By Bob Balgemann

Harlem High School’s boys and girls bowling teams have continued their lengthy string of successful appearances in the state tournament. And the competitive dance team has become a presence in the NIC-10, as well as the state level.

The bowling teams each finished second this year and the Machesney Park Village Board welcomed them to its March 21 meeting, to recognize them and their tradition of being among the best teams in Illinois.

In the 22 years since the New Millenium began, the Lady Huskies have won seven state championships. They qualified for state in nine of the past 10 seasons, winning consecutive state titles in 2016-17 and 2017-18, and finishing second in each of the last three years.

The Huskies also have fared well in the postseason, qualifying for state for the last eight years, while winning two titles. In 2014-15, when they took second, sophomore Jake Nimtz rolled two 300 games and was the individual state champion, setting a new 12-game series record with 3,011 pins.

All of that success was interrupted in 2020-21, when there was no state tournament in because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But now they’re back at it again.

Mayor Steve Johnson welcomed members of those two teams and their coaches to the board meeting.

He first talked about the boys’ 2020-21 team, saying it won the NIC-10 championship, regional and sectional tournaments, and then taking second in the state. He presented them with a plaque, recognizing them for their hard work and dedication, and impressive teamwork. “We congratulate you on your accomplishments,” he said.

Then he also spoke in glowing terms, about the girls’ 2020-21 team, which also won conference, regional and sectional championships, while finishing second in the state. “We acknowledge the team’s accomplishments through determination, commitment and dedication,” he said.

Harlem’s dance team also won a conference title, to go with previous trips to the state finals. Those successes, Mayor Johnson said, were due “to all the hard work of team members and their ability to work together.”

More honors

As the meeting continued, the mayor in his twice-monthly report to the board, staff and home viewers, said a village business had been selected as one of the What Rocks in the Rockford Region award winners. That was By The Dozen, at 8324 N. Second St., with the honor of being the Best Bakery and Donuts store in that area.

“Congratulations to Brent Nelson and his family for all the hard work they put into their bakery,” he said.

In another report, Chief Deputy Anthony Miceli summarized that during February, Winnebago County sheriff’s deputies serving the village made 565 traffic stops, 11 DUI arrests and responded to 1,658 calls for service. Also, in the last five days, they made two gun arrests in town.

Since its incorporation in 1981, Machesney Park has contracted with the sheriff’s department for law enforcement services.

As part of the consent agenda, the board approved five recommendations for approval from among two of its three advisory committees.

IHDA grant

One of the issues on that agenda was time sensitive. It was Resolution 15-R-22, calling for acceptance of a grant from the Illinois Housing Development Authority’s (IHDA)Strong Communities Program. The recommendation came from the administration and finance committee (A&F), which met earlier that night.

Finance and Human Resources Manager Michelle Johannsen provided details to members of A&F.

Previously, in July 2021, IHDA had granted and the village accepted a $60,000 grant under the Abandoned Property Program (APP). The village proceeded with the work and demolished an abandoned building at 9862 Norman Ave.

But shortly thereafter, IHDA advised all municipalities to stop related work, due to an Illinois Supreme Court opinion challenging the APP program.

More recently, in January 2022, the village was reimbursed in full for the Norman Avenue demolition, in the amount of $27,355.

Now IHDA has decided to terminate the APP agreements, but Manager Johannsen said it was converting the remaining, unused grant funding to the Strong Communities Program (SCP). “The SCP is very similar to APP and so demolition of abandoned properties remains an eligible expense of the program,” she said.

That said, the committee was asked to approve Resolution 15-R-22 that authorized the village to accept the $32,645 remaining in the APP grant, which now would come through SCP.

She added that the village would have two years in which to use at money.

A&F without discussion recommended in a unanimous voice vote that the resolution be approved. Given the short deadline for returning the documents – IHDA had set it for April 4 – the resolution was forwarded to that night’s village board meeting for final approval. Normally there is a two-week layover period for committee recommendations to have second and final reading.

The village board, as part of its consent agenda on March 21, unanimously approved the resolution without discussion.

 
 
 
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