Super Saturday brings fun as well as some road closures

By Jason Arndt

Correspondent

The Village of Union Grove has announced the hours for its Open House commemorating 175 years as a municipality.

“The History Seekers will be here to staff the building with displays and pictures of Union Grove,” said Village President Mike Aimone, speaking at the Village Board’s Aug. 26 meeting.

The hallways will be decorated with pictures and items from Union Grove’s history, and the Chamber of Commerce offices will be dressed up and staffed by Mary Nichols and Carol Knight – two knowledgeable ladies about the Chamber’s history.

The local historical society will be at the Village Hall from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., with an extended trolley service provided to the hall from Main Street.

The trolley is funded by Super Saturday, and will not be at any additional costs compared to prior years, according to trustee Gordon Svendsen.

In addition, the History Seekers will have displays pertaining to other milestone years, including the Villages Centennial and 150th anniversaries.

The local historical society has worked with the Union Grove Chamber of Commerce and Village Board for several months to incorporate a lot of plans for the community milestone.

Union Grove focused on the 175th anniversary theme in its annual Independence Day Parade this year, and is using a flag bearing the commemoration of the anniversary through the remainder of 2013.

Road closures

In response to the Fire Department’s request to be notified of street closures, the Village also announced all side streets will be closed from Friday evening, Sept. 6, until the conclusion of Super Saturday at midnight Sept. 7.

The Department made the request at the Fire Commission meeting held Aug. 21, after not being properly notified of closures in some other events surrounding downtown Union Grove.

“We always try to let the Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office know ahead of time of any closures,” Svendsen said.

The Fire Department noted at the Commission meeting that there had been some miscommunication during this year’s annual car show, which led to unanticipated street closures.

But Main Street will not be closed at any time – either prior to and/or during the Super Saturday event – due to state Department of Transportation protocol.

“You cannot close Main Street without approval from the DOT,” Svendsen explained. “It is just one block so we won’t need detours.”

Village spends $2,000 to save millions

By Jason Arndt

Correspondent

Village of Union Gove residents could be faced with a hefty bill of at least $2.5 million from 2014 until 2022, pending the review of a petition recently filed with Department of Natural Resources by the Village of Union Grove.

The DNR is imposing a phosphorus limit on all state municipal Wastewater treatment facilities, which includes meeting the mandates by 2022 in a recently issued Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.

Union Grove will be ordered by the DNR to reduce phosphorous discharges from 0.9 milligrams per liter in 2013 to 0.075 milligrams per liter by 2022, unless the Village’s appeal works.

“In the end it will be a very huge and expensive addition to us especially when it is around the corner,” said Public Works Director Mark Osmundsen, speaking at an August special board meeting.

Phosphorus is a naturally occurring chemical derived from food, animal and human waste and is one type of fertilizer used on farms.

In accordance with the mandate, all municipalities need to submit a plan of action to the DNR by 2014.

“They have been working on this for quite awhile to bring down the phosphorous levels,” Osmundsen explained.

The Public Works dfirector indicated the state agency was working on establishing limits for the last two years and submitted the final guidelines to the Village 60 days ago.

Village President Mike Aimone indicated one of the options would be to raise Village residents’ sewer rates if the DNR denies the petition.

“This is going to drive people away because people would not be able to afford water,” Osmundsen said.

The Village spent $2,000 to file the petition but trustees agreed inactivity in the issue would have a long-term impact on the community.

“I guess if we don’t do anything and sit back waiting for everybody else to see what happens, then they will ask us why we did not contest it in the first place,” Village Trustee Bill Stoltz stated.

Trustee Teresa Holm inquired with Osmundsen why the City of Racine’s mandate is set higher at 0.6.

“Racine is different because they discharge it into Lake Michigan but we use the river,” Younglove said.

Osmundsen indicated the discharge site along the west bank of the Root River would not be sustainable without the treatment plant.

“The river has been drying up the last couple years and without the treatment plant, there would be no aquatic life present,” Osmundsen added.

