The McKee House in Churchill Woods has been added to the nonprofit group Landmarks Illinois’ list of the most endangered historic places in Illinois. The village of Glen Ellyn has pledgedto preserve the 80-year-old structure.

NAPERVILLE

NCC, Foster host climate change forum

North Central College and U.S. Rep. Bill Foster will host an open forum on the topic of climate change May 6 at the College’s Science Center, 131 S. Loomis Street in Naperville.

Tom Skilling, chief meteorologist at WGN, will be a featured speaker.

The College’s sustainable goals and practices range from reducing electric and natural gas energy to reducing water and paper use on campus. The College’s new Science Center has been constructed to feature sustainable, energy-efficient technology. A new interdisciplinary environmental studies major will be offered in the fall.

Other forum speakers include Paul Bloom, associate professor of physics at North Central College; Mary Gade, president of Gade Environmental Group, LLC; and Doug Sisterson, research meteorologist at Argonne National Laboratory.

The forum is free and open to the public but a ticket is required.

Tickets are available at the North Central College Box Office, 171 East Chicago Ave, or by phone, 630-637-7469. Office hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are also available online at northcentral.vbotickets.com/event/Climate_Change_Forum/19741. Student tickets will be held at the box office (must present a North Central College student ID).

The forum will take place in Ratio Hall of North Central’s Science Center at 9:30 a.m.

GLEN ELLYN

Wildlife Haven seeks donations for spring babies

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn is seeking donations of supplies, food and gift cards to accommodate the influx of wildlife babies it cares for during the spring breeding season.

A complete list of needed items is available on the District’s website. Items can also be donated through the center’s Amazon Wish List. Donations are tax deductible. The Friends of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County also has a number of ways to donate to Willowbrook, including donating for new raptor housing, adopting an animal, sharing the care, buying a commemorative brick.

Willowbrook Wildlife Center is the only publicly funded wildlife rehabilitation facility in DuPage County and one of the few in northeastern Illinois equipped to treat native and migratory birds. The center treats more than 9,000 birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians every year.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County has been connecting people to nature for more than 100 years. More than 4 million people visit its 60 forest preserves, 145 miles of trails, five education centers and scores of programs each year.

For information, call (630) 933-7200 or visit dupageforest.org.

COUNTY

New fishing limits at preserve lakes

Fishing creel limits on all Forest Preserve District of DuPage County lakes and ponds have been changed to better match Illinois Department of Natural Resources regulations.

The change is intended to simplify regulations for anglers and to support healthy fish populations.

The creel limit changes for DuPage forest preserve lakes and ponds are below. (Species not listed are not changing.)

• Largemouth bass: 4 per day, 3 under 14 inches & 1 18 inches or longer
• Bluegill or redear sunfish: 25 per day, no minimum length limit
• Walleye: 3 per day, minimum 16 inches
• Crappie: 15 fish per day, no length limit
• Yellow perch: 5 per day, minimum 9 inches
• Smallmouth bass: Catch and release only

For more information on creel limits, visit www.dupageforest.org

STATE

Bill would give senior citizens more property tax relief

A bill that would provide property tax relief to seniors, veterans and disabled persons has sailed through the Illinois House of Representatives with wide, bipartisan support, by a 108-1 vote. The legislation was co-sponsored by State Rep. David S. Olsen (R-Downers Grove).

HB 156 would amend the Property Tax Code to provide property tax relief in a variety of ways, including:

• Creating an assessment freeze homestead exemption for persons receiving federal Supplemental Security Income benefits and who have a maximum income limitation of $55,000,
• Increasing the maximum amount of the senior citizens’ homestead exemption to $6,000 from $5,000 and
• Increasing the general homestead exemption to $8,000 in all counties. Currently the amount is $7,000 in Cook County and $6,000 in all other counties.

COUNTY

Construction underway on communications center

Ground has been broken for the construction of a new communications center that will provide 9-1-1 emergency communications to police, fire and emergency medical services in DuPage County.

Citing a commitment to public safety and efficient government service, officials from the DuPage County Board, DuPage Emergency Telephone System Board and DuPage Public Safety Communications (DU-COMM) hosted the groundbreaking ceremony. The center will occupy more than 30,000 square feet of new construction and renovated space at the former DuPage Youth Home on the County campus in Wheaton. Through county-wide consolidation efforts, DU-COMM has increased its membership to 44 agencies, outgrowing its current facility.

Construction of the $15.8 million facility is expected to be complete by fall 2018.

Students vie for top designs of sustainable buildings

Students from several DuPage County high schools displayed their green building projects to the public at the 11th annual Sustainable Design Challenge on April 4, at DuPage County’s Administration Building in Wheaton.

Sponsored by DuPage County Stormwater Management, SCARCE coordinates the event each year to encourage local schools to explore sustainable building and landscaping topics. Participating high schools included Wheaton Warrenville South, York Community (Elmhurst), Glenbard East (Lombard), Lake Park (Roselle) and Hinsdale South (Darien).

Nearly 30 student groups presented models of their designs to a panel of judges, as well as the public, DuPage County Board members, local professionals and county and municipal staff. Students explained the design elements that made their building sustainable, including renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines, water conservation elements using native plant landscaping and rain barrels and green infrastructure for stormwater management. The county board will award the top designs at its May 9 meeting.

DOWNERS GROVE

Grant will pay for new fire department equipment

The Downers Grove Fire Department will be able to replace the hydraulic rescue tools it uses to remove vehicle crash victims and perform functions in specialized rescue situations, thanks to a $10,000 grant.

The grant was awarded by ComEd’s Powering Safe Communities program and is being administered by the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, a regional council of 275 governments that fosters collaboration to improve the quality of life for communities in the region.

HINSDALE

Walk to raise fun ds for autism program

The Five Seasons Family Sports Club is supporting The Community House’s upcoming Walk the Walk for Autism. Starting at 8:30 a.m. April 23, a contingent of 10 staff members from the Burr Ridge club will be among dozens of teams participating in the walk. It’s all in support of Charlie’s Gift Center for Autism and Related Disorders, a program at The Community House, 415 W. Eighth St., Hinsdale.

Rain or shine, teams of walkers will leave from The Community House and cover a three-mile course through neighborhoods.

Last year, Walk the Walk raised $92,000. This year’s goal is to raise more than $100,000. The event has raised more than $500,000 in its nine-year history. Call (630) 810-1200 or go to thecommunityhouse.org for more information.

GLEN ELLYN

Village pledges to lease, improve historic building

Glen Ellyn has committed to lease the historic McKee House, in an effort to preserve the 80-year-old structure. The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County owns the limestone building on the Glen Ellyn-Lombard border in Churchill Woods.

Forest Preserve District staff members have recommended the vacant building be razed because of the high cost to repair it. Glen Ellyn village officials have expressed an interest in leasing the property and the nearby maintenance building. The nonprofit group Landmarks Illinois recently added the McKee House to its 2017 list of the most endangered historic places in Illinois.

According to the proposed agreement, the village would start leasing the McKee House on April 1, 2019, for a 50-year term. The lease for the maintenance building would start when the district vacates the building. The village would pay the district $1 per year for leasing the buildings and would be responsible for all restoration, maintenance repairs and improvements. The village would sublease the buildings for public functions. if the funds are not raised and the house is not occupied by April 1, 2022, the building would be demolished and the property restored to its natural state at the village’s expense.