WRLR Fundraiser next Friday!

The local Round Lake Area Radio Station WRLR 93.8-FM is hosting a fund raiser. WRLR is a local nonprofit radio station which I am quite proud of, will take place Friday, May 23, at Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, 500 E. Rollins Road, in Round Lake Beach.

Send a Kid to Camp Golf Outing Today!

Today is the Friends of the Round Lake Area Parks Foundation Golf Outing at Renwood Golf Course The Foundation raises funds for many programs. Among them are:

• Send a Kid to Camp scholarships
• Special Olympics
• Cultural arts programs
• Outreach programs
• Community beautification

I have a great time every year! Sometimes its fun to be the Mayor! The picture is of Brian Brubaker pointing at his tee shot on a par 3 a few years ago at an outing. He is playing today as well! Hope he is this accurate tommorrow, becuase my game is non existent!

Future Leaders in Planning program

CMAP is looking for high school freshmen and sophomores who want to make the region a better place to live, go to school, work and play. Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) is our new leadership development program for students from Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry or Will counties. Selected participants will collaborate with and learn from elected officials and planners who are developing the new GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan. The program is free, and applications are due June 2. FLIP runs from September 2008 to March 2009. See http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/flip.aspx or call 312-454-0400.

Lake County Motorist-- GREAT Blog!

I have been reading a great blog for some time now and I need to share it with you becuase of its topical nature and of course it's coverage of Lake County Traffic. Lake County Motorist is a blog about driving in Lake County, Illinois. The author is a relatively new Lake County resident, having lived here for two years. Here is what he says about his blog.

I’m now turning my sights to my new home county, because this place has a lot of traffic. Metra has become my best friend, but I still drive quite a bit more than I did while living in the city. Around here, I can use a little help finding the best routes, and roads are always under construction (which can sometimes be a good thing because we need the infrastructure). And if I “discover” a good route, I’ll share it - that is, if I can remember which roads I was on. I often find new routes while getting unbelievably lost, but that’s part of the adventure. Let’s talk about Lake County transportation.

I would add this to your favorites!

Leadership Day on Friday

On Friday about 30 village officials and staff participated in Leadership Day, at Indian Hill Middle School. As always I had more fun then the kids did, and they had fun! I got three young ladies who were, fun, sweet and oh so talkative! OMG, For Sure, LOL!!!! (The picture is of left to right me, Shelby, Emily and Andrea)

The day started with me picking them up at the school and then immediately running into a reporter who interviewed the girls and rode around with us for about 2 hours taking pictures, so the girls were excited about being celebrities (me too for that matter)!

First stop was the 7-11 for refreshments. Diet Coke, Candy and other caffeine products were loaded into the car for the tour of the village. We visited the village hall, my campaign HQ where they scammed on some free t-shirts, then it was off for a tour of the police station where we then met the other kids for pizza.


After lunch we joined the Public Works kids for a trip to a water tower where we looked around inside and then Davis Clark our Director of Public Works did a pressure check on a hydrant at the base of the tower to demonstrate the water pressure. Quite impressive!

We had lots of fun and laughed pretty hard at Andrea's inability to open car doors, Emily's constant giggling, and of course Shelby the motor mouth! Plus I got them back by 7th period, much to their disgust!

Foreclosure Seminar

Earlier this week I attended a program sponsored by the The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago titled, “Taking Action: Local Government Strategies to Mitigate the Impact of Foreclosures on Communities.” The program was held on Tuesday, May 6, 2008, at the Federal Reserve Bank.

Along with much of the nation, metropolitan Chicago has recently seen a dramatic increase in the number of foreclosures. According to the latest figures in March 2008 from the Woodstock Institute: Between 2005 and 2007, the number of properties with foreclosure filings in the region increased by nearly 80 percent. The number of properties with foreclosure filings grew to 38,215 in 2007 which was an increase of nearly 32 percent from a previous high of 28,997 in 2006. This is on the heels of a 36 percent increase between 2005 and 2006.

Suburban communities have seen the largest recent growth in foreclosure filings. Between 2005 and 2007, the areas with the greatest increases included DuPage County, Northwest Suburban Cook County, and Kane County which all had the number of properties with foreclosure filings roughly double. It is likely that foreclosures will continue to rise in 2008 as regional property values stagnate or decline; refinance options remain limited for homeowners with adjustable rate mortgages; and the monthly mortgage payments on many loans reset to higher levels. However, as foreclosures mount, many suburban communities may also be unable to manage the foreclosure glut.

