2019 was another eventful year for Round Lake. The Village implemented a new rental registration program, participated in Lake County Land Bank meetings, and instituted new foreclosure and vacant property registration procedures. The Village continued its investment in infrastructure improvements with the start of the 2
nd
CLCJAWA interconnection, street resurfacing projects, and other infrastructure improvements. Gerber Collision relocated from Route 120 to a new building off of Route 134 and Catholic Charities is constructing a new welcome center near downtown.
For 2020, we will build off the successes of the prior year and continue the focus of the Village’s vision of providing quality services to our residents and businesses. This includes investment in public infrastructure with over $3.2 million allocated for improvements, promoting economic development by supporting existing businesses and encouraging commercial and industrial entities to locate in Round Lake, and persistently encouraging citizen engagement through our monthly newsletter, updated website, and other media. We will also continue to partner with others entities to encourage collaboration of shared services, review our operations for further refinement to best manage the community, and lead through a common vision based on established policies and prudent practices.
If you have any comments, questions or ideas you would like to see included in the e-newsletter, please email me at
dmacgillis@eroundlake.com.
Myself, elected officials and all our employees wish you a very Happy New Year.
Sincerely,
Mayor Dan MacGillis
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2019: Year in Review & Look Ahead
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Accomplishments of 2019
Some of the highlights from 2019 are:
- Community Development Recognized for Code Enforcement Agency of the Year
- Successfully completed the first downtown Farmers Market
- Implemented new financial software improving staff and resident efficiencies
- Supported School District #116 providing additional space needs via a lease agreement
- Provided the use of the Public Works facility for the Fire District during their building reconstruction
- Participated in the Regional 911 consolidation process with other Lake County municipalities
- Continued the parkway tree replacement, street improvement, and sidewalk replacement.
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Look ahead to 2020
2020 Village goals include:
- Continue to work with Lake County on the Cedar Lake Road Realignment
- Complete the construction of a second CLCJAWA pumping station
- Implementation of an Administrative Adjudication process
- Formalize additional shared services initiatives with other Round Lake Area entities
- Identify opportunities to diversify the Village’s revenue sources
- Continue to invest in the Village infrastructure via the sidewalk replacement program, street maintenance projects, tree trimming and tree replacement programs.
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Vacation Watch and Overnight Parking
Online Request Portal
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The Round Lake Police Department recently launched Frontline Public Safety Solutions, an online portal to provide an easy way for residents to safely and securely request overnight parking permission or request a home watch while on vacation.
The police department hopes the addition of the Frontline Public Safety Solutions online portal will provide residents an easier and more convenient way to request permission for overnight parking and vacation home watches. The online portal can be reached on any cell phone, tablet, computer or device with access to the internet.
As a reminder, parking on Village of Round Lake streets is prohibited between the hours of 2:00 AM and 6:00 AM (per Village ordinance 10.16.090). If residents need to park a vehicle overnight, they must submit the request using this online system. Requests must be received prior to 2:00 AM and any requests made after 2:00 AM may be subject to a parking citation.
During times of anticipated 2” or more of snowfall, street parking is prohibited.
Residents who are going out of town and leaving their homes vacant for an extended period of time can request a vacation home watch while they are away. Residents will now be able to request the home watch through the online portal.
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Attention Landlords -
Time for Annual Registration
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Rental registration forms have been sent out by email and must be returned on or before February 1, 2020. All owners of a residential rental unit, whether in a multi-unit building or a single-family home, must register with the Village of Round Lake by February 1, 2020 in order to avoid a late fee.
How do I register?
Owners must complete the registration form as provided by the Village of Round Lake and pay the annual registration fee ($10.00).
Online Registration
is available or may be submitted in person, or by mail.
For more information about the Residential Rental Program, please visit the
Village website
.
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Winter Weather Driving Safety
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Motorists can now check the progress of snow and ice removal on all 26 of Lake County’s plow routes through Lake County PASSAGE. See the direction each snow plow is heading, its current speed, and more. You can even view the latest road conditions through snapshots taken from each plow, which are updated every three minutes.
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Remember...Don't crowd the plow. When plow trucks are out, remember to stay back at least 50 feet or two to three car lengths, due to road conditions and so the plow operators can see your vehicles. The Public Works snowplow operators are extremely safety conscious, but they need your help. Stay back, and let them do their job of cleaning the road for you.
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Waste Management will collect Christmas trees the first two weeks of January. The trees must be free of decorations, lights and un-bagged. All clean trees will be recycled. Trees collected after these dates will be collected as trash. Trees longer than 6ft in length must be cut in half.
Consider donating your holiday tree to the Lake County Forest Preserves, and they will recycle it into wood chips for trails and landscaping at forest preserves throughout Lake County. Bring your tree to a
drop-off site
now through February 1.
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Recycle Today For A Better Tomorrow
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IEPA Curbside Recycling Guide
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Recycle Your Holiday Lights
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Textile Collection Program
Donate your new and gently used clothing and textiles, which will be reused and allow the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County to continue programs. Your worn out and stained items also can be recycled, turning them into usable new products. Bring your items to the collection bin located in the parking lot at the Village Hall or f
ind another
drop off location
.
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Recycle Your Old Shoes!!
The Village is proud to partner with SWALCO in the Reuse-A-Shoe program. Residents may recycle old unwanted shoes in the collection bin at Village Hall. Athletic shoes are among the most popular types of shoes purchased today and millions of them, in addition to other types of shoes, end up in our landfills each year.
