Hatchery plans moving along smoothly

From the Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008 edition of the Northwest Herald:

Hatchery plans moving along smoothly
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com

SPRING GROVE – Almost a year ago, the village bought a 51-acre, former fish hatchery with the hopes of creating cherished green space for the community.

The first set of renovations to the property, to be known as Hatchery Park, will be unveiled this week, and the community already is buzzing.

“My neighbor said, ‘My gosh, this is like the Central Park of Spring Grove,’ ” said Ron Erdmann, chairman of the committee overseeing the project.

Residents can visit the property from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday for Taste of Spring Grove.

There will be a wine tasting, crafts and games for kids, and a live band. Proceeds will benefit the restoration of the hatchery.

The facility was built in 1914, and was the first hatchery in the state. At one time, it supplied enough fish to restore all state waterways north of Springfield, an its natural cold water springs produced more than 300 gallons of water a minute.

But several years ago, the facility was closed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resource. Last year, Spring Grove bought the property from the state, and has been working to restore its novelty.

“It’s all going to be restored to the 1930s appearance as much as we can,” said Bonnie DeGroot, village events coordinator.

The two-story building on the property already had undergone a number of renovations, and ultimately will serve as an education center and museum, with guided tours and a video presentation of the fish hatchery process.

“We want folks to come in and see how game fish are produced,” Erdmann said.

A parking area has been created, so that people can visit the park for other recreational purposes.

Erdmann said the park would be ideal for walking, jogging, cross-country skiing, fishing and other outdoors activities.

For some, re-opening the hatchery will bring back memories of yesteryear.

“I remember as a kid in Girl Scouts going up there to see the fish hatchery,” said Nancy Fike, administrator of the McHenry County Historical Society museum.

Fike said the facility’s restoration would have a cultural affect on the community.

“Having a fish hatchery they can see was an original helps with the continuity of our lives,” she said. “Connections to our past bring stability.”

Others suspect that the facility will spur environmental awareness.

“If it attracts people, you can use it as a backdrop for educating people about the importance of clean water and clean ecosystems,” said John Epifanio, a scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey. “Fish do best in healthy ecosystems. Sometimes they need a little bit of help.”

If you go
What: Taste of Spring Grove.
Where: Spring Grove Fish Hatchery, 2314 Hatchery Road, Spring Grove.
When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For information, call 815-675-2121.