CALL TO ACTION!
Your voice is needed to help the Village obtain its fair share of federal funding allocated by McHenry County for transportation projects in local communities. Without your help, we risk not receiving our fair share.
BACKGROUND:
- Last Fall, McHenry County announced plans to allocate federal transportation funds to selected communities and asked interested communities to submit a proposal for projects needing funding. The pot of money was greater than normal and the county anticipated having enough money for every community to complete at least one major project. Spring Grove submitted a request for $1.5MM for much needed upgrades and repair for Winn Road. Winn Road is a major thoroughfare for our Village and a main entry point to other communities in our county.
- Earlier this month, the county released its funding plan. Spring Grove is allocated to receive ONLY about $480,000 of the $1.5MM requested. This will not make a dent in the project cost and we will most likely not be able to start the project.
- Even more disappointing, a community to our south received total funding, $3,000,000 which will allow them to fully fund two projects. The county states that funding these two projects will use up too much of the federal pot and, so, Spring Grove – the smaller community, with less voters – ends up on the short end. Unfortunately this is a pattern we have seen in the past.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: The good news is that this plan is not final. There is a 30 day public comment period which is our chance to make our voice heard as a community. You can tell the county that you want our fair share of the federal funding so that our community can continue to grow and prosper.
IT'S EASY TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
a. It’s time the county supports ALL communities with needs - not just the larger voting blocks.
b. Winn Road provides not only a main thoroughfare for Spring Grove residents, but is also an entry point to the rest of the county.
c. Winn Road is also a vital route servicing major businesses which provide economic benefit to all county communities, not just Spring Grove.
d. Ask the county to reconsider its allocation to Spring Grove and provide the full $1.5MM required to complete this project.
The residents of Spring Grove have a good history of stepping up for their community. Some of you will remember the very competitive process we needed to go through in order to obtain a grant to fix up the fish hatchery . As a result of our combined voices, we won that competition against much larger communities and we now have a beautiful addition to our community to show for it. Let's use that voice again and get the money we need to keep Spring Grove vibrant and growing.
Thank you,
Mark Eisenberg
Spring Grove Village President
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4th of July Fireworks at Richardson Farm!
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Due to the COVID19 pandemic, the Spring Grove 4th of July Committee made the difficult decision to cancel their 4th of July parade, street fest and fireworks this year.
Richardson Farm has the necessary space and capabilities to provide a spectacular show with appropriate social distancing that the committee couldn't provide.
They are excited to partner with the Richmond-Spring Grove Area Rotary Club to provide a fireworks show on Saturday, July 4th! There will be plenty of parking with excellent sight lines to the fireworks show (
view map here
).
Parking opens at 6:00 p.m. at 909 English Prairie Rd.
Entry fee of $20 per car
-
cash only
.
Phase 4 social distancing will be in place.
You are encouraged to stay in your car or set up chairs in front of your car.
3 food trucks will provide food to take back to your car.
Golf carts will drive through selling beer, kettle corn, and fresh donuts.
You are welcome to bring coolers with drinks and food.
No Grills - No Fireworks - No Walk-ins.
No Parking on any streets or in subdivisions -
on grounds parking only.
Fireworks are expensive! They could use your donation or sponsorship! Donate and bring a banner, sign, product or vehicle to proudly display your support for our community. Names of donors contributing $100 or more will be displayed on the Richardson Farm and R/SG Rotary websites.
Read more here...
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Salon Jevee wishes everyone a Happy 4th of July! Their stylists, colorists, nail technicians, facial & make-up artists are now taking appointments!
View a list
of their names and phone numbers. Located at 2207 Route 12 in the Spruce Point Center. Salon Jevee will be closed July 3 & 4.
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67th Annual Spring Grove Men's Golf Outing
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This year's Spring Grove Men's Golf Outing will be held on August 20 at the Nippersink Golf Resort located at
N1055 Tombeau Rd. in Genoa City, WI. Sponsors are key to their success! Some proceeds go to support the community food pantry and other local groups. All registration is due by August 10. Download the registration/sponsor form and read more details
here
.
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Photo of the Week
Bobby Bannon spied this little fawn by the Spring Grove Park baseball field in May. If you have a photo of Spring Grove you would like to share, email it
here
.
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Phase 4 of "Restore Illinois" begins Friday
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The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has now released their Phase 4 guidelines for reopening:
DCEO’s COVID-19 Resources website is available via this link.
The entire state is currently scheduled to move into Phase 4 (Revitalization) of Governor JB Pritzker’s “Restore Illinois” plan this Friday, June 26.
