Hey, Villa Park. I just rode over the open bridge. I’m wondering what ever happened to that big development that was going to go around the train station? The guy was going to knock down all those apartments and redevelop them, or whatever. They took down the gas station or towing company, or whatever it is, and nothing’s gone on. Did it kill the same way as retail development at Villa and North Avenue? Can somebody tell us what happened there and can we still expect it? It would be a nice development.

Tom Cullerton, Villa Park village president, responded: “The development next to the Metra station is being discussed at the board workshop meeting this month. The developer is still involved and is planning on developing the property. There were a couple bumps in the road due to the economy and the state’s closing of the Ardmore Bridge. With the bridge now reopened the developer is confident of getting the project up and running shortly. More details will be discussed at the workshop meeting and there will be time for questions and answers from the public.—JAC

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Hi, this is Lombard calling. I want to thank the paramedics Dale and Dieterich on Sunday when I had a fainting spell, giving me good medical attention and treating me really well, just like I was their own mother. I also want to thank the nice man and woman who stopped and helped me, checked on me and the lady who had called 9-1-1 for me. All three of you deserve special recognition and it was very nice of you. I’m glad to know there are people like that and you are very important to me right now and will have a place in my heart. And thanks to the paramedics who helped me. I’m glad to know there are nice, caring people in Lombard. Thanks to all five of you.

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Hi, this is Lombard calling. This is just a call to thank Jeff at public works this past week and last several weeks in trying to coordinate our sewer issues on the south side of Lombard. I cannot tell you how much I appreciated his help and also just to know that they are trying to work with us and remediate theses problems we have here on the south side of town. So again, a big thanks to Jeff and his crew for helping us out this last couple of weeks.

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Wednesday night I took the family to Chick-fil-A. It absolutely made me feel good to see how many people came out to support the CEO and founder of Chick-fil-A’s values and my values. It’s absolutely wonderful this was nationwide. I absolutely do not share Chicago’s values.

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Hi, I live in Lombard on Finley Road near Wilson, and we are having a road closure. It’s amazing that no one is paying attention to the road closures and many, many people are going northbound. It’s only southbound. Please, please read the signs. There are so many near accidents. We already had one rollover last week. I don’t want to see another accident at this intersection.

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For the Great Western Trail bridge question, this is another great expenditure from the federal, state and local government. More than $6 million dollars on three bridges for five people a day to ride their bike on. Anything else going in the this country that the money might be better spent on? Education? Homeless? Mortgage crisis? Health care? Elderly? Veterans? Jobs?

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Hello, SPEAK OUT. This is in regard to the person who talked about Barack Obama winning the election in 2008, when they actually think that somebody else had stolen the election. I think it’s time for people to get over this business of stealing an election. Nobody stole any election. But they actually think his election was the highest? It goes back to 1984. Sorry to disappoint you; Ronald Reagan defeated Walter Mondale 58.77 percent, 525 delegates. Walter Mondale, 40.56, only 13 delegates. Next time you want to do any research on something like this, dig a littler deeper, will you?

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This is Lombard calling. I just want to make people aware that since Villa Park has increased its parking fee to $2, and Elmhurst is already at $2, Lombard is still $1.25, which means people will attempt to come park in Lombard to save the 75 cents. The issue is, we have no parking available. All the parking lots, by 7:30, 7:45 are completely full. What about everybody else who wants to use parking and use the Metra to go downtown, after 7:30, 7:45, when there are no parking spaces? Of course, then we’ll be forced to go to Villa Park and/or Elmhurst to find a parking space. I do not understand how people don’t understand that Lombard needs more Metra parking. The money they would pay for Metra parking, $1.25 or if you increase it to $2, will pay for it.

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Hello, SPEAK OUT. I know why the village can’t answer any questions—the questions are getting too hard for them. We need big-time changes in Lombard, people. Let’s do it next time around. Seems to be a communistic community to me.

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Hi, I’m calling about Finley Road. The road is closed going northbound. Please be considerate and remember, you are in violation and you can be ticketed. The southbound traffic has the right-of-way. Please do not block them and please, please obey the stop sign at the intersection.

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Hi, Lombard calling. I find it interesting that the village is going through town and cutting out all the corners of the sidewalks and reinstalling the concrete with slip guards on the rim of the sidewalk so people don’t slip in the winter. What I find interesting, is in about four or five months, the village is going to be plowing snow right up on top of it. They always plow back the corners, they always plow it all the way onto the sidewalk, to a point where it’s 3, 4 or 5 feet tall and the homeowner is supposed to shovel, but it’s not possible. Seems like a tremendous waste of money. Maybe part of the stimulus.

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Hi, I’ve lived here since 1977 and used to enjoy Lufkin Lake over there, to go fishing and walking around. I was there recently on a beautiful day with my son from the Army who came from out of town, and my granddaughter. We walked around Lufkin Lake and there was just so much garbage in there, and a TV was even in there. I was just appalled at somebody throwing a television in Lufkin Lake. It’s still beautiful with the weeping willow trees, but I wish we could clean it up and get Lufkin Lake back again like it used to be. That’s just my opinion. I don’t know why Lufkin Lake was changed to begin with. We used to have it where a lot of our villagers went there fishing and just enjoying laying on the grass and Lufkin.

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This is a Lombard resident calling to congratulate and affirm the decision by Trustee Peter Breen on welcoming Chick-fil-A and any business that wants to come to Lombard. I think it’s a wonderful thing that we’re affirming Lombard businesses.

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If they open factories in America for made-in-America clothing, etc., would Americans have the jobs or illegal immigrants? What difference will it make what country it’s made in?

