North Wheatland Township Homeowners Association

Transcription

1 Newsletter May/ North Wheatland Township Homeowners Association Ken Hagenbaumer, 28W487 Leverenz Road President Clint Bull, 10S108 Springbrook Drive Vice President *Rick Peabody, 28W491 Juanita Drive Treasurer Linda Woodring, 28W153 Hillview Drive Secretary Board of Directors Phone Committee VACANT. Advertising VACANT Children s Social Bob Segal, 28W793 Leverenz Road Community Liaison VACANT... Community Service *Barb Angelos, 10S268 Meadow Lane Membership Scott Bishop, 10S060 Alago Road Roads, Traffic, & Safety Steve Collins, 10S126 Springbrook Drive Welcoming Newsletter Annual Directory Website *Owen Wavrinek, 3124 Autumn Lake Drive, Aurora, IL Editor *Lifetime Member

2 Dear Neighbor: Dates to Remember May//July Sunday, May 26 Graduation Day, Neuqua Valley H.S., 11 a.m. at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb Monday, May 27 MEMORIAL DAY Observance, NO SCHOOL Thursday, May 30 Memorial Day Wednesday, 5 Last Day of School Saturday, 8 Naperville Garden Club s annual Garden Walk Friday, 14 Flag Day Sunday, 16 Father s Day Tuesday, July 3 - Saturday, July 7 Ribfest in Naperville Wednesday, July 4 Happy Birthday USA July Taste of Chicago in Grant Park July Naperville Garden Club Fine Art Fair July Will County Threshermen s Show in Manhattan July DuPage County Fair, County Fairgrounds, Wheaton Sunday, September 22 NWTHA Family Picnic, DuPage River Park NWTHA Family Picnic Mark Your Calendar Now Note the last date in the calendar above and post it on your calendar as well. Although, it s still tentative (won t know absolutely until 1), it is very, very likely that the 39 th Annual NWTHA Family Picnic will be held on Sunday, September 22, at the DuPage River Park on Royce Road. To make it easier for everyone to get there on time (and to enable us to serve the food before it gets cold), we are going to have a start time of 12:30 p.m. an hour later than in most past years. Although there will be familiar aspects (Angel Contreras and another caricature artist, Jelly Bean the clown, and prizes), we also are planning some new things. More in the next newsletter. April A Very Busy Month 2 On the heels of our annual NWTHA Easter Egg Hunt in mid-march, the month of April proved to be a very busy one. First, the April 9 election resulted in many new faces in Wheatland Township government and on the District 204 School Board. For example, in the case of the Town Board, only Supervisor-elect Chuck Kern was part of the previous administration (he was Town Clerk). The rest are new, including Township Trustees Deb Holscher, Mike Crockett, Darren

3 Bennefield and Raquel Mitchell, Clerk Bill Alstrom, Highway Commissioner Mark Troyanowski, Assessor Daniel Monaghan (who will take office in January), and Tax Collector Ben Peterson. As for the Dist. 204 School Board, two were reelected Cathy Piehl & Ben White and three are new to the Board Mike Raczak, Maria Curry & Justin Karubas. Shortly after the election, the Wheatland Township annual meeting on Tuesday, April 16, proved to be both interesting and contentious (see stories on pages 8-12). And, then, one of the Election Day results was reversed when absentee ballots were included in the totals (see story on electric aggregation). Forty-foot-deep sinkhole closes section of 111 th Street, just west of railroad tracks and intersection with 248 th Street. ( Photo by Mark Troyanowski) 3

