Beautiful, aren't they! Candlewick pelicans

Thanks to Barb Appelhans for the picture

Why are they digging up the shoulders?

This has been a tough year to get this rolling but finally with the drier conditions and other projects caught up the road shoulders are being worked on to provide proper drainage, something that has been needed for some time. Some of the cuts have gone pretty deep and far back but that is necessary in order to get the flow. After the road repairs are made our maintenance staff will be bringing in gravel for road edge stability and seeding the stripped areas so things will be back to normal...... actually better than normal. Now it will be correct!
Ken

results are back

 The latest beach water quality tests came back fine so it is still an all clear. Good news!

Public Safety weekly report

Important Candlewick Lake Information

Candlewick Lake Public Safety

 

WEEKLY REPORT

Week ending 7/28/2013

Weather Related:

Public Safety responded to various calls of trees down. One in particular was in the 1200 blk. of CWD. A tree came down across the roof of a garage. There was serious damage, but fortunately no injuries.

Public Safety responded to the report of a pontoon boat flipped over by a very strong wind. This boat had been secured on a boat lift.

Rescue Calls

Public Safety responded to the 100 block of Marquette for a medical assist. The problem was unknown. The resident was transported to St. Andres for treatment.

Public Safety responded to the 100 block of Delta for a subject who suffering from a possible heart attack. The resident was transported for treatment.

Suspicious Activity

Public Safety responded to the 100 block of Valhalla Dr. for a report of a male subject trying to enter a residence. The residence was not occupied.  The BCSO was summoned. A canine check of the residence was conducted. Nothing appeared to be amiss.

Public Safety responded to the Rec Center for an adult male subject trying to make entry into the Gym, which was closed. The man was described as agitated. This subject could not be located, there was no damage.

Vehicle Burglary

An unlocked vehicle was reported entered in the 300 blk. of Constitution. Cash and an Ipod accessory were removed. Several valuable items were not taken. The vehicle owner was counseled on locking his vehicle at night and not leaving valuable items within his vehicle.

Vandalism

Public Safety responded to the marina by the Rec Center for vandalism to the portable outhouse near the piers. It had been turned knocked over.

Public Safety responded to King Henry for a rock which had struck the garage door. Apparently an unknown juvenile had thrown the rock in retaliation to another youth.

Public Safety responded to a residence on Kingsbury for a report of two (2) cars being scratched and one (1) tail light being broken. The incident apparently stems from some unknown juveniles,  wanting to fight one another.

Citations Issued  20

Warnings Issued 18

Public Safety would ask if residents observe anything suspicious to please call 1-815-765-3768.

Are they really "friends?"

 I know of people on Facebook who ask everyone they know if they can "friend them." Some simply ask friends of friends they see on the site. What a pointless exercise. The simple fact someone has thousands of friends on Facebook is just silly. No one can actually follow that many posts unless they have absolutely no life and to consider someone a friend when you have never even met them in person is ludicrous to me. The meaning of friend is disappearing. That is sad. It is beginning to be like when someone checking you out as the supermarket says the obligatory "Have a nice day." They couldn't care less if your day is nice, it is just something to say. Meaningless.
Grumpy old Ken

It's that time of year

 I just picked up some sweet corn and finished one of my most disliked jobs, cleaning all the silks off the corn. I came across this video that supposedly handles the problem. I have not yet tried it but it sure looks like a slick idea! Click the link below.   Ken
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YnBF6bv4Oe4

I like this for a Sunday thought

Bingo at the Eagle's Nest Cafe'

 Once each month the Eagle's Nest holds a bingo luncheon. Everyone seems to be having fun as well as enjoying the great food!
(Thanks to Barb Appelhans for the picture)

A safe place for the kids when there is no school

FINALLY THE CC&Rs ARE A DONE DEAL

After around two years of work and three mailings plus personal calls and home visits the restated CC&Rs have passed with votes to spare. This is a major win for your community in the updating of your governing documents. Next you will be receiving a mailing with the new by-laws updated to bring us into the modern age. I think you will like them. We will once again need your votes and hopefully these will pass quickly so we can move to the rules and regulations that need updating with deletions and additions as well to make Candlewick an even more property owner friendly place to raise your family or retire.
A huge thank you to those who took the time to scrutinize the documents and place your votes. You are appreciated more than you know and every vote mattered.
Ken

BREAKFAST BUFFET AT EAGLE’S NEST CAFÉ

 

SUNDAY, JULY 28,

               8 AM-1 PM                   

ADULTS $8.99

CHILDREN 4-10 YRS OLD $5.99

CHILDREN 3 AND UNDER $1.99

 

JOIN US!