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I’m calling about the ComEd and new company taking over in Lombard. I don’t know if people realize, but the only thing they’re doing is busting the unions and that’s how they’re getting cheaper prices. Eventually, when there’s no longer a union for electricity supply, they’ll be raising the rates on everybody in two or three years, so all we are doing is busting the unions.

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Hey, Lombard. Pounding pile drivers, dangerous high voltage, traffic tie-ups and construction pollution started off the long, hot summer. It continues with damage to trees and wildlife; the trail blocked off, which prevents healthy walking, and tax increases. With all this damage to health and the environment anyway, why not take a little longer and construct the bridges over the tracks at Grace and St. Charles, a little wider, to accommodate not only bikers, but safely and on time accommodate pedestrians, cars and trucks and very important, emergency vehicles.

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Villa Park calling. To the previous caller from Villa Park who wondered how many children have to get hit on bicycles on the intersection of Ardmore and the Prairie Path, we have to ask: How many have been hit to date? Let’s drop the drama and talk about the real issue. Perhaps the caller should use the Prairie Path and pay attention to the signs posted on it. There are currently two stop signs at the intersection of the Prairie Path and Ardmore; one facing east and one facing west on the Prairie Path itself. I seldom see anyone stopping at these signs and I’ve never seen the police issue tickets for running through those stop signs. Here’s a suggestion. Teach children what a stop sign means. Yes, even a stop sign for bicycles. Stop. Look both ways. Cross after the traffic has passed. Let’s quit teaching our children entitlement and begin teaching personal responsibility.

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This is Villa Park calling in response to a stop sign at Ardmore and the Prairie Path. If you take another look, there are two stop signs—one on each side of the path. The only problem is, the people who are supposed to obey them don’t pay any attention to them and feel they have the right to just fly across Ardmore without looking. I hate to tell you how many times brakes have been slammed on because of it. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, stop signs for path users are throughout the entire path. They’re even on the Great Western Trail. What will it take for people to be responsible for their own safety? Traffic only has to stop if pedestrians are already in the crosswalk. Path users have turned it into a game of chicken.

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You know, it’s really nice that the village is doing surfacing on the streets, but what good do nice streets do if you can’t even see the markings? Case in point, driving down Main Street toward North Avenue, you can’t tell the turn lanes, you can’t tell the stop lines and you can’t tell the crossing lines. I personally think before you make the streets so nice and pretty, you should also have plans to mark them.

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To the lifeguard at Paradise Bay who called SPEAK OUT about Paradise Bay being a business and it doesn’t pay to be open if no one is there, do not the people of Lombard buy pool passes just for the entire season? Is Paradise Bay expecting outsiders to come in and swim to make the money to pay for it? If not, and pool passes are sold, then if they are closed due to lack of attendance, then I believe people who have pool passes are entitled to some form of compensation.

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This is Lombard calling. Recently a caller called in about Terrace View pond wanting to know if he or she was the only one. You know what, I, too, am concerned about that pond. As a 30-some resident of Lombard and a man who used to enjoy fishing at that pond and playing with his kids there, the current state of it being a cesspool disgusts me. To the people who are responsible, it’s this simple: Close the drain you put in and let it fill up with some water. Who the heck decided to put in that drain and turn it into a cesspool? You know, folks, Lombard is going down the tubes fast. Until we start voting these people out, this is what we get. We deserve that pond because we keep letting these people run our show.

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An interim fire chief making $10,000 a month? Did I read that correctly? Unbelievable.

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Should Lombard residents be concerned when we frequently read in the Lombardian the fire chiefs are leaving the Lombard Fire Department? We’ve been proud of our fire department for years and thank them for all their service, but it seems like experienced people are moving out, sometimes to nearby towns, naming it retirement. This doesn’t sound like a healthy department to me. What’s really going on?

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The subject is priorities. Priorities are not buildings or bridges or highways, or perquisites or bonuses, or all this other stuff that everybody wants for themselves. Listen, you politicians, the priority should be health in this country. The money should be spent more for helping the people in need. I’m going to give you one quote John D. Rockefeller said many, many years ago, “I would gladly part with half of my fortune if I could sit down and enjoy one meal.” People, get your priorities in place. Stop spending money on the nonsense we can live without. We cannot live without good health and many, many people need that health, and that’s where the money should be spent. Unless you have a person in need and you are suffering and nobody will help you, stop spending money the wrong way.

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What are Chicago’s values? Voter fraud, bribery, intimidation, double dipping, ghost payrollers, no-bid contracts, cover-ups, jailed governors, paid players, gang shootouts, more dead than Afghanistan since January in Chicago, patronage armies that work with the mayor and the Democrats to get out the vote, and they’ll be busy again this November. You want them again?

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Hi, this is Lombard calling. To the people who are complaining that the branches were picked up near the Taste before their own neighborhood, don’t they realize that if the branches near the Taste were not picked up, the people could have gotten hurt walking to and from the Taste? And, I do agree with the caller who was in the newspaper on July 18 who talked about how the fest uplifted the spirits and I agree with that. I don’t live in that area but I’m glad they picked up the branches so people didn’t get hurt walking to and from the Taste.

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Hello, this is Lombard calling. I went to a big box store and when I was at the checkout the cashier asked me to show a photo ID to purchase a box of sparklers. Sparklers. Are you kidding? Is that a Villa Park ordinance or a DuPage County law? My kids used to run around the yard on July 4 with sparklers. They never harmed themselves. Lawmakers, you need to get a life. What happened to common sense? Will I need to show a photo ID to purchase a bottle of ammonia next?

According to Villa Park Village President Tom Cullerton, neither the village nor the state requires an ID for the purchase of sparklers: “They are not, according to state statute, considered fireworks.”—JAC