Union Grove trustees voted to retain Attorney Paul Kent of Stafford, Rosenbaum LLC to represent the Village in contesting the imposed limits by the DNR.

Aimone received a suggestion to hire Kent as the representative of the Village by the Village Attorney due to “his experience in handling these matters.”

Offering a fresh look at local history

By Jason ArndtCORRESPONDENT

      After spending many hours delving into and digging up 175 years of Union Grove history, the History Seekers group has earned its right to stay at the Village Hall.      That follows the organization’s public presentation of artifacts during the Village’s annual Super Saturday held Sept. 7 and was announced by Board President Mike Aimone at the Village Board’s Sept. 9 meeting.      “The job that the History Seekers have done really exceeded our expectations and it would be a real shame to have all that effort and time put into it and not be made a permanent part of our Village Hall,” Aimone said.      The displays will remain in the same hallway where members of History Seekers guided attendees at Saturday’s open house. “The memorabilia will be housed at Village Hall in permanent display cases in our main hallway,” Aimone said.      The History Seekers group has been in active existence for nearly five years and was invited by the Village to be part of the Super Saturday event when members expressed a desire for more commemoration of the Village’s 175 years as a municipality.      Aimone described the History Seekers’ efforts as time-consuming and labor-intensive to ensure the quality and condition of the memorabilia.      “The planning of acquiring the pieces and refurbishing the display cases and getting them into the condition to be brought into the Village Hall took extensive time,” Aimone said. “They took the time to properly display what they had in possession, along with getting the reprints made for the canvasses.”      The Village President indicated the historical displays provide residents with something to feel good about regarding the history of Union Grove.      “This really adds to the feeling of our proud past,” Aimone added.      Saturday’s Open House attracted less attendees than expected, but Aimone said the event brought forth many productive discussions from the 25 individuals who attended.      “There were a number of people who came forward to talk about things they had in their possession that they would like to share with the History Seekers and make part of the collection,” Aimone stated.      The Village gave sole responsibility to the organization for maintaining the displays, but the Board indicated the History Seekers have plans to keep the display of  memorabilia updated. “They will try to keep it a fresh display so that this is not once and done,” Aimone explained.      He reminded residents there is time for viewing the items that have been put on display for the open house.      “They can still come down and view them,” Aimone said. “If they have questions or want further information on the History Seekers – meetings are open to anyone.”

Village considers best uses of an extra $800

By Jason ArndtCORRESPONDENT 
     Long-time car dealership Martin’s Chrysler donated the winnings from the downtown “Take a Seat on Main” contest, where Union Grove businesses decorated chairs provided by Cedar World.      The presentation of Martin’s check for $300, in addition to $500 from Cedar World as part of the “Take a Seat” promotion, were presented to the Village Board at its Sept. 9 meeting by Cedar World co-owner, Dorothy Olson.      The Martin dealership’s prize donation is being made to the Village “for the beautification of Union Grove,” Olson told the Board. “We were shocked at such a generous donation.”      Cedar World had decided to become involved in the event after seeing success in downtown Racine, where the business contributed to the “Sunny and Chair” event held the previous summer.      “We were very pleased when Cedar World came to us with the “Take a Seat on Main” event,” Village President Mike Aimone said.      The woodworking business plans to stay a part of the Super Saturday event in 2014 and is now mulling options about what the themed item would be.      “We want to see growth in Union Grove, and beautify it,” Olson said. “This is a small town and growing fast.”      As for the combined $800 donation, the Village will be asking members of the local business community for their ideas.      “It could be used for a number of different things,” Aimone said. “We will be looking for input from some of the downtown businesses as to how we can best spend the money.”      Some areas Aimone mentioned include the purchase of more Christmas lights for the holidays or more hanging plants along Main Street during the summer of 2014.

Business development in small community

Small village municipalities often have a difficult time recruiting new businesses into the community for a variety of reasons, but one Village is engaging in proactive efforts to bring them in.