4 April Rains Create Sinkhole, Close Section of W. 111 th Street Another event that made April memorable was all the rain and flooding that occurred mid-month. As you know all too well, this was one of those 100-year rains that seem to occur far more often than that. Many NWTHA-member basements flooded, drainage ditches overflowed, and many area roads were closed temporarily. To their credit, incumbent Township Highway Commissioner Dayton Jarnagin and his Road Department crews responded quickly, especially where roads were flooded; and Highway Commissioner-elect Mark Troyanowski spent a lot of time inspecting unincorporated subdivision and other Wheatland Township roads in an effort to identify and assess where the biggest trouble spots were located. This time, the biggest trouble spot in Wheatland, which no one anticipated or could have budgeted for, was the 36- by 40-foot sinkhole that wiped out a section of 111 th Street, just west of the railroad tracks and the intersection with 248 th Street. Created by the heavy rains, the sinkhole resulted in the closing of the railroad crossing, as well as a section of 111 th Street, from 248 th Street west to Route 30. It is anticipated that the cost of filling the sinkhole and repairing/repaving the lost roadway and shoulders will be about $350,000 which represents approximately half of the township s road budget. Fortunately, about 75 percent of that total will be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), because Highway Commissioner Jarnagin promptly filled out and filed the necessary federal forms. Also, Jarnagin immediately sought bids for completing this road restoration work (which appropriately had to be done as soon as possible). When the bids have been opened and the contract awarded, Dayton s successor, Mark Troyanowski, will be responsible for executing this contract upon taking office on May 20, The down side of all this is that, as already mentioned, the road restoration will eat up half of the Wheatland road budget for the next 12 months. Although, fortunately, about three-fourths of the cost of this restoration will be reimbursed by FEMA, it could be more than a year before those federal funds are received. As a result, Highway Commissioner-elect Troyanowski will have to reevaluate the road projects originally included in the current (-14) budget by Jarnagin. 4

5 In other words, Mark Troyanowski s first few months on the job will be more than challenging. The phrase that comes to mind is baptism by fire. For sure, there will be no grace period. Good luck, Mark. And we don t mean that facetiously. Flooding Disaster Relief Funds On April 18, Illinois Governor Quinn declared Will County a disaster area. As a result, every property owner whose property was substantially damaged by the flooding can apply for a reassessment of their taxable property by filling out a PTAX- 245, Disaster Area Reassessment application. This form can be obtained from the Wheatland Township assessor ( ) or the Will County Assessor office (815) or by downloading it from Wheatland Township s website: In addition, on May 10 President Obama declared 11 counties in Illinois (including Will County) to be disaster areas as a result of the flooding in April which means that federal funds are available for recovery efforts. This federal assistance will augment state and local efforts and can include grant money for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. FEMA said that residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designnated counties can apply for assistance online at or by calling FEMA(3362) or (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week until further notice. A Few Words from New Wheatland Township Highway Commissioner Mark Troyanowski To Wheatland Township Residents: Thank you for your support and vote of confidence on April 9. As your new 5

6 Wheatland Township Highway Commissioner, I view resident participation, communication and feedback as the keys to our future! Looking forward: The Highway Department and Township Board look forward to the Spring/Summer and continued progress in the future. With regard to my personal ideas and thoughts as your new Highway Commissioner, I am committed to making ongoing progress by communicating with Township residents via opinion surveys, the formation of citizen advisory committees, and a baseline assessment of the Highway Department and how it can best serve both unincorporated and incorporated Wheatland residents with more progress to come in future months (which will be based, in part, upon the aforementioned survey, advisory committee, and assessment results). Your Opinion Counts: With regard to the opinion survey, we will be conducting an on-line survey of Township residents on a variety of subjects. (If you have a subject for the survey, please it to NWTHA Newsletter Editor Owen Wavrinek at owen3814@comcast.net). During the summer, we also will be forming Advisory Committees (including one that will focus on drainage problems), which will help the Highway Department to make assessments and develop future priorities and strategies. Your participation and help will make a big difference! In fact, we can t do it without YOU! Thank you! I m optimistic that the best is yet to come. Mark Troyanowski Wheatland Township Highway Commissioner (Elect) (office), (cell) Welcome to Steve Collins, Our New NWTHA Welcoming Committee Chair 6 New NWTHA Welcoming Committee Chair Steve Collins has been a resident of Sunset Ridge since 2005, when he and his wife, Caroline, and their four children (now 14,16, 19 and 21) moved here from South Bend, Ind. A native of Dallas, Steve has a B.A. in business from Brigham Young University (1999) and a Master s degree in theology from Notre Dame (2001). For the last 3-1/2 years, he has worked for Lake Michigan Benefits Associates in Glen Ellyn, for whom he sells insurance and does financial planning, primarily in the Naperville/Bolingbrook area. He is a member of the Bolingbrook Chamber of Commerce, co-chairs the Bolingbrook Area Networking Group, has served as an election judge in Will

