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August 17, 2017


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Hi. With regard to village manager Mr. Niehaus's statement about the Westin Hotel in the Daily Herald, he apparently forgot to mention one slight thing: that the village on the bonds end is going to have to pay out $3 million so it's not all that rosy after all. The village is still on the hook for $3 million on the bond end of the hotel.

 

Your comment was submitted to Village of Lombard officials, who responded: “The village will be contributing $3,000,000, as explained in the presentation and FAQ available at www.villageoflombard.org/hotel. However the funds will NOT be going to pay the debt of the hotel. Under the Restructuring Support Agreement (RSA), the village will reimburse $3,000,000 to the Lombard Public Facilities Corporation (LPFC), who owns the hotel. This reimbursement is for the money the village received to construct water main and water system improvements as part of the original construction of the hotel and conference center. These improvements would have been needed for additional development around the property that has occurred, regardless of the hotel project. This was an appropriate expenditure from the water fund, and a return of "fronted money," relative to the water main improvement. Water main improvements, involved with the original construction of the facility, remain a core service of the village.  This reimbursement will NOT increase taxes.  In addition, the reimbursed funds will be used for improvements to the physical building of the hotel and conference center, as opposed to going to pay off the bonds. We want to be very clear in stating that the village will not be covering any of the LPFC’s debt with this payment.”—JAC

 

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This is Lombard asking all dog walkers to pick up their dog's waste and take it with you to dispose. I am a dog walker and am ashamed to see bags of doggy poop stuck under bushes or other places. Do you really think it won't be found? It gives all dog walkers a bad name. So if you walk a dog, show some respect and pick up and properly dispose of its waste. As a homeowner and dog walker I thank you.

 

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Gov. Pat Quinn's disapproval rating was at 54 percent when he lost the election to Rauner. Rauner's disapproval rating numbers are at 63 percent and he is acting goofy. If we don't run a credible candidate against him in the primary, we are going to find ourselves with a Democratic governor again.

 

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To the person(s) saying the village should alternate Cruise Nights between the downtown and another location, like a Yorktown parking lot, think about the logistics of such an idea: Having to plot out cruise car parking, and take down and bring the cruise car parking signs, and what if there is no place to put them? Having to set up a stage configuration and electrical hook-ups for a band? Having to close off driving areas for pedestrian safety? I like strolling around downtown and then eating at local establishments while enjoying the music. However, to the person who believes people living in or near downtown knew what they were in for, that's an unfair assessment. Some people have lived in the area before Cruise Nights was even a plan.

 

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This is Lombard responding to a comment about someone who had a Pride flag and an Impeach Trump sign stolen. I support and applaud the homeowner's right to free speech and resist bulling. Unfortunately Trump has promoted this kind of behavior of bullying so many think they can do it too. But for the person to keep putting up another flag and sign — good for  you. Whether I agree or disagree with you I am glad you express your views and don't back down. Stay strong. Too bad politicians who only want their agenda passed can't do the same.

 

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OK, ladies and gentlemen, the subject is about Donald Trump. Many times he does a lot of good things, six, seven, eight good things for the country, for the people, but the opposing party never talks about the good stuff that the man does. They can nitpick and find one flaw somewhere or something they don't agree with and blow this up and write huge articles about it. Stop this nitpicking and stop finding fault. Let's start talking about the positive things, the good things that this man has done so far for the country. The guy's got a backbone and he's got a brain. He may not be the smoothest talker in the world because I found out from past experience, smooth talkers are the biggest liars in the world, the biggest cheaters and the biggest crooks. They're deceivers. The man isn't deceiving anybody. Let's talk about the positive stuff and let's stop the nonsense of fault-finding and nitpicking that you don't agree with. Bye.

 

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Lombard calling here. I'm, as you call it, a snowflake, calling in about Peter Roskam. If I was Peter Roskam, I wouldn't hold any town hall meetings anyway because he is apparently a liar, he is not fit to hold office. He has signed everything that Trump has proposed that would hurt people who really need help. I would go to a town hall meeting just to sit there and boo him. And, the snowflake commune, most of us are probably more highly-educated and have more knowledge of politics than the person who called this in because obviously if you're for Peter Roskam, you must be for the president that we have now, so that doesn't say much about your political beliefs and how  you actually care about what happens to the United States of America.

 

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Great to see such a nice gathering at the Carriage House for the tribute to the DuPage Theatre. Thanks to Pete Kramer who has done so much to preserve the memory of the theater with his great exhibit. Nice that it will be a permanent display at the historical society. Thanks Pete. Good job. A very nice evening.

 

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This is the second time I'm calling this in. I guess you don't like it but I'm calling in again. The response to the previous President Trump hater, the hate in this country started with Mr. Obama. There never was so much division as Mr. Obama created; the mess he created, so difficult to change. We the majority in this country wanted so much more for America. We wanted a man of the people who could speak for us and we are seeing the changes. We are praying that President Trump will follow all the promises he made.

 

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Love Cruise Nights — keep it in downtown Lombard, forget moving it to Yorktown. Where you want to live is a choice. Enjoy and embrace a wonderful time.

 

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Dear School District 44 School Board: These new e-mail communications are great. Where were they before? Is this a new step you're taking in order to help assume some of the responsibility for the things that are happening in District 44, publicly anyway? No time like the present. I hope these e-mails continue. I'd like to be given details on what you give to our teachers though—moving forward. I hear they are asking for more changes, in addition to their already great benefits. It would also be nice to hear what spending you're approving that actually benefits our children. I never really hear any of those facts — aside from the early childhood center. What about the other schools?

 

Editor's note: Despite requests by the Lombardian to Lombard Elementary School District 44 to respond to this SPEAK OUT call, a response has not been received.


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