St. Charles took home top honors in the recent America in Bloom National Awards Program, winning the Circle of Champions award for its population category, 25,000-75,000.

GLEN ELLYN

COD president leaving to head U.S. Naval college

College of DuPage president Dr. Ann Rondeau is leaving by year’s end to become president of the Naval Postgraduate School in California.

Rondeau, the sixth president of the College of DuPage, took over in 2016 after a series of controversies involving her predecessor, Robert Breuder, and placement of the school on probation by an accreditation agency.

Rondeau, who retired from the Navy as a three-star admiral in 2012, will assume her new role in late January 2019. She is a past president of the National Defense University, a consortium of five colleges and nine research centers in Washington, D.C.

“We congratulate College of DuPage President Dr. Ann E. Rondeau on accepting an official request from the Secretary of the Navy to serve as president of the Naval Postgraduate School,”  College of DuPage said in a statement.

The Board of Trustees is working on a succession plan. An interim president will be discussed during the Oct. 18 Board of Trustees meeting and would begin work on Jan. 1, 2019.

REGION

Mattress Firm to shut several area stores

Mattress Firm, a Houston-based bedding company, plans to close 29 stores in Illinois as part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing earlier this month.

Area shutdowns planned by month’s end include outlets in Aurora, Geneva, South Elgin and Oswego.

Mattress Firm, reported to be the nation’s largest bed story,  currently has 211 locations in Illinois. The company, which has around 3,300 stores,  said it planned to close 209 outlets nationwide.

ST. CHARLES

City earns top honors for America in Bloom

St. Charles took home top honors in the America in Bloom National Awards Program, winning the Circle of Champions award for its population category, 25,000-75,000. The competition was all other former champion cities that, like St. Charles, had previously won in this population category. 

The award was presented at the annual America in Bloom National Conference in Lexington, Kentucky Sept. 27-28. Next year, St. Charles will be the host city for the Symposium and Awards Program.

Two America in Bloom judges visited St. Charles July 16 and 17, and toured floral displays, landscaped areas and environmental project sites. The judges also reviewed St. Charles’ heritage preservation and urban forestry efforts, in addition to noting community involvement and overall community impression. St. Charles received 9 starts out of 10 in the judges’ final evaluation.

“The judges were extremely impressed with the level of community participation and the collaborative effort of several of our community groups,” said Diane Cullen, America in Bloom – St. Charles Committee Co-Chair. “We look forward to 2019 when representatives from participating cities will come to St. Charles for the Symposium and Awards Program. It offers another chance to showcase our beautiful city to the entire America in Bloom community.”          

AURORA

Local leaf collection available through Dec. 7.

Fall is soon to arrive and Aurora residents will be able to dispose of their leaves for free as part of the City of Aurora’s Annual Leaf Collection Program.

The free Fall Leaf Collection Program runs through Dec. 7. 

Leaves must be put into a 30-gallon Kraft paper yard waste bag and placed at the curb on the regular garbage pickup day by 6:00 a.m. No waste sticker is needed.

Yard waste collection will also take place through Dec. 7 as well. On the regular garbage pickup day, yard waste must be placed in a 30-gallon Kraft paper yard waste bag not to exceed 50 pounds. Each bag must have a waste sticker attached. The stickers used for yard waste are the same as the stickers used for excess garbage. Yard waste mixed with trash or yard waste in a trash can or plastic bag will not be collected.

Residents are also being reminded that brush must be bundled for collection. Unlimited bundled brush collection is in process and will end on Friday, Nov. 2. Branches and limbs 1/2 inch to 4 inches in diameter and 2 feet to 4 feet in length must be bundled. Each bundle must weigh less than 50 pounds. Bundled brush does not need a waste sticker. Brush less than 1/2 inch in diameter is considered yard waste and must be packaged as previously described.

GENEVA

AT&T replacing old cable, phone equipment

AT&T has announced plans to replace outdated cable television, Internet and phone service equipment located in utility easements throughout Geneva, starting on the City’s west side.

Construction is scheduled to take place through Dec. 7, weather permitting, primarily along Peck Road from Keslinger to Bricher roads. Work will include boring through the easements, which are typically a strip of land running along the street, sidewalk, rear lot line or between two lots. New conduit will then be installed underground.

BATAVIA

Food scrap collection now being offered

Batavia residents are encouraged to take part in the new food scrap collection service offered by Advanced Disposal

Wasted food is contributing to climate change.  In 2015 the EPA and USDA announced the goal to reduce food loss and waste by 50% by the year 2030. 

Batavia is doing its part by offering our new Food Scrap Collection.

• 21% of what goes into landfills is wasted food – it’s the single highest component of landfills.
• Food breaking down in landfills produces methane.  Landfills are the 3^rd highest source of man-made methane released in the atmosphere in the U.S.
• Methane is over 25 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. By composting these food scraps properly it does not produce methane.

AURORA

Police: don’t run vehicle unattended

With the recent drop in temperatures, Aurora Police are warning residents not to use it as an excuse to warm up your car unattended — because that practice can be costly.

“We know it’s inviting to make sure a car is warm before leaving home or work, but please don’t leave the vehicle running unattended,” said Dan Ferrelli of the Aurora Police Department..”

Vehicles left running unattended present a prime opportunity for thieves as they can be stolen in a matter of seconds.

Between October 2017 and April 2018, the APD took reports for almost 30 vehicles that were stolen while they were running. Even with the doors locked, a window can easily be broken giving a thief access to the vehicle.

Frequently, stolen cars and trucks are used in the commission of other crimes including drive-by shootings or hit-and-run crashes.

Many insurance companies will not cover losses due to this type of negligence. You likewise run the risk of a citation if you leave your motor vehicle running unattended on public property.

ELGIN

Municipal election information available

Petitions for candidacy for the 2019 Elgin municipal election are available in the City Clerk’s Office located in City Hall, Room 202, 150 Dexter Court.

The Elgin City Council will have the position of mayor, four council seats for a four-year term and one council  seat for a two-year term open in the 2019 election.

Petitions for nomination must be filed with the City Clerk’s Office no sooner than 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 19, and no later than 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. The placement of names on the ballot will be in the order of filing.

The City Clerk’s Office will not accept any petition for filing after 5 p.m. on the last day of the filing period. This applies to anyone waiting in line as of the 5 p.m. deadline who has not yet filed petitions.

–Kane County News Briefs–