Group plans forum on how to pay for plan to reduce flooding

After unveiling a plan last year to improve water quality, protect natural resources and reduce flooding in the Barrington area, the Flint Creek Watershed Partnership now is offering tips on how to pay for it all.

Tuesday, the group will host a seminar to provide tips on obtaining money through grants to pay for the projects outlined in the plan.

The seminar will offer the chance to meet reps from potential funding agencies and to learn about the grant-writing process.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois EPA, Lake County Stormwater Management Commission and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will all be represented.

Also, Nancy Schumm-Burgess, executive director of Barrington Area Conservation Trust and someone who's received money from these agencies, will answer questions about the application procedures and the bonuses and pitfalls of grant funding.

The seminar is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday at the Barrington Area Library, 505 N. Northwest Hwy.

Flint Creek Watershed Partnership coordinator Patsy Mortimer said everyone from homeowners associations to municipalities to park districts will benefit from the seminar.

The Flint Creek Watershed Plan outlines specific ways the watershed can be preserved and enhanced over the years to come.

A watershed is an area of land that drains into a stream, river or lake. The Flint Creek watershed covers 36.5 square miles in parts of Lake, Cook and McHenry counties.

To RSVP for the seminar, contact Mortimer at (847) 381-8663 or by e-mail at pmortimer@earthlink.net.

For more information on the watershed, visit flintcreekwatershed.org.

Chamber breakfast: The Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce wants its members to know how to compete globally.

Lance Pressl, president of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Foundation, is the keynote speaker at an upcoming Barrington Executive Club breakfast on "How Do We Compete in the Global Marketplace."

The event is part of a series of forums called "Forecast Barrington."

The breakfast is scheduled for June 20 at Makray Memorial Golf Club and is open to the entire community. Breakfast starts at 7 a.m., with the presentation starting at 7:30 a.m. There is a $40 fee for nonmembers of the Barrington Executive Club.

For more information or to register, call (847) 381-2515, or visit barringtonchamber.com.

Chad Brooks covers the Barrington area. Contact him with your story ideas at (847) 427-4476 or cbrooks@dailyherald.com.