7 County for seven years, is a member of the Wheatland Township Republican Organization, and serves as a committeeman-at-large for Wheatland Precinct 7. Please let him know when someone on your block moves in or out. Call him at (home) or (cell) or him at srcollins@onebox.com Surprise!! Electric Aggregation Passes in Wheatland Township Although the initial result of the April 9 Wheatland Township referendum on electric aggregation showed that it failed by 19 votes (518 No, 499 Yes), we have a surprise for you. That result was reversed two weeks later when it was announced that, when absentee ballots were included in the final total (by the Will County Clerk), the referendum passed by 12 votes 566 Yes, 554 No. As a result of this final canvas of the votes, it is expected that electric aggregation will become a reality in Wheatland on August 1. Public hearings were held on May 9 in order to provide residents with information and answer questions related to the plan of operation and governance for the Township s electric aggregate. This plan includes the formation of a governmental electric aggregation by the Town Board for the purpose of purchasing electricity on behalf of Wheatland residents. Thereafter, the Board will submit its plan of operation to the Illinois Commerce Commission (per ICC regulations and Illinois law). Integrys Energy Services will be the electricity service provider after coming to a retail supply agreement with the Wheatland Town Board, which has final approval of that agreement. This agreement will provide eligible residents with electricity at a fixed rate that is stable and lower than the rate currently being offered by Com Ed. Also, according to the plan of operation and governance, all eligible utility customers in the township will be included in this electric aggregate unless you opt out. Per procedures specified in Illinois Public Act , you will be getting a mailing that further explains your right to opt out and provides information about the rates, terms and conditions and other aspects of this program. You then will have 14 days to opt out by returning an enclosed post card or calling a toll-free telephone number. However, according to new NWTHA Board member Bob Segal (chair of our Community Liaison Committee), who attended one of the hearings, Integrys spokesperson John Nania (a Wheatland resident who will be participating in the 7

8 aggregation) said that if, for any reason, a customer is unhappy with the aggregation service, he/she can leave the program, even after the two-week optout period has passed without penalty. New customers moving into Wheatland Township will be included in the electric aggregate unless they exercise their right to opt out. Such new customers will pay at the original rate agreed to by the Town Board. This aggregate plan has proved to be a win-win program in other nearby municipalities that have approved similar referenda including Naperville Township, Bolingbrook, Plainfield and Romeoville, where residents are saving money and are pleased with their new electric aggregation plan. As a result, the NWTHA Board endorses this plan and encourages you not to opt out. In any case, you should carefully read the additional information you will be receiving in the mail and be sure to get answers to any questions you may have by contacting John Nania of Integrys at or by calling toll-free In addition, you can visit the NWTHA website for more information; or go to the generic website which also does a thorough job of explaining how aggregation works. Further, you hopefully will be able to get information by going to Wheatland Township s website: In other words, aggregation is a well documented program. We see no reason to be leery of it. Wheatland Township Annual Meeting Although the annual meeting was not as crazy as it could have been, there was plenty of confusing rhetoric. The meeting took a total of about 90 minutes. Approximately 60 residents attended the meeting, including NWTHA Treasurer Rick Peabody, who was chosen to be moderator. Half of those in attendance were NWTHA members who received our FYI . 8 The meeting could have been finished a lot sooner, but there was a lot of time wasted on procedural (Roberts Rules of Order) questions and wording. The primary motion that passed directed the current Town Board not to sell or put up for sale the former admin building on 91st Street, which is now being used for

