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Irongate faces precarious future By DAVID THOMAS dthomas@shawmedia.com DeKALB – The future of ShoDeen Construction’s new Irongate development hinges on a single vote from the DeKalb City Council. Alderwomen Kristen Lash and Monica O’Leary, of the 3rd and 7th wards respectively, have said they will oppose the annexation agreement
Will gov’t shut down?
DeKalb aldermen compiling conditions for development with ShoDeen, regardless of whether company President Dave Patzelt adheres to the council’s wishes in his plan for the roughly 1,000-home development near DeKalb High School. Annexation agreements require a supermajority – or six
of eight council members voting yes. Had Patzelt pushed for a vote Monday, he would have failed. Other members of the council expressed willingness to work with Patzelt, provided that he met their wishes. Monday’s meeting was a victory for the council, whose
members have said repeatedly they want no new rental properties in the city. Patzelt said in an interview Wednesday that he would return with a plan that keeps the number of townhouses at 10 percent or less of all homes in the subdivision and caps
the number of 50-foot-wide lots at 250 or fewer. The plan will also include an extension of Normal Road north to Bethany Road without an impact fee credit request – everything the council wanted. “All I can do is try; it is what I’ve been doing,” Patzelt
HIDDEN DANGER
See IRONGATE, page A7
Biernacki planning to retire By DAVID THOMAS dthomas@shawmedia.com
GOP, Democrats maneuver ahead of latest face-off By ANDREW TAYLOR The Associated Press WASHINGTON – With big, automatic budget cuts about to kick in, House Republicans are turning to mapping strategy for the next showdown just a month away, when a government shutdown instead of just a slowdown will be at stake. Both topics are sure to come up at the White House meeting Friday between President Barack Obama and top John congressional Boehner, leaders, includalong with ing Republican other top House Speaker congressional John Boehner. leaders, will A breakthrough meet with on replacing or President Ba- easing the imminent across-therack Obama board spending on Friday. cuts still seems unlikely at the first face-to-face discussion between Obama and Republican leaders this year. To no one’s surprise, even as a dysfunctional Washington appears incapable of averting a crisis over economy-rattling spending cuts, it may be lurching toward another over a possible shutdown. Republicans are planning for a vote next week on a bill to fund the day-to-day operations of the government through the Sept. 30 end of fiscal 2013 – while keeping in place the new $85 billion in cuts of 5 percent to domestic agencies and 8 percent to the military. The need to keep the government’s doors open and lights on – or else suffer the first government shutdown since 1996 – requires the GOP-dominated House and the Democraticcontrolled Senate to agree. Right now they hardly see eye to eye. The House GOP plan, unveiled to the rank and file
said. “We’re trying to appeal to their requests and work with staff. I thought we had pretty much met everything they needed. If certain aldermen are going to vote no regardless, there’s nothing I can do.” First Ward Alderman David Jacobson was adamant about capping the number of
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com
Bob Dailey, an assistant tech with Radon Solutions, shakes brick debris from his drill Wednesday as he works his way through the brick to run a pipe into the basement, part of the process of mitigating the radon in a Rockford home.
Radon can be a silent killer in homes By STEPHANIE HICKMAN shickman@shawmedia.com
D
eKALB – Many homeowners take precautions to protect themselves. They lock their doors at night, turn off and unplug appliances and regularly test their smoke detectors. Radon isn’t something many homeowners consider a danger in their homes, but it could be harming them the most. Radon is a colorless, odorVoice your less naturally occurring gas opinion found in uranium in soil. Has your home’s The gas often radon levels been seeps through tested in the past 5 cracks in a years? Vote online house’s foundaat Daily-Chronicle. tion or other arcom. eas exposed to soil. The health risks associated with radon are not immediate but rather a result of continuous exposure over a long period of time. Kenneth Malone, owner and operator of All-Home Inspection Services based in Sycamore, said radon can be a serious threat. “You don’t know if you’re affected by it,” he said. “That’s the problem.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more people die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer, with more than
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com
A home radon gas detector is seen Wednesday in the basement of a Rockford home. The Sycamore-based Radon Solutions was working to mitigate the radon in the home. 20,000 deaths a year attributed to radon exposure in the U.S. The surgeon general also cites radon as the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the nation. Malone said he tests radon levels in about only two or three houses a month. But he said it’s an important step homeowners, especially new homeowners, need to take in protecting themselves. “You need to test your home and get it to the lowest level you can,” he said. The Illinois Emergency Manage-
ment Agency reported in January that about 41 percent of more than 118,000 homes across the state had radon levels exceeding the recommended level of 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L) established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Malone said finding homes with levels above this amount is common. “I would say that 55 to 60 percent of the houses I do are above the 4 pCi/L that the EPA recommends,” he said.
See RADON, page A7
See BUDGET, page A7
DeKALB – DeKalb City Manager Mark Biernacki announced Wednesday he plans to retire June 14, a few months after a new mayor and two new aldermen are seated. “With the new mayor and largely a new council, I think they and the city are deserving [of] a new manager with new ideas and new energy,” Biernacki said. Biernacki, 55, has been DeKalb’s city manager for nine years after spending a decade as the city’s community development director. His career in public service and administration spans 33 years. His decision coming within 2nd Ward Alderman Tom Teresinski, 4th Ward Alderman Brendon Gallagher and Mayor Kris Povlsen not seeking re-election. Biernacki said he is not leaving for another job, but plans to pursue hobbies and Mark travel. “I have noth- Biernacki’s i n g s p e c i f i c letter of planned other resignation is than pursuing available oninterests that line at DailyI have long de- Chronicle. s i r e d t o d o , ” com. Biernacki said. The new council will select an interim city manager, and then decide how to select his successor, Biernacki said. He said he consulted the mayoral candidates on when would be the most opportune time to retire. In both his letter to Povlsen and in an interview, Biernacki said he is most proud of working with the city staff. “They are all very strong and talented people,” Biernacki said. “They will serve well the new manager and council.” Povlsen credited Biernacki with working with elected officials to steer the city through “the single most challenging financial time we have seen in our lifetime.” “He made tough decisions,” Povlsen said. “He faced some serious challenges, and he led us through with his staff. He led the city to a very positive place.” Biernacki’s letter noted other accomplishments, including the revitalization of downtown DeKalb and the ongoing construction of the new DeKalb police station.
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