Village of Wadsworth E-Newsletter
The Village of Country Living
AUGUST 18, 2015
In This Issue
Wadsworth Pageant
Property Assessments
Comcast Internet Program
Property Maintenance
Adopt A Highway
Grading/Filling Properties
Warren-Newport Library
Miss Wadsworth
Jr. Miss Wadsworth
Little Miss Wadsworth
Quick Links
 
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In this issue-
  
In this issue we present information that could be interesting if not useful for you.  The Wadsworth Area Pageant was held this past Sunday and you can see who the winners are.

The deadline to protest your assessed valuation is August 28 and we provide information and links to help with the protest process.

Cable provider Comcast has a hardship back-to-school Internet service program.  Check it out because you might qualify for participation.  

Information about junk, trash, and dirt is presented but you'll have to dig down to check it out.

Hotlinks to the Warren-Newport Public Library are listed further below.

As usual, contact me if you have questions, comments, or something of interest you'd like to see covered in future newsletters.
 
--Jim Zegar, Editor
Wadsworth Area Pageant-


The 2015 pageant was held this past Sunday and what a marvelous event it was.  A huge crowd turned out to watch it and they saw a wonderful show with outstanding young Wadsworth girls competing in various contest categories.

Every one of the contestants is a winner in her own right but these are the girls who were crowned:

Miss Wadsworth:  Jordan Boucher
Junior Miss Wadsworth:  Ciara Robinson
Little Miss Wadsworth:  Isabella Robinson

Scroll down to see photos of the winners.

I photographed the event and took what seemed like 15,000 pictures.  Okay, maybe it was only 400.  Given the publication deadline for this newsletter, there wasn't sufficient time to review, edit, and post them. However, that will be done soon and the best pictures will be posted on the Village's web site.

In a paragraph above I referred to the contestants as "girls".  Certainly, at this stage of their lives, they still are girls. But with the outstanding leadership and tutelage from pageant officials Angelique Marie and Sharon Bertrand you can watch them grow into young women dedicated to community service with an interest to help other people from all walks of life.

Angelique and Sharon:  Thank you for all you do.  And thanks to all who helped you throughout the year, the pageant judges, and everyone else who made this event possible.

And most of all, congratulations to the contestants for going the extra mile.  You are all important and our Village is proud to have you represent us.

In addition to Jordan, Ciara, and Isabella above, Claire DeJong, Avery Boucher, Lauren Schlitz, and Kaylin Reich also participated.  They, too, thrilled the judges and the audience with their performances and answers to tough questions.  In a contest, not everyone can win first place, but you all won the hearts of those of us who were there.
Unhappy with your assessed valuation?
You recently should have received the 2015 assessed valuation of your home and any other Lake County properties owned by you.  It came on blue paper if that helps in locating the document.

If you think your valuation is unfair, there is an appeal process to protest the valuation.  

Jerome Berens is the Newport Township Assessor and he has put together a list of what you need to do if you wish to question the valuation.  Click HERE for those details.

Berens can be reached at 224-639-3902.  In my capacity as a Village trustee I've known him for several years and find him to be fair and helpful. Honestly, it's not a job I would want because it's impossible to please everyone.  However, if you can produce appropriate documentation to validate a reduced valuation, he will support you.

Click on the link above and call him.  Who knows? Maybe you have a good case.
Comcast program- 

 

Cable provider Comcast recently announced its 5th annual back to school kick-off with a program called "Internet Essentials."  

In their words, "It bridges the digital divide by providing low cost ($9.95/month) Internet service to hardship families."

Upgrades for this year include:
  
*  Increased speed
*  Wireless router
*  Training on-line, in print, in person
*  An extended bad debt amnesty program

Click HERE to find out more and order materials. 
got JUNK in your yard?
Since we are the Village of Country Living many things here are less restrictive than in, say, a townhouse community with so many rules that you're afraid to let three days of delivered newspapers accumulate on your front porch.

But that's no reason to let your property look like a junk yard.  In Village parlance there's something called "Code Enforcement" and recently we've seen a rash of violations.  Here's a few things to keep in mind:

1.  Abandoned vehicles, boats, etc., are  not allowed. All parked vehicles must have a current Illinois registration tag.

2.  Excessive trash is not allowed.  Okay, we all know that one person's trash is another's treasure, but you know what we mean here!

3.  You are not allowed to store brush and lawn clippings hauled onto your property from another location.

4.  Keep your lawn mowed.  Remember, unless you're an approved, links-style golf course, this rule applies to you.  If your yard turf is more than eight inches high, you're a violator.

5.  Don't encroach on easements.

6.  Unapproved uses of your property must have permission from the Village.

As Trustee Ken Harvey says, "A neat neighborhood is a happy neighborhood!" 

Speaking of junk and trash...

Since we're aiming for reasonably clean and orderly properties, why not have the same for our roads?

The Lake County Division of Transportation (LCDOT) is now accepting applications for the Adopt a Highway program.  Volunteers adopt a section of a county highway and commit to cleaning it twice a year.

Of course, "cleaning" it doesn't mean scrubbing the pavement with a brush and a hundred pounds of OxiClean.  Rather, it's just bagging the roadside litter for pickup by county trucks.

At this time, there are 23 sections of highway and two bike paths patiently waiting for someone like you to adopt them.  

As an FYI, these are the county roads within Newport Township:

*  Russell Road

*  Delany Road (south of IL-173)
*  Kilbourne Road
*  Wadsworth Road
*  Dilleys Road (south of Wadsworth Road)
*  21st Street (east of Delany Road)
 

To find the right match for your group and more details about the program, click HERE.

And if you volunteer for this, I'll come out and photograph you and your pals and then put a nice piece in this newsletter about your efforts.  You'll become instant media stars...
You wanna move a bunch of dirt???

If you think our own Village rules are onerous, don't plan to move a bunch of dirt.  Wait until you see what Stormwater Management has in store for you.

Since few of you plan to do so, we won't bore you with the details here.  For those of you who do, simply click HERE for a lot of the information you need to know.

Stormwater Management is also currently working to update the county's comprehensive stormwater management plan and is conducting public outreach meetings.  Should you be interested to attend or comment, click HERE for the scheduled meetings.
Our excellent public library-
Most of you know what an excellent public library we have serving the townships of Newport and Warren. From time to time, in the spirit of intergovernmental cooperation, we publish links to various local governmental bodies.

To see the library's calendar of upcoming events, click HERE.

To visit its home page, click on www.wnpl.info 
 
Miss Wadsworth 2015-

Jordan Boucher
Junior Miss Wadsworth 2015-

Ciara Robinson

 
Little Miss Wadsworth 2015

Isabella Robinson