The front page of the Lombardian shows the opening of the Lombard Skate Park. But, with all the kids using it, there is not one person using elbow and knee pads or a helmet. If someone gets hurt, who will be sued? By not using safety equipment a person is inviting injuries. It may not be “cool” to wear the safety equipment but it is not “cool” to bleed when you fall down. Again, does the park district have any responsibility if there is an accident? If there is no responsibility a sign should be posted.

Paul Friedrichs, executive director of the Lombard Park District, addressed your concerns: “Signage is posted that proper safety equipment is required. As far as liability is concerned, all Illinois park districts have tort immunity defenses to all accidents in the parks and facilities provided those parks and facilities have not been neglected. All pieces of the skate park, as is the case with all other playgrounds, were installed to ASTM standards and as provided by the manufacturer of the equipment. We hope that all participants would wear the proper equipment when skateboarding, not only at the skate park but any time they are enjoying their sport. As a side note, this past weekend the skate park was vandalized after only three weeks of being open. We hope this was an isolated incident. Should anyone have information in regard to the person or persons who committed this crime, please call either the park district offices at 630-627-1281, or the Lombard Police Department.—JAC

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Hi, this is north Lombard. I wonder if someone from the village could explain to me what the village does for my cell phone because we’re paying exorbitant taxes on our cell phone bills. People, look at your bill, call the village, call SPEAK OUT, stop this craziness because I haven’t seen what the village does with the money from my cell phone tax. It’s a private company. It’s ridiculous.

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I bought a house near Madison Meadow years before the Taste of Lombard started. I would be happy to sell it, so someone else can enjoy the noise, drunks, garbage and people blowing off fireworks when they walk down the street going to and from the Taste.

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So many of us wish we could do something to help, but time or health makes it difficult to consider. Remembering to cut out the box tops from Betty Crocker products and others, however, is easy to do and would be a good help to any school. Whether giving them to a neighbor’s child, your own grandchild or dropping them off yourself at your neighborhood school, you’ll be allowing gym equipment and other supplies to be gotten with the 10 cents each official coupon allows. Now isn’t that an easy way to make a difference? So be sure to clip before you recycle those boxes and bags and make the playground and classroom better places. Advance thanks.

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Lombard here. In fact, downtown Lombard to be exact. Our family lives just across the street from the Union Pacific tracks near Maple and Elizabeth. It is time to bring the obnoxious blasting of freight train horns through the center of town to an end. I spoke with the village and was told it most likely is an ICC issue. So, I contacted Sen. Durbin’s Chicago office to lodge a complaint. A parochial elementary school is located next to the tracks. This school has very young students in attendance and I know for a fact that many of them are fearful of those blaring horns throughout their school day. I am tired of being woken up at 3 a.m. from those horns. Enough is enough. Residents of the downtown area should contact the Village of Lombard and the offices of our legislative representatives and lodge complaints. If this is a problem that is negatively impacting a community and the community complains, together our voices just might be heard and those horns will stop.

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Lombardians, pay attention and get involved. There’s an appeal for your input and ideas on what you want in our town center in our future. If you don’t respond now, don’t whine about the results. Move forward or step aside, please.

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This is Villa Park calling. This village is in dire need of good leadership. This is the worst administration I have seen in 40 years. Nothing gets done; just talk. I sure hope Cullerton is a one-time president.

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Lombard calling regarding the recent caller who questioned our spending taxpayer money to provide the Chinese delegation with an overview of the difference in government in little old Lombard and China. I, too, question why we would spend money for that when we have budget problems. This probably is another example of the egos of some village employees, making them feel important as a priority over preserving taxpayer money.

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Lombard calling in response to the Aug. 11 article, the village board holding a special meeting to address the police and fire pensions. I would like to express my opinion. This article states that the economic downturn has led to a decline in pension fund reserves. Well, we’re all having problems. I’ve worked for my company for over 30 years and in the past two years my pay and benefits have been cut, health insurance increased and my pension plan has been changed and I no longer have the employer contributions. My taxes have increased. My house value has decreased. Why should the police and fire department not also experience some of the same issues I’m going through with the economic downturn, instead of again trying to raise my taxes? I have to vote no.

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Lombard calling here, calling about the Lombard post office and the mailbox where you can drive up and drop off your mail. I don’t know when they did it, but they moved the mailbox back about 6 inches, so now you can’t even reach the slot to drop your mail in. Can we please have that moved back so it’s closer to the curb or street so we can reach it?

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I’m calling from Lombard and I’ve got to know. What’s going on at Sunset Knoll? I drive past every day to and from work on Route 53 and there’s always earth-moving equipment and there are big huge holes in the ground, but I have yet to see word one in the Lombardian about what’s going on. I can’t find anything on the park district Web site. If somebody could let us know what’s going on, I’d really appreciate it.