Town Hall meeting...overflow crowd of 12

 There was good input from property owners concerned about what is being done about lake pollution, being more resident friendly by changing some of the rules (this is in the works), getting a P/R firm to help with promotion of our community, and the possibility of fences on private property. A property owner complained about homes that are not being maintained and another about speeding in his area plus a plugged culvert allowing storm water to run onto the street and his property. The issue of tickets for Holiday lights being left up after the deadline in extenuating circumstances was brought up. (That should have been appealed to citation review.)
  The attendees were a nice group of folks with legitimate comments and they were appreciated. Hopefully the next Town Hall on October 12 (a Saturday) at 2 will be better attended. We know people have full schedules as do the board members.
Ken

Algae blooms, want to know more about this common problem?

This is not Candlewick Lake!

815-765-1943... rec center phone number

Call the rec center for details

The time draws near!

The naming rights question clarification

 In my post about giving naming rights to any person or organization willing to provide the cash and labor to get something up and running like the dog park I wasn't meaning to ask if the dog park is a good idea. Research has already started for the project, I am simply asking for responses on the naming rights question.  Ken

Thursday evening at 7 P.M.

The next in our series of town hall meetings is scheduled at the rec center. This is the time set aside specifically for your board to hear what is on the mind of property owners. Questions, comments, ideas, whatever are all appreciated as long as the meeting stays civil. Questions asked may not be answered until the board can find the answers for you but bring 'em all on. 
Ken

Any thoughts on this subject?

I have brought this up before but I am not sure if I broached the subject on this site. It doesn't seem to get much traction and I wonder if I am the only one that likes the idea.
You will remember Rich Witt spent a huge amount of time as well as some personal money developing the trail through an area he loves so we all can enjoy the beauty. Subsequently we named it the Witt Trail, much to his surprise. He deserved it.
Other projects are often brought up and seem to stay on the back burner, being discussed but with little action. One that comes to mind right now is the dog park. In my opinion if someone wants to spend their time and money developing the park we should supply the location and agree to maintain the park after completion. There would still have to be a yearly fee from users for maintenance. The person who handles the physical and financial part of getting it set to go should have naming rights. It could be the “John Smith Park for Dogs” or whatever they desire. It could be named for a deceased loved one who loved animals. We have memorial benches so why not something like this.
It is like pulling teeth to get responses to this stuff but I would really like to know if I am way off base with this idea or if you agree. Disagreeing will not offend me, I just want opinions.

Ken

A pretty new friend for you home!

 Beautiful Pearl Cockatiel for sale. 2 months old hand fed very tame and loving, only one that hatched so it's had all my attention. Picture is of baby on the lower cage without head feathers yet Mother above (females stay Pearl in color) . Other picture shows his Dad and what it will eventually look like if it's a male(can't tell the sex till adult feathers come in- 6/12 months)

Contact Barb Appelhans 815-765-3241 or barb.appelhans@yahoo.com.

Well, I have a real mess

 I know I am not alone in this after the Monday night storms that hit Candlewick. One of our willows really took a hit and I am trying to find someone who can cut up and get rid of one really big branch that is the size of a small tree plus some smaller ones. With so many trees down around the area this may pose a real problem but I know I can't move it. I hope my neighbors realize I am working on the problem. Any ideas? Please let me know.
Ken

Monday special board meeting

 As you saw from a previous post the main purpose of the meeting was to discuss funding of our portion of the grant to provide plantings and ditch work in order to filter runoff coming into our lake. The board agreed to fund $35,200 of a grant worth over $80,000, hopefully to some degree with volunteer hours. The actual physical work will begin in 2014. This is part of an ongoing plan to clean up our lake.
Ken

A couple of these may be gone now

Offers are being taken for association owned lots. The time has come to quit carrying them on the books. Take a look and if one (or more) appeals to you send in a written offer. You might want to call the office before submitting the offer to be sure it is still available. The list can also be viewed at the customer service counter in the "lots for sale" book.  Ken

Permanent I.D. Number	Description
03-22-176-002	Unit 12 Lot 49 110 Savannah Dr.
03-22-251-003	Unit 11 Lot 11 422 Staffordshire NE
03-22-401-004	Unit 5 Lot 256 230 Rochester Rd. NE
03-26-126-010	Unit 10 Lot 143 141 Lamplighter Loop SE
03-26-152-020	Unit 1 Lot 121 100 James Circle SE
03-26-153-024	Unit 1 Lot 100 500 Lamplighter Loop SE
03-26-155-005	Unit 1 Lot 55 105 Candlewick Blvd. SE
03-26-326-013	Unit 9 Lot 92 220 Liverpool SE or 303 Kingsbury SE
03-27-179-015	Unit 8 Lot 4 102 Briar Cliff SW
03-28-201-007	Unit 7 Lot 94 205 Tamarack Hollow SW
03-28-229-023	Unit 7 Lot 162 218 Gables SW or 503 Marquette SW

Weekly Public Safety report

Important Candlewick Lake Information

Candlewick Lake Public Safety

WEEKLY REPORT

Week Ending 07/21/2013

Rescue Calls

Public Safety responded to the 100 block of Spinnacre for a report of a subject vomiting blood.  The subject was transported for treatment.

