With a little help from my friends

I am new to the position of Geneva Township Highway Commissioner, and the learning curve is steep whenever you assume a new responsibility. Mother Nature decided to test me on Aug. 26 during a heavy rain that caused a tree to fall and close McKee Street west of Randall Road.

I received the call from my office alerting me of the problem at 2:11 p.m. and left immediately for the trouble. When en route I received a phone call from Batavia Highway Commissioner Chris Long. He had heard of the problem and wanted to know if he could help get the road open, and I agreed I could use some help.

When I arrived, the Kane County Sheriff's Office had a squad car with lights on, Commissioner Long was cutting the branches of the fallen tree with a chain saw and Big Rock Highway Commissioner Rick Rausch, who just happened to be in the area because of a meeting, was dragging the branches to the side of the roadway.

I jumped out of my truck and helped to clear the roadway with the other two men. At 2:38 p.m. the road was reopened and the three of us were soaking wet from hat to shoes and laughing, like boys running through a puddle.

I want to thank the highway commissioners from Batavia and Big Rock for their response and selfless effort in helping me clear the road. A special thank you to the Kane County Sheriff's Office in helping provide a safe environment that allowed the road to be cleared. That rainy afternoon proved to be a great example of cooperation between government entities and I am most grateful.

Mark Wissing

Geneva Township

West Chicago