Mayor’s Awards on May 13 April 22nd, 2010
The Mayor’s Awards Presentation will be onThursday, May 13. A Dessert Reception begins at 7:00 pm, with the Presentation of Awards beginning at 7:30.
SWAN will receive 12 more Historic Plaques to display on our beautiful historic houses, plus 3 more Awards for our neighborhood. Dawn Hartney will be presented an award for leading our group in putting together our Sears Trolley Tour last May and Kathy Moore and Stacy Reynolds will each receive awards for their outstanding efforts in recruiting neighbors to have their houses researched and plaqued.
Everyone is invited. Let’s support our winners and our neighborhood!
Join Us to Plant Some Trees April 16th, 2010
Just before Earth Day, join SWAN”s Preservation Committee as we spend a beautiful Saturday planting trees at Burnidge Woods. We’ll meet at noon on Saturday, April 17 and should be done by 3 PM. The city has selected this site for new trees near the new Sherman Hospital.
To reach the site, head west on Big Timber, and then turn turn right (north) onto Lyle. Then, you make an immediate left onto Monday Dr. You can park near the corner of Monday and Banks.
We hope to see you there!
Agenda for April 19 Meeting April 15th, 2010
Join us on Monday, April 19 at 7 PM for our next meeting. As always, the meeting will be at Zion Lutheran Church at the corner of Washburn and Griswold.
Procedural
Call to Order
Introductions & Announcements
Approval of Minutes
Treasurer’s Report
Committee Reports
Nominating Committee- Will take nominations from the floor ahead of the May election
Code Enforcement
Fundraising - Garden Grants
Environmental
Preservation- Bungalow Tour on May 15
Guest Speakers
Cherie Murphy and Vince Cuchetto, representing the City Manager’s office will lead a discussion about the mindset of our community and our future. This is not intended to be a complaint session, but rather an open dialogue. Some of the questions to consider:
- Do you like living in Elgin? Why/why not?
- What do you see as Elgin’s greatest assest and what sets us apart from surrounding communities?
- What things about Elgin make it a city? What makes it suburban?
- If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
- If Elgin were a person, how would you describe it?
We look forward to a great meeting!
SWAN Garden Featured in Better Homes & Gardens April 14th, 2010
SWAN’s very own Pat Hill is featured in the summer 2010 “Nature’s Garden,” a special interest publication of Better Homes and Gardens. The feature includes a six-page photographic spread of Pat’s prairie garden when it was in bloom last summer.
‘Nature’s Garden’ is on newsstands now, at grocery stores and book stores.
The Courier-News also published a short blurb about Pat’s feature.
Congrats to Pat, and thanks for helping beautify our neighborhood!
Funds Available to Start or Improve your Garden March 29th, 2010
Last October, SWAN received a grant of $1000 from the YMCA Activate Elgin Program and a grant from the America the Beautiful Fund to provide free vegetable and flower seeds. The YMCA grant will be used to provide $50 to 20 homes in SWAN. The money must be spent on gardening materials or equipment. To obtain this grant you must complete an application. Recipients will be determined and notified by April 18th. If you receive the grant, you must purchase your garden materials or equipment and submit the receipt to SWAN for reimbursement.
Anybody that is interested in obtaining free seeds may do so by requesting them on the application or by contacting Mike Curtin. There are plenty of seeds for everyone. Please take advantage of this unique opportunity.
If you are looking for cost-effective garden ideas to enhance the look of your property, consider the various packages offered by the Kane-Dupage Soil & Water Conservation District. This organization offers a butterfly package, a humming bird package, and a rain garden package for only $62 per package. The last day to order these packages is April 30th. If you are fortunate enough to receive a YMCA grant, then the cost of these packages to the homeowner is only $12.
We also need volunteers to help plant trees on Saturday April 17th. We will be planting between 1500-2000 trees in Burnidge Woods and need 20-30 volunteers. Again, contact Mike Curtin at michaelcurtin31@gmail.com if you’re interested.
