AAA and AA credit rating list

Do you realize if the U.S.A. doesn't get it's spending and borrowing in order we will be in the same class as Slovenia at AA? Kind of makes you proud, doesn't it! Ken


Sovereign ratings from
Moody's and S&P

Australia
Austria
Canada
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Singapore
Sweden
Swiss Confederation
United Kingdom
U.S.A.
Double a
Abu Dhabi
Belguim
Bermuda
Chile
China
Japan
Kuwait
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Slovenia
Spain
Taiwan

Your Sunday smile......

Eskimo: "If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?" Priest: "No, not if you did not know." Eskimo: "Then why did you tell me?"
Annie Dillard

posted by Ken

Better late than never!

And the winners of the fishing tournament are............
(from an earlier post)

6th picture down.......Dalton Kowlakowski, bluegill
7th picture down.......Jacob Kwas 4 1/2 pound largemouth
9th picture down...... Larry Masbruch's daughter 1 pound largemouth
10th picture down.... Gracwe Betke 2 lb. largemouth
11th picture down.....Jake Morechausch 1 1/2 pound largemouth
12th picture down.....Dalton Kowalkowski 3 pound largemouth

Congratulations to all!

Thank you Barb Appelhans for the great pics

Candlewick Anglers, otherwise known as CWA, held their first on Shore- Fishing Tournament July 28th. Prizes were awarded for biggest bass, bluegill, crappie and other. CWA is a chance for all Candlewick residents to not only spend quality time with their children fishing but to also attend fishing clinics to learn tips, tricks and the best way to fish Candlewick Lake. If you are interested in joining CWA contact Tom Pinkowski at tmpfish@yahoo.com or Chuck Hart at bassmaster1211@gmail.com.

The pictures below were from the tournament. Sorry, no names available yet but I want to get the pictures posted. Ken

Candlewick Anglers tournament pictures

Top pictures are the prize winners, next some of the members helping out, then the winning fish pictures. I can't say enough about the fine work this club is doing in our community. Great people doing great things. Thanks, Barb Applehans, for the great pictures. Ken

Roads update…

The new report from Rabine Paving is expected to arrive shortly so there will soon be another road commission meeting to discuss their findings and hopefully their cost estimate. You will recall they offered to make an inspection of our roads and provide their input regarding necessary actions to maintain and rebuild our roads. This has been done at no cost to the property owners and will make a good comparison to use against full depth reclamation as well as chip & seal. I look forward to their report. They have done good work for us in the past.

We must remember we are looking at maintaining and/or rebuilding about 28 miles of roadway, almost the same amount as a trip to Janesville. This is no small task and your commission wants it done in the most cost-effective as well as quality assured way possible. I’ll keep you up on this as it develops.

Ken Dillenburg

These are serious times

John Mauldin (the author of "Endgame") met with some of our leaders today regarding the current debt crisis. Here is his synopsis if you are interested. Ken

I write this at 34,000 feet on the way back to Dallas. I met with a few Congressmen this morning and then ten Senators (!) this afternoon. It seems that some of them had read Endgame and rounded up a rather impressive group to come hear me speak for about 90 minutes. No Powerpoint, just off the cuff, with lots of very pointed questions, and they were taking notes (mostly). Some have been my long-time readers (go figure). It was bipartisan. Actually tripartisan, as independent Joe Lieberman was there, and asked some very hard questions. They cut me no slack and I gave no quarter. It was a very frank discussion. This is a group that is quite worried (I should say seriously worried) about our future, and they let me know there were more like them. On both sides of the aisle. It was actually somewhat encouraging, except that they are not optimistic. There was a sense of palpable concern that nothing might be done until we have a crisis, and so they realize the need to act. They are working to get their fellow Senators on board. Maybe there is hope. Without naming names, I was particularly impressed with the questions from a “Tea Party” Senator when I talked about the “glide-path option” and what going too fast would mean – as in a depression. I think he got it. We’ll see. He took the most notes, although Portman (who ran OMB so has a serious resumé and credibility on budgets) was going through paper rather fast as well.

They grilled me on the debt ceiling, and I gave it my best; but I think the debt ceiling is a temporary sideshow to the whole deficit issue. They truly were getting the “hitting the wall” if we don’t get the deficit under control. I left a lot of books and was surprised that more than a few came with their own copies to have me sign. Senator Dan Coats set up the meeting, and Rob Portman helped round up the group. Getting that many Senators in a room is not easy. And a few of my heroes were in the room, too. It was a very humbling experience for your already humble analyst.

As an aside, neither the Congressmen (some of whom are in the GOP leadership) nor any of the Senators have a clue as to how the debt-ceiling issue will work out. There were lots of guesses and speculation. One of the “Gang of Six” was there, and he had no idea what would happen.