Public Safety responded to the 100 block of Sequoyah for a report of a subject with stomach pain.  The subject was transported for treatment.

Public Safety responded to the 100 block of Rockaway for a report of a subject having difficulty breathing.  The subject was transported for treatment.

Public Safety responded to the 100 block of Hastings for a report of a subject having a seizure.  The subject was transported for treatment.

Reckless Driving

Public Safety responded to the 1600 block of Candlewick Dr. for a report of a vehicle that struck a house.  The matter is under investigation by the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.

Public Safety responded to a report of a vehicle off the roadway and struck some paver bricks.  The matter is under investigation by the Public Safety Department.

Damaged Property

Public Safety responded to the area of Candlewick Dr, and King Henry for a report of damaged mailboxes.

Public Safety responded to the 100 block of Chanticleer for a report of damaged mailboxes.

Public Safety responded to the 1400 block of Candlewick Dr. for a report of a subject burning a couch.  The fire was extinguished and the subject was cited.

Public Safety responded to the 100 block of King Henry for a report of yard lights damaged.

Public Safety responded to the 100 block of Birch Dr. for a report of a damaged pool.

Public Safety responded to the 100 block of Hastings for a report of a residential water spigot being turned and left running.

Citations Issued 14

Warnings Issued 19

We thank you for taking the time to read these important updates.

Being informed is half the battle.  

Sunday concert in the park

Well, actually it was in the gym due to the likelihood of rain. The name of the band is "The Saturday June Band... but the concert was on Sunday. Kind of a strange turn of events but everyone seems to be having a good time. thank you Barb Appelhans for the pictures.  Ken

Sergeant Stubby (for those who don't know the story)

I had to cut and paste this story so if some of you can't see the pictures that is why. It is quite a story that I want to share. The pictures are of the dog and his brick at the WW1 memorial.  Ken


Sergeant Stubby (1916 or 1917 – April 4, 1926), was the most decorated war dog of World War I and the only dog to be promoted to sergeant through combat. America's first war dog, Stubby served 18 months 'over there' and participated in seventeen battles on the Western Front. He saved his regiment from surprise mustard gas attacks, found and comforted the wounded, and even once caught a German spy by the seat of his pants (holding him there until American Soldiers found him). Back home his exploits were front page news of every major newspaper.

Early life

Stubby was a stray pit bull type dog that appeared at Yale Field in New Haven, Connecticut while a group of soldiers were training. The dog hung around as the men drilled and one soldier, Corporal Robert Conroy, developed a fondness for the mutt. When it came time for the outfit to ship out, Conroy hid Stubby on board the troop ship. The story goes that upon discovery by Conroy's commanding officer, Stubby saluted him as he had been trained to in camp, and the commanding officer was so impressed that he allowed the dog to stay on board.[1]

Military service

Sergeant Stubby wearing his uniform and medals

]Stubby served with the 102nd Infantry, 26th (Yankee) Division in the trenches in France for 18 months and participated in four offensives and 17 battles. He entered combat on February 5, 1918 at Chemin des Dames, north of Soissons, and was under constant fire, day and night for over a month. In April 1918, during a raid to take Schieprey, Stubby was wounded in the foreleg by the retreating Germans throwing hand grenades. He was sent to the rear for convalescence, and as he had done on the front was able to improve morale. When he recovered from his wounds, Stubby returned to the trenches.

After being gassed himself, Stubby learned to warn his unit of poison gas attacks, located wounded soldiers in no man's land, and — since he could hear the whine of incoming artillery shells before humans could — became very adept at letting his unit know when to duck for cover. He was solely responsible for capturing a German spy in the Argonne. Following the retaking of Château-Thierry by the US, the thankful women of the town made Stubby a chamois coat on which were pinned his many medals. He also helped free a French town from the Germans. At the end of the war, Conroy smuggled Stubby home.

Sergeant Stubby's brick at the World War I Memorial

After returning home, Stubby became a celebrity and marched in, and normally led, many parades across the country. He met Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, and Warren G. Harding. Starting in 1921, he attended Georgetown University Law Center with Conroy, and became the Georgetown Hoyas' team mascot. He would be given the football at halftime and would nudge the ball around the field to the amusement of the fans.

Tractor Trek... 50 tractor parade Saturday

The tractors drove through Candlewick in a parade then parked at the Rec center for residents to get a closer look and ask questions. Thanks to Barb Appelhans for the pictures.

Excerpt relating to the previous post

This is the back of a human eye.
Notice how the darkness in infringing
on the surface.