Spring Cleaning March 23rd, 2010
The City is no longer holding its annual Spring Cleanup event, due to a combination of budget restrictions and environmental concerns.
Don’t despair, though! There are still ways to clean out your home.
Rather than sending your junk to the landfill, if there’s still some use, try Freecycle or Craigslist. Or, mark your calendars for SWAN’s 2nd annual garage sale the last weekend in June
The Courier published a list of venues for various items:
Building materials: ReStore, 800 N. State St., Elgin, enables homeowners and contractors to donate surplus items and reduce the amount of building materials that otherwise would go to landfills. Call ReStore at 847-742-9905 to find out what they will take.
Clothing and other household items: The Salvation Army’s Chicago office will arrange for pickup of items, including furniture in good condition, by phone at 312-738-4360.
A number of Catholic parishes in Elgin work with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, www.svdpusa.org.
Donations to Amvets may be made online at www.amvetspickup.com or by phone at 708-388-7800.
Dropoffs to Goodwill are accepted at 1420 S. Route 59, Bartlett, phone 630-837-1410; 450 N. Randall Road, Batavia, phone 30-761-8049; 7777 Miller Road (next to Woodman’s), Carpentersville, phone 847-426-2448; and 260 Randall Road, South Elgin, phone 847-741-0236. For more information, go online to www.amazinggoodwill.com.
Electronics and books: They can be dropped off at the Kane County Circuit Court Building, 540 S. Randall Road, St. Charles, on the second Friday and Saturday of every month between 8 a.m. and noon. More information is available at 630-208-3841 or recycle@co.kane.il.us.
Household hazardous waste removal program: A way to dispose of oil-based paint, pesticides, pool chemicals and sealants at no cost, Elgin residents can call 1-800-449-7587 to arrange for a pickup.
Metal and paper: Elgin Recycling, 660 Schiller St., Elgin, bills itself as “a full-service scrap metal recycling company. We accept ferrous, non-ferrous and exotic metals as well as paper, cardboard, plastic and electronics. We are happy to take care of your needs, whether you have 10 pounds of aluminum cans or 40,000 pounds of copper wire.” For more information, visit the Web site www.elginrecycling.com or phone 847-741-4100.
Used motor oil and automotive fluids: This can be done at the Waste Management site at 7N904 Route 25, southeast of South Elgin, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Elgin residents may also go to Auto Zone, 310 N. McLean Blvd., Elgin.
Veolia pickup: Veolia Environmental Services charges $20/cubic yard of materials for pickup. Veolia will send out a representative to give estimates based on the amount of materials. In St. Charles, Veolia will pick up large items at the curb throughout the year, provided there is a sticker on it. The main number for Veolia is 630-587-8282.
Veolia dropoff: Veolia’s transfer station takes some items for a fee up to $87 per ton of materials. The facility is at 766 Hunter St., Batavia. This site also offers “Free-of-Charge Recycling,” can be contacted at 630-879-3587 and is open on Saturday mornings.
Did we miss any? Add them in the comments!
May is Preservation Month – Mark your Calendars! March 17th, 2010
Once again, May will be Preservation Month in Elgin. SWAN will be hosting our first-ever Bungalow Walk on May 15, and there will be many other activities throughout the city, including:
More details will be available in the coming weeks.
To get involved with SWAN’s Bungalow Walk, contact Pat Hill.
Tonight: Retrofitting Your Home to Save Green, Be Green March 16th, 2010
Attend tonight’s Elgin Alive Workshop sponsored by Elgin Community Network. Retrofitting Your Home: Save Green, Be Green will teach you how to improve energy efficiency through cost-effective updates, including tax credits, ComEd incentives and other city programs.
The program will take place tonight, Tuesday March 16 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM at Gail Borden. Refreshments will be available, and all attendees will receive a CFL bulb.
Meeting Tonight March 15th, 2010
Our monthly meeting will be tonight, March 15 at 7 PM at Zion Lutheran Church. Coucilman John Prigge will be speaking about the city’s new dog ordinance. We will also be forming the nominating committee for board elections in May.
Hope to see you there!