The Boone County Sheriff's Office wants to wish everyone a happy and safe New Year. Free ride will be offered tonight starting at 6pm until 2am. Please call (815) 544-2144 to speak with a dispatcher and a free ride will be arranged.

Just get home safely!

New Year’s Eve Party: 7:30; Recreation Center Lakeview Room; Ticket price $35.00 per person and includes Music, Premier Hor d’Oeuvres and Sweet Table. Tickets available at the Rec. Center Activity Desk
Savannah Oaks New Year’s Eve Party: 8 P.M. ; Savannah Oaks Club House; No Cover Charge; Food & Drink Specials plus Entertainment

Free food & lodging. Let's help 'em out

An apple a day....

Rich Witt (right) and Jim Brefeld

 I was speaking with Rich Witt at a party a few days ago where he was telling me about taking apples to deer that live in the Witt Trail area below the dam. During his morning bike rides he has noticed apples in yards and ditches going to waste. He decided to pick some up and take them to the trail for the deer. 
The first day he took some twenty gallon buckets of apples and dumped them by the trail. He said in no time deer started to appear and before long there were eleven deer feeding on the apples. It sounds like this has turned into quite a job, with him hauling buckets there daily and the deer garfing them down, leaving not a one.
The apples will be gone soon and there will be some very disappointed deer. They smell the apples when he brings them and now recognize him walking with the buckets. He tells me they come very close to him when feeding.

A public thanks to Chuck!

Chuck handling the Candlewick Clean up Day last year

Chuck Corso and his family picked up four and a half forty gallon bags of litter Sunday to help get rid of the trash I mentioned in my last post. Good job "Mr. Clean.

Tine to clean 'er up!

Last Thursday when the winds were howling happened to be the time our garbage was picked up. As I drove around Candlewick there were upset containers all over with trash blowing. Now it is Monday morning and I see there is still trash everywhere and now ice and snow may cover it making it impossible to remove until a thaw. We all need to pitch in and clean it up when something like this happens. If there is a vacant lot next to you it takes no time to pick up the trash there as well as in front of your home. If we all do that it will be a quick and easy job and our appearance will not suffer as it is now. I personally am embarrassed to have others from outside our community see the way we currently look. 
 Candlewick maintenance does not have the manpower or time to clean all 27 miles of roads of the trash so unless we all do our part this will be the impression we leave on visitors. I doubt any of us want that.
Ken

Author unknown

A BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS STORY

About a week before Christmas the family bought a new nativity scene. When they unpacked it they found 2 figures of the Baby Jesus. "Someone must have packed this wrong," the mother said, counting out the figures. "We have one Joseph, one Mary, three wise men, three shepherds, two lambs, a donkey, a cow, an angel and two babies. Oh, dear! I suppose some set down at the store is missing a Baby Jesus because we have 2."

"You two run back down to the store and tell the manager that we have an extra Jesus. Tell him to put a sign on the remaining boxes saying that if a set is missing a Baby Jesus, call 7126. Put on your warm coats, it's freezing cold out there."

The manager of the store copied down mother's message and the next time they were in the store they saw the cardboard sign that read, "If you're missing Baby Jesus, call 7126." All week long they waited for someone to call. Surely, they thought, someone was missing that important figurine. Each time the phone rang mother would say, "I'll bet that's about Jesus," but it never was.

Father tried to explain there are thousands of these scattered over the country and the figurine could be missing from a set in Florida or Texas or California. Those packing mistakes happen all the time. He suggested just put the extra Jesus back in the box and forget about it.

"Put Baby Jesus back in the box! What a terrible thing to do," said the children. "Surely someone will call," mother said. "We'll just keep the two of them together in the manger until someone calls."

When no call had come by 5:00 on Christmas Eve, mother insisted that father "just run down to the store" to see if there were any sets left. "You can see them right through the window, over on the counter," she said. "If they are all gone, I'll know someone is bound to call tonight."

"Run down to the store?" father thundered. "It's 15 below zero out there!"

"Oh, Daddy, we'll go with you," Tommy and Mary began to put on their coats. Father gave a long sigh and headed for the front closet. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered. Tommy and Mary ran ahead as father reluctantly walked out in the cold. Mary got to the store first and pressed her nose up to the store window. "They're all gone, Daddy," she shouted. "Every set must be sold."

