October, 2025

Serving Our Community

Road District: 847-381-7793

Township Office: 847-381-1924

Assessor's Office: 847-381-1120

What a wonderful month in Cuba Township! Thank you to the hundreds of residents who joined us for our Fall Festival. We’re grateful to the food vendors, musicians, community partners, and our Cuba Township team who warmly welcomed everyone to our township property. Your energy and good spirits made it a day to remember.

Entering the Season of Giving

As we head into the giving season, we’re coordinating with local partners on community food drives to support Cuba Cares and our Township Food Pantry. Thanks to your generosity, we’re currently supporting over 55 families each week—and the need remains steady. You Can Help by donating non-perishables like cereal, pasta, rice, canned proteins (tuna/chicken), peanut butter, soups, and shelf-stable milk are especially helpful, host a mini-drive in your schools, neighborhoods, businesses or faith-based communities, volunteer to help our food pantry coordinator with sorting, stocking, and distribution, or give financially to Cuba Cares, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

If you’d like to participate or organize a drive, please contact our office and we’ll connect you with dates, drop-off locations, and a current needs list.

Brush pickup begins Monday, October 6 at 7:00 AM. Our Road District crew will be picking up brush throughout the Cuba Township service areas including unincorporated Cuba Township, and the Village of Barrington, Barrington Hills (only from the Metra tracks south to County Line Road and from Ridge Road east to Old Hart Road), Lake Barrington, North Barrington and Tower Lakes. Properties located on IDOT roads including Routes 59, 22 and 14 and Lake County DOT roads, including Roberts, Miller, Kelsey and River Roads are not included for our employees’ and motorists’ safety and well-being.



Happy Halloween! Wishing everyone a safe and spirited Halloween! From all of us at Cuba Township—thank you for your continued generosity and community pride. We are honored to serve you.



Warmly,

Chris Karam

Cuba Township Supervisor

****Appointments for services are REQUIRED****

Passport Services

Passport Applications: Passport processing takes 2-3 weeks for expedited processing and 4-6 weeks for standard processing. Expedited processing is an additional $60 per passport. Passport appointments are required - call 847-381-1924 to schedule an appointment. To check the status of your passport, click here.

Visit Travel.state.gov's renewal page if you want to renew an adult passport.

Food Pantry

The Tuesday food pantry continues weekly, by appointment only, from 10 AM to 1 PM. If you need food assistance, please email info@cubatwpil.gov or call 847-381-1924.



Below is a list of needed items:

• Canned chicken, salmon, spam, and tuna
• Canned meals including chili (mild), stew, and pork & beans
• Canned soups including vegetable, chicken noodle, and any chunky soups
• Toilet Paper and Paper Towels
• 32 oz bottles of liquid laundry detergent

Visit the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) Online Portal for Reduced Fare and Ride Free Customers

The RTA'S Fare Programs Online is a web-based online customer portal that allows residents with disabilities and seniors to apply for, replace, and renew Reduced Fare and Ride Free Permits. It's quick and easy to use - go to Fares.RTAChicago.org.

Cuba Township Half-Fare Taxi Program

The half-fare taxi program is available for Township residents who are 65 or older. The Township will subsidize half of the taxi fare up to $10.00. Please stop in the office to sign up for this program. Proof of age and residency is required. Limits may apply.

Metra Access Pilot Program

Metra Access is a pilot program running through July 31, 2025, providing a reduced fare on all Metra lines and zones for individuals enrolled in the SNAP program who live within the RTA six-county region (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties). To apply, you will need a SNAP eligibility letter, a government-issued ID, and a 2" photo of yourself. You may apply at Fares.RTAChicago.org.

Cuba and Barrington Township PACE Service

The Pace program is subsidized by Cuba and Barrington Townships, as well as the Villages of Barrington, Lake Barrington, North Barrington, South Barrington, and Tower Lakes.

The service is available to seniors and disabled persons, Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM. The fares are $2.00 each way. Advanced reservations required. Call 1-800-451-4599, Monday - Friday, from 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM.

For additional assistance, call Pace customer service at 800-606-1282, option 2.

Ride Lake County - PACE Service

Seniors aged 60+ and people with disabilities interested in using Ride Lake County are encouraged to register by calling the Pace Call Center at 1-800-201-6446.

Registering early for Ride Lake County will allow riders to schedule trips. Seniors must provide their date of birth at registration, and individuals with disabilities must provide their RTA Reduced Fare Permit number at registration. Learn more

Utility Assistance Programs Begin - Appointments Required

Applications for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and Nicor Assistance begin October 1, 2025. View the income guidelines (above) and required documentation for applicants. Call 847-381-1924 or email Ant Simonian to make an appointment.

The following documentation is required:

• Proof of income from all household members for the 30 days before the date of application.
• Most recent, original utility bills.
• Proof of Social Security numbers for all household members.
• Applicant Identification (Driver's License or State ID)

For the latest updates on roads, please follow us on Facebook!

Self-Serve Mulch

Self-serve mulch is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The mulch pile is next to the textile recycling bin in the same lot as the road salt.



Mulch Madness!