9 "cold storage." In fact, the incumbent Board was told not to spend money on anything between the day of the annual meeting and May 20, when the new Board would take office. Unfortunately, this motion was made before it should have been (out of order, according to the agenda), which confused everyone and led to the wasted time. Incumbent Supervisor Todd Morse finally was allowed to give his Supervisor's Report, but not before more time was wasted. Bottom line: The annual meeting could have been much worse, and it certainly could have been conducted in a more civil, timely manner. So, if you didn t attend, you didn't miss much. Nevertheless, it's always interesting to see our local government in "action" especially here in Wheatland Township. Hopefully, things will improve. As always, local news coverage of this event was sparse. However, the article below was filed by Plainfield Enterprise reporter Robin Ambrosia: No Clear Direction at Another Contentious Wheatland Township Meeting Halfway through the April 16 Wheatland Township town hall meeting, incoming Township Highway Commissioner Mark Troyanowski condensed the arguments going back and forth in seven words: Who is as confused as I am, Troyanowski said. The annual meeting turned argumentative after an incoming trustee made a motion to declare any vote taken that night as unauthorized, including considerations of an old problem: the permanent location of the township offices. All the challengers won in the April 9 township election, but they aren t sworn in for another few weeks. Meanwhile, the state requires the township to hold an annual town meeting between the election and the swearing in of the newly elected board leaving a lame duck supervisor and no real leadership during the meeting. Current Township Clerk Chuck Kern called the meeting to order, the Pledge of Allegiance and then coordinated the election of a moderator, Rick Peabody. Kern was elected to replace Morse in the recent election. Peabody knew he had his work cut out for him while leading the meeting. I have been moderator before, but this was more difficult than any others, he said. 9

10 The next item on the agenda was the supervisor s report, which included listing the property at S. 91st St., Naperville. Only electors at a town hall meeting can authorize the purchase and/or listing of land or properties by vote during a town hall meeting. But, Morse didn t get a chance to present it before a motion was made against it. Tempers flared as incoming Township Trustee Mike Crockett said the new slate wanted to wait until they were sworn in before the property issue was addressed. The incoming board does not feel action on the 91st Street building is appropriate at this time, Crockett said. At the heart of the discussion is a pole building on 91st Street that at one time housed all the Wheatland Township offices, which was built in the 1970s in an industrial park. The building originally was intended to house an office and garage for the Highway Department then a temporary office for the supervisor and the assessor was added on without any thought given to code restrictions, Morse said. The electors at the 2004 town hall meeting voted to approve the purchase because their current facility on 91st Street was quickly falling into disrepair. A 2003 tax levy increase accrued the $2 million currently in the bank earmarked for a new administration building. In 2007, the township bought 4 acres on 103rd Street. During this time, Highway Commissioner Dayton Jarnagin was adamant (that) the Highway Department needed a separate facility from the administration and raised the monies needed through a separate highway tax levy increase. The new highway facility was finished in 2008 on 2 of the 4 103rd Street acres at a cost of $3 million, according to the township website. In 2009, newly elected Morse moved forward by hiring an architect to draw up plans for a township administrative building on the (still) available 2 acres of land. But all construction plans came to a halt during a combative April 2011 town hall meeting, where residents were upset about spending $2 million on a new facility. A vote of no further action was taken toward construction until a newly formed building committee was able to explore other options. 10 At a special August 2011 town hall meeting, the building committee presented five options, including the purchase of an existing building, the leasing of office space, renovation of the existing pole warehouse building at a cost of $703,000, construction of new 3,800-square-foot facility at the estimated cost of $1.1 million or construction of a 7,300-square-foot building at an estimated cost of $2 million.

11 Instead, electors voted for no action on construction of a new building. The administration would stay in the current facility, with the $703,000 renovation costs paid in part by selling the remaining 2-acre parcel on 103rd Street, purchased initially for $250,000. The electors in August 2011 voted to sell the land on 103rd Street and Route that motion is still intact, Crockett said. I make a motion to consider no action on the superintendent s report until the new board is sworn in. But, in August 2012, Will County closed the 91st Street facility until 27 code violations were corrected. Morse addressed the consequences during his report and reminded residents they are the ones who make the decisions at the annual meetings. Just to fix the code violations would have cost $28,000, which wouldn t have addressed other problems with the facility, he said. The entire board voted to move out of the pole building when it was condemned by the county. The furniture has since been removed, and the building has been gutted. Due to the sudden need to move, the board voted unanimously to rent two smaller offices one for administration and one for assessor -- in a strip mall on Route for $54,000 a year. Crockett said he made the motion to postpone discussion of the township office situation because he didn t want the lame duck board that s been voted out to control the meeting. This is your [residents ] meeting, and you have control over what is voted on or not, Morse said. What Crockett didn t realize is the electors had to agree on just taking a vote to sell the building, so his motion didn t make any sense. Wheatland Township resident Brian Blazina said the township had better rectify the situation soon. We are paying for five properties, which is not cost-effective, Blazina said. We probably pay property taxes on two buildings and a separate 2-acre parcel of land, plus now we are renting two separate offices. It s crazy. Many residents at the April 16 meeting supported moving the administrative offices into the new highway building. 11

