Necessary Tasks Continue To Mount

(NOTE: The reference to “Junior College” preceded the use of “Community College” and is reflective of the historical period of the following information)

Many tasks facing the new Board could not be resolved immediately. Some matters depended upon other people, and the Board was careful in its spending of tax dollars. The issue of office space was one such matter.

In the beginning, the Board used the Superintendent of Schools Office located in the County Courthouse Annex, Woodstock. A number of offers were made for office space. Free space in a second-floor facility above a Walgreen Drug Store on Williams Street in downtown Crystal Lake was offered. Fred Rozum, Director of the McHenry County Special Education District, suggested sharing space in a former furniture store since his district’s lease was expiring in November 1967. The building owner offered the use of the entire building at one-half the total rent until another tenant was found. Also offered was a former Woodstock residence turned into office space. The Board tentatively chose this facility, but left the door open to consider other possibilities, as a zoning question connected with this property first had to be resolved.

Campus Site Offers

The Board advertised it was open to ideas on a permanent campus site. However, as proposed during the referendum, the site needed to be located in a triangle bounded by the cities of McHenry, Crystal Lake and Woodstock. Additionally, the State Junior College Board required at least 100 acres for a site.

One site was offered in 1966 before the district-forming referendum was held. At its third meeting, the Board considered a different site. A letter from the City of Woodstock offered a portion of what was known as the Flood farm, located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Dean Street and the U.S. Highway 14 By-pass in northwest Woodstock. City water and sewer were located at the edge of the site and the City was offering to pay one-fourth of the property cost with funds from the sale of a formerly city-owned electric plant.

Mayor Frances Kuhn felt the remainder of the cost could be sought as state and federal aid, thereby eliminating the need for a district-wide tax for a site acquisition. The Board expressed its gratitude, but President Nichols noted nothing could be done at that time, as criteria for a site had not yet been determined. He also clarified the state’s reimbursement policy, explaining the State would pay three-quarters of costs not covered by donations. In other words, it would pay three-quarters of $195,000 since the City was offering $65,000 toward the $260,000 price.

Talk of this site caused heated discussions among members of another county government, the McHenry County Board. In 1965, the Flood Farm had been offered as a possible site for a new County Courthouse, then located on the Woodstock Square. In reviewing this site, architects said the anticipated increased traffic on nearby Kimball Avenue and Dean Street would be undesirable in the residential neighborhood.

Additional campus sites were mentioned, including:

• A 553-acre parcel known as Windy Knoll Farm, outside Crystal Lake
• A 320-acre parcel on the northwest corner of Route 120 and Draper Road, McHenry
• A portion of a farm in Ridgefield, in the middle of the suggested triangle.

William Baker, site committee chairman for the McHenry County Educational Foundation, provided the Board with criteria his committee developed for a junior college site during the successful referendum.

Organizational Decisions Made

The Board put site selection on hold and turned its attention to naming Thomas Bolger as Treasurer and McHenry Bank to handle the finances of the District at a fee of $10 per year. An auditing firm, Brooks & Zbornik, was retained to ensure the Board remained on the right financial track.

William Carroll was named attorney for the Board at a fee of $150 per month. Carroll attended all board meetings, and provided legal information. If a matter required a great deal of research, the Board would be charged $30 per hour for that work.

A part-time secretary had been hired for a short time and another had to be found when the first one resigned. At the time, the Board was paying $2.50 per hour.

Trustee reimbursement for college work was set at eight cents per mile in private car and full reimbursement for lodging and food.

Learn of other hurdles the Board faced as it built the institution we know today as McHenry County College.

More 40^th Anniversary Celebration Activities Underway

Following the successful April 15^th celebration open house, more anniversary events are planned for this summer and fall.

Event details will be posted at http://www.mchenry.edu/mccanniversary as the program develops. Pages will change regularly, so visit often. Be sure to share your memories and photos on the MCC blog and electronic time capsule. You also can call toll-free 1-866-788-9911 or send an email with contact information to 40years@mchenry.edu for more information on upcoming events!

Iris Bryan