Village Vision December 17, 2015

V
V
ILLAGE A Newsletter for the Forsyth Community
ISION
December 17, 2015
New version of utility bills coming next year
Be on the lookout for a new version of your utility bill after the first of
the year. That means that your water
and sewer bill will soon have a different look sometime in the early part of
the new year.
The Village has contracted with
a company called Third Millennium
Associates, Inc. to print and mail out
utility bills to residents. The process
will no longer be done at Village
Hall; however, based on a recent vote
by trustees, the billing will remain
monthly as opposed to bi-monthly as
had been determined on a previous
occasion.
At the Dec. 7 board meeting,
Ordinance No. 960, an ordinance to
amend the village’s code of ordinances
regarding utility bill and collections
was part of the New Business portion
of the evening’s agenda.
Village Administrator David Strohl
told trustees that a changeover to a
bi-monthly billing cycle would be a
“significant disruption to residents.”
Strohl recommended that billing be
done monthly.
Trustee Bob Gruenewald pointed
out that the idea to move to billing
every other month was to save about
$14,000 annually.
Trustee Steve Hubbard said he
wasn’t convinced that the $14,000
Christmas Tree-lighting at park a big hit
In what is hoped will become an
annual tradition, the inaugural Christmas Tree-Lighting in Forsyth Park
was described as a big hit, according
to the event’s main organizer, Trustee
Kerstin Trachtenberg.
Trachtenberg estimated that attendance was at about 200 people on the
evening of Sunday, Dec. 6 when the
weather was less than perfect.
Santa Claus made a surprise visit,
and there were horse and buggy rides,
with horses decked out in their own
festive jingly bells. And, buggy riders provided some of the Christmas
music by singing carols as they rode
along.
The Northeast Community Fund
benefited from donations of more
than 80 cans of food.
Trachtenberg offered special
thanks to Shauna Bohlmann, Brandi
Binkley and Grace Erker (members
continued on page 3
figure was accurate.
“I was never in favor of bi-monthly (billing),” Hubbard said. “I think it’s
too much of a change. I agree with the
administrator.”
Hubbard made the motion, which
was seconded by Trustee Jim Peck.
Gruenewald was joined by Trustee
Kerstin Trachtenberg as the two No
votes. Ordinance No. 960 passed.
New are some increases to latepayment fees and reconnections
charges, but if you would like more
information or have any questions
about this or any other matter related
to the village, please call Village Hall
at 877-9445. 
Deputies ask
drivers to show
more caution
Route 51 becoming a danger
spot for law enforcement
Santa Claus made a surprise visit at the
inaugural Christmas Tree-Lighting in Forsyth Park. Despite the weather, about 200
people turned out for the event.
Here’s an important safety reminder from Lt. Jamie Belcher with
the Macon County Sheriff’s Office.
In recent weeks deputies in
Forsyth have noticed that motorists are not moving over to the left
while law enforcement officers
are making traffic stops, Belcher
recently reported in a memo to
Village Hall. According to Belcher,
this is happening mainly on Route
51, and he added that some vehicles are passing in such close
proximity that deputies are almost
being struck.
Belcher noted that Illinois law
stipulates that any time a motorist
continued on page 3
Library News
Winter Break Events for Kids
Join your friends for some school
break fun at Forsyth Public Library!
No registration is required for the
events, and all ages are welcome.
However, children 6 and under must
be accompanied by an adult. All
events begin at 1 p.m. • Tuesday, Dec. 22 – Movie: The
Muppet Christmas Carol • Tuesday, Dec. 29 – Come play
Chocolate Bingo!
• Wednesday, Dec. 30 – Movie:
Minions
Family LEGO
Drop into the library on Saturday,
Jan. 2 from 10 to 11 a.m. for another
family LEGO day! All ages enjoy
building with LEGO bricks, so bring
the whole family and stretch your
imagination. No registration is necessary.
Story Time resumes in February
Story Time will take a break in January, but Miss Sandi and Miss Lisa
will be back with more Story Time
fun in February. The next session will
be Thursday, Feb. 4 at 10 a.m. Story
Time is designed for children ages 3
to 5 and their caregivers. We hope to
see you there!
Holiday nutcrackers are on display at Forsyth Public Library, thanks to the generosity
of Jack Foreman, 11, of Mount Zion.
Bookkeepers
Bookkeepers Book Discussion Group
meets on Friday, Dec. 18 at 10 a.m. to
discuss The All Girl Filling Station’s
Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg. Kirkus
Reviews calls the novel “a charming
story written with wit and empathy ...
just the right blend of history and fiction.” Join us for a lively discussion!
hours, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 26. The library will close
at 5 p.m. on Thursday, December 31
and also be closed on Jan. 1. Regular
hours resume on Saturday, Jan. 2,
2016. Happy New Year!
Holiday DVDs
Drop by the library and grab some
DVDs to keep you and your family
entertained during the holidays! The
library has hundreds of great DVDs
for all ages, including both current
and classic movies, and we can help
you request any titles the library
doesn’t own. Find a list of the movies
and other audio-visual materials most
recently added to the collection in the
“new materials” link on the library’s
web page.
Holiday Hours at the Library
The library will be closed Dec. 24
and 25 but will be open for regular
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Build your child’s brain power with
the simple and enjoyable act of
Baby Talk Baby TALK will not meet on Dec.
23 or 30. Sessions will resume on
Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 9:30 a.m.
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sharing books! The library is busy
planning the launch of “1,000 Books
Before Kindergarten,” a program for
children ages birth to 5. Research
suggests that children who are read
to regularly gain a lifelong edge in
learning. 1,000 books can be accomplished with just one book read aloud
each day for five years or three books
per day for one year. Look for more
information about this exciting new
library program in January.
Nutcracker Display
Classic holiday nutcrackers in a
variety of shapes and sizes fill the
library display case during December, thanks to the generosity of Jack
Foreman, 11, a sixth-grader from
Mount Zion. Jack, the great-nephew
of Library Technician Shelly Smith,
has been collecting for a few years
and has built his collection to about
50 nutcrackers. 
Hubbard crowned Miss Illinois Junior High America
Lydia Hubbard, daughter of
Steve and Stacey Hubbard of Forsyth, was crowned Miss Illinois
Junior High America 2016 on Nov.
21 in St. Louis.
The pageant competition exists
for the purpose of providing personal and professional opportunities
to accomplished young women.
Lydia’s community service
platform is called B.R.A.V.E, which
stands for building respect and values for everyone. It’s a message she
will be sharing in schools across the
state over the next year.
Lydia will go on to represent the
state of Illinois in the national pageant held in San Antonio, Texas, in
July, where she will have the opportunity to win over $40,000 in prizes
and scholarships, as well as a free
global-education travel experience.
Lydia, formerly the 2014 Junior
Miss Macon County, is an eighthgrader at Maroa-Forsyth Middle
School. 
Emergency vehicles
Horses were decked out in their own
festive jingly bells as they pulled folks
around in a buggy.
Tree-lighting
continued from front page
of the activities and events committee). In addition, Trachtenberg singled
out Dave Dunn, who she said spent
most of a week putting lights on trees,
and she thanked Bart Cochran and
Larry Coloni. Daniel Rogers provided
music while Justin Newfield, Adam
Lewis and Lydia and Stacey Hubbard
were outstanding as cocoa servers.
Trachtenberg also thanked Tom Austin for coming “in cognito,” as she
described him.
Lastly, at the Dec. 7 board meeting, Mayor Marilyn Johnson thanked
Trachtenberg herself for all her hard
work on this first-ever Christmas
Tree-lighting event. Several board
members commented on what a special evening it was. If you missed out
on this first one, be sure to watch for
it to come around next year. 
continued from front page
comes upon an emergency or maintenance vehicle stopped along the
road with its emergency or amber
flashing lights activated, drivers are
required to slow down and move
over to the left, if possible, while
they pass the stopped emergency
vehicle. If moving to the left is not
possible, drivers should stop or proceed slowly if there is ample room
to do so.
Belcher also reminded that
emergency and maintenance vehicles include, but are not limited to,
police cars, fire trucks, ambulances,
snow plows, road maintenance
crews, tow trucks and mail vehicles.
For additional information, visit
Make room for
emergency vehicles
For more info:
Macon County Sheriff’s Office:
(217) 424-1320
 Move Over Illinois –
www.moveoverillinois.org.

