BATAVIA

Batavia looks at $576,000 in cuts as Sam’s Club closes

The City of Batavia hopes to realize around $576,000 in budget savings to compensate for the loss of tax revenue following last week’s closing of Sam’s Club store on Randall Road.

The city announced a series of proposed actions on its web site last week to help cut into an estimated $800,000-$1 million in projected revenue losses.

The Batavia closure is among seven announced earlier this month by parent company WalMart. Stores in Matteson, Moline, Naperville, Romeoville, Streamwood and Wheeling were also shuttered.  A Sam’s Club in Montgomery remains among 12 stores remaining open.

Proposed Batavia cuts include:

• Dropping an employee tuition-reimbursement program, which had been cut during the 2008 recession and resumed Jan. 1.
• Banning out-of-state travel for employees.
• Paying for police Tasers over five years, rather than one year.
• Delaying $25,000 worth of fire department equipment purchases.
• Having a pancake breakfast instead of the planned dinner to honor employees.
• Putting off buying furniture for the police records office.
• Eliminating an $8,000 increase for professional services for economic development.
• Not hiring a summer intern for the community development department.
• Delaying the purchase of a police administrative vehicle.
• Eliminating the purchase of anti-vandalism cameras that were to keep an eye on the Wilson Street bridge.
• Canceling the police subscription to the Lexipol management software sooner than planned.

NORTH AURORA

Elgin woman killed in icy accident

An Elgin woman was killed on the morning of Monday, Jan. 22 after she was involved in a multi-vehicle accident near Route 31 and Oak Street in North Aurora.

According to Kane County Sheriff’s Lt. Patrick Gengler, the crash occurred around 7 a.m., and appears to have been a result of icy road conditions.

Deputies said the initial investigation revealed that Monica Cruz, 41, of Elgin, was driving her Mercury SUV on Route 31, just north of Oak Street in unincorporated Batavia Township when she apparently lost control on the icy roadway and crossed the center line.

Cruz’s vehicle entered the southbound traffic lane and was struck by a southbound PACE bus that had been traveling on Route 31, Gengler said

Following the impact, the Pace bus pushed Cruz’s SUV back into the northbound lanes of traffic where she struck a northbound Honda Civic driven by Mark Williams, 50, of Oswego.

After striking the Honda, the SUV was struck by a GMC van, driven by Raul Gomez-Cabanas, 62, of Aurora, that was traveling north on Route 31, according to Gengler.  Williams and Gomez-Cabanas were uninjured.

The driver of the PACE bus, Joeann Lawson, 52, of Aurora, and one passenger were transported to an area hospital with minor injuries.  The other passenger on the bus was uninjured.

Cruz was pronounced dead on the scene.

According to the sheriff’s department, icy road conditions Monday morning appear to have played a role in the fatal crash.  The incident remains under investigation and no citations have been issued.

Route 31 was closed between North Aurora and Batavia until 11 a.m., while the crash was being investigated.

ELGIN

Man and two dogs die in trailer blaze

An Elgin man and his two dogs died early last week after fire engulfed a one-story, single family trailer home on Sadler Avenue.

According to lgin Fire Department Chief David A. Schmidt, firefighters responded at 6:41 p.m on Sunday Jan. 21, to the 400 block of Sadler Avenue in the Old Oaks Estates Mobile Home Park for a report of a house fire in a single-family residence.

Responding fire companies found the one-story, single-family trailer home with heavy fire underneath and inside the trailer. Initial reports indicated that two people were living in the residence, but it was unknown if they were home at the time.

The first engine company arrived about 1 minute, 17 seconds after the alarm dispatch and immediately began suppression efforts.

A primary search of the residence found one adult male victim inside. The victim was removed from the residence, quickly treated and transported to Provena St. Joseph’s Hospital.

The victim succumbed to his injuries from the fire and was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at the hospital, officials said.

The fire caused extensive damage to the residence and also claimed the life of two dogs.

Fire Investigators were called to the scene as the cause of the fire is being investigated and no determination has been made.

The estimated fire loss to the structure is $30,000, with additional losses to the occupant’s personal property. The home was red-tagged as uninhabitable.

FOX VALLEY PARKS

District opens reservations for shelters Feb. 1

The Fox Valley Park District will begin accepting picnic shelter reservations on Thursday, Feb. 1, on a first-come, first-reserved basis. 

The Park District features 13 picnic shelters throughout its park system in Aurora, North Aurora and Montgomery. Reservations for groups of 25 or more are available from May 1 to Oct. 21.

Reservation fees are $60 for residents and $90 for non-residents, with a $100 refundable security fee required as well. Reservations include exclusive use of the shelter, pavilion and grill areas during the reserved time. However, as public parks, adjacent open space and playground areas remain available to others during reserved times.

Capacity ranges from 30 to 150 people at all of the shelters except Cool Acres, which can accommodate groups as large as 200. Cool Acres – located on the Fox River along Route 25 and Sullivan Road – is the only shelter area that allows consumption of alcohol. Additional fees and permits are required. 