Village neighbors disagree, create hour long debate

Public hearings in small village municipalities are seldom attended by residents. But there was an experience involving two business owners and a patio owned by one of them. While there was some emotionally charged debate regarding the use of a patio - it was approved.

I continued to follow up on this after the Planning Commission was given notice the club had the desire to modify its agreement in question.

McDonald's sharing space with Government

Big difference in small community

My eyes lit up when I attended a Union Grove Village Board meeting and saw elementary school children attempting to make a difference in a small community.

The customary Village Board meeting typically is about policies and ordinances but the night I attended had a much difference feel to it.

As a dozen school students stated their goals in making a difference and through my observations discovered the Board really focused in on them. They did everything they could to make their aspirations come true at that moment.

My comeback

After more than six years of being away from the journalism profession due to a myriad of personal and medical issues, 2013 was the year I was able to make a return.

Following my excellent experience as a News Intern with the Lake County News-Sun, my life hit a snag for several years and since the departure - I wondered if I still had the talent.

Enter in Southern Lakes Newspapers, where I previously served as a Sports Intern eight years earlier for two weekly newspapers (Whitewater Register, Palmyra-Eagle Enterprise) and I was able to make my return.

One thing is certain - having a writer make a return to writing was like riding a bike. I still have the perspective of the citizen in mind, although a bit rusty. But it is a restart I have been waiting for since 2007. 

The challenge of writing for two smaller communities is to dig harder for information and generate stories. While attending Village Board and School Board meetings might not be exciting to an outsider, but many small details and items within meetings can be a major story for a small community.

And sometimes being present at Board meetings catches news NOT contained in the meeting agenda issued. 

In order to understand the significance of small items on meeting agendas, a reporter needs to know the history of the community. Learning about the history in two small communities is a hard task but once I am able to get over the learning curve it will be much easier to follow.

It takes a considerable amount of time for a reporter to not only learn the history but also the public officials and what they stand for.

Arts and Lifestyle

Reporting on local human interest stories centered around unique subject matter can be a challenging task but  conducting research allows for better preparation.

Through my new experience as a news reporter early in the internship in Waukegan after working in sports for five years, adding feature writing makes for a strange twist. And utilizing all the resources I could get my hands on resulted in thorough reporting.

Helps to understand all elements to a story before arriving to interview involved individuals.

Going global

Works by artists from developing countries are showcased at 10,000 Villages

GRAYSLAKE -- In an effort to expose the Grayslake community to different cultures, 10,000 Villages opened its doors to a new set of cultural displays of expression. 

"It was a huge success, it was packed," said store manager Susan Barg on the opening weekend. "We were the top store. We were told we had the top sales of any 10,000 Villages grand opening sale." 

The weekend started in grand style with various cultural experiences designed for individuals of all ages.

"We are hoping that they understand the mission of our store," said store manager Susan Barg. "We are a nonprofit retail store. Our hope is to educate the community on our mission."

The store allows artisans from various countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to have a source of income for their artwork.

"The reason for us is to allow them (the artists) to remain in their countries and lead a productive life," said Barg.

Barg said the company slogan should be "shopping with a purpose" because it benefits the artisans directly. 

The money received by the artisans will help them build and grow their communities from within.

The fair trade organization began the grand opening weekend with an origami workshop designed to target individuals of all ages and then had a performance from an all-women drumming ensemble. Diamana Diya played traditional music from Guinea and West Africa.

The Sunday entertainment featured local musician Andy Young with his hammered dulcimer, wooden flute and tin whistle to convey a musical experience from several countries.

The store will utilize local talent initially but could look for international talent as the store grows.

"We are going to have special events periodically throughout the year, especially during the holidays," Barg said.

The weather was not friendly to outdoor entertainment during the opening, so the entertainment was moved inside. The store manager said it could be considered a good thing because it brought people into the store to look at the artists' work.

"It was really emotional for our volunteers that helped the artisans," Barg said.

Barg encourages local talent to contact the store if they have any special musical talent they can offer.

