McHenry County, IL11/18/2011

 

McHenry County e-News
A message from the Chairman... 

Ken Koehler  County Board Chairman

 

Dear McHenry County Resident:  

 

I want to take the opportunity to wish you a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.  

 

During this time, we express our gratitude for all our blessings and give thanks to all our friends and family for their love and support.

 

Please remember those less fortunate and donate to one of the County's food pantries so we can all have a feast on this one of the most American of Holidays. 

 

Sincerely, 

 

Kenneth D. Koehler

County Board Chairman

 
County Board Member Spotlight:
Mary McCann

 

Mary McCann was elected to the McHenry County Board in November 2006 and currently resides in rural Woodstock.  Ms. McCann is Chairman of the Natural & Environmental Resources Committee and is a member of the Building Projects  and Finance & Audit Committees. Ms. McCann is also one of the County Board liaisons to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the County Board liaison to the Valley Hi Cemetery Board, and is a member of the Stormwater Commission.  Click here to learn more about Ms. McCann.

McHenry County Sheriff's Office Update

 

Special Traffic Enforcement for Thanksgiving Holiday

The McHenry County Sheriff's Office was recently awarded a Traffic Safety Grant through the Illinois Department of Transportation to reduce the incidence of motor vehicle crashes and the resulting injuries and fatalities. To accomplish this goal, the Sheriff's Office will conduct nine highly visible enforcement campaigns over the next 12 months, with special emphasis on increased enforcement of occupant restraint and impaired driving. 

 

The first special traffic enforcement period will begin November 14 and run through November 27. This enforcement period will cover the busy Thanksgiving travel season and will focus on occupant restraint and impaired driving. In Illinois, during the 2010 Thanksgiving holiday period, 15 vehicle occupants died in motor vehicle traffic crashes; nine of those deaths involved a drunk driver, while hundreds more were injured.

 

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 5 through 24. Many lives could be saved by changing public attitudes regarding risk taking behaviors such as speeding, impaired driving and non-use of safety belts and child safety seats. It has been shown that visible enforcement programs focusing on these violations offer the greatest potential for changing these behaviors.

 

The Illinois Department of Transportation's Division of Traffic Safety is proud that Illinois has a 92.9% daytime safety belt usage rate. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics show that those least likely to buckle up are teens; young adults; males; motorists traveling on rural roads and individuals traveling in pickup trucks, especially during the late night hours. Data shows late night hours are when the highest percentage of motorists die in alcohol involved crashes and the lowest percentage of vehicle occupants are properly restrained.

 

The McHenry County Sheriff's Office continues to ask for your help in reporting impaired drivers to your local police department or Sheriff's Office.

 

McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

McHenry County Department of Health 

 

Food Safety Tips for Preparing Hot Meals

Planning for holiday meals should include more than a delicious menu and invited guests.   McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) wants you to practice safe food handling as well. Keeping "hot things" hot (>135 degrees) and cold things cold" can reduce your risk of a food-borne illness. Other safety tips include:

 

  • Thaw frozen meats in the refrigerator (allow one day for each five pounds of weight plus an extra day or two). Don't buy a fresh turkey too soon as fresh poultry should be kept in the refrigerator no more than two days before cooking.
  • Wash hands thoroughly with warm water and soap before and after handling foods.
  • Clean all kitchen surfaces before you begin cooking.
  • Scrub cutting boards with hot soapy water after preparing food to avoid cross contamination.
  • Use a metal stemmed food thermometer to ensure food is cooked to the proper temperature. Food is safely cooked when it reaches a high enough internal temperature to kill harmful bacteria (165�F for turkey).
  • It is recommended that leftovers be refrigerated within two hours of serving time.

 

Food-borne illness is preventable. If you suspect a food-borne illness, contact MCDH for investigation. Staff can be reached at 815-334-4585, Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For after hour emergencies, call 815-344-7421. Visit www.foodsafety.gov for other tips.

Division of Transportation Update

 

COUNTY ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS UPDATE

Rakow Road Reconstruction The project is currently about 40% complete. All traffic for the entire length of the project will be shifted to the new pavement early next week. Please remain alert and use extra caution as the new lane configurations are implemented.

 

Removal of the old lanes of pavement will commence immediately, and construction of the second half of the project (future westbound lanes) will proceed for as long as the weather allows.

  

We appreciate your patience and extra care in driving through the construction zone this year. We are proud to announce that no construction worker vs. vehicle accidents or injuries occurred, and wish to thank all the motorists, as well as Crystal Lake and Lake in the Hills Police Departments for helping to keep everyone safe!

 

Sign up for email updates on www.rakowroad.com or follow us on Twitter @RakowRoad.

 

Blivin Street Bridge Replacement - The bridge closure was made on August 8, 2011, with the Detour Route marked using U.S. Route 12, Wilmot Road and Main Street. Blivin Street will remain open to local traffic only up to the bridge, but the bridge will remain closed for the duration of the construction.  

 

Due to difficult utility relocations early on in construction, it will not be possible to open the bridge to traffic by the milestone date of November 15. All efforts are being made to open the bridge to traffic at the earliest possible date, with final completion to occur in the spring of 2012. The contractor has been authorized to work extra hours and weekends to expedite the project.

 

Watch for notices of road closures, detour maps, and schedules for these projects at www.mchenrycountydot.org.