"Hooray," Tommy said. "The mystery will now be solved tonight!"

Father heard the news still a half block away and immediately turned on his heel and headed back home. When they got back into the house they noticed that mother was gone and so was the extra Baby Jesus figurine. "Someone must have called and she went out to deliver the figurine," my father reasoned, pulling off his boots. "You kids get ready for bed while I wrap mother's present."

Then the phone rang. Father yelled "answer the phone and tell 'em we found a home for Jesus." But it was mother calling with instructions for us to come to 205 Chestnut Street immediately, and bring three blankets, a box of cookies and some milk. "Now what has she gotten us into?" my father groaned as we bundled up again. "205 Chestnut. Why that's across town. Wrap that milk up good in the blankets or it will turn to ice before we get there. Why can't we all just get on with Christmas? It's probably 20 below out there now. And the wind is picking up. Of all the crazy things to do on a night like this."

When they got to the house at 205 Chestnut Street it was the darkest one on the block. Only one tiny light burned in the living room and, the moment we set foot on the porch steps, my mother opened the door and shouted, "They're here, Oh thank God you got here, Ray! You kids take those blankets into the living room and wrap up the little ones on the couch. I'll take the milk and cookies."

"Would you mind telling me what is going on, Ethel?" my father asked. "We have just walked through below zero weather with the wind in our faces all the way."

"Never mind all that now," my mother interrupted. "There isn't any heat in this house and this young mother is so upset she doesn't know what to do. Her husband walked out on her and those poor little children will have a very bleak Christmas, so don't you complain. I told her you could fix that oil furnace in a jiffy."

My mother strode off to the kitchen to warm the milk while my brother and I wrapped up the five little children who were huddled together on the couch. The children's mother explained to my father that her husband had  run off, taking bedding, clothing, and almost every piece of furniture, but she had been doing all right until the furnace broke down.

"I been doin' washin' and ironin' for people and cleanin' the five and dime," she said. "I saw your number every day there, on those boxes on the counter. When the furnace went out, that number kept going' through my mind. 7162 7162. Said on the box that if a person was missin' Jesus, they should call you. That's how I knew you were good Christian people, willin' to help folks. I figured that maybe you would help me, too. So I stopped at the grocery store tonight and I called your misses. I'm not missin' Jesus, mister, because I sure love the Lord. But I am missin' heat. I have no money to fix that furnace."

"Okay, Okay," said father. "You've come to the right place. Now let's see. You've got a little oil burner over there in the dining room. Shouldn't be too hard to fix. Probably just a clogged flue. I'll look it over, see what it needs."

Mother came into the living room carrying a plate of cookies and warm milk. As she set the cups down on the coffee table, I noticed the figure of Baby Jesus lying in the center of the table. It was the only sign of Christmas in the house. The children stared wide-eyed with wonder at the plate of cookies my mother set before them.

Father finally got the oil burner working but said, "You need more oil. I'll make a few calls tonight and get some oil. Yes sir, you came to the right place", father grinned. 

On the way home father did not complain about the cold weather and had barely set foot inside the door when he was on the phone. "Ed, hey, how are ya, Ed?" 

"Yes, Merry Christmas to you, too. Say Ed, we have kind of an unusual situation here. I know you've got that pick-up truck. Do you still have some oil in that barrel on your truck? You do?" 

By this time the rest of the family were pulling clothes out of their closets and toys off of their shelves. It was long after their bedtime when they were wrapping gifts. The pickup came. On it were chairs, three lamps, blankets and gifts. Even though it was 30 below, father let them ride along in the back of the truck. No one ever did call about the missing figure in the nativity set, but as I grow older I realize that it wasn't a packing mistake at all.

Jesus saves, that's what He does.

A smile from Larry Ohlendorf

WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO? BEST TRUE LAWYER STORY OF THE  YEAR, DECADE, AND POSSIBLY THE CENTURY This took place in Charlotte, North Carolina .  A lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured them against, among other things, fire. Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars, the lawyer filed  a claim against the insurance company. In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost 'in a series of small fires.' The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason, that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion. The lawyer sued - and WON!                 (Stay  with  me.) Delivering the ruling, the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous. The judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company, in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable 'fire' and was obligated to pay the claim. Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his loss of the cigars that perished in the 'fires'. NOW  FOR THE BEST   PART... After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!!!    With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine. This true story won First Place in last year's Criminal Lawyers Award contest. ONLY IN AMERICA .....                NO WONDER THE REST OF THE WORLD THINKS WE'RE NUTS

This scene says it all.....

