County Honors Employees with Awards

Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay and a delegation of County Board members acknowledged more than two dozen county employees recently at the county's annual employee recognition ceremony.

The June 26 ceremony recognized one outstanding employee from each County office and department for exceptional work during the past year. The 27 honorees, based on nominations from department heads and the County's elected officials, included: Josh Boies, Barb Garza, Sally Lee, Dan Brusveen, Karen Greever, Donna Mueller, Lynn Carlstrom Jennifer Grobe Joanna Murphy, Patsy Clark, Ceil Hackman, Pam Petoskey, Sherry Cowan, John Harahan, Martin Pinnau, Halle Cox, Brad Hunold, Steve Placek, Amy Coyne, Tim Keovongsak, David Scholes, Susie DeChristopher, Karen Kosky, Ingrid Vogt, Joe Durczak, Krista Larson and Steve Wells.

The exemplary employees were recognized variously for providing consistent and exceptional customer service, for doing something remarkable that that is in excess of standard job duties and assignments or has worked diligently to be on the job when scheduled within the past calendar year.

Joining McConnaughay in paying special tribute to the 2012 employee honorees were County Board members Melisa Taylor, Tom Van Cleave, Mark Davoust and Thomas (T.R.) Smith. Click here to review 2012 Employee Recognition Program.

Kane County Fair Opens July 18

​Don’t forget to mark your calendars for Kane County’s number one stay-cation event of the summer – the 2012 Kane County Fair!

The popular 144th Annual County Fair will run from Wednesday, July 18 through Sunday, July 22, 2012 at the Kane County Fair Grounds, Route 64 and Randall Road, in St. Charles.

Admission is $5.00 on Wednesday/Thursday; and $8.00 Friday/Saturday/Sunday; children under 5 enter free. Admission for seniors age 62 and over is free on Wednesday, July 18.

The Midway hours are: Open Wednesday, July 18 - 3pm to 11pm; Thursday, 12noon to 11pm; Friday and Saturday from 12noon to 12am and Sunday from 12 noon to 10pm. You can save even more when attending all five days of the Fair with a Season Pass, available for $20.00. Live music is included in the gate admission price. Added admission applies for daily grandstand evening thrill events. Please check the Fair’s websitefor complete updated costs. Carnival rides and unlimited rides pricing specials are offered every day.

Here is just a sampling of some of the fun-filled events and things to do:

·         4-H blue ribbon competitions

·         Live music on the Miller Lite Soundstage

·         Grandstand arena thrill shows

For more information and to download two money saving coupons, visit www.kanecountyfair.com.

Permit Approved For Worship Center

Issuance of a special-use permit for a religious and educational center at the site of the former Broadview Academy, near LaFox, was authorized April 10, 2012 by the Kane County Board. Permission to develop the Mata Amritanandamayi Center on 102 acres near Keslinger and Bunker Roads, at 41W751 Keslinger Road, in unincorporated Blackberry Township was approved without opposition and with the full support of County Board member Drew Frasz, whose district encompasses the site. The petition for a special-use permit was filed by the Illinois Association of Seventh-day Adventists and forwarded to the County Board with the recommended approval of the county staff, zoning board and Development Committee.

McCoy Reappointed to Metra Board

Former Kane County Board Chairman Mike McCoy, of Aurora, has been reappointed to represent the county on the region's Commuter Rail Service (Metra) Board. The four-year appointment was recommended by County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay and approved April 10, 2012 with the advice and consent of the County Board.

McCoy first was appointed July 2011 to fill an unexpired term on the Metra Board. He is a lifelong resident of Aurora and was Kane County Board Chairman from 1996 to 2004, during one of the county's most dramatic growth periods.

McCoy is generally credited with initiating many of the county's nationally-recognized planning efforts. A registered professional engineer with a widerange of experience in public infrastructure and transportation, McCoy is a senior project manager for Omega & Associates, in Chicago.

Another Top Honor for Kane's Stearns Road

Seven is now the number of prestigious awards granted to Kane County for the Stearns Road Project.

The Transportation Development Foundation of the American Road and Transportation Builder's Association (ARTBA) awarded Kane the top prize in the Local and Secondary category at ARTBA's 13th annual Globe Awards event held at the Nation's Capital on May 30.

To read more on the award, please read the press release.

Issues of Junk Cars, Abandoned Construction Addressed

In response to residents' complaints, the Kane County Board voted April 10 to amend Chapter 15 of the County Code in order to more clearly define certain nuisances and address inoperable vehicles and vacant or uncompleted construction. The code changes take effect June 15, 2012.

The complaint-driven ordinance is not intended to be oppressive, according to the County Board members who made up the special task force that recommended the code revisions. The current Chapter 15, Nuisances and Property Maintenance, was adopted in 2007 and took effect May 1, 2008.

Enforcement has been the combined effort of the county's Health, Animal Control and Development and Community Services Departments. The full text of the amended chapter is available on the county website.

Amended Changes

The revised defintion of inoperable vehicles now includes any motor vehicle not currently registered "if the Illinois Vehicle Code would prohibit operation of the vehicle or trailer on a highway without registration." Chapter 15 now includes new requirements for completing the exterior yard and building exterior within 12 months for construction projects.

Kane County Announces Memorial Day Ceremony for May 28, 2012

The special Memorial Day ceremony will pay tribute to those Kane County residents who gave their full devotion in defense of this country.