The newly renovated Jericho Lake Park is available once again and features an array of improvements. Also, for the first time, shelter reservations are available at Red Oak Nature Center (weekends only).

Austin Park, Copley I Park and North Aurora Island Park are not available for shelter reservations during the 2018 season due to restroom renovations.

Reservations are taken in-person at the Cole Center (101 W. Illinois Ave.), Prisco Center (150 W. Illinois Ave.) and Eola Center (555 S. Eola Rd.) during weekday hours. An illustrated picnic shelter guidebook is available online and at each facility, providing an overview and photos from each reservable park site.

AURORA

Women about Women art exhibit to open

The Aurora Public Art Commission will host the Opening Reception of NEVERTHELESS: Women Depicting Women during First Fridays on Friday  from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Aurora Public Art Commission’s Third Floor Gallery, 20 E. Downer Place.

NEVERTHELESS: Women Depicting Women is an invitational exhibit of paintings, photographs, and installation by ten female artists: Sarah Baranski, Esther Espino, Lisa Green, Cynthia Hellyer-Heinz, Camille Iemmolo, Leah Mitchell, Ruti Modlin, Michele Norman, Angela Wilson and Zuri Washington.

Visitors can view the exhibit for free during the opening reception and every Wednesday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. from February 2 through March 11, 2018. 

During the exhibit’s run, two additional events will be open to the community. 

On Friday, March 2, the gallery will be open from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for First Fridays; and at 8 p.m., the Ready Freddies, an all-woman, Chicago-based Queen tribute band, will perform in the gallery.  A $5 donation is requested to attend the performance. On closing day, Sunday, March 11, a free panel discussion about women in the arts will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the gallery. 

For more information, visit www.aurora-il.org/329/Public-Art-Commission, www.facebook.com/aurorapublicart/, or call (630) 256-3340.

ST. CHARLES

Youth group funding applications available

The City of St. Charles Youth Commission is now  continually accepts applications for funding opportunities throughout the year for youth-designed and youth-driven projects directed toward the promotion of healthy lifestyles among young people in the community.

Funding application forms are available at most school locations, the City of St. Charles Municipal Building, and on the city website.

Questions should be directed to Sara Cass at the Police Department at 630-443-3777 or scass@stcharlesil.gov.

SUGAR GROVE

WCC open house offers travel opportunities

Waubonsee Community College offers many local, national and international travel opportunities through its Community Education Department.

On Feb. 9, the college will host an open house with information on travel options and the travel companies that Waubonsee partners with.

In addition to the information about the scheduled trips, Kate Silver will be there presenting “Travel Smart” to answer questions about avoiding travel scams and exploring a city like a local. Silver is the author of Frommer’s Easy Guide to Chicago and an award-winning freelance writer who specializes in features on travel, food and health.

The open house runs from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Academic and Professional Center on the Sugar Grove Campus, Route 47 at Waubonsee Drive.

“Travel Smart” will begin at 10:30 a.m. Both events are free and open to the public. Please RSVP by email to communityed@waubonsee.edu or by calling (630) 466-2360. Visit www.waubonsee.edu/trips for more information about coming trips.

ELGIN

Councilman keynotes Black History Month event

Elgin Community College’s celebration of Black History Month begins with a keynote address by Elgin Councilman Corey Dixon at the Kickoff Breakfast on Friday, Feb. 2.

The event will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. in the Building E Dining Room at the college, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.

In addition to his role as Elgin City Councilman, Dixon is a facilitator for Elgin-area School District U-46’s Parent Leadership Institute and is the board chair-elect of the Greater Elgin Family Care Center. Dixon has also volunteered extensively for various projects and roles in the community. 

The breakfast will be led by Black Student Achievers (BSA), a student organization at ECC, and centered on the theme: “Never give in. Never give up. Always keep on going!”

Seating is limited and tickets for the breakfast can be purchased for $5 for students and $12 for community members at tickets.elgin.edu.

ST. CHARLES

AARP offers free tax filing assistance

Free income tax return preparation and electronic filing, for individual Federal and State of Illinois returns, will be available this year at the St. Charles Public Library through the AARP Tax-Aid Program.

One-hour appointments are available at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon Fridays from Feb. 9 through April 13.

Returns are prepared on site and filed electronically. Attendees do not need to be a member of AARP or a retiree to use this free service.

AARP Tax-Aide is the nation’s largest free, volunteer-run tax assistance and preparation service available to taxpayers. Over 33,000 AARP Tax-Aide volunteers, trained in cooperation with the Internal Revenue Service , now help more than 2 million taxpayers file their federal, state, and local tax returns each year at nearly 7,000 AARP Tax-Aide sites nationwide.

To schedule an appointment, sign up in person at the Reference Desk or by calling (630) 584-0076, Ext. 1. The St. Charles Public Library is located at One South Sixth Ave. in St. Charles. For more information, visit https://www.scpld.org/.

–Kane County News Briefs–