Lake County homeowners have been receiving letters from two companies regarding the deed to their homes. The letters look official and threatening, but the true purpose of the mailing is to get you to spend your money with a fake company. Watch this video to learn how to protect yourself. If you have any questions or need a copy of your deed, contact the Lake County Recorder of Deeds Office at 847-377-2575.

The Lake County Recorder’s Office provides a tool for homeowners to help protect their biggest investment. Property Check is a free, easy-to-use, 24/7 online service that will alert subscribers, via email and/or text message, whenever a document is recorded against their name and/or property. The sign-up process only takes a few minutes. Once you enter your name notification criteria, you will only need to update your account information if your email address or cell phone number changes. Sign up!

Individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations impacted by the July 2017 flooding in Lake County may be eligible for disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The deadline to apply for Physical Damage loans, such as loans to businesses to repair or replace disaster-damaged property, is Oct. 17, 2017. The deadline to apply for Economic Injury loans, such as loans to assist small businesses and non-profits through the recovery period, is May 16, 2018. For more information on eligibility, loan amounts, and other requirements, please view this SBA Fact Sheet. If the governor's request for a Federal Disaster Declaration is approved, other resources may become available for Lake County residents and businesses.

For more information, contact the SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling 800-659-2955, or emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Forest Preserve News

Grants Received for Conservation Projects

• Ethel’s Woods Forest Preserve: A $1 million Clean Water Act grant was received from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for work underway at Ethel’s Woods in Antioch. The grant will fund ecological restoration of the historical North Mill Creek riparian corridor.

• Lake Michigan Lake Plain: A $1 million grant from the Sustain Our Great Lakes Partnership will help support continued restoration efforts for the Lake Plain project in northeastern Lake County. The grant, administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, will be used by the Lake County Forest Preserves and the Chiwaukee Prairie Illinois Beach Lake Plain Partnership to restore connected habitat key to sustaining and enhancing the biodiversity of the rare Lake Michigan Lake Plain ecosystem, which is part of the Great Lakes basin. The project will restore critical blocks of land through invasive plant and prescribed burn management strategies to increase acreage of connected quality habitat for the Blanding’s turtle and other federal and state-listed species of concern. Learn more

Reimbursement Funds Received for Project Documents
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago provided a reimbursement of $147,899 for preliminary design plans created by the Lake County Forest Preserves for the reservoir expansion project at Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve in Long Grove. The Forest Preserves will use the reimbursement funds for future Capital Improvement Plan projects.

College students and their parents can get help applying for college financial aid by attending one of dozens of Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) workshops starting Oct. 2 at locations across Lake County. View the full schedule in English and Spanish. At these workshops, staff will help you complete and file your FAFSA online. The FAFSA must be filled out for students to be considered for state and all federal financial aid, and many colleges and universities rely on FAFSA data to determine eligibility for the institution’s own financial aid funds.  Learn more, including what documents to bring.

Beginning Oct. 2, the hours of operation for receiving walk-in applications at the permit counter at the Lake County Central Permit Facility will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This change applies to all walk-in permit applications for the Health Department, Planning, Building and Development, Public Works, the Division of Transportation, and the Stormwater Management Commission. The Central Permit Facility, however, will be open at 7:30 a.m. and will close at 4:30 p.m., so residents can still drop off applications or paperwork if the permit counter is not staffed. 

The implementation of a new County-wide permitting system has expanded the number and types of permit applications that customers can submit online, reducing the need for people to visit our permit counter. Customers can now create an account to submit and pay for many permit applications electronically and review the status of their applications and inspections online. We analyzed traffic at our public counters and found that less than 5% of permit applications take place before 8 a.m. or after 4 p.m.  Adjusting the hours slightly will allow us to staff our public counters more efficiently, while still meeting the needs of our Lake County customers. For information, please visit the Planning, Building and Development website.

Did you know Lake County roadways have storm sewer vortexes that act as filters for road grime, oil and other debris and help improve water quality? Watch our latest Lake County’s Dirty Jobs as County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor cleans out a vortex structure using a sewer truck on Old McHenry Road, east of Quentin Road.

Did you know that roundabouts, bike paths and smart traffic signals not only can help lead to less traffic and better fuel consumption but also help improve air quality? Watch this video as representatives from the Lake County Division of Transportation explain how.

The Kids’ Korner at the Lake County Courthouse recently marked a milestone, caring for 50,000 children. The Kids’ Korner provides a safe and fun waiting area for children who are visiting the courthouse to testify or whose parents or guardians are conducting court business. Watch this video to learn more.