If you park on the streets, be prepared to pay fines
This is an alert for all you Sugar Grove residents who have been ignoring a village ordinance that prohibits parking on the street between 2 and 6 a.m.
If you remember at bedtime your car is on the street, don't think you're too tired to move it. What you save in a few moments' rest will cost you in the pocketbook.
The village board approved an ordinance April 15 that raises fines for everything from under-aged drinking to possession of drug paraphernalia.
And woe to overnight parkers who are repeat offenders.
Effective May 1, the fine for parking on the street overnight increases from $10 to $20. If a person does it five times, it's still $20, but the fine increases to $50 (from $30) for six to 10 offenses.
And if the offender has let his or her vehicle on the street overnight more than 10 times, the fine has doubled to $100 from $50.
The new $50 and $100 fines are more than what the village staff recommended. When reviewing the proposed fines at the April 15 board meeting, trustees were aghast that the overnight parking ordinance was being ignored.
"I have no sympathy for them," said Trustee Thomas Renk, when recommending a stiffer fine.
The police are OK with that.
"Our goal is compliance, not generating revenue," police officer John Sizer said. "But what does it take to get these people to comply? Obviously, they didn't take it seriously.
"There's a reason for these ordinances," Sizer added. "During winter, the streets have to be cleaned. And getting these cars off the street helps our officers do their jobs. They check out every car that's parked on the street.
"We're reasonable, but come on," Sizer said. "If someone is cited 10 times, that's nuts."
Any resident who has overnight guests or must park on the street due to driveway repair can simply call the police non-emergency number at (630) 466-4526 to avoid a fine.
Library trustees needed
The Sugar Grove Public Library board of trustees has two openings due to the resignations of Ken Wiesner and Erin Erickson. The married couple is moving out of the village.
"We'll miss them," said library director Beverly Holmes Hughes. "But we look forward to this new venture."
Anyone interested can submit a resume. Applicants must live in the library district and be a registered voter.
A three-member personnel committee meets today to review the applications. The terms left open by the resignations end in spring 2009.
Normal terms are six years. The library is governed by a seven-member board.
Stop by the library or call Hughes at (630) 466-4686 for information.
Spring concerts
Music is in full bloom at Waubonsee Community College this spring as three of the school's groups will perform free concerts.
They will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium on the college's Sugar Grove Campus, Route 47 and Waubonsee Drive. The performances are free and no tickets are required.
Waubonsee's jazz band will begin the concert series May 2. The group's latest CD, "Alive and Doing Well," will be available for purchase.
Also selling their latest CD will be the steel drum band, which takes the stage May 9.
The school's Rock Band will perform May 10.
For details, contact Gib Monokoski at (630) 466-7900, ext. 2500.