Maybe you could clear something up for me; it’s important, I think, for the village. I heard that that they’re putting a switch station over at the railroad tracks by Grace Street, and the gentleman I was talking to said you haven’t seen any train traffic like you’re going to see once the station goes in. If that’s true, why weren’t we informed? Just imagine the people living on the street next to the railroad tracks. How terrible that might be. Could you please let us know what’s really going on with all the train tracks? I appreciate it.

Mark Davis, Union Pacific spokesperson, explained: “As part of the Metra West Line improvements to improve train flow, two universal crossovers will be installed—one set, between Lombard and Villa Park (during the third quarter this year), and in Wheaton (between the downtown station and College Ave. (second quarter 2012) Installing the two universal crossovers will close a 15-mile gap between crossovers on the line and increases the use of multiple tracks to bypass rail congestion. An upgraded rail signal system [installed] during 2011 will allow trains to safely operate closer together and improve train flow. And finally, completion of the third main line in two areas on the route in 2013 will provide capacity to keep trains moving. These improvements, following the completion of the third main line construction, should result in significant reductions in passenger and freight train delays, Metra on-time performance is expected to improve and overall grade crossing gate downtime should improve as well. We do not foresee a great increase in freight train traffic since this portion of the line’s traffic is economy driven.”—JAC

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I’m calling in response to the person who accused the Glenbard East basketball team of not demonstrating the correct respect for our flag. The team stands with their arms around each other to signify their unity as a team with our nation. Many teams of all different sports have different traditions that they honor during the national anthem. These traditions in no way disrespect the American flag, the national anthem or our nation. In fact, Glenbard East students honor the national anthem so much that when the IHSA failed to play the anthem prior to the start of the third-place championship in Peoria, Glenbard East students sang the anthem without accompaniment or provocation. The entire stadium joined in and I was so proud of them I was moved to tears. There was even an article on Peoria's newspaper the next day reporting on the patriotism of Glenbard East kids. No one respects the flag more than the Glenbard East student body, and I am truly honored to call myself a Ram parent.

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I really think that Kevin Fitzpatrick needs to take a back seat or he needs to step up to the plate. You can’t have it both ways, Kevin. Either be involved, but don’t be in the background.

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One of the Villa Park Library Board candidates has stated he is against paying an architect to create a plan for the Youth Services department. This project is beyond the expertise of the Youth Services librarians as it involves a multi-year plan to re-design the entire Department in order to make books easier for children to reach, room for more computers and an early literacy area for families. This candidate also stated he doesn’t think the library should purchase e-books or e-readers yet he stated that library should be “relevant.” He also voted against the Friends of the Library spending $1,000 on landscaping for the library. With all the homes for sale in Villa Park, our public buildings should look as attractive as possible. His opinion is that we should only purchase materials, books and movies. A library should be much more than a warehouse for books and movies. Please vote in the April 5 election.

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I have a question for you. Is it true that the village-owned hotel, the Westin, is only two or three weeks away from bankruptcy? Please let us know. I think that being a village-owned or village-backed business, this would be an important message to the people of Lombard as we’re getting ready to vote.

Lombard Finance Director Tim Sexton provided the following answer: “The Westin Hotel is not actually owned directly by the Village of Lombard. Rather, the Lombard Public Facilities Corporation (LPFC) was established by the village to be the owner until the bonds are paid off. As discussed in last week’s article, the LPFC is working on restructuring the debt on the hotel. There have been no defaults on the bonds. The village does have some limited guarantees on the debt, although the village has the option whether or not to appropriate for this purpose if there are any debt shortfalls in the future.”—blm

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I'm calling to urge people to vote yes to the advisory referendum. Let’s place the question of term limits onto a future ballot and get these people to move on. Our village president demonstrated what happens when an elected official stays too long. After all the years and photo ops, he seems to believe he’s irreplaceable. Look at the financial mess Lombardians are in because of his folly, better known as the Westin Hotel. We, the taxpayers, could possibly have to cough up $2 million per year to pay off that white elephant that Mueller just had to have. It was ridiculous in the first place. The Village of Lombard does not belong in the real estate business.

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Does anyone know what kind of business is being run in Villa Park around Madison and Princeton. The amount of cars parked along Madison every day seems to be growing. Thanks for any insight.

Shubhra Govind, director of community development for the Village of Villa Park, said an inspector drove by that area but did not notice an excessive number of cars. The director said you can call the village directly with an address and report if you notice a pattern of traffic in that area.—JAC

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Villa Park calling. There’s an election April 5. I would like to make a suggestion for the Villa Park Board of Trustees for the library. If you want board members with a positive attitude and vision, cast your votes for candidates 2, 3 and 4.

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Hi, this is Villa Park calling. I’d like to comment on the upcoming April 5 election. I’d really like to praise Mark McCleary, Stan Kosek and Bob Wagner for all the great work they’ve done for the library. They’ve proven over and over again they can deal with tough issues in a very responsible manner. They are fair and informed, and have no hidden agendas. Please vote for them on April 5 for Villa Park Library Board trustees, to continue our library going in a great future.

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To keep the village and the parks moving forward please vote for Breen, Fitzpatrick, Giagnorio, Kuderna, Vish, Ludwig and Kundrot. These are the right choices for Lombard.

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This is for the bitter Lombard residents who want to whine about the attention Montini receives for winning three IHSA state titles for the second straight school year. Yes, Montini is a private school. Yes, Montini has fewer students than either Glenbard East or Willowbrook. So what? Many of Montini’s opponents are also private schools, or public schools with larger student bodies. The Broncos don’t win state titles in every sport, but they happen to have extremely dedicated coaches and talented athletes in football, wrestling and girls basketball. Congratulations to those three programs. Could it be that some Glenbard East people are so bitter because their school has won zero IHSA team sports titles since it opened more than 50 years ago?

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Lombard. Remember when you’re voting on April 5, you’re voting for a person and not a family. You need to think about the person who’s running, not the family.

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Honestly; some people really have nothing good to say. Calling about the East boys who may not have put their hand on their heart during the anthem, but stood united with their teammates, looking at the flag and honoring it during the entire anthem like they did all season long. I did see the Simeon kids looking away, wiping their faces. Is this disrespectful, too? Come on. We are proud of these boys. And, did you forget to mention how proud you were that the East fans actually sang the anthem at the start of the second game even though IHSA didn’t raise a flag or sing the anthem at all? We East fans recognized the absence of this tradition and sang the song anyway to honor this country and the flag even though no one else did. Hmm, definitely didn’t hear or see the opposing team do that at the start of Saturday’s game. So, get all the facts straight before judging people. Go Rams. We love you boys. You made us all proud.

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To the caller who said Obama’s redistribution of wealth is socialism: Here’s a fact check for you—the rich have never been richer and the poor have never been poorer, so please get your facts straight and don’t worry about your rich buddies. They will be fine.