7-13-2006




TWO CHARGED FOR ALLEGED INVOLVEMENT IN ROYAL LAKE SHOOTING

Two men have been charged in Bond County court for their alleged involvement in Saturday night’s drive-by shooting at a Royal Lake residence.  No one was injured but one of the bullets did enter the house on Wisconsin Street.  Witnesses told deputies that there were two people in the vehicle and that one of the guns was allegedly fired by the passenger.  24-year-old Torre A. Slater of Belleville and 24-year-old Jason M Fields of Greenville were each charged with one count of alleged Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, a Class 1 felony.  Bond County State’s Attorney Chris Bauer told WGEL that there is a possibility that others could be charged in the incident. 


CITY SELLING SURPLUS VEHICLES ON EBAY

The city of Greenville is joining the millions of eBay sellers.  At Tuesday night's council meeting, an ordinance was passed allowing the city to dispose of surplus items and authorizing the city manager to determine the method of sale.  Willey said that by law, anything valued over $50 must be sold by auction.  The city is selling a 1993 Chevrolet Caprice formerly used by the police department, a 1988 Ford pickup from the Public Works Department, and the vintage ESDA trailer. 

Willey told WGEL that using eBay should result in some higher bids than the city might normally get.  He pointed out that eBay reaches a larger audience which should equate to more bidders.  The items should be on-line within two weeks with the auction lasting seven days.

The council also approved the sale of just over a half-acre of land on Stowe Avenue to Steve and Brenda Korte.  The parcel is on Governor Bond Lake and is adjacent to land already owned by the Kortes.  City Manager Willey told WGEL that the city has owned several parcels around the lake since it was built.  According to Willey, this particular acreage had a well on the property.  The land was sold to the Kortes for $36,000, a thousand dollars more than its appraisal. 

 

BOND COUNTY TO AUCTION DELIQUNET TAX PROPERTIES

All properties that were delinquent on taxes in 2002 and prior years, and have been obtained by Bond County, will be up for auction next month.  There is approximately 31 items available on a sealed bid auction sale at the Bond County Courthouse Annex, Treasurer's Office. The sale will help to benefit the County and neighboring property owners by eliminating abandoned properties and putting them into the hands of owners who will keep the taxes paid and the property maintained. A minimum bid of $655.00 per item is required with a sealed bid cut-off date of August 4, 2006.  All items will be sold to the highest bidder.  A bidder's packet and sale catalog is available at the Treasurers Office for $5.00.

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ZONING BOARD OKAYS HUMANE SOCIETY REQUEST

The Bond County Humane Society is another step closer to having its own animal shelter.  Tuesday night, the Bond County Zoning Board of Appeals voted 3-1 in favor of a variance allowing the construction of the facility on three acres along West Ayers Road.  Zoning regulations require five acres which led to the Humane Society’s variance request.  Zoning Administrator Howard Elmore told WGEL that although the building is being referred to as an animal shelter, under zoning rules it is considered a kennel.  The land is zoned agricultural.  Elmore said Dennis and Rachel Hunsdorfer and several supporters represented the Bond County Humane Society at the Zoning Board meeting.  The board’s recommendation will now go to the Bond County board for final approval.

The Zoning Board heard two other variance requests.  They granted Robert Pizzo a side yard setback variance for the construction of a shed but denied a variance request from Bobby Suess for building a home on a two acre site. 

 

NET ASSETS INCREASE, ALL FUNDS IN THE BLACK FOR KPD

The Kingsbury Park District finished its fiscal year with a $60,000 increase in net assets and all of the funds were in the black.  The district’s net assets were $980,484 according to Joe Barth from the KPD’s accounting firm.  He suggested that consideration be given to a money transfer to the Park and Recreation Fund which has shown a negative balance on paper in some of the monthly statements.  Barth explained that the district’s money market offset this in the yearly audit.  The accountant said the transfer could be made from the money market or the general fund to bring the Park and Recreation line to where it should be.  The KPD has one checking account from which bills in all funds are paid. 

One of the KPD’s major projects in the last fiscal year was the improvements to the pool.  Barth said one general obligation bond in FY05 was retired while another was initiated.  The new bond covered Clean Lakes work at Patriot’s Park, development of Breehne Park, and improvements to Jaycee Park. 

 



STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE DISCUSSES UNIT 2

A group of Unit 2 school district administrators, teachers, and school board members were joined by community members Tuesday night for a Strategic Planning Committee meeting.  Superintendent Melanie Allyn explained that the process had begun with the school board seeking a five-year plan for the district.  She added that the committee’s work was “not just for show” but a genuine effort to determine what the students need. 

Greenville resident Ed McMillan, who has experience leading similar planning sessions, divided those in attendance into five groups with the goal of determining what can the district do, what should it do, how can they do it.  He stressed that the school board’s first and foremost goal is to provide a quality education which can also enhance the quality of the individuals and the community.

An hour later, the five groups shared their thoughts on what areas the school board should focus on.  There were many areas of consensus including curriculum analysis, class size, technology, preparing students for college or the work force, and attracting new educators. At times, the discussion turned to how funding shortages directly affect areas where improvement is needed. The Strategic Planning Committee will meet again before the school year starts to continue their work. 

OBITUARIES

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