Wednesday, July 28, 2010

WHEATON, Ill. – Wheaton City Manager Donald Rose has appointed Robert Lehnhardt to the position of Director of Finance for the City of Wheaton. Lehnhardt has been serving as the Acting Director of Finance for the City of Wheaton since the departure of former City Director of Finance Mark Horton in December 2009.

Lehnhardt has served as the City’s Assistant Director of Finance since November 1998. During this timeframe, Lehnhardt was involved in the daily operations of the Finance Department and the supervision of its eight-person staff.

Prior to working for the City of Wheaton, Lehnhardt worked for five years with the Village of Northbrook, Illinois, as an accountant and as Chief Accountant.

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WHEATON, IL, July 27, 2010 — Cantigny Park, part of the McCormick Foundation, will host its second annual “Dog Days” on Saturday, August 7, from 10 am to 4 pm.  The free event is the one day each year when guests and their favorite furry friends get to enjoy the park together.

“The response last year was amazing so we expect a lot of returning guests and many new ones,” said Laura Evans, Cantigny director of visitor services.  “Pet owners definitely appreciate opportunities like this, and so do their dogs!”

Dog Days will feature a special off-leash dog play area, plus entertaining shows and demonstrations.  About 40 nonprofit organizations and commercial vendors will be on site, too.

Things to see and do include:

• Windy City K-9 Disc Club and their World Champion High-Flying Dogs
• SuperDogz agility demos
• Green Valley Dog Driver (dog sledding demos)
• German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Illinois
• Healing Touch for Animals
• Animal shelters and on-site adoption services
• Doggie craft for kids ($1 fee)

Pet owners will be free to walk their leashed dogs throughout Cantigny’s beautiful grounds during the event.  Visiting dogs must have current vaccination tags and be social with others.

As with most Cantigny events, admission to Dogs Days is free with paid parking ($5 per vehicle).  More information and a full schedule of activities and events are online at Cantigny.org.

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Information Regarding Flood Damage Garbage Collection

WHEATON, Ill. – Wheaton residents looking to dispose of flood-damaged items as a result of the weekend’s storms have several options for collection if you are served by Veolia, the City’s waste hauler. If you have a small amount of materials to dispose of, you may use garbage stickers and include the items with your regular garbage. If you have a large amount of materials to dispose of, you can contact Veolia at 630-587-8282 to arrange a special water damage collection.

Veolia provides special collections at a rate of $22 per cubic yard. A cubic yard is the equivalent of about seven regular garbage bags, or an area of 3 feet (length) by 3 feet (width) by 3 feet (height).

To set up a special collection:

• Call Veolia at 630-587-8282 to set up a collection, which will take place on your regular garbage day.
• You will need to provide Veolia with a credit card number and authorize a set limit that Veolia can charge the credit card for the collection.
• Once the garbage truck driver arrives at your home, he or she will contact Veolia via radio to notify Veolia of the amount to be picked up. If you already called and authorized the collection with your credit card and the cost is at or below the limit you authorized, the material will be picked up, and you will be notified of the exact charge made.
• If the driver’s estimate exceeds the credit charge limit you authorized, Veolia will call you to obtain authorization for the greater charge. The material will not be picked up and may need to wait until the following week, as the driver cannot wait for further authorization.

Under these special circumstances, the City will allow you to place flood-damaged material at the curb awaiting collection. However, the material should not remain at the curb for longer than a week.

Also, please note that carpet bundling requirements remain the same whether carpeting is collected through a special collection or with your regular garbage collection. Each bundle cannot be more than 4 feet in length and 18 inches in diameter. If you are including carpeting with your regular garbage, each bundle requires its own sticker.

If extensive storm damage will require you to use a dumpster, contact Veolia at 630-587-8282 to inquire about dumpster rentals and pricing. You may want to consider sharing the use and cost of a dumpster with neighbors who also experienced water damage.

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WHEATON, IL, July 16, 2010 — Cantigny Park, part of the McCormick Foundation, will celebrate the 130^th birthday of Robert R. McCormick on Friday, July 30.  Free activities for visitors of all ages are planned from 10 am to 3 pm.

