The Daily Herald from Chicago, Illinois • Page 177

Daily Herald www.dailyherald.com VERNON HlLIS from Libertyville Wildcats lightweight varsity football teams Page 2 Monday, October 4,1999 WITH NEWS OF THE PEOPLE AND EVENTS OF L1 LAKE COUNTY Shopping at Gurnee Mills is a main attraction for visitors to Lake County. Daily Herald File Photo LAKE COUNTY TOURISM TIDBITS By Mark Spencer Some of that is due to the efforts of the Lake County, Illinois Convention Visitors Bureau, It might not be Orlando, but Lake County wn celebrates its 15th anniversary this has many attractions that draw visitors, mak- month. In honor of that milestone, we asked ing it the third highest-drawing Illinois county the visitors bureau and others on the local in terms of annual tourism dollars. tourism scene to share some facts and figures. BIGGEST DRAW Gurnee Mills shopping mall is by far the most popular Lake County attraction, with more than 21 million estimated shoppers last year.

"Nationally and internationally, shopping has become the No. 1 vacation activity," said Curt Morey, tourism director at Gurnee Mills. It's estimated that at least 65 percent of Gurnee Mills shoppers are from out of state. About 3,200 tour buses and large passenger vans parked at the mall last year, Morey said. THE RUNNER-UP Across the Tri-State Tollway, Six Flags Great America in Gurnee is the second-largest attraction in Lake County, with around 3 million thrill-seekers passing through the turnstiles last year.

"We are in a good place between Chicago and Milwaukee. We are an easy drive for people making either of those a weekend destination," said Connie Costello, spokeswoman for the park. About 65 percent of Great America visitors are from the Chicago and Milwaukee areas, with the rest coming mostly from elsewhere around the Midwest. The third-largest market for the park is Green Bay, with an estimated 100,000 residents making the trip down to Great America each year, Costello said. BRINGING IN THE BUCKS Tourism resulted in $680 million in Lake County sales in 1998, an increase of 15 percent more than the previous year.

Those sales generated $33 million in state tax revenue and $16 million in local taxes, according to the tourism bureau. 'HEADS IN BEDS' Gail Svendsen, president and CEO of the convention and visitors bureau, says her primary mission is to put "heads in beds." There are an estimated 6,000 hotel rooms around Lake County, with the newest hotels providing luxury accommodations geared for business clients. Still, most Lake County hotel rooms are booked by leisure travelers, she said. JOBS, JOBS, JOBS The tourism industry is estimated to have created 9,000 jobs in Lake County with a total annual payroll of $183 million last year, Svendsen said. ONE THING MISSING The one accommodation Svendsen says Lake County must have to better compete with Cook and DuPage counties is a convention center.

Although one was planned as part of Six Flags Entertainment Village in Gurnee, the project has stalled. Svendsen says she is forced many times to direct convention-planners to places such as Schaumburg and Rosemont because of a lack of adequate facilities within Lake County. "In years to come, we'd like to not turn that business away," she said. CLC SCENE Open house, dedication set Sunday at new center BY GWEN H. JADER Daily Herald Correspondent By opening the Southlake Educational Center in Vernon Hills, the College of Lake County took a bold step in meeting the educational needs of the entire county.

Officials will celebrate that leap with a formal dedication and open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday. The center is a significant step for the college, because its location is convenient for residents in the southern portion of the county both to the east and the west. It makes access to college courses easier in a state-of-the-art facility. Computer courses are available that weren't offered in the southern part of the county.

Heading the celebration will be William Griffin, chairman of the board, along with CLC President Gretchen J. Naff. Center director Sheila Marks and student senate president Jim Mitchell also will participate in the dedication. There will be refreshments and demonstrations of the computer lab and the distance learning classroom. The college had a presence in south Lake County for many years, opening in 1981 a storefront office in Highland Park.

This facility offered registration and information and later, noncredit classes and a career resource network for women re-entering the workplace. Gradually, the facility began coordinating college classes held at local high schools. In April 1998, the center moved to its new location in Vernon Hills. Renovation just was completed, allowing a greatly expanded array of courses. The center offers general education classes leading to an associate in arts degree in health information technology, computer information systems and multimedia communications.

