Hello Everyone,
Hope you continue to do well as we start to put the pandemic behind us. Recently, Trustee Mike Lee held the first Community Engagement Committee meeting. There was a great turnout with 20 area residents attending this informational meeting. This committee will be formed with five members and additional volunteers. Their goal is to plan and hold two activities this summer on top of the activities the village has planned. Great start and thank you for attending and volunteering your time everyone!
The annual Easter Egg Hunt would normally be held this Saturday, March 27, but because of the COVID-19 restrictions, the Easter bunny will instead be at Horse Fair Park to wave at the kids as they drive through the park. See more information about the Easter Bunny Car Parade below.
The Memorial Day Ceremony is scheduled for Monday, May 31, at Horse Fair Park with more details to come later.
The Friday Night Fish Boil fundraiser for Hatchery Park is scheduled for June 25 and is always a great time to be with friends, families and neighbors. You'll have a lot to catch up on this year. More information will come as it gets closer.
The Fourth of July Committee Chair & Trustee Kelly Popelka is moving ahead with plans for our 4th of July Celebration and is holding the first committee meeting tonight. The committee is always open to new ideas and is looking for volunteers to help organize the event or to volunteer the day of the event. A few hours of your time that day goes a long way. It's also a great way to meet new friends while giving back to your community at the same time.
Recreational Director Janice Bannon is planning programs to restart this summer. Once we get into Phase 5 of the State of Illinois COVID-19 protocol, we are hoping to get back to normal with all our recreational programs. See information about Mighty Mites T-ball below with more program information coming soon. All programs will be following the CDC and State of Illinois COVID-19 guidelines. We can only hope to be able to move forward with some normalcy this spring and summer.
Of course, we will keep you posted with updates on all of these activities each week.
Best wishes.
Mark Eisenberg
Village President
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Every year the Village Board works with the recommendations of our Village engineers regarding our Road Repair Program. They keep data and analyze the ages and conditions of our roads. Some roads hold up better than others because of things like the sub-base underneath the road and the amount of traffic the road gets. The Road Program is a constant moving target. Some roads which were fine, fall apart once the frost comes out of the ground, so we may have a plan and then it all changes.
This year our engineers recommended we spend $2,042,000 for repairs and resurfacing of about five miles of our 54 miles of roads. Because of the condition of the roads, that averaged $408,000 per mile. Our normal budget is $150,000 per mile. One subdivision resurfacing came in at over $1,100,000 because of the need for the road to be completely ground-up and relayed. These are very expensive repairs, but doing it the right way will make the road last a lot longer.
We have budgeted $350,000 from the Motor Fuel Tax Fund and $250,000 from the General Fund for road repairs, which will not cover the engineers recommendations to stay on track. This is one reason we have asked for the sales tax referendum to help improve meeting our goals on road resurfacing. The extra revenue will not get us completely there, but it will help us from digging deeper into a hole we may not be able to get out of.
The Village has been working with our state and federal representatives, along with the McHenry Council of Mayors, of which I am a member, on our need for more federal funding and grants. We continue to review every possible option for funding opportunities.
Please view more information here on our proposed sales tax referendum, to be paid by all who shop here, to help improve our infrastructure needs.
Thank you,
Mark Eisenberg
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Come to the Easter Bunny Car Parade this Saturday, March 27 from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m! The Village Easter Bunny will be in the Horse Fair Park gazebo smiling and waving to children. As you drive through, be sure to play the game of counting all the eggs you see! Families must remain in their vehicles and drive by slowly through the park. View details of the route to take in the flyer. Horse Fair Park is located at 8105 Blivin Street.
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2021 Mighty Mites T-ball Information |
Mighty Mites t-ball is an exciting five-week program for boys and girls. Children hit off the tee, run the bases and play different positions, not including catcher. No scores are kept as the goal is to just have fun while learning the fundamentals of the game. Team t-shirt and hat included in the fee. Volunteer coaches are needed for this league. View the registration form.
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4th of July Meeting Tonight! |
The Spring Grove 4th of July Committee is having their first Committee meeting of the year tonight, Wednesday, March 24 at 7:00 p.m. at the Village Municipal Centre located at 7401 Meyer Road. Volunteers are needed! Please join them or email them at sg4thofjuly@gmail.com if you are unable to attend.
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Early voting started Monday, March 22 and goes through Monday, April 5 for the April 6 Consolidated Election. View early voting locations and hours here. If you're voting on Election Day, Burton Township Districts are now voting at the River Ridge Church, located at 7664 Wilmot Road in Spring Grove, Richmond Township District 2 & 4 vote at the Village Municipal Center, and Richmond Township Districts 1 & 3 vote at the Nippersink District Library located at 5418 Hill Road in Richmond. Find your polling place and sample ballet by entering your address here.
