The Belvidere Daily Republican Featured News

Truck parking issue returns to county board

Nov. 19, 2013

By Bob Balgemann

Reporter

BELVIDERE - The question of whether Mladenko Josipovic is allowed to park a semi-tractor and trailer on his 5.2 acres along Caledonia Road is up for reconsideration Wednesday night (Nov. 20) by the Boone County Board.

The issue has been on a roller coaster ride since the requested special use permit was first considered last summer.

Unanimous recommendations for approval came from the zoning board of appeals (ZBA) and planning, zoning and building committee (PZB), the latter a standing committee of the county board made up of five county board members. Planning staff recommended denial, primarily because of the proximity to so many homes.

The county board voted 10-1 to deny the special use at its Sept. 18 meeting.

But Josipovic appeared at the Oct. 2 PZB meeting and asked that his case and the county board vote be reconsidered. The committee agreed to forward the matter to the county board for discussion on Oct. 16.

County board members then voted 7-5 on Oct. 16 to reconsider their action of Sept. 18. County state's attorney Michelle Courier said a vote to reconsider automatically would table the issue until the November meeting.

Josipovic neighbors John and Christina Porto have been at all the meetings, steadfast in their request that the special use not be granted.

Points to remember

They plan to be at the Nov. 20 meeting with John Porto asking the board to consider the following points before making a decision:

At the Aug. 27 ZBA meeting Josipovic swore under oath that as soon as he applied for a special use permit on June 20. He reduced the number of trucks on his property to only his own and that he would park the semi-cab in his garage, with only the trailer parked outside.

Porto plans to ask the board to remember that photographs and letters of violation were sent out, showing that promise was not kept.

He also plans to remind the board that at the Sept. 18 meeting he and his wife submitted more photographs of the semi parked outside. They also complained that his tractor was still idling along the property line, near their home. And they expressed concern about Josipovic blocking both lanes of Caledonia Road while backing his tractor and trailer on to his property.

Interim planning director Kathy Miller, in an e-mail sent to county administrator Ken Terrinoni and county board chairman Bob Walberg, stated Josipovic said he was out of town Sept. 18 and unable to attend the board meeting.

Porto will ask the board to remember his submitting documents containing information that Josipovic returned home about 5 p.m. that night and also filed a police report the same evening.

It is Porto's opinion that the county board denied Josipovic's special use permit because of his continued noncompliance and absence from the Sept. 18 board meeting. In addition, he said no valid reason was given for reconsideration of the Sept. 18 vote.

The reasons for denial still hold, the Portos believe, and they are asking the board to uphold its Sept. 18 action.

Bliss said in a follow-up interview that he had visited the Josipovic property after Oct. 16, when he was in the Candlewick Lake area on other calls, and did not see either the tractor or trailer.

 

Growth Dimensions launches new website

Nov. 19, 2013

BELVIDERE – Growth Dimensions announced the launch of its new website: www.growthdimensions.org. The new site is designed to showcase the character of Boone County and its business community.

The website also includes the professionally produced video entitled Boone County Anthem.

Belvidere-Boone County is strategically located in relation to major expanding markets for goods, services and suppliers. The area is part of the budding I-39 and I-90 Logistics corridor, close to major employment centers and is served by interstates, rail and air service.  Boone County is the heart of the Midwestern industrial belt and is only one hour from Chicago.

Major corporations in automotive, food processing, and manufacturing grow and prosper in Boone County, including Chrysler, General Mills, Dean Foods, Grupo Antolin, Franklin Display Group and others.

The new website, a virtual repository for economic development information for Boone County, offers a streamlined user experience. The new sleek and vivid site features pages covering topics of: Business Growth, Workforce Development, Community Living, as well as News and Events. Other important components include demographic, labor and educational statistics, maps, current images, featured sites and buildings, and information on incentives such as the Belvidere-Boone County Enterprise Zone. The site enables the user to easily access all of this useful and timely information in a clear-cut and organized format. The website was designed with the mobile visitors in mind, automatically adjusting itself to fit different screen widths to accommodate computers, tablets, and mobile phones.

Then Boone County Anthem video weaves together business, workforce, and the quality of life in Boone County to tell the story of why this is a great place to live, work, and play. We invite you to view and share the video.

 

Boone County real estate transactions recorded Nov 5-8

Nov. 15, 2013

BOONE COUNTY - Following is a list of the Boone County real estate transactions recorded during Nov. 5-8.

Recorded Nov. 5

135 Lamplighter Loop SE, Poplar Grove, $70,500, Federal National Mortgage Assoc. to Dustin Coursey.

4135 Chandan Blvd., Poplar Grove, $99,900, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. to Della Springer.

3000C Trillium Tr., Poplar Grove, $50,000, Edmund Der to Mariola E. Kordek.

8779 W. Ridge Dr., Belvidere, $162,900, Federal National Mortgage Assoc. to Thomas White and Beverly White.

Columbia St. lot, Belvidere, $29,919, Smith Investment Co, LLC to Central Commodities, Ltd.

Recorded Nov. 6

288 Edgewood Lane, Belvidere, $105,000, Mary Drexler Collins, trustee, to Adam M. Hodzic.

384 Prairie Knoll Dr., Poplar Grove, $134,900, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. to Melissa S. Behm and Linda A Hoving.

Recorded Nov. 7

1712 Foxfield Dr., Belvidere, $117,500, Dennis A. Paul to Claudia Vazquez.

13850 Beaverton Road, Poplar Grove, $164,900, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. to Emilio F. Vallez and Sarah J. Vallez.

501 Bounty Dr. NE, Poplar Grove, $74,000, Federal National Mortgage Assoc. to Cynthia Speer.

8785 Sheffield Dr., Belvidere, $81,500, Thomas Boettcher and Helen Boettcher to PMI Acquisitions, LLC.

669 Illinois Rt. 173, Caledonia, $44,000, Lyle R. Spencer to Tammie R. Marks.

Caledonia Road acreage, Caledonia, $105,000, Gordon D. Lucas, trustee, to Dennis Luckey.

Recorded Nov. 8

1407 Iles Ave., Belvidere, $124,900, Wells Fargo Bank NA, trustee, to Steven M. Riley and Lydia R. Riley.

200 Staffordshire Dr. NE, Poplar Grove, $69,701, Judicial Sales Corp. to American Homes 4 Rent Properties Five, LLC.

1015 Maple Ave., Belvidere, $40,000, Secretary of HUD to Andrew Anderson.

1621 Kirby Ct., Belvidere, $198,000, Federal National Mortgage Assoc. to David E. Dunham and Lisa M. Dunham.

706 Tuneberg Ct., Belvidere, $80,000, Ron Davison to Rosa Maria Altamore.

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