County Addresses LRA Planned Unit Development

By Tom Kocal

MT. CARROLL - An item that had been tabled for two months was addressed and approved at the October 16 regular meeting of the Carroll County Board. The Plat Plan for the Planned Unit Development (PUD) presented by the Jo-Carroll Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) in August. It was tabled because of 2 issues that did not meet county standards. The first is the McIntyre Road easement, and the second, the concern about liability regarding the water treatment plant.

"Since then, we do have recorded the easement, which gives us 33 ft. from the center line on both sides," said Michael Doty, Carroll Co. Administrator. "And the lot that did not have access was removed and merged into the lot with the access easement. Our highway superintendent reviewed the plat last week, and he is content that it meets all of our standards. It is up for your approval today." A motion to approve the PUD was made by Judy Gray (D-2), seconded by Paul Hartman (D-1).

In the audience were representatives from the LRA: Bill McFadden, Chairman of the LRA Board, Ed Olds, Board member, and Diane Komiskey, Executive Director. When the motion was opened for discussion or questions, Edie Block (D-3) said, "Well they answered our questions!"

CC Board Chairman Sharon Hook (D-1) mentioned a separate issue - the water & sewer plant - but an issue none-the-less. "Are you going to move forward, are you going to handle it quickly?" Three issues were previously identified: disclosure to potential buyers, the continuation of operations at the WWTP, and potential liability to Carroll County.

McFadden responded that the water/sewer plant will be one of the top issues at an upcoming LRA Board Retreat, set for Thursday, Oct. 23 at Woodbine Bend. "The main concern is who will eventually operate the facility when the LRA disbands, and it will be heavily discussed then. I've got a feeling from the board that we would like to meet with either the full LRA board, the county board, or a committee of board representatives to discuss what you feel about the future of the facility, so that we can all get on a level playing field, to best consider the options." The LRA will contact the CC Board after the retreat to set a discussion time. With that, the motion was approved unanimously, with Rod Fritz (D-3) abstaining, due to his business involvement, N-Ovation, at Savanna Depot Park.

Subzone approved

Fritz, chairman of the State's Attorney/Finance committee, motioned to authorize Chairman Hook to send a letter to the Jo-Carroll Foreign Trade Zone Board, voicing the support of the Carroll County Board for the creation of a subzone at the Danisco Sweetener facility north of Thomson, as recommended by the SA/F committee Oct.9.

Danisco is an international company that wants to utilize the economic benefits to their company by establishing a subzone at their Carroll County plant. There would be no financial investment required to the County, but the creation of the subzone could result in more jobs at Danisco. The motion was approved unanimously with no further discussion.

Committee reports

On behalf of the Ag & Zoning committee, Block asked for Board approval for Julie Yuswak, CC Zoning Administrator, to attend the Flood Plain Managers Training Conference in Maryland. FEMA covers all expenses, except for meals. This conference is currently in the budget, and the meal ticket is generally less than $100. Yuswak will be gone from Nov. 3 thru 6. The motion was approved.

Ron Preston (D-2) reported for the Highway committee. New dog runs have been installed at the Highway Dept. Preston and Kurt Dreger (D-1) secured a donation for the concrete from Quality Ready-Mix in Savanna. The county paid for delivery, and Highway Dept. personnel prepared the project and completed the work.

Preston reported that the Highway Dept.is in the process of installing a new overhead hoist, and the garage floor will be repaired. All work on the floor will be done in-house. The total removal and replacement of the floor with 6 inches of concrete will be about $10,000.

The bridge aid petition submitted by the City of Mt. Carroll for the Galena St. Bridge was denied, Preston said. The city has not levied their maximum tax rate in the corporation fund for the past 2 years, in accordance with state statutes, which has jeopardized the funding.

There has been a 50% increase in the cost of road salt. "So don't let it snow," Hook quipped.

Picolotti suggested that the public be aware that we may not have perfect road conditions this winter, due to the County's effort to conserve costs related to snow removal operations and salt. "We're going to have some good old fashioned winter driving conditions. So don't expect a good, smooth, clean highway when it snows."

Gerald Bork (D-2) reported for the Development & Services Committee. Fehr-Graham & Associates gave a presentation to the committee regarding brownfields, and a federal grant fund available for up to $200,000 each to clean up 2 brownfields, if the grants were applied for simultaneously. By working with the CCEDC, they could identify sites that have economic redevelopment potential, and write the grant to be submitted in November of 2009. There would be a $4500 fee to the county that could yield a $400,000 return. The grant fee may be added to the budget at a later date.

Board retreat

Don Falls, Community Planner with the Illinois Dept. of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCEO), was introduced by Hook. "He ate here in Carroll County, slept here, and put some revenue in the county coffers!" she added.

Falls met with Doty and Chuck Wemstrom (D-3) regarding plans for the Nov. 1 Board retreat, which Falls will be facilitating. "A questionnaire was included in your Board packets to obtain your views on topics and issues related to Carroll County," Falls said. "This will give me an idea of what I need to prepare for. The key is that we become a team. We prepare for your next year."

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