Hi, this is in response to the June 8 person who just moved into Lombard and has asbestos in the flooring and the backyard floods, asking if the village is going to help with the flooding problem. I’m sorry you bought in Lombard and I guarantee you that this village will not help you with any flooding problems, as I have gone through that and 10 of my neighbors have gone through that. They approved a new house on my block and raised the grade by 18 inches; in the meantime, there are 10 of us who flood drastically. We actually had a meeting with the village and they won’t do anything about it.

In response to the above caller, Village of Lombard officials provided the following comment: “With respect to drainage concerns, the Department of Community Development can answer specific questions pertaining to drainage issues and general construction activity. Please feel free to contact the department at 630-620-5750.—JAC

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Lombard calling. I’d like to know why on a Sunday at 6:45 p.m. all the lights are on, on all the baseball fields at Sunset Knoll on a sunny day. What a waste of our money. Whose job is it to be responsible? If lights are broken, please fix them. Thank you.

Your inquiry was forwarded to Executive Director Paul Friedrichs of the Lombard Park District, who responded: “Unfortunately the caller did not specify what Sunday the lights were on and did not call Speak Out until Thursday, June 9. The lights could have been on for various reasons; in this case I would assume there had been a timer malfunction which can happen from time to time due to storms and/or lightning in the area. Lombard did received .35 inches of rain from a storm that came through on Saturday, June 4. If it was earlier in the spring, we may have turned on the lights to ‘season’ them. Regardless, if you see something that needs our attention, please promptly call 630-620-7322 and let the staff at Sunset Knoll know, or if after hours, please leave us a message.  You can also e-mail us at info@lombardparks.com. Either way, staff will be notified of the issue on a much more timely basis than calling the Lombardian.  Should you have any further questions regarding the park district, please feel free to call me anytime at 630-953-6016, Paul Friedrichs, Executive Director.”—JAC

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We have three rental houses in our neighborhoods and they are all eyesores. It brings the whole neighborhood down. The Village of Lombard should have a regular inspection program for rental houses. They look terrible.

Your concern was forwarded to Village of Lombard officials, who responded: “The village would strongly encourage concerned residents to contact our Code Administration staff at 630-620-5757 to state the specific properties of concern. With respect to establishing a licensing program, non-home rule municipalities like Lombard are precluded by state statute from establishing such programs. However, whether the property is owner occupied or renter occupied, all properties are required to meet local code provisions and the provisions of the International Property Maintenance Code. If it is a property in which we have an open code enforcement case, we can also provide the village’s latest efforts to address the matter.

While exterior deficiencies can often be readily seen from the street or a neighboring property owner, inspections of the interior of a private residence will require the consent of the owner. Tenants within residences can authorize village access and are also encouraged to contact the village if they witness code-related issues inside their respective buildings.—JAC

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Libraries seem to be a big topic right now. Inasmuch as both communities are all landlocked, it’s safe to say the population of neither will be growing significantly anytime soon. As people leave this tax-infested area, the populations may very well drop. So, why do we need new libraries? Maybe there needs to be fewer play areas, as mentioned last week, and the space better used to accommodate the more traditional library uses. Meeting rooms? They’re libraries, not convention centers.  Computers, especially when a good portion are apparently being used for goofing off? By the time you pay the added taxes you could buy your own. And, oh, guess what? That boiler in Lombard that will be expensive to replace because of all the asbestos abatement that would have to be done? That cost will still have to be covered during a demolition; there’s no escaping it. Too bad the new director has blown through her predecessor’s rainy day fund. Last, maybe it was the cooler than normal spring, but this year’s skeet are especially sweet, aren’t they? Especially when roasted over a backyard fire! Yummy. Crunchy, too.

The following information was submitted by Sue Wilsey, communications manager with the Helen Plum Library: “According to current data from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the population of Lombard will increase by at least 15,000 by the year 2040. Since 2009, the Helen Plum Library has seen an increase in its annual circulation of children’s and teen materials by more than 88,000 items. The most recent research shows that parental interaction with children at an early age, such as talking, singing, reading, writing and playing are crucial to later success in school. The library’s newly remodeled Robin’s Nest Early Literacy Learning and Play area, which was paid for with an endowment, was created to provide families with activities that help lay the groundwork for a lifetime of literacy. The additional activity spaces included in the plans for the new library building would be available for meeting spaces, but would primarily be used as study rooms for students.

