Hi, this is Lombard calling and I was wondering if you could answer a question. There is a school located west of Elizabeth on Madison, called CPSA and I understand they are going to be expanding. I was wondering how far they will be expanding; are they going to expand all the way to Edson Street and also, how many more children will the school be housing? And, will there be a mosque also located in the school?

The school administration responded: “The College Preparatory School of America (CPSA) is planning on expanding the school. The expansion will be within its existing property limits to accommodate [an] additional approximately 330 students.” The school is located at 331 W. Madison St., Lombard. –JAC

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Hi, this is about the person calling about the dogs barking. Next door, I’ve got two giant dogs that bark all the time. The only reason why they bark is because someone’s in the neighborhood, someone’s in my back yard, someone’s around my house who shouldn’t be there. Dogs bark for a reason. They bark because something’s wrong. You should be thankful to have dogs in your neighborhood and around your house because they can tell you when people aren’t wanted around, or if something’s happening to somebody around you. Dogs are great, so get over it. And tell the village board, get over the home rule bit; you were voted no to home rule, get over it.

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This call to all the cat lovers. I think there should be a law like there is for dogs. Cats should be put on a leash and not left out to roam, and go in other people’s yards. People who own dogs have to carry a plastic bag and keep their dogs on a leash. Cats should be either put on a leash or kept in the house.

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To the Republican out there with his head stuck in cement, how can you blame Obama and ACORN for the current economic crisis? You want to talk intelligence? Let’s talk Sarah Palin. Can you see Russia from your house?

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This is Lombard calling. I went out to mail some bills; being an older resident I don’t walk so good anymore, and around the mailbox it was kind of icy and I slipped. To my surprise, three young girls stopped to help me up and mailed my letters for me. I very much appreciate that and would like them to know that I do appreciate it.

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This is in answer to the one who said that President Obama hasn’t even learned to walk on water yet. Why not give him a chance to right the ship? So far, my son lost over $200,000 from his 401K fund, and has been out of work since April 2008, along with millions more. President Bush couldn’t walk on water, either. If you can, why don’t you take over this job? Don’t crucify him before he starts the job makeover.

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It’s kind of funny to read my SPEAK OUT and see these crazed, baseless I-just-hate-that-guy rants against Barack Obama that my Republican friend, as I’ll still call him, puts in there, especially when we saw the excitement generated by Mr. Obama’s inauguration. People are ready for a change; people are sick of being lied to and they’re sick of people who use government to enrich themselves and their friends. Hopefully Mr. Obama will not do that; hopefully he will be as good as he looks.

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Hi, this is Lombard calling. I want to agree with the caller thanking the family who put all the Santas in front of their house. It was so much fun seeing them every year. My grandchildren and I would try to count them every time we drove by. Your family is in my prayers, and thank you again.

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This is a message to the parents who wait in front of Westlake Middle School with the kids in their car. I believe little Johnny can wait outside—the 10 to 12 cars that are in front of the school and backing up traffic all the way to Main Street is just outrageous. So, if little Johnny could get out of the car, the parents could be on their way and Mr. Wieczorek, if you see these parents sitting in front of the school, throw your coat on and wave them on their way. Thanks.

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I would like to express my thoughts on Lombard residents not caring how their tax money is spent. You have a so-called aquatic center being built that can only be used three months out of the year. It could have been a state-of-the art sports center for all seasons. The high school needs this for a swim team, of which we have never had the privilege, and all your condo people could use it, and young and old could benefit greatly from it. What a shame.

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This is Lombard calling on day three of Barack Obama’s presidency. I’m confused though, because I just got laid off. That man promised me that as soon as he got elected the world would be perfect, that it would be Nirvana. As a matter of a fact, everything would be better—within six months we were supposed to be living in this beautiful world. Now we’ve seen that it might take four years, or even eight years. A guy can tell you it’s going to take you a week to build a garage, two hours to mow your lawn; a doctor will tell you how long it will take to remove a corn from your foot. And all of a sudden Obama thinks it was going to take six months, or eight years? I’m feeling really cheated by this.

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Hi, high taxpaying Lombard residents. We pay our taxes to use the parks in this town; they claim that they’re going to maintain the ice for ice skating, not on the ponds itself, but off to the side, i.e. Lombard Lagoon. Well, number one, their so-called hotline messages are never updated, causing us a little bit of inconvenience. Lastly, the person who’s in charge of that does not seem to return phone calls. No, it’s not the biggest thing in the world, but it’s aggravating when you expect something to be there and it’s not. we used to skate on the ponds as kids, the ice is well over 8 inches thick, and they can’t even maintain the little swampy ditch on the side of it? And, good job, Obama, for not hiring insiders. A man of substance? Not.

Paul Friedrichs, executive director of the Lombard Park District, responded: “Unfortunately, during a week or so in January, the Ice Rink Hotline (630-953-6000, ext. 35) was not functioning properly. All calls to the hotline during office hours were answered by a live operator. The status of the ice rinks is also available on the front page of our Web site, www.lombardparks.com, for anyone to check before venturing outdoors. For the safety of our patrons, the park district prohibits skating on any pond with less than 9 inches of solid ice. To date, the ice on all Lombard Park District ponds has been less than nine inches. In fact, we have only allowed skating on the Lombard Lagoon once in the last 12 years due to the lack of ice thick enough to skate on. Because of this safety precaution, the park district spends considerable time and effort to produce skating rinks in other areas off the ponds. Obviously, to produce ice rinks that would be considered ‘skateable’ we do need some help from Mother Nature. As cold as it has been at times this winter, she seems to bring a few days of near 32-degree temperatures shortly thereafter and in combination with sun-filled skies, much of the man made ice melts, the water evaporates and we are forced to start over. Again, if anyone has any issues regarding ice rinks or any other matter regarding the park district, please feel free to contact me at my office at 630-627-1281. Finally, I would like to publically applaud the efforts of the park district maintenance staff for their efforts in making ice rinks that add to the recreational and leisure needs of this community.” –JAC

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Hi, I have a comment to make about the inauguration of the president and all the coverage that’s been taking place. I don’t hear anyone saying that Barack Obama is the first half-black person and half-white president. He has said in all his interviews that he is the first black president, when in reality he’s the first half-black and half-white American president. I think we need to set this straight. And also, if we’re supposed to be not playing racial issues, why is he being portrayed that way? Why can’t we have just elected a man to office?