I wish all of you a blessed Christmas. May you have family and friends around you and peace in your heart on this most glorious of days.
Ken

December 24th... 8:15 a.m.

I think I like to fish about as much as most but I have to tell you this is out of my league. I took a drive around the lake this morning and was more than a little surprised to see two guys in a boat trying their luck. It was 34 degrees. This is ice fishing without the ice!

Ken

I have to start dressing better

 

Well, it happened again! I posted here a couple years ago when a lady in a store insisted on paying for the shoes I was buying. It was very nice of her but it felt really strange and I tried to refuse but she was determined.
  Monday about I drove to the Belvidere McDonalds to grab a quick dinner (or supper as I call it but Fran always corrects me.) When my time came to drive up to the pay window the employee said mine was already paid for by the car in front of me. Stunned, I asked WHY? She then handed a large paper out the window that said "Merry Christmas!!! To all a good night." The lady who paid for my food told her to give it to me. I barely saw the woman but she waved as she pulled out of the lot. I waved back but I am not sure she saw me.
  I have to be the poorest looking person around for this to keep happening. Everyone who sees me knows I am not malnourished and in need of food!
  It was very nice of the lady and I truly hope she has a wonderful Christmas. There are some kind people out there.
Ken

Your Public Safety report

Please join us!

 As I type this there are ten days left until candidacy statements will be accepted at the office. I hope some of you are giving this serious consideration. We need good board members. Please do not think someone else will do it. If you care about Candlewick put aside your trepidation and just run. This is your time to step forward for your community. All the information is in your Candlewick newspaper. Already trashed it? It will be in the upcoming one as well. No excuses!
Ken

A little Southern humor

The Roads Commission

 Here is the situation. A few years ago we had a Roads Commission then we hired a Maintenance Manager who had a lot of road experience so the job of planned repairs was handed off to him so the commission was not needed.
 A property owner asked why we were not using a commission now. Your board has no problem with a commission but if we do not get at least four volunteers who are willing to spend the time to plan the project it will not fly.
 We will be asking our Maintenance manager to note the areas of most concern as he goes around our community. Those notes will be used either by the new commission as a starting point or if the commission does not get off the ground your G.M. and board will put together a plan and proceed.
 If you want to be a part of this commission that is good but you will need to attend the meetings and physically look at the areas of concern in making the repair and replace plan for 2016. It will need to be accomplished fairly quickly so we can go out for bids early while the contractors are still hungry for business.
 It is up to you folks. If you are willing to spend the time there will be a commission. If not we will proceed as before.
 Contact Theresa in the office by January 15.
Ken

From the Washington Free Beacon

Congress Provides $1.6B to Resettle Illegal Immigrants Arriving at Border Through 2018

Awards $1,645,201,000 for ‘refugee and entrant assistance activities

BY: Morgan Chalfant
December 17, 2015 12:11 pm

A massive appropriations bill expected to be approved by Congress would provide more than $1.6 billion to resettle illegal immigrants arriving at the U.S. border through 2018.

Congress would award the massive check to the government just as the U.S. isexperiencing a surge in arrivals of immigrant children at the southern border. Last week, federal agencies said they were opening two temporary shelters with 1,000 beds in South Texas to cope with the surge. A 400-bed shelter is also to be opened in Southern California.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the Department of Health and Human Services has begun a process to expand its temporary capacity to house unaccompanied children,” the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement last Monday.

The so-called omnibus spending bill would give $1,645,201,000 through fiscal year 2018 “for necessary expenses for refugee and entrant assistance activities authorized by section 414 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and section 501 of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980, and for carrying out section 462 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, section 235 of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (‘‘TVPA’’), section 203 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005, and the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998,” according to its text released Tuesday.

In October and November, U.S. government data showed that over 10,500 unaccompanied immigrant children crossed the southern border with Mexico, according to the Washington Post. That number is more than double the count of unaccompanied minors that arrived at the border during the same time period last year.