The use of the library’s online research resources at Helen Plum has nearly doubled in the past year. Some are available only on the library’s computers, and users often need the assistance of a librarian to navigate the databases. The majority of our patrons use the library’s technology to gain access to information and a significant number are accessing the free Wi-Fi with their own, or borrowed devices.

The library’s special reserve fund can only be used for expansion or unanticipated expenses. When Barb Kruser became director in 2014, $262,100 was available in that fund. The library auditors recommended that an amount equal to three to six months of operating expenses be available in reserves for emergency purposes. Kruser and the board recently transferred funds from a dormant account containing money received from a lawsuit settlement to the special reserve fund. The library currently has a total of $675,800 in that fund.

A recent professional assessment of the facility has indicated that at least $4 million is needed just to replace major building systems and the deteriorating rear plaza. These necessary costs would not include any service upgrades. Details on the planned replacement, including an online calculator to determine property tax increases for each household, are available at helenplum.org.”—JAC

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Hey, just calling in to agree with the person who is getting the phone calls supposedly from ComEd about a rate cut. Mine has to do with the fact that if my bills have been paid on time for six months, I’m due for a discount. So, that’s another apparent scam that has nothing to do with ComEd that is making the rounds. I’ve been getting calls on my landline phone and my personal cell phone for months and months and months. ComEd does not do this.

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Another call going around is for Nicor Gas. I got two phone messages asking me to call about my Nicor Gas account. Each call came from a different number, but the messages were the same from a real person and sounded like there was an issue with my account. I had called Nicor for another reason and asked about it, and was told that it is some company offering to lower the delivery rate or some such discount. So, when in doubt, check it out.

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I used to live in Lombard for probably four or five decades. My parents had lived in Lombard since probably the early 1960s, but as we found out, the Lombardian was sold to a news company. We will no longer be buying the Lombardian. My father will no longer be buying the Lombardian. He’s going to be telling his friends not to buy the Lombardian because it’s no longer a local paper. So, thanks for everything you’ve done, Lombardian, and Bonnie MacKay, but we will no longer be buying the publication that used to be known as the Lombardian.

Editor’s note: In June, the Lombardian and Villa Park Review were purchased by Rock Valley Publishing. Pete Cruger has been a local newspaper publisher for over 40 years. The content of the newspapers will remain unchanged.         

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Well, here we go again. We just had the biggest mass shooting in United States history in Orlando, Fla., and the shooter reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS when he called 9-1-1. Then President Obama states this is an act of terror but still will not say this is an Islamic act of terror. For some reason he cannot say Islamic state of terror. Why is that? When the shooter allegedly pledged allegiance all the news agencies report it but the president can’t say it himself. Now he wants to let 10,000 more Syrians in our country. You have to wonder where his allegiance really is. That’s why I’m voting for Trump.

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Hi. I just picked up my Lombardian and noticed there is no crossword puzzle, which I look forward to every week, so I hope it is definitely coming back. Thank you.

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Where is the Sudoku and the crossword puzzle in this week’s Lombardian? Without it the paper is OK but this is something to look forward to every Wednesday. If it doesn’t reappear, we may be shopping for another local paper. Bye.

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What happened to the crossword puzzle?

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I looked in my Villa Park Review and one of the first things I look for is the Sudoku puzzle, and there was no Sudoku puzzle in this week’s paper. I hope that doesn’t mean you’re going to eliminate that feature because I really look forward to it. Thank you.

Editor’s note: The puzzles in question were inadvertently left out of the June 15 edition, as were the Coming Events.

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Good evening. This is Wednesday, June 15, and about 8 p.m. I have now waited two Wednesdays if perhaps Francesca Payne will be recognized for the wonderful essay she wrote for the VFW contest she presented so well at the Memorial Day ceremony. I’m disappointed. There were pictures of everyone else who had taken part in that ceremony and there was some write-up in regard to the ceremony but Francesca Payne was not recognized. I did not see it and I read, every word I think, of the Lombardian. She deserves recognition. She’s a wonderful young lady with great poise. Thank you.

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Senior citizen who was out of town, did not realize that if you use a credit card to pay your taxes on a $7,000 bill, you end up paying a $148 convenience fee. What a rip-off. I can’t believe DuPage County doesn’t get a better way of having you pay your bills. Thank you.