the Move Over Illinois website at
www.moveoverillinois.org.
According to the organization’s
website, the mission of Move Over
Illinois, which was founded by families of Illinois State Troopers, is to
help save the lives of first responders and emergency professionals. If you have additional questions,
contact the Macon County Sheriff’s
Office at (217) 424-1320. 
New dirt for Diamond 3
Public Works Director Larry Coloni reported to trustees last month that 50 tons of
diamond dirt had been hauled in and spread around on Diamond No. 3 in order to
expand the areas between the baselines and home plate to the fence.
3
Forsyth Fast Facts
Items of interest from village staff and recent board meetings
Sgt. Michael Hawkins of the
Macon County Sheriff’s Office told
trustees Dec. 7 that about 40 kids
will “Shop With a Sheriff” Dec. 17
at Target.
 Community and Economic
Development Coordinator Emily
Prather reported to trustees on Dec.
7 that issues of the Village Vision
are available in PDF format online at
the village’s website. Look under the
News & Events tab at the top and
then along the right side of the page.
 Public Works Director Larry
Coloni reported to trustees at the
Dec. 7 board meeting that the roof of
the Water Treatment Plant is leaking after only 10 years. Coloni said
a representative from Craftmasters
Roofing determined the faulty roof
was due to poor workmanship.
Craftmasters did a temporary repair
and bid $30,000 to fix the problem.

The original contractor is out of
business, but Coloni said the village’s former engineer is researching
old files to determine which subcontractor did the original work.
 Coloni also reported Dec. 7 that
an Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency inspector recently performed an inspection of the village’s
water system, including the village’s
wells, towers and plant. Coloni said
the EPA’s inspection is done every
two or three years, and he expects
to receive the evaluation results in
upcoming weeks.
 The next regular meeting of the
Forsyth Board of Trustees is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 21, 2015 at
6:30 p.m. in Village Hall at 301 S.
Route 51 in Forsyth. Board meetings
are held the first and third Mondays
of the month and are open to the
public. 
Village of Forsyth Mayor
and Board of Trustees
Mayor Marilyn J. Johnson
195 E. Ruehl St....................433-3655
Bob Gruenewald
718 W. Forsyth Pkwy............520-5489
Steve Hubbard
837 Phillip Circle...................433-3629
Jim Peck
335 Forsyth Parkway............433-5700
Larry Reed
749 Stevens Creek Blvd.......433-2232
Kerstin Trachtenberg
923 Stevens Creek Circle.....454-5770
David Wendt
797 Christopher Drive..........877-2935
Village Hall............................. 877-9445
Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.;
closed 12:30-1:30 p.m. for lunch
www.forsythvillage.us
Forsyth Public Library.......... 877-8174
www.forsythlibrary.com
Village Administrator
David Strohl...........................877-9445
for 19 years
Local Postal Patron
Forsyth, IL 62535
301 S. Rt. 51
Forsyth, IL 62535
Email: [email protected]
Presorted Standard
U.S. Postage
PAID
Forsyth, Illinois
Permit No. 2