Briefs: Rec center architect picked
Palatine Park District officials voted unanimously this week to hire PHN architects of Wheaton to plan a multimillion-dollar recreation center in the northeast area of town. "We thought they best understood our needs through the design features," said Palatine parks Director Ron Gbur. The firm beat out two others vying for the project. Gbur estimates that within one year, a solid plan should be in place to present to the community for feedback. The future building will be northeast of Rand and Hicks roads and among its slated features are a fitness center, gymnasium with basketball courts, indoor soccer turf, jogging-walking track and outdoor play fields. A preliminary budget for the project is $10 million to $12 million.
Recycle your electronics
Motorola and the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County will co-sponsor a household electronics recycling event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Motorola's Schaumburg facility, 1301 E. Algonquin Road. Those attending should use Visitors Entrance A. Items accepted include computers, printers, monitors, tape drives, keyboards, telephones, answering machines, typewriters, pagers, mobile phones, televisions, videocassette recorders, stereo equipment, cameras, video game players and power tools. Air-conditioners, dehumidifiers, microwave ovens and large home appliances will not be accepted. For more information and directions to the event, visit www.swancc.org.
Townhouse fire probed
The Streamwood Fire Department is investigating a townhouse fire Monday that caused an estimated $100,000 damage but no injuries. Fire officials said the townhouse landlord told them two adults and six children were in the unit at 4043 Princeton Court when the fire broke out around 2:45 p.m. Everyone was able to get out without injury and the worst damage was contained to the master bedroom, though an additional $30,000 was estimated for personal property losses. The Red Cross was assisting the family with clothing and housing needs.
Association briefing tonight
The Long Grove Village Board will hold a meeting tonight with the presidents of the Homeowners Associations in town. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at village hall, 3110 Old McHenry Road. The village will talk to the presidents about issues in town, such as the financial state of Long Grove, crime statistics, the town's infrastructure and the environment. For more information, call the village at (847) 634-9440. An agenda of the meeting is available at www.longgrove.net.
Firehouse open house
The Schaumburg Fire Department will hold an open house from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Fire Station 51, 950 W. Schaumburg Road. Members of the community are encouraged to stop by for demonstrations of various fire department equipment, including helicopters, rope rescues, vehicle extrication tools and tall ladder platforms. Also on hand will be the police department's K-9 Unit, SWAT equipment and more. Fire Station 51 was previously known as Fire Station 1, but had its number changed when the department joined Northwest Central Dispatch. For more information on the event, call (847) 885-6300.
Crash closes Route 14
An elderly woman was airlifted to Lutheran General Hospital Wednesday evening after rear-ending a truck at Route 14 and Hart Road in Barrington. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, according to Greg Keegan of the Barrington Fire Department. Keegan said the accident occurred at about 5 p.m. and closed Route 14 in both directions for roughly 15 minutes while crews extricated the woman from her car.