 

Visit www.mchenrycountydot.org and check out the interactive Construction Map for the latest information or links to a specific project.

Division of Water Resources Update 

 

The Forecast: A Cold and Snowy Winter   

Well it's that time of year again. The long days of summer are over and instead of drinking lemonade on the porch, we're thinking about recent snow flurries and dropping temperatures. As we prepare for winter, we are making sure we have snow shovels and deicing salt in the garage and possibly hiring someone to plow. We may have even heard that this year the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts a wetter and cooler than average winter for the Midwest and Great Lakes, which could mean above average snow fall with totals similar to last winter.

 

Whether you are maintaining a driveway or a parking lot, snow and ice control is a big deal. Removal of snow and ice from pavement is essential for both public safety and the local economy, in which pavement deicing chemicals keep pavements safe and passable, not to mention allowing you out of your driveway. Pavement deicing is typically accomplished through the use of road salts. Sodium chloride, or common salt, is by far the most popular roadway deicing chemical because of its reliability, economy, and usability. But have you ever stopped to wonder where all those salts go after they have been applied?

 

Once placed on pavement there is no way to stop salt from getting into the environment. Road salts can enter air, soil, groundwater, and surface water from direct or snowmelt runoff, release from surface soils, and/or wind-borne spray. Once in solution, these salts remain in solution in surface water and groundwater and are not subject to any significant natural removal mechanisms.

 

So what's the big deal?

 

Once applied to pavements, approximately 55% of road-salt chlorides are transported in surface runoff with the remaining 45% infiltrating through soils and into groundwater aquifers (Church and Friesz, 1993).   In McHenry County, groundwater is the sole source of drinking water and chloride (salt) levels are increasing. Salt used for pavement de-icing has been found to be one of the primary sources for chloride levels increasing in the water.

 

FACT:

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency standard for Class I Potable Groundwater Resource: 200 mg/L. Elevated levels of Chlorides make water non-potable at Secondary Drinking Water Standard: 250 mg/L. 1 teaspoon of salt in 5 gallons of water = 230 mg/L.

 

The use of salt has environmental and economic drawbacks. Road salts have been found to be corrosive to vehicles, roadway surfaces and bridges. They also have adverse effects on groundwater and environmentally sensitive areas (Panno, 2002). Salt can affect the taste of water and corrode plumbing infrastructure. It can also increase the cost of drinking water treatment. For public water suppliers, it is very expensive to add and operate the necessary technology to remove salt from the drinking water supply. In private homes utilizing wells, the same is true. Salt also reduces the suitability of water for irrigation and other industrial operations as well as contributes to the loss of productive farmland. Finally, salt can be toxic to aquatic life, plants and wildlife thus contributing to a loss of species diversity.

 

Fortunately there are several easy steps we can take to reduce our footprint. First, shovel as much snow as you can off your sidewalks and driveways and let the sun work for you. Fact: It takes four times more salt to remove snow and ice than prevent it. Second, when using a deicing chemical know the effective melting temperature of that chemical and use only enough to break the ice-pavement bond. Once the bond has been broken, remove slush by shoveling. For information on effective melting temperatures of different products, read the label on the bag or visit www.mchenryh2o.com and view the McHenry County Snow and Ice Control Handbook or the Winter Parking Lot and Sidewalk Maintenance Manual. Both handbooks offer tips for effective snow and ice control. Third, remember that all de-icing chemicals have an environmental impact, but some are considered more environmentally friendly, such as calcium magnesium acetate, potassium acetate, calcium chloride or magnesium chloride. Remember, a little bit of these products goes a long way. Also, avoid using any de-icing products near wetlands, streams or other waterways. Fourth, consider hiring a "certified" operator, who have successfully completed a full day training and certification workshop and passed the exam. The list can be found under Winter Snow and Ice Operators at www.mchenryh2o.com.   Finally, shovel first, shovel often.

 

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Do not forget to Like the McHenry County Division of Water Resources on Facebook!

County Appointments

 

The McHenry County Board is currently accepting applications for appointment to the following boards and commissions:

  • McHenry County Housing Commission
  • McHenry County Agricultural Conservation Easement and Farmland Protection Commission
  • McHenry County Senior Services Grant Commission

Click here to view board and commission descriptions and to obtaining an application.

 

In This Issue
County Board Spotlight
Sheriff's Office
Food Safety Tips
MCDOT Update
Water Resources
Appointments

McHenry County Board

 

District 1

Anna May Miller 

District 1

Bob Bless 

District 1

Marc Munaretto 

District 1

Bob Nowak 

District 2

Scott Breeden 

District 2

Jim Heisler 

District 2

Donna Kurtz 

District 2

Ken Koehler 

District 3

Nick Provenzano 

 

District 3

Kathleen Bergan Schmidt 

District 3

Barbara Wheeler 

District 3

Mary L. Donner 

District 4

Sue Draffkorn 

 

District 4

John D. Hammerand 

District 4

Peter J. Merkel 

 

District 4

Sandra Fay
Salgado
 

District 5

Tina Hill 

District 5

Paula Yensen 

District 5

John Jung, Jr. 

District 5

Virginia Peschke 

District 6

Randy Donley 

District 6

Mary T. McCann 

District 6

Diane Evertsen 

 

 District 6 

Ersel Schuster 

McHenry County Employment Opportunities 


Click here!

 

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