pleasant Valley Conservation Alley north of Huntley and in the northwest portion of the county. The plan calls for two paddocks of 30 acres each with an additional 89 acres seeded for pasture. For the safety of the animals and the public, the areas containing the bison would be fenced, which accounts for the bulk of the initial cost of the project.
Read more here.
Editorial note: As we’ve suggested before, there is ample acreage at Horizon Farm for the Forest Preserves of Cook County to consider such an endeavor.
Work to remove lead-tainted soil that’s delaying finish of Longmeadow Parkway to start this spring, officials say
Posted in County, Going green, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Kane, Land Use, Longmeadow Parkway, Plan Commission, Politics, Real Estate, Road construction, Topics Of Interest on March 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Completion of the Longmeadow Parkway Corridor, which runs from Huntley Road in Carpentersville to Route 62 in Barrington Hills and includes the new toll bridge over the Fox River seen here, has been delayed by the need to remove lead-contaminated soil in the project’s final phase. (Mike Danahey / The Courier-News)
Removal of the lead-contaminated soil that’s held up completion of the $115 million Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Corridor is to begin this spring, Kane County Division of Transportation officials said.
The 5.6-mile regional road, which runs from Huntley Road in Carpentersville to Route 62 in Barrington Hills and includes a new toll bridge over the Fox River, is partially open but completion has been at a standstill because of the 60,000 cubic square feet of tainted dirt that requires special removal and disposal.
Kane County Board members approved a new contract in February under which the soil will be treated on site before it’s disposed of, said Steve Coffinbarger, division of transportation assistant director.
“We’ve made progress,” he said. “We’ll get started on that this spring.”
Once that work is finished in spring 2024, they can accept bids for the last stage of paving work needed, Coffinbarger said. If all goes according to plan, the entire roadway — including the bridge — will be open before the end of 2024, he said.
County and state officials have known there was contaminated soil on the site for decades. The former owner of the gun range site has been working with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to remove the lead, Coffinbarger said.
Read more here.
Two young eagles spotted at ‘In Search of Eagles’ program along the Fox River, along with a few dozen ducks
Posted in Animal Welfare, County, Entertainment, Kane, McHenry, Topics Of Interest on January 22, 2023| 1 Comment »
For the second time in as many years, Cathy Thurston of Crystal Lake found herself behind a spotting scope in search of eagles.
This year she only saw about 30 golden eye ducks scooting about the Fox River just south of the Algonquin dam.
Earlier in the morning two immature eagles glided up and down the river and then disappeared over the trees.
Thurston was with a small group of people braving the cold at Cornish Park during an “In Search of Eagles” program this Saturday.
The program, which happens every year at this time, took place at the McHenry, Algonquin and Carpentersville dams on the Fox River, and at the Williams Bay boat launch on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin.
Read more here.
Economic partnerships, Longmeadow completion on tap for 2023 in Kane County
Posted in County, Kane, Longmeadow Parkway, Taxes, Topics Of Interest on January 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »
The long-awaited completion of the Longmeadow Parkway should arrive this year. Now county leaders are working to pay off the debt that helped fund it. (Paul Valade | Staff Photographer, 2022)
Kane County will see many economic initiatives come to fruition or continue to advance in 2023, Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pierog said.
They include regional economic planning grants to pay for the Longmeadow Parkway so it does not need to be a tollway, the development of workforce housing, support for small businesses and more electric vehicle charging stations.
As the Longmeadow Parkway on the county’s north side nears completion, the next step is to pay off the debt that helped fund it, Pierog said.
“Because of its regional nature, we were able to lobby the governor and … the allocation of $17.5 million should be coming through shortly to pay down the bond,” Pierog said. “We are advocating for another $17.5 million. We are actively working with our legislative partners and other counties to work on bringing down the rest of that bond so we won’t have to have a toll bridge.”
Read more here.
General Election early voting expands tomorrow, October 24
Posted in Cook, County, Elections, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Politics on October 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Cougar fatally struck along I-88 in Kane County: state police
Posted in Animal Welfare, County, Kane, Topics Of Interest on October 17, 2022| Leave a Comment »
(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A mountain lion was found dead along Interstate 88 over the weekend after it was fatally struck by a vehicle, Illinois State Police said.
State troopers on Sunday evening responded to a report of a car hitting a deer on I-88 in the far western suburbs, but they found a different species on the roadway. It was a cougar, an animal that occasionally is seen in Illinois, even though there are no known populations here.
The people in the car were not hurt, and state workers removed the cougar from the scene.
It’s not known where the animal may have come from. A purported picture of the deceased animal was posted online.
No further information was immediately available.
Three (3) Barrington Hills Park District Board positions up for election in April 2023
Posted in Animal Welfare, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, BraveHearts, Cook, Countryside Elementary School, County, Deception, Elections, Equestrian Commission, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, FRVPC, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Illinois State Board of Elections, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Kane, Lake, Land Use, McHenry, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, The Other Half, Unions, Well Water Quality on October 17, 2022| Leave a Comment »
The Barrington Hills Park District posted the following yesterday:
“PUBLIC NOTICE
To The Residents Of The Barrington Hills Park District Cook, Lake and McHenry Counties, Illinois
Elections will be held to fill the following offices at the:
Consolidated election to be held April 4, 2023.
Park District Commissioner: Number of positions (3); 4-year term.
Signature Requirements: Petition must be signed by not less than 2% of the number of ballots cast at the last election for Park District Commissioner.
Petition Circulation: September 20, 2022: First day to circulate nomination papers.
Consolidated Election Candidate Filing: Monday, December 12, 2022*: First day for candidates to file the original nominating petitions (must include original sheets signed by voters and circulators) with the Barrington Hills Park District representative at the Barrington Hills Riding Center, Meeting Room, 361 Bateman Road, Barrington Hills IL 60010.
General Filing Information: Petitions may be filed in person by the candidate or a representative, or by mail. Barrington Hills Park District c/o Kim Keper, 364 Bateman Road, Barrington, IL 60010.
Please note: Nomination papers received in the mail before the first day of filing period will be returned to the sender as not filed.
Filing Period: Mon, Dec 12: 9:00 AM* to 1:00 PM
Wed, Dec 14: 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Fri, Dec 16: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Mon, Dec 19: 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
*Ballot Placement Lottery: If two or more petitions are received simultaneously for the same office (a) as of the opening hour of the filing period, December 12, 2022; and/or (b) within the last hour of the filing period, Dec 19 2023.
Ballot Placement Lottery, if needed, is scheduled for Wednesday, December 22, 2022, noon at 361 Bateman Road, Barrington Hills, IL 60010.
Candidate document and filing information is available on the web: www.elections.il.gov“
Man pleads guilty to animal cruelty for stabbing family dog to death
Posted in Animal Welfare, County, Crime, Kane on September 14, 2022| 2 Comments »
Christopher Castillo
A Carpentersville man who said God told him to kill his family’s dog pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated cruelty to an animal.
Christopher Castillo, 24, was sentenced to 18 months of probation. He could have received up to three years in prison.
Castillo is required to continue participating in psychotherapy.
According to Kane County Forest Preserve District police, around 4:30 a.m. March 25, 2021, Castillo told his parents he was taking the dog out for a walk.
When he did not return by 8 a.m., they reported him missing. The family eventually found Castillo’s car, a piece of clothing and the wounded dog in the parking lot of the Helm Woods Forest Preserve near Barrington Hills, authorities said.
Read more here.
Related: “Carpentersville man charged with animal cruelty in dog stabbing”
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