I am a member of the WCC and while there saw a newsletter clipping on the club corkboard. I had always wondered why the 84 Lumber building with its glaring lights and billboard sign was allowed on Country Club Road (in what really what looks like a residential area). With your publication in the Northwest Herald, it is not so hard figure out why this was allowed. Thank you for sharing your concerns in such a public matter. I was already disgusted with the planning and development overturn of the zoning board regarding Resurrection Center on Country Club Road. I even made a public comment at one of the meetings prior to this decision asking the board members to vote with their hearts and not their pocketbooks on this matter. Then to learn about your insight about who was to profit the most regarding another matter concerning the property near Country Club Road and 84 Lumber it all made sense. I can’t help to wonder about what other projects that the McHenry County Board is targeting for20their own gain as we as taxpayers /small business owners/ McHenry County residents line their pockets with our hard earned dollars. The proposed widening of Alden Road came quickly to mind. There is a saying- always follow the money.

My husband and I moved here 9-years ago because we wanted to get away from all the traffic/congestion east and south of us, and to be able to enjoy nature and the balance of rural and urban living in McHenry County. This current administration will not only destroy the precious rural aspect of this community, but with their continued emphasis on growth, will push out many retirees in our area because they will no longer be able to afford the taxes caused by this uncontrolled growth. I believe in the August 2009 issue of Fortune Magazine you will find an article about The top 10 places to live and what these towns have in common. Read it and then think about our administration and the 2030 Plan. They are pushing in the opposite direction of prosperity (at least prosperity for the general public).

I am writing as I am so disgusted with the way the majority of the McHenry County Board Members have been ignoring the needs/desired of the people and this community, that I am angry. You are not alone in thinking that McHenry County is mini Chicago, Blago style. If there is anything I can do to help you, let me know. I do work and don't have a lot of free time, but feel this is important not just for us, but for future generations. In the meantime, I will continue to try to fight for preserving what the previous administrations have protected in our county, and to get rid of those bad apples in the current administration.

Joyce Kunath

I have always been interested, both personally and professionally, in issues of traffic and transit. Being both a long-time resident of Crystal Lake and a long-time faculty member at MCC, I am very familiar with the streets and intersections in question. I nearly always come to and from the College by way of Ridgefield Road and Tartan Drive, and have had many occasions to drive to Woodstock or McHenry by way of Country Club or Hillside Roads. It certainly would be nice to have a Metra station in Ridgefield. (If memory serves, one could get on and off the train there by signaling the conductor at one time, perhaps as recently as the 1960s.) There are a lot of people living between easy access to the downtown stations in Crystal Lake and Woodstock, and, with some paved walkways and ingenuity, students from the towns along the rail line could commute to MCC. It would be a good, green complement to the bicycle path from Oak Street to the College, currently under construction, that I hope to use myself when it’s finished.

However, I am in complete agreement with you that locating the station on the north side of the tracks behind the 84/Alexander property would lead to a traffic fiasco. The problem is that none of the roads in question, with the possible exception of Ridgefield Road, is the kind of artery that can handle the bursts of traffic accompanying the arrival of a commuter train. In recent years, I have observed a considerable increase in traffic, presumably to and from Bull Valley and the northeast part of Woodstock, taking Ridgefield Road to the rail crossing, then continuing on Country Club. Sometimes it can be a challenge even to make a right turn, toward Crystal Lake, out of Tartan Drive, let alone a left. I also have found it difficult to make a left turn off Hillside onto Country Club, on my way to the College from the east. In my opinion, the introduction of a traffic light at the southern intersection of Rt. 14 and Ridgefield Rd. has facilitated this pattern. This would be especially true of southbound traffic, because before the light it was risking one’s life to turn left from Ridgefield to 14. I can’t imagine these already-overtaxed roads being able to handle the additional load of a Metra station.