Mulch is available for delivery to Cuba Township residents ONLY, for a delivery charge of $125.00 per truckload. Mulch is delivered on Fridays from 7:30 AM - 2:30 PM. Each load is 6-8 yards. The mulch is a double-ground mixture of hard and softwoods from removed Cuba Township trees. Email Sue at info@cubaroads.org or call 847-381-7793 to schedule your delivery.

Annual Fall Brush Pickup Begins Monday, October 6, 2025

Our fall Brush Pick Up begins Monday, October 6, 2025. The Road District picks up throughout the entire Township by routes. No need to call our office with your address.

Please have your brush pile at the roadside by 7:00 AM on Monday, October 6, 2025, to ensure your brush gets picked up. We will not circle back once we have gone through the route.

Your neatly stacked brush pile cannot be larger than 10′ X 4′, and no logs or branches larger than 8″ diameter. No leaves, grass, weeds, root balls; no debris in plastic or paper bags will be picked up.

For the safety of our staff and motorists;



• We do not pick up on IDOT roads (Rt 59, Rt 22, and Rt 14)
• We do not pick up on Lake County Roads (Roberts, Miller, Kelsey, and River)

Putting in a new driveway?

If you are putting in a new driveway, a Road Bond is required. Please complete the Permit Application and email it to info@cubaroads.org.

Driveway Alert for Unincorporated Homeowners

If you are a homeowner in unincorporated Lake County and planning to put in a new driveway over an existing culvert, contact the Cuba Township Road District to inspect the culvert.

Instructions for Trees or Limbs Touching Utility Lines or Power Outages

If you have issues with trees or limbs touching utility lines, contact the utility company directly. The Township cannot trim trees or limbs within 10 feet of utility lines.

If trees are blocking the road, dial 911.

Need to report a pothole?

• Lake County roads - (847) 377-7400 or visit the LCDOT site.
• Unincorporated Cuba Township Roads - 847-381-7793

The Road District does not offer year-round electronics recycling. Visit LRS Recycling, Wauconda Recycling, or the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County.

In the 1960s, millions of Americans turned on their television sets and howled with laughter, as Lily Tomlin, in the character of Ernestine the telephone operator, pulled and pushed the plugs on her switchboard with the query “Hello! Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?”

You can still enjoy these skits on YouTube; including her priceless call into General Motors, “Is this the General?”

The keyword is “party”. Today, communication can be one instant universal party, both visually and verbally. Ernestine and her fellow operators bridged when “party line” was an early twentieth-century wonder connecting communities across the countryside.

The 1976 Bicentennial book “Tales of Old Barrington” has a recollection of Barrington tuning in to its neighbor towns. William, “Bill” Klingenberg, Jr. was born in 1904, the year that the telephone company installed a long distance line from Barrington through Cuba Township to Fox River Grove and Cary. That line ran along Harbor Road past the Klingenberg farm.

The company wanted all the farmers to install a telephone, but Bill Klingenberg, Sr. only reluctantly agreed when his neighbors signed up. He had two hired men, August Felgenhauer and Charlie Hacker. They received board and lodging in exchange for farm work. Charlie played the fiddle, and August the concertina.

Bill, Jr. remembered his Dad answering the telephone in the evening.. The caller was the night man on the switchboard in Barrington, and some evenings it was pretty dull sitting there. To create some action, he suggested a concert over the line by Dad’s two hired men.

“Central” said he would call all party lines around Barrington and “long distance” into Palatine, notifying the patrons to tune in on the concert. The two musicians sat on chairs next to the telephone, but they had to improvise something to be used as a drum. Bill, Jr. remembered his Dad taking his mother’s wooden washtub, turning it upside down and using a wooden potato masher for a drumstick.

Fast forward over 100 years, and we signed up by the millions for Zoom meetings, remote education, concerts, and programs, as the pandemic physically separated us from one another. It was communication that had its origins in those early days of calling along the line from Palatine to Cary.



The last local party line in Woodbury, Connecticut, was phased out in 1990, and Illinois State University closed its last party line in 1991. But, by leaps and bounds, everything old is new again beyond the “night man’s” imagination.

If you would like to email Barbara, send to Barbara and we will share your thoughts with her.

• Village of Lake Barrington
• Village of North Barrington
• Village of Barrington
• Village of Port Barrington
• Village of Barrington Hills
• Village of Tower Lakes
• Lake County Permit Facility
• Lake County Sheriff's Office
• Barrington Countryside Fire Department
• LRS Recycling
• Wauconda Recycling
• Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO)
• Barrington Area Council on Aging (BACOA)
• Barrington Area Volunteer Connection
• Barrington Youth & Family Services
• Nicasa Behavioral Health Services
• PADS Lake County
• Barrington Area Council of Governments
• GiGi's Playhouse
• Smart Farms
• Citizens for Conservation
• Flint Creek/Spring Creek Watershed Partnership

County Board Commissioners

• Commissioner Mike Danforth – District 17

Illinois State Legislators

• State Senator Darby Hills – 26th Senate District (includes all areas of 52nd and 51st House Districts below)
• State Representative Marty McLaughlin – 52^nd House District (Cary, Fox River Grove, Port Barrington and parts of Lake Barrington, Barrington Hills, and Barrington)
• State Representative Nabeela Syed – 51st House District (Deer Park, Lake Zurich, Tower Lakes, and parts of Lake Barrington, North Barrington, and Barrington)