The Oswego Library District is looking forward to having the addition to the downtown Oswego Library completed soon and to invite the public to a grand reopening.

Kendall County

Orchard, Galena roads intersection slated for improvement

The Kendall County Board has approved an engineering agreement for construction work at the intersection of Orchard and Galena roads between Montgomery and Oswego. The project calls for eastbound left-turn lanes, a westbound lane reconfiguration and traffic signals improvements, according to reports.  Officials say the intersection is one of the busiest in the county, according to reports.  Estimated costs for the entire project are at least $250,000 to $300,000, according to reports.

Kendall County

County puts funding for CASA on hold

The Kendall Court Appointed Special Advocates group will likely not see any extra funding this year from Kendall County. The County Board’s Finance Committee recently reported that the committee is not on board for giving CASA the $40,000 it has requested for its current budget year. The request is more than the nonprofit organization had reportedly requested last year.  The state budget crisis is part of the reason cited by the committee, but the organization’s financial struggles also are a factor, according to reports. CASA provides representatives for children who for one reason or another have to go through the court system. The county itself is running low on contingency funds this year and county officials have hinted at a looming budget deficit, according to reports.  CASA is supported entirely by donations.

Kendall County

Forest District raising fees for programs

The Kendall County Forest Preserve District is increasing fees for its educational programs after the full board unanimously voted to go ahead with the hike, according to reports. Fees will go up by $2 or $3 for each program, according to reports. The fee increases are expected to bring in more than $45,000, or close to $20,000 more than the district would have brought in under the current fee structure, according to reports. The push for the increase was to try to close a projected budget deficit in the district’s education and programming area, according to reports.

Kendall County

Mosquitoes found in Plano test positive for West Nile

The Kendall County Health Department found that a batch of mosquitoes collected in a mosquito trap located in Plano tested positive for the West Nile Virus, according to the county. Two mosquitos found in traps in Oswego also have tested positive with West Nile Virus, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The Kendall Health Department is encouraging residents to eliminate all areas of standing water, wear long sleeves and pants and use bug spray containing DEET when outside. The chance that someone could become sick from a mosquito bite is low, according to the Kendall Health Department, but the risk of severe illness and death is higher for people 50 and older. So far in 2015, the state has no reports of humans being directly affected by the virus, according to the IDPH.

Oswego

Park District to make improvements to Civic Center

The Oswegoland Park Board has approved contracts for upgrades to the Oswego Civic Center, which was built in 1968. The Park District’s improvement plans include replacing the center’s water heater and water pipes as well as remove asbestos from around the original cast iron pipes, according to reports. The lowest qualified bid accepted by the board was submitted by  a local contractor, Ross Mechanical Group, for $73,530, according to reports. The Park  District budgeted $100,000 for the improvements including the asbestos removal, according to reports.

Oswego

Library addition work nears completion

The Library Board is planning for the grand opening of the library’s downtown campus once the construction if the new $5 million addition is completed.  Members of the Library Board recently got a tour of the addition, according to reports. Board members found that entire first and second floors are still closed except for the northwest corner of the second floor, according to reports. The roof over the children’s section is considered a green structure with live low-maintenance plants, which will be visible from the east and south lots looking toward the library. It will be a garden on the roof consisting of four plant varieties, according to reports.

Yorkville

Local boy will compete on US team in world kickboxing

Residents are being encouraged to help a 9-year-old Yorkville boy participate in the World Kickboxing Association competition in Spain in November. Yorkville Intermediate School student Mason Bumba will be part of a team of United States elite martial artists. He has a  Go Fund Me page to raise enough money to cover expenses to get to Spain and to cover tournament fees and other related expenses, according to reports. Bumba earned his black belt two years ago and in 2014 he became the boys 9 and under world champion for point fighting, according to reports.

Yorkville

City Council rejects proposal on vacant property

A measure to adopt a vacant property registration program failed to earn the necessary votes by the Yorkville City Council July 14. The proposal needed five votes and the council voted 4-3 in favor, according to reports.  The Vacant Property Registration Program called for charging a fee to owners of vacant buildings for as long as the building remains vacant, and would have given the city a chance to inspect the properties, according to reports. The fee would be $250 for the annual registration, according to reports. The number of vacant properties in the city is a concern, but staffing costs, and the administration of fees that were associated with the ordinance also raised some issues for the council, according to reports.  Reports show there are more than 1,250 foreclosure filings in the city within the past five years.

—Kendall County news briefs–