12 There is plenty of room, resident Scott Bishop said. Take a bay out to add offices, and it even has a conference room. And everything is together. Having three different departments in three separate offices is not effective or efficient, Blazina said. In the end, residents voted to take no action, form another building committee and present the results at a special town hall meeting. Despite the additional work involved, Kern believed it was the right outcome. This leaves the new board with options and the ability to bring back updated information to the electors at another special meeting, he said. We re going to form a committee to look further into it, since our situation has changed. Park District Gets $400,000 Grant for Nature Center, Park Improvements The Naperville Park District has received a $400,000 grant from the State of Illinois Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development fund to be used for developing the district s first staffed nature center and for making other improvements at Knoch Knolls Park on Knoch Knolls Road (old 95 th Street). The nature center will be located overlooking the existing pond and the west branch of the DuPage River. The primary theme of its exhibits will be Celebrating Water. In addition, the grant will help fund park improvements such as an expanded disk golf course (from 9 to 18 holes), an improved canoe launch, additional multi-use trails, a nature-themed playground, an improved (permeable paved) parking lot, and restored river shorelines and prairie habitat. Most of the engineering and design work has been completed, so site development should start this summer. The nature center is scheduled to open in September th Street Bridge Extension Project Begins Unfortunately, one of the biggest boondoggles in Wheatland area history construction of the 95 th Street Bridge extension over the DuPage River (which was conceived more than two decades ago and opposed by the NWTHA Board from Day One was scheduled to begin the week of May A description of the project can be viewed at the Naperville Park District s website. It reads as follows:

13 This project will extend 95th Street over the DuPage River and complete a more efficient, direct connection between Naperville-Plainfield and Boughton Roads. Contractors will be relocating utilities over the next few months around 95th Street and Plainfield-Naperville Road in Naperville and Boughton and Kings Roads in Bolingbrook. Residents in subdivisions located near Knoch Knolls Road and 95th Street can also expect to see trucks hauling soil from the dead end of 95th Street out to Naperville-Plainfield Road as part of the preparation to build the new road and bridge. The project, which is led by the Will County Department of Highways with support from the City of Naperville and the Village of Bolingbrook, includes the extension of 95th Street over the DuPage River, improvements to the afore mentioned existing intersections (at the limits of the extension), pedestrian and bicycle accommodations and the installation of noise walls at certain locations. The City of Naperville is also working with Will County to install a new traffic signal at Knoch Knolls Road and 95th Street in coordination with the project. Major work will be split into two construction stages. The first stage includes the construction of the new roadway from Boughton Road to Knoch Knolls Road, including the (2-span, 303-foot) bridge. The second stage will complete improvements through the Naperville-Plainfield Road intersection and is scheduled to begin in early Both stages are expected to be completed by late A map of the project area is available at The roadway will have two lanes in each direction which will be separated by a grass median. A 5-foot-wide sidewalk will be constructed on the northeast side of the roadway and a 10-foot-wide 2-way bicycle path will be constructed on the southwest side of the roadway. Also, the existing intersection of 95th Street and Naperville-Plainfield Road will be widened to include dual left turn lanes on the north, south and west approaches and dedicated right turn lanes on the north and east approaches. The extension of 95th Street and creation of the bridge will provide many benefits not only to the City of Naperville but also to surrounding Bolingbrook and Will County. The project provides an additional east-west route to alleviate congestion and improve traffic flow while enhancing safety at the affected intersections. 13