The objective of this meeting was to provide local government leaders a forum in which to discuss the tools and strategies necessary for mitigating the impact of foreclosures on community. The topics included:

• An overview of the regional foreclosure state of affairs and examine the implications of foreclosures on local government (revenue and assessments, property values, safety, etc.)
  
• Focus attention on the legal aspects of foreclosures in terms of the local authority to enact responsive ordinances and policies aimed at preventing the issues related to building vacancy
  
• Identify best practices, both locally and nationally, where governments have implemented innovative programs to address foreclosures within their communities (for example: maintenance ordinances, vacant building registries, and land banking)

Overall it was quite interesting and put the issue into perspective, some of the ideas are fits for us and I will push them forward here in Round Lake

Community Rummage Sale--- for the Relay for Life

Join the Village of Round Lake in the fight for a cure with our 1st annual community garage sale.

When: Saturday June 7th Time: 8:00AM – 3:00PM
Where: The Village of Round Lake’s Police & Public Works Building at 751 W. Townline Rd

Everyone in the community is invited to come out and hunt for bargains. All proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society by our very own team “The Round Lake Village People” at the Relay for Life overnight walk Anything you wish to donate can be dropped off at the Public Works building starting June 1st.

If you are not able to bring it in, your donation can be picked up at your home by contacting Sherry Perkowitz at (847) 452-3681 or Jennifer Blum at (847) 309-7018. Anyone interested in either making monetary donations or joining our Relay for Life Team can do so at www.relayforlife.org

We hope to have you come out, enjoy the day, buy some great items and help in the fight against cancer with your community!

Passenger moons speed camera

I got this from one of my favorite sites Boing Boing, and since we all seem to be tense with my last couple posts this could be funny. I warn you its mildly graphic so you have been warned adult concepts! Road rage! You could visualize this happening in some Lake County commutes!

Building Safety Where You Live, Work and Play

When you enter a house or building, most likely you’re not thinking about whether it is properly
constructed and safe. Fortunately, your local safety experts think about building safety and fire prevention every day. To help raise awareness of building safety, the Village of Round Lake and the Building Department is celebrating Building Safety Week from May 5 through 11.

Across the nation, communities will promote the use and understanding of building safety and fire prevention codes to protect lives and property. The theme is “Building Safety: Where You Live, Work and Play.” “The important work we do is often overlooked until a catastrophic tragedy occurs,” said Round Lake Building Commissioner Dale Engebretson. “When building safety and fire prevention experts inspect buildings during and after construction, we help to ensure that the places where you live, learn, work and play are safe.”

Building safety and fire prevention codes address all aspects of construction, such as structural soundness of buildings, reliability of fire prevention and suppression systems, plumbing and mechanical systems, and energy efficiency and sustainability. To ensure buildings are safe requires the active participation of building safety and fire prevention officials, architects, builders, engineers, and others in the construction industry, as well as property owners. “Public safety is our number one concern,” said Engebretson. “During Building Safety Week and all year long, building safety and fire prevention officials are here to help protect you and your Round Lake.”

Building Safety Week, first observed in 1980, is sponsored by the International Code Council, a membership organization dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, of which Round Lake is an active member. The International Code Council develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states choose the International Codes—building safety codes developed by the International Code Council.

The picture is of me presents Building Commissioner Dale Engebretson with a proclamation for Building Safety Week.

Section 8 Questions

I have been getting some questions on Section 8 housing recently. So I thought I would address some of the questions here.

Section 8 housing is run by the Federal government by HUD (Housing and Urban Development Department). Locally the program is administered by the Lake County Housing Authority in Grayslake. The poor local housing environment has led to a growing number of homes being rented out and of course some of them are rented with the Section 8 rental program.

If you own a home and have to rent it, the program makes sense becuase the government is paying the rent on time and regularly. Where it becomes tricky is when the new tenants have less invested in the community then the home owners who live around them.

What I would encourage homeowners who are having legitimate issues with "any of their neighbors" is to contact the village. While we are unable to go into a house without being invited (not likely) we can bring pressure to bear with parking enforcement, property maintenance issues that are not being addressed. Contact the Building Department using this link. (An email will pop up). Code enforcement of parking, mowing, and general cleanliness can be very powerful towards fixing these types of issues.

