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Village board recognizes two Harlem national bowling champions
By Bob Balgemann
The Harlem Boys Bowling and Girls Bowling teams received proclamations to honor their accomplisments.
Mayor Steve Johnson has kicked off the month of August by continuing his effort to recognize people and organizations for their contributions to making Machesney Park a better place to live, work, and play.
His effort has been expanded to include student-athletes at Harlem High School and on Aug. 1, he invited two national bowling champion teams to that night’s village board meeting to be saluted for their achievement.
The celebration was opened by state Rep. Dave Vella, D-Loves Park, who brought greetings from the Illinois General Assembly and proclamations honoring the two teams.
“I was extremely impressed when I found out what you guys had done,” he began. “I didn’t realize Harlem was the center of such amazing bowling. I went to the (state) House and talked to them about you. I have brought you two proclamations, one for the girl’s team, one for the boy’s team.”
He read from one of them, stating it was “in recognition of bringing home the girls national bowling championship and the boys national bowling title,” and “commending their hard work that brought about this championship.”
He concluded by saying, “The House extends its best wishes to the players for their continued success.”
Mayor Johnson followed by presenting two plaques for their outstanding season and achieving these national championships.
He continued by providing some facts about each of the teams.
For the girls, this was their fourth national championship in the past five years. (They won three in a row, 2017, 2018 and 2019, before winning No. 4 this year). In 2022, the Lady Huskies set three national records that helped them come back from a 242-pin deficit after Round 1. “Thanks for being excellent role models for our community,” the mayor said.
For the boys it was their second national title. The Huskies, he said, “had a great response to being the state runner-up last spring. Execution was the key in a hard-fought, well-deserved win.”
Other related information about the tournament found that In the competition for this year’s individual national champion, Harlem’s Eric Roberts finished in eighth place. Harlem’s Noah Mandujano was an individual national champion in 2018. For the Lady Huskies, Kayla Verstraete won the national title in 2018; Olivia Watton was the individual champion in 2021.
The 2022 U.S. High School Bowling National Championship was held over three days, June 18-20, in Louisville, Ky.
One Harlem bowler holds a national tournament record. That was for the high game, a 300, rolled in 2017 by Stephanie Richards.
Head coaches of the two teams were James Heathscott for the girls and Nick Whitmire for the boys.
Another award
Later in the Aug. 1 board meeting Mayor Johnson gave his twice-monthly report to the trustees and those in the room or watching at home.
He started with a short ride he and Village Administrator James Richter II took to the First Supply business to present a Community Involvement Award on the occasion of the plumbing products company observing its 125th birthday. It was incorporated in 1897 as a family supplier of pumps, and has been in Machesney Park since 2003, currently located at 10736 N. Second St.
Moving along, he said he had been honored to attend a Back-to-School awards luncheon in recognition of those who protect and serve the community on a daily basis.
He reported on the annual National Night Out event, held Aug. 2 at Harlem High School and sponsored by Machesney Park police, Loves Park police and the Winnebago County Sheriff’s office. Police and fire vehicles were on display and there was a canine demonstration. Free food such as hot dogs, chips and soft drinks was on hand, as was the opportunity to meet personally with the first responders who serve the village.
Road projects
The board received an update on summer road projects from McMahon Associates, the village engineer, starting with improvements to Harlem Road from Schnucks grocery west to North Second Street.
Harlem Road work is continuing and running about one week ahead of schedule, with completion still expected to be this fall. Patching should be done next week; sidewalks and paving of the outside lanes should be completed by the end of the week of Aug. 8.
The Indigo Road project is “going a little better than expected,” the update stated.
And, finally, the 2022 pavement maintenance program is out for bids, with approval of a construction contract expected at the Aug. 15 board meeting.
Compensation
Among six items on the consent agenda was the first reading of Ordinance 35-22, setting pay increases for the village president (mayor) and village board members (trustees). It passed and will be up for second reading at the Aug. 15 board meeting.
It was noted in the ordinance that the last raise for the mayor was in 2012; the last adjustment for the trustees, and the village treasurer, was in 2004.
Here are the new salary figures, with the effective date determined by the next time their officers are up for election:
Village president (mayor), currently $47,000. New salary, $51,700, effective May 1, 2025.
Village board member (trustee), currently $7,800 each. New salary $8,500, effective May 1, 2023, for seats in Districts 2, 5 and 6, and effective May 1, 2025, for seats in Districts 1, 3 and 4.
Village treasurer, currently $5,400. New salary, $5,940, effective May 1, 2025.
When it comes to benefits, the mayor and clerk together receive paid health insurance, totaling $28,000. Their dental insurance is $1,000.
The mayor also may receive up to $3,100 a year for expenses; the clerk is reimbursed up to $6,000 for expenses.
Village trustees may attend the annual Illinois Municipal League conference and be reimbursed up to $6,000, among them, for that expense. They also are entitled to spend $3,200 for training and events.
The village clerk is the only other elected official in that group. But her salary, currently $42,500, will remain at that level until determined otherwise.
Absences from meetings soon will carry a monetary penalty, according to Section C of Chapter 2.102. Section C reads, “Each trustee will be allowed a maximum of three paid regularly-scheduled board absences per fiscal year, commencing May 1, 2025. For every absence beyond three absences, a trustee’s compensation will be reduced by $175.”
There seemed to have been numerous absences during the 2021-22 fiscal year. Then, just into the start of the 2022-23 fiscal year, the regularly scheduled board meeting on June 6, 2022, was canceled due to lack of a quorum. Four trustees were absent that night, with only the mayor, and trustees Joe Seipts, District 1, and James Kidd, District 3, in attendance. Mayor Johnson apologized that night, saying, “We have a few individuals ill, so I’m apologizing to the public that we cannot have a board meeting on June 6. Thank you for your consideration and we will have a meeting June 20.” That did happen, with all six trustees attending the June 20 meeting.