The following fallen heroes will be recognized and enshrined on the Wall of Honor Persian Gulf War plaque:

ALEX MARTINEZ

CHRISTOPHER ALEXANDER PATTERSON

The Memorial Day ceremony event details are as follows:

Start Time: 3 p.m.

Date: May 28, 2012

Location: Kane County Veterans Memorial 719 Batavia Avenue, Geneva, Illinois

Weather Radio as Important as Smoke Detector

The recent outbreak of tornados and deadly storms that has devastated many parts of the country this spring serve as stark reminders of how important it is to be informed and prepared when it comes to severe weather, cautions Don Bryant, director of the Kane County Office of Emergency Management (OEM). And one of the essential preparedness items everyone should have in their home and business is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio, according to director Bryant.

"NOAA Weather Radios are as important and should be as commonplace to family safety as smoke detectors," he says. “These life-saving devices provide alerts to approaching severe weather when minutes, or even seconds, count, day or night. They can help monitor dangerous storms by transmitting alerts of severe weather and dangerous conditions before they arrive.”

The receivers come in several sizes and have a variety of different features and prices, ranging from $20 to $200. A good receiver should be able to operate on batteries if the power goes out, says Bryant. Weather radios are readily available at electronics and home improvement stores.

It is also recommended that you select a model with a Specific Area Message Encoder (SAME) receiver that can be set up to only sound for a single county. “That way, you will hear the tone only when severe weather is headed your way,” says Bryant.

HIA Grant Eyes Farm Protection, Healthy Food Production

Kane County has been awarded a $125,000 Health Impact Assessment (HIA) grant to study the benefits of preserving smaller farms as a way to preserve Kane County’s rich farmland while providing fresh fruits and vegetables to our residents. The Kane County Health Department and Kane County Development and Community Services Department jointly applied for the HIA grant. The HIA grant is funded by the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Specifically, the grant will support a more robust review of the health impacts of several different options for an amendment to the county’s Farmland Protection ordinance. This review will help the HIA team craft an amendment that is most supportive of positive health impacts, with an eye toward expanding the eligibility criteria to include small food-producing farms and ensure that acreage remains available to local food production. At present, 100 percent of participants in the Farmland Protection Program are conventional row crop and livestock producers situated in rural Kane.

“This grant will benefit our residents in multiple ways. Not only will it help protect Kane County’s greatest natural resource - its farmland - we will be making it easier for families to access fresh food direct from its source, which we know is one of the crucial steps we need to take if we are to achieve our vision of having the healthiest residents in Illinois by 2030,” said County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay.

As part of the grant requirements, the HIA team will undergo specialized training. This will allow the team to conduct a health impact assessment to study how increasing local food production will affect the health of our residents. Information gathered as part of the assessment will be used to finalize the draft of the amendment. The team will examine the potential health impacts if the amendment to the ordinance is adopted.

The proposed amendment may affect the health of local residents through, for example, changes in availability and price of fresh fruits and vegetables, food safety and economic changes resulting from increased food production in the region.

“This will be an example of Development, Transportation and Health working together to get more locally-grown food to all our residents as we strive to reach our vision of having the healthiest people in Illinois,” said Janice Hill, Farmland Protection Manager.

The results will be shared with decision makers and the public so they may make a more informed decision on the amendment. The Kane County Farmland Protection Commission and the Kane County Board will then consider the amendment for adoption.

This policy balances investment in permanent farmland protection in all planning regions (food and farms, critical growth, and sustainable urban corridors) and encourages local food production for the benefit of population health.

More information about the grant program is available by visiting www.healthimpactproject.org.

New Planning Cooperative: Key to Implementing 2040 Plan

The Kane County Board's unanimous vote on May 8 to adopt a new long-term plan for the county that is being recognized for its groundbreaking integration of land-use, transportation and health planning, demands creation of a shared vision and implementation strategy that Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay said should be no less comprehensive than the collaborative effort required to generate the 2040 Plan itself.

"We are good at being visionaries. Give yourself credit for that," McConnaughay told a diverse group of more than 30 public and private planners and government policy makers from throughout Kane County during introductory remarks at a recent kick-off meeting of a new, broad-based planning cooperative that will be charged with guiding the long-term implementation strategy.

"We all recognize we live in great communities and we want to preserve that and enhance that," said McConnaughay. "We can't get there without a game plan...a vision and a strategy."

To read the entire press release, please click here

Pace Offers Inexpensive Employer Shuttle Program

Pace now offers an Employer Shuttle Program in its current service area to alleviate travel issues for those whose workplace is not near bus routes or train lines. The program supplies vans to employers willing to provide drivers and pay a monthly fee to transport workers from area transit centers to work sites. The program, available in Kane, Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, allows employers to offer an inexpensive employee benefit that helps recruit and retain staff, according to Mary J. Robb, a Community Relations Representative with Pace.

The $750 monthly fee covers the use of the vehicle, gas, maintenance and insurance. The employer provides the driver of the vehicle and has the option of charging the employees a fee for the transportation service.

“Providing this service to employees can relieve the stress of commuting to and from the workplace for employees and free valuable space in the employer's parking lot,” Robb said. More information is available and interested employers in Kane County can sign up for the program at PaceBus.com.