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Photo of the Week
The first morning of Daylight Saving Time brought a beautiful sunrise which most of us were awake to witness! Thanks to everyone who submitted a photo of this spectacular sunrise and if you missed it, here you go! If you have a photo of Spring Grove you would like to share, email it here.
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Fire District Blood Drive is Tomorrow! |
The Spring Grove Fire District's blood drive is tomorrow, Thursday, March 25, from 1:30 - 6:30 p.m. View ways to schedule your preferred appointment time here, facts about blood and donating blood here and about safety guidelines. Thank you for supporting our local communities and helping to reduce local blood supply shortages.
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Income Tax Filing Extension |
Gov. Pritzker announced that his administration is extending the individual income tax filing and payment deadline from April 15 to May 17. They will continue to process tax refunds for those filing ahead of the deadline. The filing extension does not apply to estimated tax payments that are due on April 15, 2021. |
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COVID-19 Vaccine - New Information |
The Illinois National Guard will be supporting vaccination efforts in McHenry County by the end of March.Two teams, a mobile team and a fixed team, will help MCDH expand its capacity over the next 6 to 8 weeks, allowing the health department to accelerate its vaccination plans to reach more residents. The fixed team will support vaccinations at the MCDH-run clinic at 1900 N. Richmond Road in McHenry.
To receive a vaccination at an MCDH-run clinic, please enroll online at https://bit.ly/MCDHCovidVaccine or call the Vaccine Appointment Call Center which will assist people who do not have access to or who have difficulty navigating online services in making appointments. You must have an email address (or you can use a friend's email address) when you call. Call 833-621-1284 (6am-midnight) and press 2 at the prompt, and press 2 at the next prompt and you will be connected with a live person.
More information about pathways to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in McHenry County is available on COVID-19 Vaccine Location page: https://bit.ly/MCDHCOVIDVaxLoc.
Illinois is also partnering with retail pharmacies such as Walgreens and Jewel-Osco to provide COVID-19 vaccinations. Information about where and how to schedule an appointment with these pharmacies is available at coronavirus.Illinois.gov.
If you are in Phase 1B and Phase 1C, complete the MCHD enrollment form and once a clinic becomes available, information on how to schedule an appointment will be emailed to you. If you get an email to schedule an appointment but you are already vaccinated, please do not forward the email. Every appointment missed because of an ineligible person applying is a setback to eventually reaching the final Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois Plan.
The Illinois Department of Health has FAQs regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. View information about getting tested here. View more information here.
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When 70% of the state’s 65 and older population has received at least one dose of a vaccine, Illinois will move into the “Bridge” transition period. The Bridge to Phase 5 will begin with increased capacity limits in both indoor and outdoor settings.Once 50% of residents 16 and older have been vaccinated and stable or declining COVID-19 metrics are recorded during a 28-day monitoring period, Phase 5 will be implemented, removing capacity limits altogether. While regulations are rolled back gradually, Illinoisans should continue following the public health guidelines that have kept us safe during the pandemic, like wearing a mask in public and social distancing.
Community events, festivals and parades will be allowed to resume as soon as May if the state keeps on pace with vaccinations. This could change if vaccination progress slows or if a resurgence of the virus occurs.
A map and information of the status of every Illinois county can be found on the IDPH website here. View a map of the United States and other countries to view potential risks associated with traveling. Areas with increased risk of COVID-19 are based on case rates. If you have health questions, call the COVID-19 hotline at 800-889-3931 or email questions here.
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Blast from the Past - Then & Now |
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7712 Blivin Street circa 1911 |
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Howard Westlake bottom right with other Wieland Dairy workers |
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Howard and Edith Price Westlake lived at 7712 Blivin Street from 1911-1914. Howard was the fifth of seven children born to James and Catherine Westlake. James owned the creamery in Spring Grove, which still stands across the street from Spring Grove Elementary School. Howard's older brothers joined the creamery business and the family eventually owed six creameries. It seems Howard had different plans though. He worked at the Wieland Dairy and was the Spring Grove Village Clerk from 1909-1910. Howard and Edith married in 1908 and their son Eugene was born in 1909. In 1913 they moved to Wisconsin where they took up life on the farm. They had three more children, but sadly their first born, Eugene, died at age four from diphtheria, before vaccines were available. Howard died in 1947 at age 57 and Edith lived until 1958.
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