"They can certainly contact us if they have something to offer," Barg said in regards to local talent.

The grand opening weekend ended with a workshop on table-setting design and how to add an artistic touch to the dinner table.

The Grayslake store is the fifth to open in the state of Illinois; there are some 70 stores open nationwide.

"We buy all of our products from the artisans in other countries and pay them for their services," Barg said.

Barg said the major feature of the store is its offerings of unique handcrafts and artwork not sold in general national retail stores.

The organization stresses fair trade with its artisans.

According to the corporate Web site, fair trade is a partnership "based on dialogue, mutual understanding, respect and direct contact between ourselves and our artisan partners in developing countries."

With the opening of the new store, Barg hopes to form relationships with artists from the developing countries it serves.

You'll be a-mazed

Farm offers a fun and educational experience among the cornstalks

October 12, 2006

By Jason Arndt

The News-Sun

GURNEE - The Kroll's Corn Maze is back. After a sluggish spring and summer season in 2005 when drought forced them to shut down the maze, the Kroll family has re-opened its corn maze. The Krolls purchased the land in rural Waukegan in 1986 and the farm began as a gardening place for Ruthann. 

It eventually evolved into a farm with goats, chickens and other animals in addition to the two major crops: pumpkins and corn.

The Krolls started the farm to provide educational opportunities for families and schools in the Waukegan and surrounding areas of Lake County.

After Randy Kroll retires after the 2007-08 school year as a physical education teacher at Highland Middle School, there will be more opportinities for the family farm to grow.

According to Ruthann Kroll, the biggest challenge is to diversify the curriculum for students of all age groups, ranging from pre-kindergarten to the high school level.

According to Ruthann, the major difference between the Kroll farm and other farms is that they schedule one educational group at a time in order to provide more individualized attention to the group.

Waukegan resident Kirk Burns and his family decided to come to the corn maze when they made their annual Friday night family drive around the city and saw a sign leading them to the farm.

"I thought it was pretty cool to be walking around the corn maze for the first time," Burns said. "It was a challenge to go through it. (Our family) got through it; it took us about 45 minutes."

"This is a better environment than some of the larger scale farms," Burns said. "They (Kroll's) are friendlier and willing to talk to you and explain things to you."

The educational theme for 2006 is soybeans. There are signs posted throughout various checkpoints in the maze with facts and figures about soybeans.

Liz Cozzi, of Lake Villa, visited the farm twice before. She brought her two daughters to experience the animals.

"I think they like running around with the animals here," Cozzi said. "Last year we took a hay ride and the year before I got some great apples. I was really happy with the apples, they were delicious."

Grayslake resident Laura Juarez took her seven month old son Adam to the farm to give him his first Halloween experience and his first pumpkin.

The Krolls began collecting animals when the oldest Kroll son, Tyler, brought some chicken eggs home from school. A neighbor offered the Kroll's an incubator to help hatch the chicken eggs to begin the raising chickens. The family's only daughter, Carly, took pride in raising the chickens and became the family's animal expert..

"The goats came along because my neighbors had goats; we would always see the goats," Randy said. "The neighbors said, 'Why don't you take a goat for your kids, wouldn't it be cute to have a goat?'"

According to Randy, the goats are compared to "puppy dogs" and family members walk them around the farm every day.

Ruthann said her secret wish is to have horses. She would eventually like to raise horses once Randy retires from teaching.

The Krolls' farming lifestyle was a major shift from where Randy began his childhood as a Chicago native. He moved to Libertyville when he was 13. Both Randy and Ruthann graduated from Libertyville High School.

"It was my wife that took interest at first. We got this land and she did all this research," Randy Kroll said, "And then pumpkins started doing well, so we decided to sell them."

The Kroll's three children have different areas of expertise which contribute to the farm education experience.

According to Ruthann, Tyler, who is a freshman at Carthage College, is the "master of the maze" and knows where all of the checkpoints are. Dylan, 14, is considered to be the multi-faceted person of the farm and can be counted on to be the organizer.