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February 22, 2018


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Lombard calling. Thank God common sense has prevailed. I was glad to hear that the Westmore-Meyers Road Diet is a dead issue. Thank you to all the citizens who spoke up and told our local government that bike lanes on the second busiest north-south artery in town was a horrible idea. My faith in human kind has been restored. Have a great day.

 

Your comments were forwarded to Village of Lombard officials, who explained: "After deliberation by the Public Works and Environmental Concerns Committee and the Public Safety and Transportation Committee, a recommendation was made to the village board to not advance the Westmore-Meyers Safety Project with the proposed “road diet” that would allow for the construction of dedicated bike lanes. The village board did, after discussion by the Public Works and Environmental Concerns Committee, authorize a design engineering contract for improvements to Westmore-Meyer that will include the resurfacing of the roadway between Roosevelt Road and St. Charles Road, along with improvements to the crossings for the Illinois Prairie Path and Great Western Trail.  The project is expected to be awarded in August 2018. The village has received federal funding of 75 percent of the project costs up to $1,423,000."—JAC

 

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Lombard calling: I can’t say I’m surprised to read the story about how Glenbard District 87 and other school districts around the state lavishly spent thousands of dollars for their administrators to attend an education conference in Chicago. Look at all these assistant principals or assistant superintendents for this, that and the other thing that these school districts have. I wonder how many administrators a district like District 87 really needs, but what do I care. As long as they get their six-figure salaries and make out like bandits when they retire, right? The only say-so I have is in the voting booth, and believe you me, I’ll remember this little spending spree the next time District 87 wants to pass a referendum. I’ll vote against it no matter what it is.

 

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To the person who called in and instead of carrying on about what Trump is, let's talk about what he is not, and this is so true: He is not the president of the United States. He just occupies the chair. He is hateful, he only cares for himself, he does not care about the American people, he does not care about America, he has not made America great again, he has not done anything for the common man, he is not a caring individual, he is a spoiled child in the White House, he cannot behave as the president, he is incapable of caring, he is incapable of knowing right from wrong.

 

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To the caller complaining about someone snow blowing at 4:30 a.m., I think you are the rude one. Without knowing the circumstances, did it occur to you that this person might need to shovel his or her way out to get to work before the rest of us, or maybe had another reason to be up and out that early? Telling this person "It's just snow. Drive through it" is a ridiculous directive. I got stuck trying to do just that, and perhaps this person did try to "drive through it," got stuck and had to snow blow to get out. It's not like this is an everyday occurrence, but likely a need to get out of one's driveway after a heavy snow. Who would choose to be out snow blowing at 4:30 a.m.? I think your comments were blatantly inconsiderate. I bet you wouldn't complain if you heard the village snowplows coming down your street in the dead of night.

 

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Leave cash only if you want your server to get the tip. A recent plan from the Trump Administration will allow employers to collect tips and disperse them as they see fit, even to themselves or for maintenance or menu expenses. Several states are fighting this, but be safe, leave cash, at least for part of the tip.

 

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The history is out there. Put in its simplest of terms, the stock market is crashed by greed. We just passed a new tax law that will add $1.5 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years so that the wealthiest can get huge tax breaks. That is, we are borrowing the money to allow those who are obscenely wealthy to become even wealthier. We are starting a war on immigration because we can't let them have what is ours, at a time when we have what economists call full employment. This will cause employers to have to raise wages in order to get and keep employees, which will cause spiraling inflation.  Bonds will then be a better investment than stocks, the market will crash, and you now know who will be to blame.

 

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After the obligatory "thoughts and prayers" following the Feb. 14 high school massacre in Florida, Democrats immediately politicized the incident. As someone who used to work with troubled teens, this is equally about the lack of access to mental health care. This teen reportedly gave off red flags. People came forward saying that there was something wrong; he was even on the FBI's radar. Yet, the "see something, say something" mantra seems not to be working. Do we need metal detectors and armed officers in our high schools? If it saves lives, so be it. Oh, and let's not forget the role parenting plays in the equation.

 

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I am hoping the Lombard library can help me with some information and be fully transparent. 1) Since the referendum passed in November of 2016 how much money has the library spent on lawyers, architects and construction managers to date? 2) The library showed us a drawing of a building to get us to vote for the referendum, the building has since changed, according to their website, can they afford to build two buildings? 3) For the new proposed building, do they have an agreement with the Lombard Park District for all easements and air rights? Thank you.

 

Your queries were forwarded to Helen Plum Library officials, who responded: "Architectural design and attorney’s fees are included in our initial project budget. It is estimated that about $85,000 of the $250,000 spent to date were needed to address disputes not included in the original budget. Our staff and building team are currently completing the schematic design phase of the project with the goal of presenting estimated costs at the March library board meeting and then moving forward to present to the village for approvals. The plan calls for one building that has east and west pavilions fully connected with an above ground walkway designed to avoid infringing on any of the Park District air rights.

 

"As a statement from the Park appeared in the Aug. 28, 2017, Daily Herald article, 'If they had a plan to build a library within their property, they could put the shovel in the ground tomorrow as far as the park district is concerned,' 'All we've told them is don't encroach into the park.'

 

"With that in mind, we feel confident that any future necessary discussions with our park district neighbors will be supportive as we continue our efforts to build the new Lombard library. The library will hold a number of community engagement meetings in April where residents can learn about all aspects of the new project."—JAC

 

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Why would anyone ask Fergie or Roseanne to sing the national anthem? It's a disgrace. Ask someone who can sing and show respect for our anthem. And for the person with the black pick-up truck with the large American flag on it, it was on Westmore on Saturday, God bless you and America.

 

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I do not, as a Villa Park taxpayer and homeowner, want to pay for any pool. We are already taxed to our limits; for the streets and now for the library. Not more. Let the people who use the pool figure out a way to keep the pool. If they can't, then there is no pool. Quit taking money for recreational and use it for the necessary repairs to our city; and there are many that are necessary. More necessary than a pool.

 

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I grew up in Lombard and have not lived there for many years but I still consider it my home. I was recently visiting a friend in town and picked up a copy of the Lombardian. I did not know that the paper was still in publication. It was like reconnecting with an old friend. I read it from cover to cover. Thank you.

 

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To the person calling complaining about the snow blowing at 4:30 in the morning: Did you ever stop think your neighbor is a first responder and needs to get into work? Maybe your neighbor is one of many people who deliver pharmaceuticals to drug stores and hospitals in the dark of night and in the wee hours of the morning. They don't have the option to go to work, come back a few hours later, snow blow their driveway and then go back to work just so you are not disturbed. You act like this happens every single day. So sorry to disturb you, but think beyond your own self for once.

 

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I'd like to respond two issues that were raised in SPEAK OUT. One is the continuing complaints about Lombard mail delivery. I believe some of the problem can be attributed to our main post office in Carol Stream. I work in Carol Stream. I've had to deal with that post office. They have the rudest, most surly employees in the universe and mail delivery is sporadic and terrible. Secondly, to the person complaining about snow blowing the driveway at 4:30 in the morning, no, you cannot just drive through the snow when it snows as heavily as it has. You wind up getting stuck. Secondly, it's a natural occurrence when it snows. Be a little decent about it. People have to get out and go to work.


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