In the event that the new temporary shelters in Texas and California are not enough to account for the surge in migrants, HHS asked the Department of Defense last week to make plans for 5,000 more shelter beds to be made available. Those additional beds are not yet needed, an agency spokesperson said.

The Outpost... a deeper discussion

 

A Pavilion

The building was also known as the Teen Center. Obviously it didn't pan out as a teen center. We are now in the situation of trying to decide what to do with the building since it has deteriorated so badly.
 Over the last couple years we have considered simply tearing it down and forgetting about it. We also considered tearing it down and putting up a pavilion. Finally we decided to investigate the feasibility of tearing it down and rebuilding on the same foundation and wall studs plus adding an attached pavilion.
 I think we were all shocked when we found the approximate cost of doing the latter. It was almost three times what I had in mind. Naturally the every present fingers of government are adding to the cost with their mandates. Now in order to get firm bids for the project we must have stamped architect plans and that is also a large expense. Your board voted to allow an amount not to exceed $6,000 to follow through on that aspect, again adding to the cost.
 I will be right up front with this from my personal perspective. If we can not accomplish a huge drop in the cost of this project I say dump it and simply put up a pavilion (which is a type shelter) along with a bathroom that can be used for the new structure as well as the dog park.
 Yes, some now use the existing building, but I am sure they can find alternatives. If we tear it down and rebuild they will have to relocate for a year or so anyway so it can be built.
 This is your money we are talking about and as I have said many times, we need to look at needs, not our wants.
Ken

Board meeting notes

Board meeting notes... December 15, 2015

The AQUA update... Joel (from Aqua) indicates nothing much new but they do have some heavy equipment there now getting ready for the pump station relocation.

Finance Commission reports write offs in the amount of $102.37. Accounting adjustments total $439.42.

Our standing at the end of November is Operating cash of $575,315.56, Operating investments of $785,374.04, Reserve investments $3,364,558.47. Total investments $4,149,932.51 and Total cash of $4,725,248.07.

We are currently under budgeted expense by $189,126.29 and over revenue budget $29,663.86, meaning we are “to the good” by $218,790.15 fiscal year to date.

Public Safety reports 999 miscellaneous calls during November for everything from traffic enforcement to building checks.

Lake Management reports fish shocking has been completed and results are in with recommendations for the coming year. The EPA grant steering commission met November 17^th discussing future projects and grant applications for 2016

Communications indicates the website is up and running and looking much improved. A photo contest for the paper is planned with a quarterly prize of $25.00 for the best photo.

Events reports Turkey Bingo went great. Dandy Donuts donated hamburgers and hot dogs with proceeds going to Neighbors helping Neighbors. Breakfast with Santa has sold over 100 tickets (50 children). Christmas light displays on homes will be judged December 21 at 6 p.m.

Your golf course is still showing better financial results compared to 2014 due mainly to outsourcing of course maintenance but revenue is also up about $10,000. Of course it is still running at a substantial loss but that will always be the case as an amenity.

Links Management has blown out the irrigation lines and the equipment is being prepped for next year's season.

Your Maintenance Department, besides their normal duties, have been prepping for winter. They have their vehicles set for winter, places the shovels and salt at buildings for winter use, and winterized pumps and small motors at the shop. The lamp posts are up at the gates and the cameras adjusted. Pot holes are appearing again so patching has started again.

A resolution was passed to replace the windows in the Pool Check-in Building. The remove, reframe, and replace will be by Lake Ridge Building at a cost of $4,757.38. This expense will be from reserves.

The Outpost replacement is at a standstill until we get architectural stamps on the documents for bids. A reso. was passed allowing for the necessary oversight and stamp. More info to come later.

The decision was made with the recommendation of your General Manager to switch to the VOIP (voice over internet protocol) phone system. It is substantially less expensive. We will need to buy new phones but the savings will pay for the phones and still come out to the good the first year. After the first year there will be substantial savings. IP Communications will be the provider.

Our contract with Links Management for maintenance of your golf course has shown to produce substantial cost savings plus the course looked good during their tenure. The contract was renewed for next year.

There was discussion about allowing political candidates time to speak at board meetings. These are meetings to handle the business of Candlewick, not political contests. It was decided this will not be allowed. Anyone wishing to address Candlewick voters can rent the space as Michele Courier did for a meet and greet.

