The Belvidere Daily Republican Featured News

Sons of American Revolution induct new members

Nov. 24, 2013

ROCKFORD – The Kishwaukee Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (S.A.R.) held their annual meeting on Nov. 16 in Rockford.

The Chapter was honored to have the Illinois Society S.A. R. President, Bruce Talbot of Bolingbrook, Ill. present for the event, to conduct official ceremonies, and deliver the key-note address.

President Talbot inducted two new members, R. Nathan Bliss of Rockford, and Mark Kaletka of Batavia.

The primary purpose of the S.A. R. organization is declared to be patriotic, historical and educational. Membership is open to any man, at least 18 years of age, who is a lineal descendant of an ancestor who was loyal to, and rendered actual service, in the cause of American Independence during the Revolutionary War.

The Kishwaukee Chapter is headquartered in Belvidere, but includes several counties in north central and northwestern Illinois.

 

Boone County real estate transactions recorded Nov. 12

Nov. 24, 2013

BOONE COUNTY - Following is a list of the Boone County real estate transactions recorded during Nov. 12-15.

Recorded Nov. 12

1248 Candlewick Dr. NW, Poplar Grove, $245,000, Patrick C. Brady and Christine E. Brady to Robert Hayes and Kathryn Hayes.

7555 Garden Prairie Road, Garden Prairie, $550,000, LUSYD Acres, Inc. to 7555 Garden Prairie, LLC.

311 W. Perry St., Belvidere, $72,000, Louis R. Morrall, trustee, to Albert and Susan Williams.

12847 Prairie Meadow Way, Belvidere, $195,000, Andrew Dallas Hutchison to James T. and Evelyn A. Palek.

Recorded Nov. 13

1727 13^th Ave., Belvidere, $60,100, Secretary of HUD to Jeannette Knutson.

114 King Henry Road SE, Poplar Grove, $90,500, Keith Kelly to James G. Origer and Mary C. Origer.

1132 Kishwaukee St., Belvidere, $81,851, Intercounty Judicial Sales to Secretary of HUD.

Recorded Nov. 14

302 Edson St., Poplar Grove, $130,500, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. to Rodney L. Wilken.

2329 Malmaison, Belvidere, $315,000, Federal National Mortgage Assoc. to Sergio and Heather Velazquez.

418 W. Perry St., Belvidere, $65,000, Marion J. Downey to Amy L. Ortiz.

Recorded Nov. 15

17 King Henry SE, Poplar Grove, $90,837, Bank of America, NA to Bank of America NA.

157 Hastings Way SW, Poplar Grove, $77,400, Federal National Mortgage Assoc. to Leonardo Oliveira.

824 Allen St., Belvidere, $47,000, Derby Run LLC to Pedro H. Banuelos.

414 Wren Lane, Caledonia, $370,000, Kimberly Mackenroth and Danny Cessop to Harneet S. Bath and Komaljit Bath.

 

Hearings on property assessments to start Dec. 2

Nov. 24, 2013

BELVIDERE - The Boone County Board of Review will begin hearings on the 2013 appeals of property assessments on Dec. 2 at 9 a.m.  Hearings will continue on Dec. 5-6 at 9 a.m., and if further hearings are necessary, more dates will be scheduled.

The Boone County Board of Review has the responsibility to hear complaints from property owners concerning the valuation of their property based on the market value or the use of the property.

Residential appeal forms are available in the County Assessor’s office, 1208 Logan Ave., Belvidere or online at http://www.boonecountyil.org/content/bor-residential-appeal-form.

Phone 815-544-2958 with any questions.

 

Capron Rescue seeks new station in Candlewick Lake area

Nov. 24, 2013

By Bob Balgemann

BOONE COUNTY - Capron Rescue Squad District has a new station on Poplar Grove Road and is renovating what used to be the main office in Capron.

Now officials are looking at the possibility of a third station, to help serve the southern end of the sprawling, 144-square-mile district. Sites in and around Candlewick Lake and the village of Timberlane are among the possibilities.

Owen Costanza, president of the district board of trustees, said that before he was appointed to the board there had been talk with Candlewick Lake officials about having a station in that area.

"They offered us space along (Illinois 76), but that was before my time," he said. "In my view, there's too much traffic around there."

Beyond that, he said Candlewick Lake owns property off Dawson Lake Road, on the south side of that community, which connects Caledonia Road and Route 76. "That would be a good place for a building," he said.

Just under 50 percent of the rescue squad's calls come from within Candlewick Lake.

The squad has money in its budget to explore locating a third station.

Costanza said he has asked Tony Stepansky, assistant chief of the squad, to renew that search.

Capron Rescue is transitioning to a paid on premises service, in an effort to improve response time. That means paramedics and EMTs, when on duty, must be at or in close proximity to the station. Before, they just had to be somewhere in the district.

Personnel since earlier this year have been able to spend all of their shift in the new station, a two-story, former farmhouse on the west side of Poplar Grove Road, just south of Quail Trap Road. Soon, they will be able to sleep over at the Capron station, too.

Stepansky said he is doing the due diligence on the search for a third station. "We're looking at 2014 to build or do something like we did in Poplar Grove," he said. "We want to be sure it's in the right place to do the most good."

Investment policy

POPLAR GROVE - There was a time several years ago when the village was $500,000 in the red. Now it is showing a surplus and officials are talking about the possibility of investing some or all of it.

There is disagreement as to whether that should happen.

Trustee Jeff Goings said at the October village board meeting that he thinks the two loans on the books at Poplar Grove State Bank should be paid off before any investing is done.

But village treasurer Maria Forrest said those loans are water and sewer debt, which would require the general fund to loan the money to the water and sewer fund to retire the bonds.

Still another view came from Trustee Bob Fry, who's also chairman of the village's finance committee. He thought the village could make more money by paying off the bonds than leaving the extra money sit in the bank.

He added that the village has worked hard to reach the point that it has six months worth of operating capital in the bank. That means it has enough money to run the town for six months if its revenue streams were severed. "A lot of municipalities have gotten into trouble because they didn't have any savings," he said.

While nothing definite was decided, Trustee Ron Quimby observed, "It all goes back to building blocks. This (issue) is part of the foundation."

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