14 Currently motorists traveling east-west along Boughton Road and 95th Street have to utilize Naperville-Plainfield Road to cross the DuPage River. As a result, N-P Road operates as both a north-south and east-west arterial route. Instead, the roadway extension will reduce the driving distance between 95th Street and per- Naperville-Plainfield Road and Boughton and Kings Roads by approximately 1.1 miles. Further, at projected future traffic levels, this will save the public an accumulated 15,400 travel miles per day, or 5.6 million miles per year. This description is pretty much the party line similar to one related to selling the Brooklyn Bridge. However, the NWTHA Board and many others have viewed the project and its $33 million-plus price-tag as a waste of money that primarily benefits Bolingbrook residents who drive their vehicles westward. What we south-naperville residents have to look forward to is increased traffic along 95 th Street between Naperville-Plainfield Road and Route 59 which already is home to shopping areas at the intersections with Book Road and Route 59, a large number of single-family homes (to the north), accesses to the huge Frontier Sports Complex, the Fry Family YMCA branch, business/medical buildings, at least two banks, Neuqua Valley High School, and the south- Naperville branch of the Naperville Public Library (did we forget anything??) The extension also will increase traffic eastward, especially for those heading toward the Stevenson Expressway (I-55), which will clog Boughton even more than it currently is clogged. We suspect that most people will return to using 111 th Street or 117 th to reach that destination, after trying the so-called timesaving route dreamed up by our friends in Bolingbrook and Joliet. Other factors being ignored are the archeological sites (Native Americans and pioneer settlers/farmers) that have been documented in the construction area. Sadly, the last laugh is on us, because the train has left the station, with only one destination in sight. Considering today s economy and many proposed/actual reductions in public services (within the Will County Sheriff s Department and other county/municipal offices), it s surprising that there is so much money available to waste on such projects. Did we say surprising? Not really. Naperville Planners OK 88-Acre Single-Family Development 14 The Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended

15 plans for an 88-acre residential development with 238 single-family homes (Ashwood Pointe), which is proposed to be located just west of 248th Avenue and south of Wolf's Crossing Road in Wheatland Township and School District 204 (possibly in the Peterson Elementary School attendance area). Home sizes within the proposed development would range from 2,000 to about 3,600 square feet. Also, preliminary landscaping plans call for a bike path along 248th Avenue, parkway trees, and a 30-foot-wide buffer consisting of a wood fence, berms and extensive landscaping along 248th Avenue. A Pulte Home Corporation development, it will next be considered by the Naperville City Council. Naperville Garden Walk The Naperville Garden Club s annual Garden Walk will take place on Saturday, 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year, the walk will include seven gardens in Naperville and Aurora. Tickets are $10.00 in advance (thru 7) or $12.00 at any of the gardens. The advance tickets may be purchased at: The Growing Place Nursery s two locations, 25W471 Plank Road, Naperville, and 2000 Montgomery Road, Aurora. Buikema's Ace Hardware s two locations in Naperville 963 W. 75 th Street and 1030 N. Washington Street. For more info, call A Few More Options for Family Outings Farmer s Market, 7 a.m. to noon, Saturdays, starting 1, thru October 26 in the parking lot at Fifth Avenue Station, 200 E. Fifth Ave., Naperville. For more info: or Farmer s Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturdays, starting 1, thru September 28 at SW corner of Route 59 and Lockport St., Plainfield. For info: We highly recommend taking your family to the annual Will County Threshermen s Show July at the Round Barn Farm Park on Route 52 in Manhattan. In addition to seeing steam-powered and other historical agricultural equipment in action, there will be antique cars, trucks & gas engines, a flea market, petting zoo, farm playground, kids games and a magic show, and, of course, lots of food. The park includes an oak grove with plenty of shade, ball fields, and play equipment for the kids. For more info and a full schedule of events, go to 15

