A Newsletter for the Forsyth Community November 29, 2018

ILLAGE ISIONVVDecember 2 in the park starts the holidays

continued on page 3

The angel and star have topped the trees in Forsyth Park in preparation for the fourth annual Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration on December 2.

A lineup of maples and magnolias waits outside the Village’s maintenance building to be planted in various spots around town. This yearly practice helps Forsyth keep up its Tree City USA designation.

Digging in the dirt to plant new trees is noble work. That rewarding task, taken up on behalf of the Village and its residents, is performed by Public Works Director Larry Coloni and his hard-working staff.

At this time of year, the folks in Public Works plant new trees throughout the Village. Locations for

Come out to Forsyth Park to get that holiday feeling rolling again. The Fourth Annual Christmas Tree Light-ing Celebration is set for Sunday, December 2 from 6-7:30 p.m. in the park near the maintenance building on Forsyth Parkway. As in past years, parking will be available in the lot next to the tennis courts.

This event for the whole fam-ily has much fun to offer, including candy canes and a chance to help decorate the Village’s tree. There will also be free buggy rides with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and plan on warm-ing up with free hot cocoa — while the supply lasts. Be sure to lend your voice to singing along with Christmas carols.

Join with family, friends and neighbors to welcome in the holiday season at one of the Village’s most popular traditions.

Join in the fun of lighting the Village Christmas Tree

The importance of planting trees

Tree City USA title requires consistency

Library News

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Tech ClubLearn how digital resources can make your holidays easier at the December 11 Tech Club meeting at Forsyth Public Library. Instruc-tor Val Bock from VCB Consult-ing discusses e-cards, sites that can streamline sending traditional cards and ways to use the contacts feature to simplify your holiday greetings. Tech Club meets the second Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m., and no registration is necessary. Book Discussion GroupFood for Thought Book Club mem-bers will discuss their favorite books of 2018 on Thursday, December 13 at 6 p.m. Join them for hot choco-late, finger foods and holiday treats as they share the best books they have read in the last year. Stained Glass and Hot Cocoa CraftsDrop in to the library on Saturday, December 15 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to create a stained glass decora-tion for your window or Christmas tree. Then make a yummy hot cocoa reindeer treat to take home. Keep them for yourself, or give them as holiday gifts! Freegal Holiday MusicLooking for some holiday music? The library has you covered. Library cardholders can download up to five songs per week. Once you down-load the songs, they are yours to keep. Start at the library’s webpage (forsythlibrary.com) and look for the Freegal icon on the Materials Search page. Log in with the number on the back of your Forsyth library card. You will find millions of songs, in-cluding holiday music from Pentato-nix, John Legend, Bing Crosby and many more. Let Freegal add to your holiday enjoyment!

Story Time Come to the library for story times on Fridays at 10 a.m. Listen to stories, sing songs, play games and create a craft all centered around a theme. On November 30 we’ll have Get Well Soon. Return on December 7 for Silly Snowmen. Our last story time of the year is Polar Bear Play-time on December 14. Story times resume on January 11. Story times are geared for ages 2-5, but siblings are welcome. No registration is necessary. Baby TalkFamilies with children ages birth to 3 are invited to Baby TALK ses-sions on Wednesdays throughout the year from 9:30-10:15 a.m. Sessions are informal and provide opportu-nities to share parenting concerns

Youth Services Librarian Marissa White takes Story Time visitors on a camping adven-ture at Forsyth Public Library.

Community WatchCommunity Watch will meet on Monday, December 3 at 11:30 a.m. in the Community Room at Forsyth Public Library for a potluck meal and musical enter-tainment. Fried chicken will be provided. Attendees are asked to bring a dish to share. Community Watch is open to everyone, and no reservations are required.

and achievements while enjoying books, songs and finger-plays. Baby TALK is free, and no registration is required. Dance with MeDance with Me will not meet during the month of December but will resume on Tuesday, January 15 at 10 a.m.

Tree City USAcontinued from front page

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2019 CONSOLIDATED ELECTION PRE-FILING NOTICE

where those new trees should go are mapped out by the Village’s Tree Board. This year Coloni re-ported that a total of 26 trees were planted in the ground just before the Thanksgiving holiday. The lineup

The Community Foundation of Macon County is pleased to announce that its online scholarship applica-tion for the 2018-2019 academic year opens on January 1, 2019, at www.en-dowdecatur.org. High school seniors in Macon County who have been accepted at an accredited college or university are encouraged to apply. Additionally, current college students should apply for scholarships. Only completed electronic applications will be considered. The deadline for online applications is Friday, March 1, 2019 (Golden K. Kiwanis Scholarship), and Sunday, March 31, 2019 (for all other scholarships), by midnight.

Generous donors who are com-mitted to education have established several scholarship funds through the Community Foundation. Each year, these funds provide over $75,000 and benefit approximately 50 students in Macon County who are seeking higher education. Scholarship awards vary in size from $250 to $6,000.

