Hey, Lombard. It’s an absolute disgrace the way Waste Management handled the yard waste season this year. Full disclosure, I work for a competitor. We extended our season by two weeks to enable the customers to clean up their leaves. Maybe when the contract is due our village officials should look at another company. Thank you.

According to an answer from the Village of Lombard, “The village’s contract with Waste Management includes a free six-week leaf collection ending in the last full week of November, which coincides with the end of the annual yard waste collection. State law prohibits landfilling refuse that contains more than 10 percent yard waste so Waste Management must run separate trucks to deliver collected yard waste to farms. The majority of properties have already managed their leaves and the village would incur an additional cost of $4,300/week to extend this service for a minority of properties. For those that haven’t yet bagged their leaves, the village recommends mulching with a mower, which reduces the volume about seven times, and then raking under bushes, around trees and into gardens. In addition, the village’s Compost Bin Grant program provides up to $80 to reimburse one bin per household (http://www.villageoflombard.org/272/Grant-Programs). Residents who prefer not to compost in these ways may contact a private landscaping company to arrange disposal at their cost.”—blm

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I applaud Pete's Market for discontinuing their rewards program. I wish all other stores would do the same. Who wants to carry around rewards cards, and for whose benefit? Pete’s Market has good prices, friendly employees and that’s really what we need.

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Hi, this is Lombard calling. I am calling to respond to the fine person who responded to my prior SPEAK OUT. The person asked if I had looked outside. Yes, I looked outside and when looking outside I noticed that my lawn is ruined, so please, Lombard, do away with this odd/even watering rule. My good friend who lives in Glen Ellyn says that rule doesn’t apply and her lawn looks great this time of the year. So please, Lombard, do away with that rule. Thank you, bye.

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Just a big thank you to my Lombardian carrier. His name is Cal and he makes sure the paper is right near my door so when I open it, it’s right there. He had big shoes to fill because my carrier before him, a long time ago, was absolutely great, but let me tell you, Cal is a very dedicated young man and you’re lucky to have him delivering the Lombardian. I know his sister helps, too. To both of them, thank you, thank you, thank you. I greatly appreciate your kindness.

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We can’t support and feed our seniors, who have paid taxes all their lives, with Meals on Wheels, or increase their Social Security; and veterans who come back disabled, in need of food and housing have to solicit on TV for assistance. But, we can easily afford sanctuary cities, free medical, food, clothing, etc. for illegals and refugees. Let’s get our priorities straight. America first. The president just allowed money for refugees. Really? Trump for president.

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This is Lombard calling. Promises, promises, promises. In downtown Lombard, first we were supposed to get this amazing bakery. That thing has been at a standstill for at least six months plus. Second, there was supposed to be this amazing restaurant/café where Café 101 was. There has not even been a building permit posted on it. How much are are we going to hear all these promises, promises, from the Lombard Town Centre and not have anything to prove it? Thank you.

The following answer was provided by the Village of Lombard: “While the village cannot speak on behalf of Lombard Town Centre, we can answer some of your permitting questions. Regarding the future restaurant at 101 W. St. Charles, the business operators have received a building permit for their restaurant buildout activities and work is starting on this project.  The companion restaurant grant application has been unanimously recommended for approval by the village’s Economic and Community Development Committee and was approved by the Lombard Village Board on Jan. 7. They intend to be open for business in the spring.

Regarding the proposed Balkan Bakery establishment, the operator did receive a facade grant and a grant for the establishment. While they have completed some of the exterior work, such as the outdoor seating area and awning, they ran into contractor issues for the tenant buildout activities. The proposed operator is seeking an alternative contractor to assist them in completing this effort. However, as of Jan. 4, they do not have any updates on their contractor selection process or development timeline. Please feel free to call Community Development at 630-620-5749 for further inquiries regarding permits.”—blm

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Hi Lombard. If the sound of skeet shoot is a problem for you, why did you move near a gun range?

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Hello, west Lombard calling. It’s the same time every year, when Comcast just raised their prices. I called them and the only way I can get a lower price is if I give up my home phone, or my Internet service. I think it’s time to drop Comcast and go to another provider. Thank you.

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Hello, Villa Park and Lombard. Wondering what the police departments are doing about crisis intervention teams in dealing with mentally ill people, seeing as how it’s been in the paper, in the news regarding other police departments.

The following was provided by the Village of Lombard: “The Lombard Police Department participates in ongoing training pertaining to crisis intervention that covers a wide variety of situations that may arise. The Lombard Police Department has a policy in place that provides for Crisis Intervention Teams and for officers to receive specific training to serve in such a capacity. Additionally, the Lombard Police Department and the Village of Lombard contract with a private social services agency that can be utilized to provide resources and counselling to many individuals in need, including those suffering from a variety of mental illnesses. The Lombard Police Department is available to gladly answer your questions. Please call the non-emergency police number at 630-873-4400 for more information.”—blm

Your inquiry was also forwarded to the Village of Villa Park. Police Chief Robert Pavelchik responded: “The Villa Park Police do train on dealing with persons in crisis.”—JAC

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I agree with another Lombard resident regarding the snow plowing and packing of snow and ice onto the driveways. This is for all the seniors and disabled who struggle to remove snow and ice. I am in that category. During the last snow it took me three attempts to clean my drive of that heavy, icy snow. I had not completed the easement when the plow dumped 2- to 3-foot-high blocks of ice on my drive, totally blocking it. I could not move or lift the blocks. Your suggestion of asking neighbors such as my 80-year-old neighbor or paying on a fixed income is not a solution. The village seems to think they are doing us a huge favor by plowing and cleaning the streets. In part that is true for emergency vehicles. However, they would be doing me a bigger favor by not plowing in front of my house. Village officials please do not respond to this SPEAK OUT. Your suggestions/excuses are not helpful or logical.

