The Huntley Farmside

              Inside
• Pom pon squad takes fourth in state
• Huntley Fire Protection Dist. minutes
35 cents
The HimtleY Famiside
Thursday, March 25,1999
A Press Publications newspaper a/ serving the Huntley community
Volume 38 Issue 50
Library construction on schedule
Steve Brosinski
Press Publications
A relatively mild winter means lower heating bills, and more importantly to the Huntley Area Public Library, a better construction season.
The exterior of the $2.4 mil¬ lion 15,000-square-foot new library going up on Ruth Road is nearly completed and workers are on schedule to finish up this summer. Librarian Virginia Maravilla said.
"It's going to be good to have the space, but there is a lot to do before we move in," said Mar¬ avilla, who was hired in Novem¬ ber.
Covered in limestone and sid¬ ing, the 15,000-square-foot building was designed to have characteristics of homes in Huntley. Limestone was also used to construct the back-to- back fireplaces in the 75-seat meeting room and the larger ref-
"It's going to be
good to have the
space, but there is
a lot to do before
we move in."
Virginia Maravilla
Huntley librarian
erence area.
Throughout the year, the library has continued to buy new materials to fill the shelves of the new library, including a col¬ lection of 28,000 books. Mar¬ avilla said she is also in the process of hiring three new staff members, a half-time circulation person, a part-time reference person and part-time children's department person.
Bid specifications will be released soon on the purchase of 20 new computers. Maravilla
Photo by Steve Brosinski
Construction of tite new $2.4 million Huntley Area Public Library is well under way. Organizers plan on hav¬ ing the building completed by this summer.
said the board has not deter¬ mined what type of high-speed Intemet hookup will be used. At a cost of $130,000, furnishings,
including shelves, tables and chairs, are on order for delivery when the building is finished. Much of the fumiture will be
Mission-style, a style made famous by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
see Library—page 2
Chief: Tax increases needed to maintain adequate fire protection
Steve Brosinski
Press Publications
For nearly 150 years, one fire station has adequately met the needs of a sprawling agricultur¬ al community.
A decade ago, few could pre¬ dict the housing boom taking place in Huntley, like much of McHenry County. Fire Chief Dave Veath is asking voters to approve tax rate increases in the fire and ambulance fiinds, which would add about $610,000 to the district's current $764,440 levy.
"We need the support of peo¬ ple in Huntley and Lake in the Hills," said the chief of 15 years, adding that this is the first time
the district has requested a tax increase.
Both tax rates would be increased to the maximum level of 30 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Fire officials said the proposed tax rate increase would cost a homeowner with a home valued at $150,000 an additional $134 annually.
The new tax increases would generate about $610,000, or an 80 percent increase in revenues. If voters pass the referendums, Veath said, the funds could be used to hire 18 firefighters and build two fire stations, at a cost of about $1.5 million each. One station would go up across from Del Webb and a second north of
"Our goal is to respond to everybody in the district within six minutes. Nobody
likes to see a tax increase, but when you
dial 911, you expect us to be there just
as fast as humanly possible."
Dave Veath
McHenry County fire chief
town, possibly in Lake in the Hills.
The district now has a staff of nine full-time firefighters, 24 part-time firefighters and a sec¬ retary. The department now has $229,000 available in the build¬
ing fund from the sale of proper¬ ty on Dean Street that could go towards the new stations.
Veath said the district would need to sell bonds and rely on $50 plan review fees from developers in Algonquin and
Lake in the Hills and $500 impact fees received from Hunt¬ ley developers.
"We feel along with the fees we should be able to go forward and buy equipment later," Veath said.
The district already owns the two additional fire tmcks and ambulances that would be need¬ ed in the new stations, though sometime in the future the dis¬ trict must purchase a fourth ambulance and an aerial fire truck.
Since January, the number of
calls have climbed 32 percent,
which indicates the increasing
demands on the district, said
see Protection—pa^e 2