January/February 2019
Community Newsletter
Grandwood Lake Dam Rehabilitation Project has begun!
It’s exciting to finally kick off the project that is necessary to SAVE OUR LAKE. This is one of the largest projects ever done by the Grandwood Park Park District. It has required monumental effort, patience and tenacity to bring Lake County, The Army Corp. of Engineers, and Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources together to address the persistent issues caused by the dam. The necessary approvals and permits were received in November and work began within a few days of the pre-construction meeting. The project will take approximately 6 weeks to complete - depending on weather conditions. The final completion of sidewalks will not be done until spring of 2019. Our
contractor, Copenhaver Construction, started the project with the necessary tree removal and prep needed to begin the excavation work. The lake was lowered to enable demolition and rebuilding around the dam and will be restored when new cement walls have been constructed and stone armory is completed. Unfortunately, during a recent rainstorm, and with melting snow, the work area had been flooded which halted construction for a little over a week in mid-December. But the construction crew is back at it! During construction it is necessary to have a pump running continuously to keep water out of the worksite. We are sorry for any inconvenience this causes, but we have no control over it and we hope the weather stays on our side so work can continue until completed. Please be assured that the work being done is what is required by state
and local jurisdiction to be compliant with safety regulations/policy. There is a significant back story to this project. Grandwood Park was fortunate to inherit a lovely lake and park, created by a farmer long before the subdivision was built. Over time, we have experienced persistent flooding and deteriorating conditions of the dam. In 2014, a major flood event brought our dam situation to light and the Park District has been working with state and local officials to find a solution. In 2015, the Park District had an evaluation done. The dam was determined to be in imminent failure. Work was done to prevent potentially catastrophic problems, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the next major flooding event from furthering the problems. In 2016, the Park District partnered with
LCSMC to apply for a matching grant to rehabilitate the dam. The Lake County Board approved the grant in late 2017. Since then, we bid out the project in spring of 2018, and have been working with IMEG, our Engineering firm, to obtain the necessary permits from IDNR and Army Corp. The Park District is fortunate to have the continued support of Lake County Stormwater Management Commission, who is providing daily engineering and project management support, and Warren Township Highway Dept. who will help with demolition and road maintenance. We want to thank Mike Warner and his team at LCSMC; Harlan Doland and his team at IMEG; Steve Carlson, our Lake County Board Representative; State Representative Melinda Bush's office; the IDNR Offices; and the Commissioners of the Park District. This project would not be happening without all of you!
For more photos of the construction, visit the Park District website [click here]
The session begins on January 10th - REGISTER NOW so you don't miss out!
What's new with the GPCA!
The Grandwood Park Civic Association has some new board members! Meghan Dawson has moved from the position of Vice President to President. Tyler Smith has assumed the position of Vice President and Amanda Stautz (not pictured) is our new Secretary.
We want to give a big shout out to Lance Moffet and Kim Albeck for all their hard work and dedication to the GPCA. They both have left some big shoes to fill and our new board is eager to try. Please be sure to thank Lance and Kim the next time you see them.
On behalf of the GPCA we would like to personally thank our volunteers for their contribution at our 2018 events. These events could not have been a success without the dedication and hard work of our volunteers.
We understand that everyone is busy, but we could use the help of more volunteers to donate an hour of their time at events, bake for events, or help us raise donations and raffle prizes. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us by email at civicassociation@grandwoodpark.net. We have volunteer hours for students also!
We would also like to invite you to the GPCA meetings that are held the 1st Wednesday of every month at 7:00pm in the conference room at the Grandwood Park Community Center.
Enhance mind/body awareness by increasing strength, flexibility, balance, proper breathing and stress reduction. Awakenings Yoga is a near-perfect science-of-life that provides clear guidance and practical tools to create and maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Enjoy the healing, noncompetitive, and relaxing class environment. Barbara Spietz, an internationally-recognized master teacher, has conducted teacher training workshops throughout India and the United States. She was featured in Yoga Chicago Magazine and is registered with the Yoga Alliance at the 500 hour level.
Barbara Spietz, an internationally-recognized master teacher, has conducted teacher training workshops throughout India and the United States. She was featured in Yoga Chicago Magazine and is registered with the Yoga Alliance at the 500 hour level.
