Project Getting Started Along DuPage River

May 23, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: Hank Beckman
Source: Sun Times 

Area residents got a chance to hear about improvements to the West Branch of the DuPage River during a special meeting Tuesday night.

The project is the work of an intergovernmental agreement between DuPage County, the City of Warrenville, and the DuPage County Forest Preserve District, and seeks to improve flood control in the area and restore the riverbank.

“It’s a significant protection level,” project consultant Marty Michalisko said.

The cost of the project is estimated at $4 million, partially funded by a $1.37 million grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the rest coming from DuPage County.

The improvements will be to a three-mile stretch of the river, including two miles within McDowell Forest Preserve. Planned is a protective berm along the east side of the river with a multi-use path on top of it.

The berm will help to protect against flooding by creating a barrier between River Road and the river. The path will be 10 feet wide, and have three entrances from the roadway.

Read the rest of the story here.

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DuPage County Bill allowing to create stormwater utility fee passes State Senate

May 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By Ed McMenamin, MySubyrbanLife.com

A bill approved Thursday by the Illinois Senate gives DuPage and Peoria counties authority to enact stormwater utilities fees.

A possible fee would fund stormwater infrastructure improvements to mitigate flooding that has hit the area during big storms in recent years, DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin said. Currently, these improvements are paid for by property taxes.

Click here to read more

source: http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2013/05/14/bill-allowing-dupage-county-to-create-stormwater-utility-fee-passes-state-senate/ax610c6/

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Filed Under: DUPAGE COUNTY, ELMHURST NEWS, FEATURED STORIES Tagged With: , , , ,

Elmhurst teacher Joe Schram retires in style

May 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Reported by Mari Grigaliunas, MySuburbanLife.com

Dozens of IC Catholic Prep alumni lined the front walk of their alma mater, laughing and hugging while keeping an eye on Cottage Hill Drive.

After teaching at IC for 45 years, Joe Schram is retiring, and his students – old and young – wanted to greet him on his last day in style.

Click here to read more

source: http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2013/05/09/elmhurst-teacher-joe-schram-retires-in-style/aveeity/

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Filed Under: DUPAGE COUNTY, ELMHURST NEWS, FEATURED STORIES Tagged With: , , ,

Cronin Notches Win in His War on Governments

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: Greg Hinz
Source: Chicago Business

He didn’t get all he wanted, but DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin won a victory of note yesterday when the General Assembly gave final approval to his bill to make it easier to consolidate some of the county’s scores of turf-conscious agencies.

According to the measure,which passed the House 108 to 6 and now goes to Gov. Pat Quinn, 13 separate and independent governments that cover all or part of the county — fire districts, mosquito abatement districts and the like — would be abolished, with their functions taken over by others, mostly the county itself. Mr. Cronin says those 13 collectively spend about $100 million a year.

To get what he got, Mr. Cronin had to drop the county water commission and some fire districts, which will remain independent.

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How DuPage Forest Officials Discovered Scam

May 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: Robert Sanchez
Source: Daily Herald

Two former administrators charged with scamming the DuPage County Forest Preserve District out of more than $150,000 avoided suspicion for years, officials say, until their loyalty to a vendor seeking a computer contract triggered an internal investigation so secret that only three district officials knew about it.

Prompted by the findings of the forest preserve probe, law enforcement authorities conducted their own investigation for nearly 10 months before numerous counts of theft, conspiracy, accepting kickbacks, official misconduct and other charges were filed in September 2012 against Mark McDonald, 53, of Wheaton, and David Tepper, 49, of River Forest.

Prosecutors have accused McDonald, the district’s former information technology director, and Tepper, the district’s former IT manager, of running two “elaborate” schemes over a six-year period. A co-defendant, Arif Mahmood — owner of the now-shuttered Alamach Technologies Inc. — is facing charges of conspiracy, theft, accepting kickbacks and official misconduct in connection with one of the schemes.

The information forest preserve officials initially brought to the state’s attorney back in November 2011 hasn’t been made public — until now.

Saying they want to set the record straight about what they knew and when, forest preserve officials provided the Daily Herald with a copy of a once-confidential report by JRM Consulting Inc., that they say first uncovered the potential wrongdoing. It recently was determined that a court order preventing the district from releasing certain documents in the case doesn’t apply to the 30-page report.

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DuPage County Offer Opportunity for Older Residents to Remain Active

May 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Source: My Suburban Life

DuPage County is hosting a free community event on Sunday, May 19 called Age Well DuPage: Renew, Recharge, Reinvent.