Students must complete and submit an online application at www.endowdecatur.org.

For additional information about the Community Foundation’s scholar-ship program, please contact Kathy Carter, scholarship coordinator, at (217) 220-1363, (217) 429-3000 or kcarter@endowdecatur.org.

Foundation to accept apps for scholarships starting Jan. 1Over $75,000 in scholarships available from the Community Foundation of Macon County

Board approves signage requests by McAlister’s

included an assortment of four maple varieties and six magnolias, he said.

This annual ritual of the plant-ing of trees is part of the reason the Village maintains its Tree City USA designation, Coloni said. And, be-sides that, it makes a nice place look even nicer.

At the November 19 Board meet-ing, Ordinance No. 2018-37, an ordi-nance approving a variance to signage requirements for a new restaurant, was on the agenda. McAlister’s Deli, which is nearing completion at 850 S. Route 51, is scheduled to open in the next couple of weeks.

Todd Shaw, developer for McAli-ster’s Deli, was in attendance to represent the company.

The following requests were made:

• An overall total drive-through sign square footage of 25.13 square feet, compared to the current ordi-nance that requires such signage be a maximum of 24 square feet.

• A request for additional awning signage on the north entrance, which will exceed the maximum 7 percent allowed over the wall area.

• A request for an additional free-standing sign on the east side of the building near the drive-through menu board. The additional free-standing sign will be illuminated.

A public hearing on the matter was held November 15 before the

New deli ‘on track’ to open mid-December in Forsyth

Planning and Zoning Commission. On that occasion, the commission voted to approve the variance request unanimously in a 7-0 vote. That vote put the issue before the Board for final approval.

Trustee David Wendt made the motion, which was seconded by Trustee Jim Peck; all votes were Yea as the variance was approved.

Shaw told trustees that the project is progressing on schedule with the restaurant opening expected to be in the second week of December.

“We’re on track,” Shaw said, adding his thanks to Village staff and the Board. “You guys have been excellent to work with.”

Trustee Kerry Denison called the addition of McAlister’s a “win-win” for all involved.

NOTICE is hereby given that the office of Forsyth Village Hall will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, beginning December 10, 2018, through December 17, 2018, for the purpose of accepting candi-

date petitions for the Consolidated Election to be held on April 2, 2019, for the following municipal offices: Three (3) Trustees – (four-year terms)

Signed by: June A. McCormick, Village Clerk

301 S. Rt. 51Forsyth, IL 62535

Email: Info@forsythvillage.us

Village of Forsyth Mayor and Board of TrusteesMayor Marilyn J. Johnson195 E. Ruehl St. ..................433-3655Kerry Denison873 Cara Chris ....................330-0795

Bob Gruenewald718 W. Forsyth Pkwy. ..........520-5489Jim Peck335 Forsyth Parkway ..........433-5700Jeremy Shaw1274 Raptor Lane ..... (309) 830-0509

Kerstin Trachtenberg923 Stevens Creek Circle ...454-5770 David Wendt797 Christopher Drive .........877-2935

Village Hall ............................877-9445 Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed 12:30-1:30 p.m. for lunch www.forsythvillage.usForsyth Public Library .........877-8174 www.forsythlibrary.comPublic Works ........................877-1653

for 22 years

Forsyth Fast FactsItems of interest from village staff and recent board meetings

Local Postal PatronForsyth, IL 62535

Presorted StandardU.S. Postage

PAID Forsyth, IllinoisPermit No. 2

The Village is looking for commu-nity-related photos, such as images of sporting events, the parks, a sun-rise over the water tower or anything you like. As long as they are positive, respectful and pertain to the Village, we would love to see your photos and share them. Please email photos to NDuffle@ForsythVillage.us. We can’t wait to see what you send! In recent weeks, trustees began the preliminary discussions regard-ing the annual budget. Last month the topic of compensation for elected officials was part of the conversation. It was agreed that compensation for the mayor and trustees would remain unchanged as it has since 2008. In his November 5 update to trust-ees, Nik Duffle, the Village’s new community and economic develop-ment coordinator, reported that he recently met with the design team at the Economic Development Corpora-

tion of Decatur and Macon County to discuss a revamp of the Village’s marketing materials. The new mate-rial, according to Duffle, will high-light specific demographics to target different industries and retailers and promote the Village’s biggest assets, including growth rate, traffic counts, tax rates, home values, and more. Duffle hopes to have new materials ready for distribution in the next few weeks. Follow the Village on Twitter and Instagram at: www.twitter.com/ForsythIL and www.instagram.com/ForsythIL. The next regular meeting of the Forsyth Board of Trustees is sched-uled for Monday, December 3, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. in Village Hall at 301 S. Route 51 in Forsyth. Board meetings are held the first and third Mondays of the month and are open to the public.