I’m not even sure that siting the station in your “yellow circle” or elsewhere on the south side of the tracks would work. In that case, yes, people could use both legs of Ridgefield Rd. to get to the station. I presume there would be a traffic light at the northern junction of 14 and Ridgefield, by the Lutheran church. This would work fine for people coming from the southeast and west, and I imagine the semi drivers who come and go from your company would appreciate it. The problem of eastern access would remain, however. There are a lot of people from Bull Valley and McHenry who would have to take the old, skinny Bull Valley roads and cross at the awkward Ridgefield crossing. Unless there is to be a terrific amount of restructuring of the eastern Ridgefield intersections (which, as you point out, would require tearing buildings down), I don’t see that problem going away. But the south-side location would be better than the north-side one.

There’s a more fundamental issue here, though. There are a couple of thousand people, mostly of means, in Bull Valley, who apparently place a high premium on making it hard to get through the valley. There is no way to get directly from northwest Crystal Lake to McHenry, as I have learned over many years. You can either go all the way over to Walkup or wind your way along roads like Cherry Valley and Bull Valley Rds., all posted with whimsically varying speed limits designed to generate speeding tickets. (They haven’t nailed me yet.) The residents are inconvenienced too, of course, but so are the many people who might like to be able to drive from, say, MCC, to McHenry. So it’s more than just a problem of the Metra station. To be sure, the station would make this a lot worse.

I take no position on political wheeling and dealing today, though as a Democrat, I take a perverse satisfaction at the possibility that local Republican insiders like Koehler could be fattening up with public help. I do think the location of the former 84 Lumber facility is weird. When I noticed it going up, I thought maybe it was going to be a warehouse or a wholesale-only facility for people in the building trades; why would anybody put a huge retail home-improvement store in such an inaccessible spot?

One last point: Having had the privilege of serving the citizens of the county for almost thirty years at MCC, it grieved me to watch the “baseball stadium” fiasco take place a couple of years ago. Putting aside the merits and demerits of that project for now, I find it curious that the two issues that killed it—traffic and the Crystal Lake watershed—do not seem to have entered into this current discussion in any significant way. Did those involved learn nothing from the attempt by the College to sneak something through without real planning and public scrutiny? With the MCC experience in mind, I would be astounded if Crystal Lake cooperates with the north-of-the-tracks Metra station, unless the fix truly is in.

I hope that this issue stirs up some public concern. Given its proximity to the site under consideration, have you thought about having an information session here at the College, in our Conference Center?

Mark Eckel, Instructor of Sociology, MCC

Are you aware of the unusual proceeding that took place in April, 2006 in which the zoning for the Flowerwood property [Amcore Trust 3582] was changed from A-1 to I-1? But the ZBA did not hold a hearing on the rezoning; instead this came before the ZBA as part of a group of 'map error corrections.' (The procedure had always been one in which the Zoning Enforcement Officer issued Certificates of Correction.)
When one ZBA member asked how much [Flowerwood] property was being taken from A-1 and converted to I-1, she was interrupted by Susan Connor, the attorney who was orchestrating this proceeding: "It's very important that we, as constituent parts of the County, use the correct terminology. We are not asking for the zoning to be changed, we are asking for it to be corrected." The theory, acc. to Sue E.: the intention had always been to have the entire property, to its northern boundary, zoned Industrial -- this was just a scrivener's error.

The ZBA objected to not being told about this earlier by Sue and Dan Curran, atty for what had been Flowerwood owners, because they had relied on the ag zoning on the west side of CClub when they recommended approval of the estate rezoning of Flowerwood property on the east side of CClub.
The answer: Dan Curran replied that they had discovered the error when going through the maps before the rezoning of the east side, but he and Sue did not tell the ZBA because it wasn't the time or place to discuss it.
Sue went further: she insisted that if the I-1 district [west side of CC] was not pushed further north to the property line, that this would be "taking away a right that has been in effect since 1946." Although she admitted the use had always been agricultural.

Earlier in 2006, building permit #1-6054 for 84 Lumber had been issued to Pierce Hardy, even though lumber yards are not allowed in A-1 districts. Notation on ZBA file: "A-1 now corrected, 5-16-06." KK recused himself from the Co Bd. vote on 5-16, but signed the ordinance authorizing the change.

