Dispute over Prairie Ridge entrance near end

A long-standing dispute between McHenry County and Crystal Lake over whose police force patrols the entrance to Prairie Ridge High School, and how it can be made safer, is nearing a resolution.

McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren on Wednesday dismissed his lawsuit against the city, saying he is confident the two sides are close enough to settling the disagreement that they no longer need the court involved.

"The city is joining hands with us to craft a solution," he said. "We simply talked it over and decided we could come to an agreement."

That decision came after Nygren, Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley and County Board Chairman Ken Koehler recently met face-to-face in an effort to solve the dispute. Although they left the meeting without a deal, both sides believe it is now just a matter of time.

"Everybody has an idea of how this is going to be solved," Crystal Lake City Attorney John Cowlin said. "(Shepley) has said all along that we're wasting taxpayers' money on all aides with this and we should be able to resolve it."

By filing the lawsuit earlier this year, Nygren essentially was asking a judge to determine whether his office or Crystal Lake police had jurisdiction over the Prairie Ridge entrance, located at the accident-prone intersection of Walkup Road and Dvorak Drive in Crystal Lake. Since 2000, Nygren said, about 30 mostly minor collisions have been reported at the site.

Nygren said Wednesday the lawsuit was less about who patrols the intersection than about getting the city and county to agree on a plan to make it more safe for students, faculty and passing drivers.

"We'll do the work, that's never been a problem for us," he said. "The issue for us is what will we do to solve the problems before someone gets seriously hurt or killed in an accident there."