The legal committee

For any of you wondering exactly why we now have a legal committee this should explain to a degree. I have mentioned here before the new state law (CICCA) makes it necessary to change our governing documents. This is not optional, it is now necessary. The legal committee has that currently on the front burner. We are investigating what must be legally modified as well as the items that although they made sense in a new community no longer are necessary or are now burdensome. This is no small job. The new documents must be written in such a way as to be acceptable to the property owners who will need to vote for them to be adopted. There will be many more committee meetings hashing this out.

We also will be following through on other legal issues that will arise time to time. Any final action will need full board approval before being implemented. The legal committee is in essence the investigative arm of the board in this respect.

Ken Dillenburg

Notice the difference? Neither did I.

This says a lot for the manner in which the rec center changeover was handled. Beginning July 1 the “Y” no longer runs our rec center and pool operation. It appears to have been a seamless transition.

Congratulations to the recreation commission headed by Sandy Morse as well as the rec staff headed by Sherri. We can expect an even stronger operation next fiscal year with new programs currently being investigated for later implementation. A pat on the back to all involved!

Ken Dillenburg

Sunday inspiration

A very meaningful video. All are important and beautiful in his eyes. I hope you have time to watch this video and have your teenagers consider this during the toughest times in their lives.
Ken Dillenburg
(Please click the link below)
You are beautiful

What is it?

It's been a couple slow news days for CWL so I thought you might like to see this. It is actually an atrophied ape found in China. The villagers thought it was an alien from outer space. I can see why. How would you like to look out and see that in your yard?
Ken

Unofficial Minutes for Board Meeting on July 19, 2011

Don Parisi sent in his resignation letter from the Board due to personal reasons. We are very sorry to see him go but thank him for all he has done for Candlewick Lake and hope to see him back soon.

The Board did appoint two new Directors, Steve Lambright and Chuck Corso to fill the openings due to the resignations of Gary Kurpeski and Don. We are happy to have them and thank them for filling in. Their terms will expire next March.

Public Safety: They have hired a new lake patrol officer to replace our injured officer.

Road Construction: Ken Dillenburg will be heading the committee going forward. The committee has been going to Lisle to see how their roads are being constructed using the full depth reclamation and if they are happy with the process. Some members have also travelled to Lake Summerset to view their chip and seal process using fractured rock rather than pea gravel. They have been very happy with the results and are on a five year resurface cycle.

A motion was carried to spend a maximum of $3,000.00 to do further coring to make sure we are repairing only the road bases that need to be done avoiding unnecessary expense. We are still looking into all processes and will try and get the best roads for the best price.

Legal: CC&R’S and By Laws are a work in progress and they will keep us up to date as they continue. The newly formed legal committee has that at the top of their agenda.

Aqua Illinois commission: It is up and running and members have assignments and will report back with their findings.

Incorporation Survey: This was reported previously in our blog.

Restaurant Update: The latest word is the restaurant will be open by the end of the month.

DVD Rental Machine: There are just a couple more things to work out and hopefully there will be one at Rec Center within a couple months.

Lake management brought forth a proposal to allow larger horsepower motors on the lake but only at no-wake speed, meaning at idle. This would be on a trial basis and any infractions would carry severe penalties of no lake use for a full year.

During the opening half hour of public comment the question was asked about cutting dead trees in the public areas. The trees are being removed as quickly as possible within our budget constraints. Another question was asked regarding the algae bloom in the fingers. The lake quality experts are scheduled to arrive within the next few days to do a second survey and make recommendations for remedies. The lake has had better quality to this point than most years and the hot weather has now been taking it's toll. It will be investigated and reports submitted.

Submitted by Ellen Steiskal, Pride Secretary

Expenditures…one forced and one well worth it

I would like to comment on a couple votes we took Tuesday evening at the board meeting, one that is a complete waste of your money and another that potentially could save hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Your federal government has mandated all road name signs must be changed. The powers that be have determined the way the signs have been produced from day one is now not good enough to meet their standards. Heaven forbid, the street signs have all capital letters. They now must have a first capital letter then the rest in non-capitals. This is during a time our federal government is trying to decide how to cut their spending and keeping our country afloat. This year we will spend $3,000 for the signage plus the labor to change the signs. This is just the first year and it will continue for years. Your dues money thrown out the window due to the intelligent actions of your federal government with too much free time on their hands and a superiority complex.

The next item is logical spending. Your board has voted “yes” to the request of the road commission to access if necessary up to $3,000.00 for more core testing to see if base replacement is really necessary in some of the indicated areas during our upcoming road repair project. This expenditure could possibly save hundreds of thousands of your dues dollars. This is a logical expenditure, unlike the ridiculous signage. Your board, management, committees, and commissions are working to respect your monies and spend judiciously.

Ken Dillenburg