The first session of 2019 begins on Monday, January 7th. Class is held from 7:00-8:30pm in the Park District Community Center located at 36630 N. Hutchins Road/Gurnee. You can try a class, or register for the session. Just show up at 6:45pm and see Barb. Fore more details about the class, dates, times and pricing, please click here.
HAPPY NEW YEAR from all of us at Little Learners Preschool!
We stayed very busy during the holiday season. The Explorers heard different versions of the classic story of the gingerbread man and ended that week by building and decorating gingerbread houses. We also took flight to countries around the world to learn about holiday traditions celebrated in Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden. The Climbers read stories to go along with familiar holiday shapes …. the Christmas tree, gingerbread man, presents, and the candy cane. The Winter Wonderland Carnival brought our holiday season to an end. During January we will be learning about different Arctic animals and bears! The Lunch Bunch program will also begin for our Explorers on Wednesday afternoons. The students will bring a packed lunch and stay after school
for STEM building projects, cooking activities, and creative art mediums. We are excited to keep our Explorers busy learning this winter and better prepare them for kindergarten. We look forward to all that the new year will bring and hope you had a wonderful holiday season with family and friends.
OPEN HOUSE
Thursday, March 7th 2019
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
We invite you to join us at our Open House where you will meet our teachers, see our facility, and learn more about our curriculum.
Our goal is to help your child develop new skills while having fun. We will work on literacy and math concepts, science, art, music, physical activities, following directions, and working with others. We will do this as we play, listen to stories, dance, draw, explore our environment, and much more!
We offer two programs at Little Learners Preschool. Our Explorers (4-5 year olds) meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Our Climbers (3-4 year olds) meet on Tuesday and Thursday. Both classes meet from 9:00-11:30am.
Registrations for the 2019/2020 school year will be accepted at the Open House.
Check us out on the Park District website by clicking here
Register now for the popular Daddy Daughter Dance to ensure a spot !!
Meghan Dawson
President
Grandwood Park Civic Association
My husband and I have lived in Grandwood Park since 2010. We were fortunate enough to move into my best friend's parents house here in the neighborhood. I have been hanging around Grandwood Park since 1994 and my husband, Chuck, has lived in Grandwood Park since 1988. We both enjoyed growing up in the neighborhood and thought it would be a great place to raise a family.
I have one daughter who has graduated from the Grandwood Park Park District Preschool, and my youngest daughter will graduate from there this spring. As a family we enjoy being outside...whether it be summer or winter. In the summer you can find us swimming, riding bikes or just hanging out in the yard. In the winter we enjoy building snowmen and sledding. We also have a lab that loves to be outside as much as we are. As your current President of the Grandwood Park Civic Association, it is my goal to make sure we keep family activities growing in the neighborhood. I would love to see more of the neighbors get involved in some of the activities we run. Just like you, we are a busy family with work, school, and sports, but we have always tried to find just
an hour to volunteer at the events. Please feel free to send me an email with any suggestions, or your email address to be added to the volunteer list at civicassociation@grandwoodpark.net. I hope to meet more of you over the next year!
2018 House Decorating Contest Winners
The GPCA would like to thank all of the residents that took place in the House Decorating Contest this year. We had 306 houses that were twinkling bright Sunday night, December 16th. It was a hard decision for the board to make, but this years winners are:
1st Place & $100.00:
Tom Baque - 36440 Edgewood Dr.
2nd Place & $75.00:
Ron Scalet - 18756 Highfield Dr. W.
3rd Place & $50.00:
Louis Bristol - 36802 Grandwood Dr.
Our condolences to Stuart, Shirley, Samantha, and Amanda Stautz on the passing of Stuart's mother, Aletta Stautz. Mrs Stautz was living in her hometown of Kewaskum, Wisconsin, at the time of her death. She had a true heart and love for serving others in her community. In addition, Mrs. Stautz cherished spending time with her children and grandchildren. She will be dearly missed by all that knew her. The Stuart Stautz family have lived in Grandwood Park for many, many years and are carrying on the tradition of community service that Stuarts mother Aletta instilled in her children. The Grandwood Park and Shires community is fortunate to have such caring neighbors.
AFFORDABLE ADVERTISINGYou can advertise your business in our newsletter at very affordable prices .... $20 per issue, or 6 issues for $100
(buy 5 - get one free). Contact us: newsletter@grandwoodpark.net or by telephone at (847) 356-0008 for more information.
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