All sizes and brands are accepted. We will not accept moldy or wet shoes, ice skates, rollerblades and snow boots. Please tie laces or rubber band your pairs together before you drop them off.
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Electronic Recycling
The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County is continuing its residential electronics recycling program. Lake County residents can bring electronics free of charge to the Grant Township road district facility.
View complete list
of locations that accept residential electronics, and
view accepted and unacceptable items
.
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Code Enforcement Agency of the Year
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The Village of Round Lake received the 2019 Illinois Code Enforcement Agency of the Year Award! This prestigious award is given annually to one agency in the State of Illinois by the Illinois Association of Code Enforcement. The Village is pleased to be recognized for the Village Board’s adoption and the hard work of Staff to create, adopt and implement several new programs.
The new programs that the Community Development Department worked on include: adoption of all the 2018 International Code Council Building Codes, creating a Rental Registration and Inspection Program, upgrading a software system to include tablets for field inspections, participating in a foreclosure registration program, and implementing a new Sign Code.
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All these programs, plus regular tasks, were accomplished by the Community Development team: (as pictured below) Bob Johnson, Code Enforcement Officer; Christine Baker, Community Development Specialist; Bill Donovan, Building Inspector; Melissa Hansen, Permit Technician; and Katie Parkhurst, Director of Economic and Community Development; also pictured Debbie Perlini, Village Clerk; and Don Newby, Mayor Pro-tem.
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Q)
Is there anything I need to do before I start my fireplace this winter?
A)
Yes. The fireplace and chimney need to be cleaned and inspected to check for a build-up of creosote (if wood burning) or blockages (such as bird nests). Hire a professional chimney sweep for this work. Also never use wood in a fireplace designed for gas logs. The flue pipes are not designed for the difference in temperatures.
Q)
In the winter sometimes the sidewalk is covered with ice from my neighbor’s sump pump discharge, is this allowed?
A)
No, even if the sump pump discharge meets the Village required minimum of ten feet from the property line the ordinance states that “In no case shall the discharge cause a nuisance to adjoining properties.” In which case the line would have to be moved in order to prevent the icing of the sidewalk.
Q)
The neighbors across the street park their pickup truck in the front yard at night, is that ok?
A)
No. Vehicles, by code (RLMC 10.16.110), cannot be parked on the lawn, parkway or other non-improved surface. Village code requires all vehicles to be parked on an improved surface such as asphalt, concrete or gravel.
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Round Lake Area Public Library
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Connect with the Round Lake Area Public Library and discover all it has to offer ---best-selling books, award-winning movies and music, access to digital content and activities for people of all ages. Plus free Wi-Fi and space to meet, study and work.
Looking to get more out of the library without leaving the comfort of your couch? The Round Lake Area Public Library offers
several free digital libraries
.
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How do we know what is going on in our children’s phones? We must understand today’s world and the constant changes in technology and social media platforms. The faster our mobile devices become the faster information can be shared. To protect our loved ones especially our adolescent population from strangers, inappropriate content or sexting it is good to remain vigilant and know who our children are friends with and speaking to.
It is a good idea to know your children’s passwords and to question contacts found within their phones. Learn about the different social media platforms, how children are communicating these days and understand new communication platforms are being developed rapidly.
Research phone-monitoring applications found in the Apple store or Google Play and see what would be best for your situation and the services you would require to ensure a peace of mind.
For iPhone users you are able to create an Apple ID for children under 13. This Apple ID can be signed into on their iPhones and their devices can be monitored under “Family Sharing” in the settings on the parental iPhone. For further reference, see
Apple’s support page
on how to set this up. Android devices have different parental controls that are limited to restricting content that can be downloaded or purchased from Google Play based on maturity level. See
Google Play’s support page
on how to set this up. If more assistance is needed, contact your mobile carrier to help restrict and monitor your child’s mobile device ensuring appropriate content is being viewed and shared.
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Speak to your kids about sexting. Sexting is when he or she sends or receives nude or seminude images or sexually explicit text messages. This act can destroy the lives of children and teens and can cause severe emotional distress for those whose photos may be viewed or spread around without consent. Start a discussion with your children today about the consequences of both sending and receiving these type of messages.
Sharing images of juveniles is a crime even when shared by another juvenile. It is best to introduce the topic as soon as a child is old enough to have a
cell phone
and to continue to provide age-appropriate guidance as your child matures.
If there is evidence of inappropriate messaging, immediately save it and contact the Round Lake Police Department. If you need assistance in speaking with your children about this topic, please call the Round Lake Police Department at 847-546-8112 or the non-emergency dispatch number if after hours at 847-270-9111.
Today’s world is constantly evolving and we want to make sure our children and the community is safe.
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Additional News and Updates
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Congratulations!
Officer Erik Landsverk celebrated his 15th anniversary with the Police Department. Congratulations and thank you for your service and dedication!
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Village of Round Lake employees donated 3 large boxes of food items
for our 2nd annual food drive to benefit the Avon Cares Food Pantry. The pantry is located at the Avon Township Center and serves approximately 700 families a month. The pantry is open to all Avon Township residents who are in need of assistance.
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Thank You!
A special thank you to everyone who volunteered and attended the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.
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Village Officials
Dan MacGillis, Mayor
Debbie Perlini, Clerk
Trustees
Charlie Foy, Henry Frye Jr., Russell Kraly,
Don Newby, Sanjay Patel, Jake Mandelman
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