To you, village council members
Now that the new village council has taken its place, perhaps they could address my questions. I’ve wondered for years and I’ve asked and gotten deaf ears. So, here goes.
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If the village needs more space for the village hall, have we considered adding a second story? I’ve never been a fan of the 1975 building, but it may be less expensive than building new.
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Since the village has begun to work on and improve our alleys, have we considered improving the lighting in our alleys? My alley is dark. I dread and avoid going in it at night.
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Why does the village maintain the tot-lots? Why is the village in the business of running parks? Shouldn’t the four tot-lots be run by the Park District?
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Same thing with the community center. Shouldn’t that be a Park District function? I think Bev Thompson and her staff do a fantastic job, but I think the village should get out of the park/community center area and let the Park District handle it.
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Have we ever considered another small, two-bay fire station for the south end of Forest Park? What is the response time, say if I have a heart attack at 14th Street and Marengo? We can use the parking lot at Circle and Roosevelt for the second fire station. No one ever uses that lot.
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Have we ever considered additional fire equipment since we have an expressway running right through our town? I think we should have an additional fire engine and maybe an ambulance stationed down here on the south end.
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Have we considered the library becoming an independent body, i.e. a Public Library District? I don’t think we are buying enough new books. I think politics from village hall interfere with the library.
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What is Forest Park’s fire insurance safety rating? What efforts are made to improve it?
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Why is everything in village hall so secretive? I’m sure the new council will change this.
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Have we considered just dumping the vehicle stickers and going with, say utility taxes? It seems I’m the only idiot that buys my sticker. Am I honest or stupid?
I hope these ideas can be passed along to the village council. I do vote in every election and I wish more folks would do the same. It seems the village has progressed light years from where it was 10 years ago. I commend all for their hard work and dedication to making this a better place to live, work and visit.
Mike Rose
Forest Park
