Hi, I’m just curious. I live around the corner from Hammerschmidt School and every Saturday the parking lot and the school has cars lined up for several hours. Just curious what they’re using the school for. Thank you.

According to District 44 Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Public Relations Aldo Calderin, the district has a partnership with the Lombard Park District, which uses the gym from January through the third week of March.—JAC

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Villa Park calling here. I’d like to know how long it takes for Villa Park to come out and fill a pot hole in front of a driveway. Over a month we’ve been waiting. They want their bills paid on time, their water bill etc., etc., but they don’t seem to want to do any services for the village.

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Comments on two calls: To the person who thinks libraries should stick to their “mission” of books, not meetings, parties, computers; on the contrary. The library is a community hub for the coming together of people, ideas, bringing generations together. And frankly, I am not opposed that some of my tax dollars pay for computers. I know people who depend on the library for computers. For the second comment, some people don’t know until down the road that a house can be in an area that floods. Often it isn’t, until it is. The caller implies that it’s the person’s own mistake for buying that house. From experience, it’s not always true. Some people seem to see things in black or white, no shades of gray.

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When teachers strike, they are heard asking for “more revenue” to fund salaries and pensions. That means out of the taxpayers’ pockets. Don’t tell me it’s about the children when not only does the majority of my property tax bill go toward schools but the majority of that doesn’t even go into the classroom where it belongs, but for salaries and pensions. It’s like a business that has to spend so much of its profits on overhead costs that it can’t put much back into the business itself. How long is that sustainable? And if it’s true that money teachers put into the system was misappropriated, that’s on the system to fix, but not at our expense. Complain that you are working more hours with no extra pay, or have to take furlough days? How many of us are in that same situation, but can’t do anything about it? We feel fortunate in this economy to have a job.

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IN SPEAK OUT the very first call said people felt betrayed by Republican office holders, that the populace has apparently seen that Rauner is responsible for the decimation of social services and higher education. To the person who called that in, how can you blame Rauner? I am for social services, I am for higher education, but maybe before they give money, we should ask, how are you going to pay for it? If there’s no way to pay for it without raising taxes, if there’s no way to pay for it without the overburdening the populace at large, Rauner’s doing a great job. Maybe it’s Madigan who ought to realize and the unions ought to realize, all the unions—the teachers unions, the police unions, the fire unions—if there’s no more money you can’t ask for any more, or didn’t you learn that. As a taxpayer, I’m sick and tired of paying everybody’s pension while I have to eke out a measly existence just to make my taxes on my house so they don’t take it away.

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April showers. I have gone from zero sump pumps to two sump pumps with one constantly running. Is there anyone else who’s experiencing the same thing and can share their story?

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Community-owned grocery stores are economic engines for the communities they serve. Mama Squash Market, starting up in Villa Park, is another co-op that will provide healthy and affordable food. If you would like to see the end result of the start-up process of a food co-op, visit The Sugar Beet in Oak Park to see what your investment could bring to our towns.

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Villa Park calling. Regarding the Villa Park Library, I would like to point out some numbers. According to the library Web site at www.vppl.info, the library receives a little more than $2 million a year in tax dollars and has a little more then 8,900 registered borrowers. Let’s look at a little math. That means each borrower costs the taxpayers of Villa Park $240 a year. A bit steep I think. They should be looking to downsize and cut costs, not spend more.

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I am wondering one thing. We are so concerned as a nation for other countries; the other countries with the poor people who are getting killed, one or two here, 10 here or 100 there. It's such a tragedy. We must go and we must rectify the situation, spend billions of dollars to send the military over. Yet, right down the street in Chicago in the last three months, 800 people have been shot. If the math holds true that will be 8 times 4, or 3,200 people shot in Chicago in one year. Well, brother, you don't have to go overseas to see where the war is. The war is right down the street. It just amazes me that nobody talks about it.

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Just watching TV here, how your liberal president has destroyed our military. I'm telling you. He's the worst thing that ever happened to this country. Thank you.

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Yes, this is Lombard calling in regard to the neighbors who are disappointed with someone cutting down a large oak tree on their property. Do you want to pick up the leaves? Do you want to do all the maintenance? Every homeowner has the right to do what they like to do with their own property and their trees. Live with it. So long, Lombard.

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Someone last week mentioned a food cooperative coming to Lombard. That is well and good for some people, but many of us will not be able to afford to do our weekly shopping there—if farmers markets and demo events are any indication. Also, I read in the paper that Gurnee and Vernon Hills want to circulate petitions to get a Portillo’s in their towns. I wonder if that idea would work here in Lombard, but aimed at a grocery chain. Let the people’s voices be heard. On the other hand, who’s to know if there have been any offers on the abandoned supermarket? That’s the owners’ personal business.

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Chicago Bronze English Handbell Ensemble at St. John's Lutheran Church, the artist series, was a fantastic concert. Sorry if you missed it. You'd better look around for them to be around at another location in the area, because it was a tremendous program. Chicago Bronze; oh, my goodness. It was great. Bye now.