Colonel McCormick, the former editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, was born on July 30, 1880.  On McCormick Day, the Colonel’s extraordinary legacy will be commemorated, with particular emphasis on his life at Cantigny, the 500-acre country estate where he lived from 1920 until his passing in 1955.

Cantigny was much more than a place to live for the McCormick family.  The grounds were once a successful experimental farm, one of many “agricultural laboratories” in the 1930s that tested new crops and growing practices.  Elements of Cantigny’s farming heritage will be featured on July 30, including livestock (courtesy of Cosley Zoo in Wheaton), hay rides and a display of antique garden implements and vintage tractors.

The Colonel and his first wife Amy rode horses on the estate and hosted fox hunts and polo matches.  On McCormick Day, Wayne DuPage Hunt will give a horse-jumping demonstration.

Grounds tours will point out where the farm operations and sporting events took place, giving visitors a new perspective on Cantigny and the man who left it as a gift “for the recreation and education of the people of Illinois.”

The McCormick Museum, the Colonel’s former residence, will host an open house and give architectural tours.  The First Division Museum will offer an artillery tour focusing on the artifacts stationed on the museum’s south lawn.  Colonel McCormick served in Europe from 1917 through 1918, commanding an artillery battalion for the U.S. Army’s First Division during the Battle of Cantigny, the first American victory of World War I.

Kids’ activities on McCormick Day will include some of the same 19^th-century games that young Robert played, such as hoops & graces, hoop ‘n stick and stilts.  A newspaper hat-making activity will take place on the south porch of the McCormick Museum, and the First Division Museum will feature water balloon cannons.

Kids can also take turns on a hand-cranked ice cream freezer, recalling a tasty summer tradition on the Cantigny farm.  Samples will be available, along with slices of birthday cake in the Colonel’s honor!

McCormick Day activities are complimentary with paid parking ($5 per vehicle).  For more details, please visit Cantigny.org or call 630 260 8162.

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Cantigny Park and Cantigny Golf Introduce Benefits Program for Vets

“Honor Club” membership is free to all military service members and veterans

WHEATON, IL, July 19, 2010 – Cantigny Park and Cantigny Golf, each part of the McCormick Foundation, are rolling out the Colonel Robert R. McCormick Cantigny Honor Club, a complimentary program that awards special benefits to active-duty military personnel and veterans.  Honor Club was introduced during last Saturday’s “Rockin’ For the Troops” benefit concert at Cantigny Park.

Members of Honor Club receive a generous discount on green fees at Cantigny Golf, and free parking at Cantigny Park. The program also includes 10% off in Cantigny’s restaurants and shops, and advance notification of special events.

“We developed Honor Club as a way to recognize and thank the men and women who serve and sacrifice to protect our country’s freedom,” said David Hiller, McCormick Foundation president and chief executive officer.  “The program is named after Colonel Robert R. McCormick, our benefactor and a World War I veteran himself.  He enjoyed having soldiers and veterans visit his Cantigny estate, so this initiative really connects with the Colonel’s legacy.”

Active-duty military and their families have always received free admission to Cantigny Park.  Honor Club expands their level of benefits while offering all-new privileges for veterans.

There is no charge for Honor Club membership, but registration is required.  Applicants simply fill out a short form and return it to Cantigny along with a photocopy of credentials confirming active-duty or veteran status.  A personalized Honor Club card is then created and mailed to the applicant. The non-transferrable cards carry no expiration date, but membership benefits may change from year to year.

The Honor Club application form may be downloaded at Cantigny.org, CantignyGolf.com or FirstDivisionMuseum.org.  Forms are also available for pick up at Cantigny Park (Visitors Center, First Division Museum or parking booth) and at Cantigny Golf in the pro shop.

The application form includes a list of acceptable credentials for confirming active-duty or veteran status.  Specific Honor Club benefits are listed as well.

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Contact Information:
Water Superintendent Al McMillen, 630-260-2090

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Please Pledge to Conserve Water

WHEATON, Ill. – Take the plunge: commit to preserving every drop. Because simple actions can make a big impact when it comes to water conservation, the City’s Water Division encourages you to help preserve our water supply by signing the Preserve Every Drop pledge.