Paul Friedrichs, executive director of the Lombard Park District, responded: “The project at Sunset Knoll is on the district’s Web site, www.lombardparks.com, and provides the following: two irrigated soccer fields; two irrigated baseball fields; two half-court basketball courts; one interpretive nature trail; approximately 1 mile of paved paths; a new fishing pond, that will provide storm water management for the entire 40 acre site; ADA improvements to the entire facility making it accessible to all special needs members of the community for the first time ever; the re-grading, for safety, of the sled hill and athletic field below the sled hill; a new pavilion and a splash pad.  The project was in part funded with a $400,000 grant from the Department of Natural Resources, and was permitted by the Village of Lombard, DuPage County and the Illinois Department of Transportation.”—JAC

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I was watching the news that our president decided to have the Oval Office redone; millions and millions of dollars to have everything done. We’re in hard economic times and this is what he’s doing? Aside from giving money to banks and other corporations that don’t deserve it? We are in a lot of trouble, people.

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I bought my house two blocks from Madison Meadow years before the Taste of Lombard started. Perhaps they should rotate the Taste to a different park each year so other residents can enjoy the noise, the drunkenness, the fireworks and the public urination.

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This is Lombard calling. For all you conservatives out there who want a constitutional government, not socialism, send back your Social Security checks.

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Villa Park calling. I’m very frustrated with the system of the new yard waste disposal in Villa Park. I called about my old yard waste stickers when they switched it over in July and left a message with community development. No one called me back. I called two following times and still no one called me back. I called a fourth, final time and finally got a person, who told me I should come in and exchange my stickers. Due to the starting of school and having a job, I didn’t get in until Sept. 2—only two weeks after I actually got a physical person on the phone to give me an answer instead of not responding—and was told they can no longer do it. I’ve got $15 worth of stickers that I’ve invested money in and I can’t do anything about it. In this economy, what a waste.

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I hope this makes it into SPEAK OUT. A big thank you to Rick Poole and Paul Friedrichs for that wonderful skate park. My four grandsons love it and so do I. Now there’s another place to take them within walking distance. The only request is we need some lights there because it’s getting dark now. Thank you again—great job, guys. Thanks.

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Hi. I’d like to see the Taste of Lombard renamed to the Festival of Lombard, since there’s no guarantee there will be more than two Lombard businesses serving food there. Why do we keep calling it the Taste of Lombard? It’s really a festival; music, rides, things like that. The food part is really kind of minor. So, let’s change it. It’s time to move on. Let’s get away from these tastes, which are kind of old-school, kind of boring. Let’s get some excitement in it; let’s call it something new, like “festival.”

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Lombard calling. As a parent of Lombard baseball and Lombard Falcons, I am proud and honored to have our skate park. Neither one of my children skateboards, but I think it was a long time coming that these kids deserve somewhere to go. You guys did a really great job and I think all these kids are enjoying it. Thank you very much.

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A huge thank you to Rick Poole for seeing through the skate park for the boys and girls. It’s fabulous. We do need lighting. Now all you have to do is work on Madison Meadow—a splash park for the kids, for the grandparents who can’t walk all the way down to the other park. Thank you, Rick.

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A great big thank you to all who were involved in getting the skate park at Madison Meadow up and available. After all this time finally there is a place for the skaters of Lombard to go to play and enjoy their sport, safely and off the public streets. I live nearby and the place is packed after school and on weekends. Super job.

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Lombard calling. To the person who called in last week complaining about Cruise Nights, you really need to get your facts straight. The businesses that are closed on Saturday evenings during Cruise Nights are the same businesses that are closed any other night of the week. Please go ask the owners of Praga, Bricks, Capone's, Cafe 101 and even Clancys what Cruise Nights means to them. They will answer “Money.” Saturday Cruise Nights are the biggest nights of the year for these businesses. Go past them during Cruise Nights and you will see the venues packed. Even better, go ask the owners what would happen to their businesses if we did away with Cruise Nights. As for new businesses, the village and other organizations are working diligently to bring in new businesses, especially restaurants, to downtown. There are two issues working against us. First, while we have a few property owners who get the big picture and have really taken care of their properties, we have several property owners who apparently just don’t care. They would rather take the tax break for unrented property than to put money into it. Second, the economy. For new businesses to come in and put in new businesses (especially restaurants) it take a lot of money. Unfortunately, banks just are not giving out too many small business loans. However, many people are working very hard to correct that and bring new business and new breath to downtown.

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I was at Sunset Knoll park recently and was quite shocked to see that 50 or so trees have been cut down; actually, some really mature ones. I’m hoping that there was a good reason for this.

Paul Friedrichs, executive director of the Lombard Park District, explained: “All trees that were removed from the facility for the project will be replaced. In fact, it is staff’s goal to replace each tree removed with two new trees. The new trees will be indigenous to Illinois and will have a better chance of staying healthy for years to come. Unfortunately, many of the removed trees were in declining health and suffered from various degrees of rot, especially the ash and honey locust. The park district has always been and will continue to be concerned with the environment and our part in protecting nature and open space in Lombard.  Knowing the symbiotic relationship between humans and trees is very important to staff and is discussed thoroughly prior to any construction project.”—JAC