Here are some highlights for all industries:
- Fitness centers and gyms may open with capacity limits at 50 percent and restrictions on classes of up to 50 with social distancing
- Meetings, social events and other gatherings are limited to 50 people with social distancing
- Youth and recreational sport games and tournaments permitted with capacity and group size limits
- Retail, service counters, offices, personal care (including salons, barber, nail salons), manufacturing and other industries allowed to reopen in Phase 3 will continue to operate at a reduced capacity.
Here is a quick synopsis for restaurants and bars:
- Indoor dining and drinking now permitted for parties of up to 10 people
- Seated areas should be arranged so that tables allow for 6 ft. between parties; impermeable barriers may be installed between booths which are less than 6 ft. apart
- Standing areas (in restaurants or bars) should be limited to no more than 25% of standing area capacity
- Self-service beverage fountains are permissible with the additional precautions
The village will open for business with normal hours of 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. this Friday, also. You are encouraged to conduct as much business as possible
online
or by dropping off materials in the vestibule.
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Snapology 2020 Summer Camps
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S
napology Summer Camps for ages 5 - 12 begin in July at Horse Fair Park. Camps include The Amazing Race, STEAM Club, Drone Commanders, Sports Science and more. View descriptions of all of the
Summer Camps
o
ffered. View the Snapology
guidelines and safety measures
t
hat will be taken. Find the
Registration Form here
along with
ways to register.
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The Birds of Paradise Flowers and Gifts is celebrating 28 years in business! They are offering these specials: Birds of Paradise tropical vase for $28.00, 8 beautiful roses arranged in vase for $28.00 or a dozen for $42.00. There is a variety of colors to choose from! Call 815-363-8568 to reserve your pick up or doorstep delivery is available. Located at
2404 Spring Ridge Drive
.
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The pandemic is not over. The coronavirus has not disappeared.
Continue physical distancing and wear face coverings --the two most effective ways to stop the spread of COVID-19. Other steps to keep yourself and others healthy include:
- Regular and diligent hand washing before and after:
- Touching your face,
- Blowing your nose,
- Coughing or sneezing
- Going to the bathroom
- Eating or preparing food.
Continue to wear face coverings in public places where social distancing is not possible. Wash hands thoroughly before and after shopping and dining and remember to disinfect frequently touched surfaces. Since you can spread COVID19 before you know you are sick, it is important to stay away from others when possible, even if you—or they—have no symptoms.
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Small Business Interruption Grants
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The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will launch the first round of Business Interruption Grants (BIG) by providing $60 million to businesses experiencing losses or business interruption as a result of COVID-19 related closures. The BIG Program is available for up to 3,500 businesses that experienced a limited ability to operate due to COVID-19 related closures. DCEO will begin distributing funds to qualifying businesses in early July. The total program funding will amount to at least $540 million in grants for small businesses, $270 million of which has been set aside for childcare providers, and is funded by the CARES Act. Application Information
is available
at their website here
. If you have any questions or need assistance when this program becomes available, you can reach the Illinois Small Business Development Center at
sbdc@siu.edu
or 618.536.2424.
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Photos of Mary May Freund throughout the years.
Mary May was born on May 7, 1869 and lived for almost 91 years. She married Nicholas Freund on October 25, 1920 in a happy surprise wedding at 5:00 a.m. in St. Peter's Church. Nicolas was the widowed town blacksmith whose wife had died two years earlier due to pregnancy complications. Mary was a "spinster" who was keeping house on the farm for her brother Nick. She and Nicholas were both 52 years old. After a short honeymoon trip to Iowa to visit relatives, they returned to Spring Grove where Mary helped raise Nick's six children who were ages 3 - 22.
Mary was a resident of Spring Grove for most of her life with the exception of ten years spent in Stacyville, Iowa and one year in Chicago. She was an active member of St. Peter's Church and the Christian Mothers Society. Card clubs were a common social outlet in those days, and she enjoyed them very much. Her brother Frank was a village trustee in the mid 1920s and her nephew Eugene May was a village president from 1980-1983.
Photos from top: As a young woman, probably from the 1880s. With sewing machine circa 1910 - People were often photographed with their most prized possession, so she must have been a good seamstress. With her dog, Teddy, posed on the fender of a 1920s Model T Coupe - probably circa 1930. From her 80th birthday in 1949, where she was described as looking much younger than her years, with a "gay spirit" and retaining a wit which made her popular with her many friends.
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