Updated 1/15/2021 8:30 PM
Through expanded outdoor dining options, St. Charles officials have tried to create ways to help struggling restaurants and bars survive the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But in St. Charles and other towns, there s been a downside: an uptick in noise complaints from residents bothered by outdoor music performances.
Now St. Charles officials are trying to strike a balance by implementing a temporary ban on amplified outdoor music. Or, as St. Charles Ward 4 Alderman David Pietryla termed it: Acoustic, yes. Amplified, no.
Pietryla and fellow Ward 4 Alderman Lora Vitek detailed the issue at Monday s St. Charles planning and development committee meeting after receiving complaints from residents.
Michael Bryant resigned from the St. Charles Unit District 303 school board before Monday s regular monthly meeting, sparking a colleague to speak out about the harsh treatment board members have endured from the community.
John Rabchuk honored for Fox River volunteer work John Rabchuk has been given the 2020 Golden Turtle award by the River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles. Courtesy of the River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles John Rabchuk earned the 2020 Golden Turtle award from the River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles thanks to a lifetime of contributions to the city. Courtesy of the River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles
When asked about his to-do list for the Fox River, John Rabchuk just laughed.
The work, he said, will never end.
That type of attitude prompted the River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles to honor Rabchuk, 70, with its Golden Turtle award for a lifetime of contributions to the city. Specifically, he s been critical in pushing forward many of the initiatives up and down the Fox River.
Updated 1/5/2021 6:57 PM
St. Charles officials plan no changes to the city s policy on handling the nuisance of the local deer population.
Police Chief James Keegan and City Administrator Mark Koenen researched deer management in response to a complaint from a resident who lives in the Timbers subdivision northwest of the corner of routes 64 and 31. Molly Zacker spoke at the Dec. 7 city council meeting about the damage to her yard caused by deer and the driving hazards created as they cross the nearby streets.
Keegan told aldermen at Monday s government operations committee meeting that between 2018 and 2020, police responded to about 1,000 annual vehicle accidents, with five or fewer each year caused by deer. However, he noted that all three 2020 accidents involving deer occurred in the Route 31 corridor mentioned by Zacker.