The road improvement permit MAJ 09-13-2006 was issued to a name that was blacked out, sent to Mike Deacon -- as you probably know, Mike works for Prudential Commercial, alongside Chris Koehler. In the permit's narrative: Prudential First Realty is planning the redevelopment of 30 acres Residential/Ag property located on the west and east sides of Country Club Road ... overall development of the site to include 84 Lumber for immediate use ... the second half of Lot 1 reserved for light industrial use . . .
Traffic Impact Analysis has notation on Exhibit E: Add right on Hillside Road?. p. 12, highlighted: At Country Club Road and Hillside Road: a reduction in level of service for shared left - right movement easterly is predicted at this intersection with addition of site-generated traffic. Dates traffic was counted: 3/21/06 and 3/22/06, unclear whether MCC was in session or on Spring break.

- Jane Collins

I'm writing to oppose your choice of the Koehler site in Ridgefield for a new Metra Station. I've walked the site, observed current traffic patterns, and looked into the shady dealings that have gone on behind the scenes. This is simply a bad decision on the part of Metra. This site will require significant infrastructure improvements that will wipe out many homes at the intersection of County Club and Hillside roads, and destroy the character of this part of Ridgefield. An additional issue is that this site will not serve McHenry County College as it's too far for students to walk. If studies prove that we need a new station in Ridgefield (and I for one doubt that we do) you need to choose a better site, one that utilizes as much as possible existing infrastructure, and one that truly serves the needs of the surrounding community and your riders. An agreement to purchase this site at an above market value price, in a time when real estate values are falling, without consideration for the additional costs to make the site usable; would be a criminal misuse of taxpayer funds.

This site serves only the needs of Ken Koehler, his friends, and political partners. As a taxpayer, Metra rider, and resident of McHenry County, I urge the Metra Board to vote no on this site. I further ask Mr. Pagano to recuse himself from the proceedings. As a Crystal Lake resident and acquaintance of Mr. Koehler, Mr. Pagano cannot claim impartiality in this decision. In our current financial and political climate, the Metra board needs to take their fiduciary responsibility seriously. Choosing this site violates that duty and brings into question your integrity.

-- Karl Steiner

I am totally outraged about the 84 Lumber yard location and the surprising sale of the property to the County Board Chairmanand his associates. Isn't this a total conflict of interest? I am totally opposed to this site for another Metra station. Common sense should prevail at your board meeting August 14. I would like to attend it. Where and at what time will it be held? Why did you reject the Steagall location? It is a far better location. Country Club, Hillside Oak street have far too much traffic now, and the Resurrection Center on Country Club will be a major traffic generator as well. Are you really serious?

-- Nancy Jung

I couldn't agree with you more about all the points you raise. I thought 84 lumber should be somewhere on Ridgefield Rd. the first time I saw it. What a dumb location...the whole thing smells of low life politics. I commend you for going public with this, I hope you strike a nerve and people rally to the cause. If you need any help with anything please let me know

-- fcusenza

I am extremely interested in this subject, both personally (as I live not far from this area) and also professionally, as I have been involved in several land transactions as a broker with regard to several properties not far from here that will be developed. I have worked this northwest Crystal Lake area extremely hard over the past 8 years and know most of the main players and many property owners and have a thorough knowledge of the major issues that impact future development of this area that I believe is superior to most. I think we share many of the same concerns and ideas. I can say now very simply that I agree completely that your site is far superior for many reasons.

-- Jeremy Mahnke

I live at the intersections of Hillside rd. Railroad St. and Waller st. There is a real propblem getting on to Country Club Rd. now from Railroad St. and Hillside rd. This is just with the traffic from the college, Alexander Lumber has not even opened it's doors yet. How are you going to handle all the added traffic from a train station. KEEP THE TRAIN STATION ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRACKS.

-- John Shulfer

I always wondered how 84 lumber got built on that road with county approval without public out cry. And why was Ken Koehler not cited for conflict of interest when he was aware as a public servant of an existing contract? And no way could that have been fast tracked without county assistance. Another case of lack of ethics, looks like money over integrity triumphs again. And now we have another certain influence peddling by a county/state official. This is too coincidental to not be connected. I thank Craig Steagall for speaking up. Mr. Koehler I would suggest you resign before you are forced to leave office. At least then you can say that Metra is not buying your land for your connections. This kind of behavior is really as bad as our governor's, and I am really sick of it.

-- Patrick Kulisek