The new event, co-hosted by DuPage County Senior Services and the College of DuPage Continuing Education, will stress the importance of both an active physical and mental life to adults over the age of 50.

Lucia West Jones from the Northeastern Illinois Agency on Aging will kick off the day at 1 p.m. with a speech entitled “Aging Well in DuPage.

Read more details about the program here.

 

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President Issues Disaster Declaration for DuPage County

May 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Source: Downers Grove Patch

President Barack Obama on Friday issued a Disaster Declaration for DuPage County, along with several other counties in Illinois. Residents affected by the recent flooding may now apply for assistance online at www.disasterassistance.gov, or by calling (800) 621-FEMA (3362).

Key federal disaster aid programs can be made available as needed and warranted under the disaster declaration issued for Illinois.  Assistance for affected individuals and families can include:

  • Rental payments for temporary housing for those whose homes are unlivable. Initial assistance may be provided for up to three months for homeowners and at least one month for renters. Assistance may be extended if requested after the initial period based on a review of individual applicant requirements. (FEMA funded and administered.)
  • Grants for home repairs and replacement of essential household items not covered by insurance to make damaged dwellings safe, sanitary and functional.(FEMA funded and administered.)
  • Grants to replace personal property and help meet medical, dental, funeral, transportation and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance or other federal, state and charitable aid programs. (FEMA funded at 75 percent of total eligible costs, 25 percent funded by the state.)
  • Unemployment payments up to 26 weeks for workers who temporarily lost jobs because of the disaster and who do not qualify for state benefits, such as self-employed individuals. (FEMA funded; state administered.)

Read the rest of the  story and find out how to apply for assistance here.

 

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Flood Assessors Working in DuPage Starting This Week

May 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: Darren McRoy
Source: Wheaton Patch

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and local governing bodies began assessing flood damage in DuPage County (as well as in Cook and Lake counties) this week, according to apress release from the Illinois Government News Network.

The assessments are critical to attempts to secure federal government aid for counties affected by the mid-April floods, including grants and low-interest loans for individuals, and such loans for businesses, affected by the rising waters. Next week, assessors will begin discussions with local governments as well, which are eligible for up to 75 percent aid for flood-related expenses.

“These teams will collect information that is critical for our request for federal assistance to help people and businesses recover from this devastating flood,” Governor Quinn said in the release. “As people continue to rebuild their lives after this widespread disaster, this support will help them.”

Gov. Quinn has made personal visits to many flood-affected areas throughout the state, including Elmhurst in DuPage, and declared 48 counties to be disaster areas.

Read the rest of the story here.

 

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DuPage County Leaders Gather for Regional Business Outlook

May 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: Sarah Small
Source: My Suburban Life

Local business and government leaders gathered at Drury Lane Tuesday morning to participate in the fourth-annual DuPage County Regional Business Outlook event.

The event – presented by Choose DuPage, Ice Miller, LLP and Mesirow Financial – was an opportunity for members of DuPage County’s business community to learn about the economic situation at the county level and learn strategies to continue growing their organizations.

Dan Cronin, chairman of the DuPage County Board, was the event’s first speaker and presented the State of the County Address. He honored the county’s new municipal leaders who were elected on April 9 and honored Larry Hartwig, the Village of Addison’s retiring mayor, for his years of service.

“One of the reasons DuPage County is such a great place is because of the strength of its municipalities,” he said.

Cronin also introduced an initiative he’s started called ACT, which stands for Accountability, Consolidation and Transparency. He plans to use this program to eliminate some of the excess or redundant units of government at the county level. Currently, there are more than 400 separate taxing bodies in DuPage County.

Read the rest of the story here.

 

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FEMA Officials Visit Glen Ellyn, Wheaton to Assess Flood Damage

May 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: Mary Beth Versaci
Source: My Suburban Life

Last week, officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) toured areas in DuPage County, including Glen Ellyn and Wheaton, to assess damage caused by the storms and subsequent flooding of April 17-18.

FEMA assistance will not be offered unless DuPage County is included in a Presidential Disaster Declaration, according to the DuPage County website. That declaration may include assistance to residents, business owners and/or government entities.

During last week’s tours, officials from DuPage County, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and FEMA performed their preliminary assessments based on damage reports submitted by local communities, according to the county website. Officials will meet with municipal leaders this week to review local government expenses related to flood response and recovery.

Preliminary damage assessments are expected to end Friday in DuPage County, according to the county. A decision regarding the issuance of a Presidential Disaster Declaration should be made shortly after that.

Read the rest of the story here.

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