Cadets clearing sludge, debris to restore Nike missile base

Beneath Vernon Hills lies a piece of Lake County history

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U.S. Naval Sea Cadets Christopher Kinyon, left, Chris Barbot, Andrew Matthews, Jaeger Shaffstall and Travis McCoig stand inside one of the former Nike missile magazine in Vernon Hills.

Joel Bissell | Staff Photographer

Sea Cadet Chase Lundmark waits for his fellow cadets to enter the missile magazine on the site of the former Nike missile magazine in Vernon Hills.

Joel Bissell | Staff Photographer

Lincolnshire Mayor Brett Blomberg tells U.S. Naval Sea Cadets about the Nike missile magazine on a former base in Vernon Hills.

Joel Bissell | Staff Photographer

A rusted caution sign from the Cold War still hangs on a wall in the Nike missile magazine in Vernon Hills.

Joel Bissell | Staff Photographer

About this Article

Working with a youth group called the U.S. Naval Sea Cadets, Lincolnshire Mayor Brett Blomberg is dedicated to restoring part of a former Nike missile base in Vernon Hills. The project involves removing decades of sludge and grime and rust and debris. "We have a little cleaning up to do," Blomberg joked. "It's a fixer-upper."

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