To the caller who complained about the neighbor with the loud music, I would gladly trade neighbors with you. The neighbor behind me has a jungle growing where our properties meet, and the weeds, shrubs and other foliage I can’t identify invade my space year after year. It’s an ongoing battle to keep that stuff out of my yard—I can’t afford a fence or believe me, I would create a barricade as big as the ordinance would allow. I am just trying to keep the yard neatly trimmed and free of things that creep, hang and otherwise spread into my back yard, not to mention that I have to spend the money on yard waste stickers all summer and put up with biting insects. With the music, at least it’s only occasional, but with the jungle behind me, it never stops.

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Hi, I’m calling from Lombard and I heard that the pool, formerly known as Moran Water Park—which is another topic in and of itself that they changed the name to Paradise Bay—will not allow food or drink into the pool. So my son, who has severe allergies, will not be able to eat anything that anybody at the pool will sell; I will not be able to bring in my own food for my son, who is 3 and has severe allergies? This is ridiculous.

Paul Friedrichs, executive director for the park district, responded to your comments: “Coolers of any kind are not allowed at Paradise Bay; neither is prepared food from any restaurant, nor any objects made of glass.  Food prepared at home may be brought to the water park, but must be consumed in the designated concession area. The DuPage County Health Department is very concerned regarding the cleanliness of all businesses under their jurisdiction, such as Paradise Bay. Staff works very hard and does an excellent job at abiding to their rules and regulations when it comes to food preparation and cleanliness at the area's newest and nicest water park, Paradise Bay. Should you have any questions, please call either Paradise Bay directly at 630-627-6127 or the Sunset Knoll Recreation Center at 630-620-7322. Have a wonderful day at the Bay."—JAC

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This is Lombard calling to reply to the person who complained in the June 17 SPEAK OUT about the nursing mother. There’s a law in Illinois that allows women to breast feed anywhere in public and protects them from being told to cover up. I wish this law wasn’t necessary because it’s 2009 but I guess it still is. We’ve got millions of years of evidence proving that it doesn’t harm anyone of any age to see a woman nurse her child.

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I’m watching the 6 o’clock news and I see that Gov. Quinn has threatened cuts in social services, hospitality services, meaning hotels, motels, bars, and that there were rallies by all these people who would lose their jobs.

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I was ticketed $100 at the red-light enforcement intersection in Villa Park at the corner of Roosevelt and Summit avenues, heading west. Not only have I been ticketed, but also several neighbors. What happens is, you stop at the light, and then creep up to look to your left to see if traffic is clear before you proceed. That is when the picture is taken of your car and you’re ticketed. Shame on the Village of Villa Park for taking advantage of people. We’re short of money as it is without our own village making money off of us. Heads up, everyone—do not turn right at that stoplight or the light by Wal-Mart. You will be ticketed $100 and you have no recourse.

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This is Lombard calling. With regard to the photo enforcement camera at the Villa Park Wal-Mart, this has nothing to do with traffic enforcement and everything to do with budget enforcement. Other towns have their cameras at major arterial intersections—this one is at a frontage road. This isn’t for safety, it’s a cash grab. Schaumburg just announced they may be removing theirs. In Villa Park, we won’t be shopping there anymore.

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This is north Lombard calling, especially in response to those extremely ridiculous red light cameras. I don’t mind getting a ticket if a police officer sees me doing something wrong. I don’t trust a machine; I trust my lawn mower to cut the grass, not some robot. I have a right to go court and be tried. You get the ticket, you’re supposed to pay it. That’s wrong. That’s unconstitutional. I don’t know why people aren’t standing up more for this, to live with a ticket and just pay, and that just reinforces the unconstitutionality of it. Think about it. Fight it. Amen.

You do have the right to protest your ticket by mail or at a hearing.—blm

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When people talk about health care and say they don’t want the single payer, or the public option, as we’re sometimes calling it now, because they don’t want a government bureaucrat standing between them and their doctor, have you considered that right now, the money you pay for health insurance premiums goes to pay a bureaucrat whose goal is to keep you from getting health insurance? We’re paying people to keep us from getting the care we need because they make more profit when we don’t get the care we need. A public option would pay people to see that we get the care we need. That would be their function because they wouldn’t be looking to make a profit. We need single payer in this country; we need universal health care in this country; that would be the thing that would get us out of these economic doldrums.

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Here’s a concept for developing downtown; why don’t we take the buildings on the north side of St. Charles Road, east of Main, and acquire them and then what we’ll do is move St. Charles Road 50 feet to the north, where it’s necessary, so that on the south side of St. Charles, between St. Charles and the railroad tracks, we’re able to build new businesses all the way to Grace Street.

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I’ve been buying a pass for the last 28 years for the Lombard swimming pool, even though I don’t live there anymore. So, now that the weather is warm, you’ve got lots of people there, many people have purchased passes and what do they do? They have two separate lines. You can wait in the very, very long line to swipe your pass, or if you’re paying cash you can go to the cashier and walk right in.  Here’s my very simple suggestion: Make one line, when you get to the head of the line, you go left to pay cash and you stay right to swipe your pass through the turnstiles that work when they want to. You’ve already got a staff member up there helping people out. All she’s got to do is direct them to go left or right. It just seems more equitable to the people who have given you their money for the entire season to given them equal standing with those people who want to show up for one day and pay cash. They shouldn’t be allowed to walk straight in and pay their money because the line is shorter. Make one line.

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Lombard calling. For all those who complain about their high property taxes, let’s not put all the blame on politicians. Do you remember all those referendums that you’ve been voting for in the past 30 years or so? Do you remember all those high pensions that you just had to have? Do you remember the tons of school programs your neighbor kids probably didn’t need but you voted for anyway? Well, guess what. They’re right there in your tax bill. Happy now?

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This is Lombard calling. I just wanted to thank all my Earth angels who helped me through a very long and difficult winter and now that my treatment’s over, summer is here and I can’t thank you all enough for all your kindness, your support, your friendship and your love; and a special thanks to Molly’s mom for all the surprises she gave me during this long, long, cold winter. Thanks a lot guys. Love ya.

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Thanks to the Lombard public works crew who filled in the two potholes at the entrance of Mr. Z’s. Thanks again.

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This is Lombard calling. I just got back from our wonderful new pool; just a message for the older folks in Lombard. When it says adult swim, I’d appreciate it if you swam. That would be great. Socializing in groups of four to seven in the middle of the lane pool is not swimming—just blocking the way. I’ve got 20 years to be where you’re at and I hope I’m still swimming when I get there. God bless.

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This is Lombard calling. The original call about the rottweiler kept in the cage 24/7, I would love an update on that dog; wondered if it received any help. I need to get some rest. I keep thinking about that dog. We just lost our wonderful rottweiler, who was a huge family member and she was 13 years old. The thought of that dog sitting in that cage just makes us sick. So, I wondered if that caller could update us or somebody could let us know whatever became of that poor creature.

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I found it very disappointing to read in the Lombardian on June 17 about the roadside safety checkpoint on North Avenue and that out of 297 vehicles, as many as 40 of them had no driver’s license, or no insurance and were cited or arrested for that. That means for the rest of us, for every 10 cars that we drive by every day of the year, almost one of those cars has no insurance and no license. This is unacceptable. How are we supposed to protect ourselves when no one else is taking care to be good drivers? This is terrible.