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Hi. I’m calling about the call where the senior was asking why the village plows in their driveway and they can’t get assistance to get plowed out. I read the village response and it’s laughable. They can come down your street and take out your mailbox, won’t give you a replacement because they can’t do anything about that either. My mailbox is not out in the street. It’s on my lawn. So, I don’t blame the senior for being upset. I’m not a senior and I’m upset.

Your information about the replacement of mailboxes may be incorrect. The following is a response from the Village of Lombard addressing replacement of damaged mailboxes. “Residents are permitted to beautify the section between the resident’s premises and the adjoining curb line, known as the parkway. This includes mailboxes; however, the code does include specific size restrictions. Any structure that is bigger than the code allows for, such as the wood involved in [the  former caller’s] mailbox design, cannot be repaired or replaced by the village, as they are not in line with Village Code. In the event that the mailbox has not been repaired to the resident’s satisfaction, they should contact the [Lombard] Public Works Department at 630-620-5740. (Village Code Section 97.101 Use and maintenance of parkway)—blm

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Why do we hear nothing about reducing taxpayer-paid pension obligations for elected and appointed officials when pension cuts for other state workers is discussed? What other part-time employees earn pension payments after as few as four years of service?

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This item is regarding the threat of North Korea with the hydrogen bomb. Back in the 50s they were threatening us again and Gen. Douglas MacArthur said he would take care of them and we would never, ever have trouble with them again. But a wishy washy president of the United States, Truman, fired MacArthur, saying he could not destroy the whole country. Well, either they’re going to destroy us or we’re going to destroy them. We should put the pressure on China to tell North Korea to stop their plans. Otherwise, China can shut them off from all kinds of food and all necessities they need in a heartbeat and ends the picture right then and there.

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The caller comment in the Jan. 6 issue regarding Gov. Rauner not signing a budget. The uninformed caller doesn’t know that the governor doesn’t have a budget to sign because Mike Madigan has not allowed the budget to be brought to the House floor to be voted on by the legislatures.

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Good morning, this is Lombard calling. I’ve been reading those different one-year anniversary interviews that the governor’s been doing, and he understandably is asked about his accomplishments for the last year. He consistently cites two things: He cites the state’s record funding for schools, and I think that’s an odd thing to be bragging about, in the fact that that legislation was passed by the Democrats over his objection without a single Republican vote; and the fact he keeps citing that he has signed all these new contracts with the various smaller state government unions. My thoughts are if he had offered to AFSCME, the big state union, the same deal he had offered to the smaller unions, he wouldn’t have sent his attorney to the labor relations board on Friday morning, asking them to recognize the negotiation impasse that he declared. Thank you.

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This is Lombard calling. Isn’t there an ordinance about business owners removing snow? I have been a commuter for 20 years and I have never seen the owners of one business in particular downtown ever remove the snow. Now there is a new commuter parking lot and even more commuters walking, where there is a hazard. Today, there’s a huge pile of snow across the entire sidewalk. Why can’t Lombard fine these owners and make them remove the snow from their property so that there are no accidents or injuries?

Your comment was forwarded to the Village of Lombard which provided the following: “Village Code requires commercial property owners to clear a 36-inch minimum path through snow or ice, or place abrasive material such as sand, within 24 hours after the end of precipitation, in order to provide safe passage for pedestrians. The village’s Code Enforcement Division is routinely in contact with property owners regarding this requirement. In order to help the village identify problem sidewalk locations, please feel free to call our Code Enforcement phone number at 630-620-5757.—blm

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I certainly appreciate the Villa Park Board using their best judgment in using snow removal dollars. But, why did I see two plows this past week, with their blades down, plowing streets that had absolutely no snow on them—they had been plowed earlier—and they were not salting either. This is such a waste of payroll, additional blade damage and excessive damage to our streets. I have seen this many times in years past but did not comment. It’s time we plow when there is snow only. Thanks.

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Hey, with all this hubbub about the Chicago Police Department, what are Lombard and Villa Park police doing about dash cams and body cams? Do they have either or both? If not, why not and when will they be getting them? Thank you.

The following answer was provided by the Village of Lombard: “The Lombard Police Department is supportive of the legislation that authorizes the uses of body cams as it can be useful for the investigation of serious incidents and promote positive police and citizen encounters. The legislation indicates ticket surcharge fees are intended to assist communities with purchasing the cameras. To date no community has received any funding to support the program or purchase cameras. The technology and, more importantly, the costs to store the data have ongoing costs associated with them. We will continue to monitor the funding methodology as part of future budget preparations toward the ultimate implementation of a body cam program. The Lombard Police Department is available to gladly answer your questions. Please call the non-emergency Police number at 630-873-4400 for more information.”—blm

Your question was also sent to the Village of Villa Park. Police Chief Robert Pavelchik responded: “Requests for equipment, which might include cameras, are made as part of the annual village budget process.”—JAC