If there is a loud party or something going on that is not appropriate call the Police, this is how you do it... Dial 911. I can't tell you how many times in the last 7 years someone has told me that such and such a house is doing such and such a thing, and I say did you call 911 and the answer is always as follows:

1. I did and they never come.
   
2. I don't want to be identified
3. I don't want to bother them.

When I hear excuse number 1, I think BS and then write the address down and find out if it's true, and of course it never is. With item 2 you do not have to be identified, and of course number 3 is why would you not want the police to do their job? Trust me the village spends a lot of money on training and equipment so we want them out using it!

What am I telling you? Please let the village know when we have a problem developing, I pride the village staff on being proactive and I prod them to be more proactive constantly, but we can't do and see everything, nor can we recognize every issue, so please let us know, if we can help we will.

Illinois Works Coalition

Illinois' infrastructure is a vital asset that significantly contributes to our overall success. A strong state infrastructure fosters business growth, world-class schools and thriving communities.

Investment in infrastructure creates jobs and sets the stage for Illinois' continued economic leadership. However, it has been nine years since the Illinois General Assembly passed a capital bill.

Illinois Works is a $25 billion capital improvement program designed to make crucial investments in our schools, roads, bridges, airports and transit systems. Crucial investments that will improve our quality of life and create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

In the coming weeks and months, this site will be home to a statewide movement calling for the passage of Illinois Works during the spring legislative session.

We ask you to join with us and advocate for passage of Illinois Works. It's time to rebuild our infrastructure and put Illinois to work.

Arbor Day Recap

The third annual Arbor Day event was Saturday, April 19 at the Village Hall and celebrated our 2nd year as a Tree City USA. The rain held off long enough for the crowd to play some tree trivia, do some kid activities, have a snack and select from over 100 trees the village provided.

Our thanks again to our sponsors Home Depot, Highland Green Nursery, The Acres Group, Turks Nursery and Lurvey's. Residents had their choice of evergreens, hybrid elms, oaks and beautiful flowering dogwoods. Officer "G" made a special appearance and took pictures with the kids.

Walk Strong to Make Life Long run/walk event

Please join Gavin South Junior High School’s fight against cancer at our Walk Strong to Make Life Long run/walk event! On Saturday, May 31^st, at Lakewood Forest Preserve, students and adults alike will be running/walking in order to raise money for cancer research. Any interested participants may either pre-register, register upon arrival, or collect pledges from family/friends. The registration fee is $20. (The first 100 registered individuals will receive a t-shirt to commemorate the event.) The event will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and will include a free breakfast boost for early risers. Please join us as well for a meal at our picnic festivities (nominal fees will apply). Gavin South’s students and faculty are proud to be sponsoring an event through which all proceeds earned will be donated to cancer research.

For further information or to pre-register please contact either Michael Filipowicz or Erin Wilhelm at (847) 546-9336 or visit our website www.firstgiving.com/gavin37 .

Briefs

This will be a brief post becuase I am in Springfield, and a busy beaver! But Paul Hollingsworth insists that I post every day or else!

Hey its Three Years Since the First Post

This weekend the blog turned three! It started off as one thing and has slowly morphed into something else entirely. As many of you know I write another blog, although not as often as this one at my Senate site (www.billgentes.com/blog), and I have been giving serious consideration towards moving this blog to that location where I could write a little bit more freely on issues and give my opinions.

However since this is a birthday post, I will break down the blog by the numbers. With some observations thrown in for good measure.

• Over 1,000 posts and 8,000 comments have appeared on the screens of my readers
• The average number of unique users hovers between 1,100 and 1,500.
• Most of you read the blog in a period between 7am and 9am, or from noon to 1pm. The lunch crowd is almost all from work type domains!
• 474,326 total visitors to the site since its inception (Its actually more but I switched counters and lost some numbers about 2 years ago).
• Those visitors stay an average of 63 seconds.
• The most commented post was one of the school posts about a year ago (I can't find it right now) but it had 273 comments on it.

No matter where I go people tell me they love and read the blog. I was at a campaign event last night in Long Grove and someone told me they read it every day (checking on Route 53). That never fails to get a smile from me when someone notices!

Recently I have not been posting on weekends since I am a wee bit busy, and I don't think the blog has been as good recently (although readership is climbing) but two of my most "enjoyable to write" posts ever were written this month (April Fools and Pumpkins on the Run) so go figure!