February 2, 2012 – The secret to reversing blindness may lie in the DNA of pond scum — blue-green algae, to be precise — and the Foundation is providing a $250,000 grant to RetroSense Therapeutics, the developer of a treatment that delivers algal genes to the retina for restoring vision. RetroSense is hoping to launch a clinical trial of the gene therapy in two to four years, and the Foundation may invest additional money as certain milestones are met.

RetroSense’s genetic treatment is delivered to retinal ganglion cells, which survive long after rods and cones, the cells that normally provide vision, are lost to advanced retinal degenerations like retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration. The treatment contains copies of an algal gene called channelrhodospin-2, which make the ganglion cells light-sensitive. Normally, ganglion cells don’t provide vision; rather they help fine-tune the visual information generated by rods and cones.

An interesting concept

Wednesday there was a meeting to bring us up to date on the grant status for upstream lake clarification work. Things are moving right along and we expect to have a special board meeting soon to cover the issue and projected plans for 2014. More to come on this later.
One attendee was James Cook. He is not involved in the grant plan but it was interesting to hear his company's desires. They would like to have permission to bring in a skimmer (to other lakes as well) and skim off surface algae. The next step is to pump it into a van where there is a centrifuge that spins out the water and extracts the gummy stuff and most of the toxins. What is left is a jelly like substance that is frozen and sent to their plant in Ohio where it is used for experimental purposes including possible drug applications as well as for testing and learning composition characteristics.
This is at no cost to us but it is very interesting to me for a personal reason. A derivative of blue-green algae is being tested as a possible treatment for the disease that has caused my wife to lose all her sight, retinitis pigmentosa. Currently according to James the only source of the material they intend to develop is from overseas. Very odd to say the least. This is a no lose situation for us.
There has been no definitive action by the board on this but I can see no roadblocks so if you see people from Beagle Bioproducts on site in a few weeks that is what it is all about.

Ken

IEPA information on algae.

This is not Candlewick Lake

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is now releasing information on algae blooms in general. Want to know more about this problem in so many bodies of water as well as precautions? Click on the link below.   Ken

http://www.epa.state.il.us/water/algal-bloom/index.html

Beach O.K. again

 The test results came back fine so the beach will be re-opening. Good news!  Ken

Pretty much for one purpose

This is from memory so may not be exact home numbers

 When I was speaking to Joel from AQUA at the board meeting one question I asked him was regarding our responsibility to pay for upgrades to systems of recently acquired utilities in the bill on the governor's desk. He said there is only one other utility in our district and I believe he said it consisted of 87 homes. Think about this for a minute, if AQUA acquires another utility and puts it into our district who will pay for the bulk of the system upgrade of the acquired system? Certainly not the 87 additional homes in our district. We will absorb the brunt of the cost and at no benefit for us. This is just nuts! Please look down the posts here for the way to contact our governor to try to stop this ridiculous bill with a veto. The yes votes for the bill were overwhelming but it would at least give us time to point out how ridiculous this is and try to stop the override. How then heck this got through the process I have no idea.  Ken

Offspring of "Officer Tom Dawson"?

Old "Officer Tom'

Wednesday I received and email from Rich Witt mentioning he had seen a tom turkey on his bike ride. The turkey left the road as he came to it. Interestingly enough Tuesday as I was leaving Candlewick the turkey was at the south gate in the entry road. I stopped, rolled down the window, and spoke to him. He didn't come to the car as Officer Tom used to but he didn't run either. It must be in his genes. Nice to see.  Ken

I actually like this idea

Money Magazine in the August issue contained an article about the number of doctors no longer accepting insurance, cash only. The number is increasing quickly and now stands at about 6%, which is actually a high number if you think about it. The staff necessary to handle the insurance and government paperwork is huge and the paperwork load is getting worse. Not accepting insurance cuts costs substantially.
Many are now charging a monthly fee for service, including unlimited access to doctors in the practice and all office procedures. Patients are asked to continue carrying a high deductible policy for major circumstances that can not be handled by the group.
To me if a person is now paying hundreds of dollars per month for health insurance why not pay the doctor group a couple hundred per month and buy the high deductible policy in case you were to get some serious disease? Makes perfect sense to cut out the middleman. This may be the way of the future, much to the dismay of the politicians who would like to control your health care. I could even see company insurance going this way for employees.
Ken

 I just noticed we have passed the 20,000 hit mark on the new blog. Without your continuing readership this effort would be pointless. Your readership is appreciated.
Ken

Important Candlewick Lake Information

Precautionary Measures on CWL Lake 

Because of some questionable areas around the lake with possible blue-green algae,

we have taken several samples of the lake water and have sent them for testing.

We should have those results back within 48 hours.

While we are waiting for these results to be returned the lake is posted as: 

1. No drinking from the bays, both pets and humans.

2. No swimming in the bays, both pets and humans.

 These postings remain in effect until further notice.

We thank you for taking the time to read these important updates.

Being informed is half the battle.