The pledge is part of the City’s Water Conservation and Protection and Protection Program in partnership with the DuPage Water Commission. The overall goal is for Wheaton to achieve a 10-percent reduction in per-person water use within 10 years. You can help Wheaton achieve this goal through a number of small actions. Decreasing your shower time by two minutes, running the washing machine only on a full load and watering the lawn early in the day to minimize evaporation are just a few examples of how you can commit to Preserve Every Drop.

Watch this video inviting you to sign the pledge.

You can show your commitment to conserving water by signing the pledge at www.wheaton.il.us/PreserveEveryDrop. Simply check the boxes next to the actions you will take to do your part in conserving water, and type your name at the bottom. You will be recognized on the City’s website along with other Wheaton residents who have signed the water conservation pledge.

The Water Conservation and Protection Program is another element of the City’s Turn Wheaton Green campaign, which encourages residents to make environmentally friendly choices.

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Contact Information:
Director of Engineering Paul Redman, 630-260-2069

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Construction Strike Resolved; Projects to Resume Soon

WHEATON, Ill. – Work on Wheaton’s annual road construction program and Manchester/Wesley Street bridge reconstruction project will resume now that the strike by construction laborers and operators unions has ended. The strike, which began in early July, caused a work stoppage on all union jobs in Wheaton, including workers contracted by the City of Wheaton for its road construction program.

Work will start again in three to five days. Project completion dates will be extended by the number of days of the strike. The City will post updates on its website in the road work updates section once information becomes available.

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WHEATON, Ill. – Traditional telephone services link to the emergency 9-1-1 center using hard-wired connections through your telephone system provider. These traditional hard-line connections provide the 9-1-1 dispatcher with automatic computerized information identifying the phone number, the specific address of the telephone and the name of the phone’s registered owner.

Cellular phones, voice over internet protocols (VoIP), some cable connections, and other types of telephone services DO NOT provide automatic location information to 9-1-1 dispatchers when you dial 9-1-1. Should you utilize cell phones, VoIP, or some cable connections to call 9-1-1, you need to know your location when speaking with the dispatcher.

Additionally, the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office provides a reverse 9-1-1 service for our community. During emergency situations, either the police or fire departments may initiate reverse 9-1-1 calls to your home or office in order to notify you of the situation. For example, reverse 9-1-1 has been used when the police department was searching for a lost child.

If you do not utilize a traditional telephone service, check with your cellular, VoIP or cable phone service to ascertain if your phone will automatically identify its location to the 9-1-1 operator, and if your phone number information has been reported to the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office and is listed in the reverse 9-1-1 directory.

Should you wish to ensure that your phone and address are logged into the reverse 9-1-1 system, you may call the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center at 630-407-2400 (open 24 hours per day). Additionally, visit the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office website at www.dupageco.org/sheriff/ and click on the reverse 9-1-1 emergency notification form found on the site.

Your involvement will help the Board of Directors understand. . .
Members’ perceptions of and attitudes toward the Chamber.
What Members think is working.
What needs attention.
How to meet members’ expectations, wants, and needs.

This research is being sponsored by The Wheaton Chamber of Commerce and will be conducted on Wednesday, July 28 throughout the day at a convenient Wheaton location. Experienced qualitative researchers are managing the project.

Each session will last between 90 minutes and two hours and is made up of members who share a similar business profile.

There also will be a group devoted to current non-members with the goal being to discover reasons that prevent their involvement in the Chamber.

A report based on the research findings will be presented to the Board of Directors in conjunction with their upcoming annual retreat.

Let us know you’re interested
contact Kathy Strickland of the Get~it~Done Gurus
630.567.8488 or 630.545.1955
Kathy@GetItDoneGurus.com

Talk this up among fellow business owners
who are currently NOT members of the Wheaton Chamber.
Have them contact Kathy to be a respondent.

Don’t delay
The number of participants for each group is limited.

Call or click today,
This is a great opportunity to share your valuable insights and good ideas!