Your Board discussed our roads project for the next fiscal year. We will have approximately $310,000 in available funding. We will publish a request for volunteers to join a commission to study and make recommendations for repairs with input and information provided by our Maintenance manager. Should we not get at least four responses indicating interest in being a commission member we will move forward as last year with recommendations from our Maintenance manager, our General Manager, and your Board.

There was a first reading of a rule regarding disallowing parking of vehicles that are not owned by the property owner on their improved or unimproved lots. There will be no vote on the issue until the January meeting allowing time for publication and comment.

Discussion was held regarding whether to have firm open and close dates for the golf course or go by weather. The cost to add twenty days of additional open time used either in November or April is about $300.00 per day. This will involve budgeting for the cost which will impact he dues by about $2.50 per lot. The decision was made to include this in the 2016/2017 budget, meaning it will show up and a budgeted expense that must be covered whether used or not.

A board workshop was scheduled for January 5 at 6 p.m. In the office.

Be sure to watch for official minutes printed in your Candlewick Paper.

Holiday time... not much!

A picture sent to me

A concerned resident was kind enough to send me this picture of pumping by the AQUA plant. I immediately went to the area and what they were pumping was fresh rainwater from a collection point. He showed me he was not in the manhole cover for sewer. Thanks to the alert resident for staying on top of this for all of us.  Ken

Just as a side note, when I arrived Public Safety was already there checking on it as well so they were on top of the situaion

Fish shocking results

A Sunday contemplation

Think about this while making your decision whether or not to run for our board

Breakfast with Santa

Thank you Barb Appelhans for the pictures!

8 month old Wyatt Kutz gives Santa's beard a tug to see if it's real.

Karl, Hunter, Mike, Sabrina make it all happen in the kitchen.

Linda and Don Tripicchio and Grandchildren.

Figueroa family Chantz 11 and Gage 8 with Santa.

Karl Steiskal with Santa Joe

Ellen Steiskal and Ron Drake

Board agenda for meeting of 12-15-2015

Worth reposting... from Facebook

And what are we doing? NOTHING!

A heads up from Sheriff Ernest

Disturbing? Not to me! (From Fox News)

All this means to me is people are tired of being asked to not protect themselves from muggers, home invaders, rapists, and mass killers to name but a few. The police can not be everywhere at once and it is time we help by not just standing by hoping for help to arrive. Most of you know I have a concealed carry permit and I hope many of you do as well. Our families and friends deserve protection as do we.

 Stand up America!

Ken

County Sheriff cars

 Some of you may be wondering why you are seeing more Sheriff's cars in our community. Our new Boone County Sheriff indicated during his campaign he was going to be sure we get the coverage we deserve as a population center and he is sticking with his word. I know I am seeing much more coverage and it is wonderful. Our Public Safety department has a close working relationship with Sheriff Ernest and that is so good to see. The perception seemed to be in the past since we have our own Public Safety we could be ignored for the most part. Those days are over and we are all the better for it. If you see their cars be happy. It is a good sign!
Ken

A winter quote

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” 
― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

What are they building?

The "Gator"

You may have noticed our maintenance guys working on a small building next to the pool house. That is the new garage for the "Gator" that is used in the winter for lake patrol as well as other winter uses. We budgeted for this when we realized it was working well last winter. Now you know!
Ken

Lock 'em up!

We have had some problems recently with items being stolen from cars in driveways. From the reports I get it seems these are unlocked cars. They are not being broken into, they are just easy targets when the doors are unlocked. I have no way of knowing but I would bet dollars to doughnuts as they say this will turn out to be some kids getting away with what they can. Let's not make it easy for them. Lock the cars and discourage this type activity.
Ken

Keep the kids busy

NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS

All the ornaments, turkeys and dinners for this year have been taken.
Containers are now located at the Recreation Center and Administration Office where donations of non-perishable food items, cleaning products, paper products, toiletries, stocking stuffer items and/or wrapped candy may be deposited.

These containers will remain in place until December 11th and the contents will be added to the holiday dinners which will be delivered to 12 families on December 12th.
Thanks to all of CWL for your generosity this holiday season!

If you have any questions please contact either Bonnie Marron at (815) 765-2030 orcanoe@ameritech.net OR Sandy Morse at (815) 765- 2377 or morse712@aol.com.