16 On 8 and 9, join the Forest Preserve District of Will County is celebrating its 30th annual "Island Rendezvous" at Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville. From 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. both days, experience life in the 18th Century with French voyageurs, Native Americans, colonists, and soldiers from this period of American history. Three hundred years ago, French voyageurs canoed past this very island on the Des Plaines River to trade for furs with Native Americans. Rendezvous was a time for voyageurs to celebrate the end of the trading season. There will be live music, storytelling, and falconry demonstrations, as well as crafts/games for kids, and a fur-trade scavenger hunt. Also, vendors, entertainers, and re-enactors will be on hand to immerse visitors in the lifestyles of the French and Native Americans who lived here 300 years ago. Guests can cheer on their favorite re-enactors as they compete with tomahawk, musket, flint, and even flying frying pans! This is a free program with free parking and shuttle service. For driving directions to Isle a la Cache, visit For more information, call the Isle a la Cache Museum at Next Brush Pick-ups According to the Wheatland Township Highway Department, the next brush pick- up is scheduled for the week of Thereafter, there will be pickups during the weeks of September 9-13 and October Remember that all branches and other brush must be out by the "curb" before 7 a.m. on the first day of each designated week. (But it will continue to be picked up into the following week, if necessary.) Place the brush as neatly as possible cut ends toward the street and parallel toward each other. [NOTE: Do NOT cut branches into short pieces; long branches work best. Also, there should be no evergreens (because the sap or resin gums up the cutting equipment) and no trimmings, small twigs/snippings, clippings, roots (they can hide stones), bags nor cans filled with grass clippings/leaves, and no tied bundles.] 16 The brush is turned into wood chips, which are available free of charge to township residents for mulching or other purposes. To place an order (by the truck load only), call from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

17 Easter Egg Hunt Although the weather was very chilly and windy, about 40 children and the Easter Bunny braved the cold and had a good time at the 39 th annual NWTHA Easter Egg Hunt on March 16. In fact, because there were fewer kids than in most past years, those who were there returned home with more loot (candy) than usual. As a result, the smiles on their faces were even bigger. NWTHA President Ken Hagenbaumer, who scattered the eggs at Knoch Knolls Park with the help of NWTHA Board member Bob Segal, said that many thank yous were earned by the volunteers who stepped up so that our kids would have a good time, rain or shine (cold, windy or cloudy). Those who volunteered to stuff the eggs prior to the hunt included Peg & Dave Blankschein and their family, Bonnie Lindbloom, NWTHA Board members Barb Angelos and Linda Woodring, as well as Linda s husband, Jim Woodring, and Owen Wavrinek. Also, thanks go to Scott and Donna Bishop, who helped find our Easter Bunny (last year s Bunny was still hibernating) and the bunny s costume. And special thanks go to this year s Easter Bunny, Camden Collins, who did a great job greeting and posing for photos with the kids. Speaking of photos, be sure to check out Owen Wavrinek s egg-hunt photos, like the one below, which he uploaded to our NWTHA website at Those photos are located in the Gallery (link is at top of home page). Also, you can find the photos on the NWTHA s Facebook page. Bucket- and basket-carrying NWTHA egg hunters had no trouble locating the many eggs. 17

18 Someone New in Your Neighborhood or Moving Let Us Know!! New Welcoming Committee Chairman Steve Collins would like your help. He s trying to keep track of who is moving in/out of our association membership area so that we can provide the new neighbors with info about becoming a member. Due to the economy and the usual reasons for moving, there are more homes up for sale than usual. As a result, Steve would like you to let him know when you see a new FOR SALE sign on your street or in your subdivision or when you notice someone moving in or out. So, please do call him at (home) or (cell) or him at srcollins@onebox.com Newsletter Advertising Advertising in our newsletter s inside pages on an issue-by-issue basis (with copy changes allowed in each issue) costs $60 for a full-page display ad; $30 for a ½-page ad; and $15 for a ¼-page ad all for one-time placements. For all of the remaining three issues in, multiply these rates by three $180, $90, and $45, respectively (there s no discount because the rates already are so low a real bargain). Or, you can place a classified ad in the newsletter for the low rate of only $1.00 for the first 10 words, plus 5 cents for each word thereafter (no charge for your phone number). The next step in placing a newsletter ad is to call Newsletter Editor Owen Wavrinek at or him at owen3814@comcast.net You won t find a less expensive way to promote your business, home service, or special event. NWTHA Website Sponsorship Another Inexpensive Option 18 Another great option is to sponsor our NWTHA website: There are two website ad sizes (both link to your website): 250 pixels (wide) by 108 pixels (high) or 218 pixels (wide) by 336 pixels (high). We much prefer that you size your ad to these dimensions -- remembering that it is not really meant to be an ad, but rather a link to your website. The annual ad rate for the horizontal 250 pixels x 108 pixels ad is $100/year, which includes a direct link to your website. The annual rate for the larger, vertical ad (218 pixels x 336 pixels) is $150/year, which also includes a link to your website. Visit our website and take a look at the links to our current sponsors websites.