Continuing-education classes also are offered, as is English as a second language and defensive- driving courses. A program for adults ages 50 and older, "Discovery," routinely attracts about 500 students each semester. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m.

to 1 p.m. Saturday the center is at 1120 S. Milwaukee Ave. For information, call Marks at (847) 478-1833. Bingo games for senior citizens will run from 1 to 3 p.m.

today at the Wauconda Park District, 600 N. Main St. The fee Is one nonperisbabte food ttem.Cail (847) 526-3610. Author visits library Children's author Johanna Hurwftz will visit with kids from 7 to 8 p.m. Oct.

18 at Vernon Area Public Library, 300 OWe Half Day Road, Lincolnshire. Registration starts today. Call (847) 634-3650 for details. Audubon society The Lake County Audubon Society present a proyram by Breuer of Bamswal- few in the Ubertyvflte vltagi had HMeDng room on Cook SWet west of MHwaukee Aveflue. Board meetings vfltaM oewd r9t Traffic Concern Hotline in place The Vernon Hills Police Department wants to make sure all residents of the community have the ability to reach a police officer easily when they have a traffic concern.

The police department recently activated a new Traffic Concern Hotline that can be used whenever a citizen has a question or concern about a traffic issue. The telephone number, (847) 3624015, rings directly to the department's Traffic Unit. If someone is not there to answer the call immediately, the caller will be asked to leave a message, and an officer from the unit will return the call as soon as possible. The purpose of the hotline is to answer questions that are of a non- emergency nature relating to a traffic matter, including laws and problems at specific locations. Susie McCall Link Vernon Half Day Non-emergency calls requiring police attention should be called in to the main number, (847) 3624449.

All emergency calls should be directed to 9-1-1. The purpose of the hotline is to generate more prompt responses to traffic-related questions from village residents. Halloween event The Vernon Hills Park District has planned a Halloween party Oct. 29 for the children that promises to be loads of fun. The event will run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

at the Sullivan Center, 635 Aspen Drive. It is free and open to all ages. There will be indoor trick- or-treating, hayrides, entertainment, carnival games and a pie-eating contest and refreshments to make Halloween safe and happy. Village residents can pick up tickets at the Sullivan Center, and pickup is limited only to family members. For information, call the park district at (847) 367-7270.

Susie McCall-Link wants to hear what's going on in your neighborhood and with your club, school or social group. Call (847) 680-5800; send a fox to (847) 680-0189; or send e-mail to (M Grove ponders referendum BY C.L. WALLER; Daily Heraldgtall Writer Oak Grove School board members will likely vote Oct. 18 on what referendum question to put before voters in March. However, 'coming up with the School officials say a greater reliance on property taxes from houses and growing student enrollment are driving the need for an increase in taxes paid to the education fund.

Voters in the Green Oaks-based district approved a 50-cent tax rate increase for the education fund in November 1987. That increase was being phased in and did not reach its limit of 11.78 ptr $100 of assessed property yalue pefore the sUjte i imposed a property tax cap in 1991. CurrenuV, the tax rate for the education fund, which primarily pays for salaries and school equipment, is at $1.41, said Superintendent Patrick Patt. The overall tax rate for the school district is $1.96 and the owner of a house with a market value of $300,000 now pays $1,890 in property taxes 1 Of that tax bill, $1,360 goes into the education fund. The issue is how to phrase the referendum question so it makes sense to voters, said Patt, who will discuss the wording with the Lake County tax extension office and the school board attorney.

While Oak Grove could now take property tax receipts and funnel enough of them into the education. fund to bring the rate up to $1.78, the cap means that tunneling would remove money from other funds. He said increasing the education fund rate to $1.78 should be enough to cover salaries and technology tor projected growth in the district The 37-cent increase would mean the owner of a house with a market value of $300,000 would see his or her tax bill increase by about $360 to nearly $2,248. Oak Grove's enrollment is up 9.5 percent, from 857 to 938 students, according to the six-day count With completion of the 1997 building addition, the school is expected to comfortably hold 990 students. "This will be a defining moment for Oak Grove School.

Do you become program driven or budget driven?" Patt said. Trains should blow whistle for safety reasons alone Should trains blow their whistles at every crossing? Debbie Sapienza Homemaker Libertyville A quick blow. Sometimes it is too long. In residential areas, it shouldn't be as long as at the station. Nicasio Pagaduan Student Gurnee Yes.

It's a lot easier to hear them than to see them. But only during busy times of the day. Michelle Yoder Engineer Buffalo Grove My first response is yes. I don't live near a railroad crossing, so I don't know how loud it is but yes. Richard Rosenbaum Financial planner Deerfield Yes, because most people are in a hurry and put their schedules ahead of safety.

Anything a train does to alleviate that is good..