Traffic study says library would have adequate parking
By Jane Charmelo
LOMBARDIAN-VILLA PARK REVIEW
STAFF REPORTER
A recent traffic study shows that
the Helen M. Plum Memorial Library
will have enough parking for a new,
roughly 50,000-square-foot facility,
according to architect Joe Huberty of
Engberg Anderson.
Huberty presented the condensed
version of a 96-page document indicating
that a new library building
would need about 103 parking spaces.
The architect said 117 parking
spaces are available for use by patrons
“on a typical basis,” and that
the study showed never more than 50
percent are being used.
He said that conducting a traffic
study is “a typical requirement” for
new construction, and related that the
study was conducted on a weekday
and weekend day, “representing typical
use.”
Huberty said the study projects
that “only 50 percent of library users
will drive their own vehicle to the library,”
adding that “the adjacent area
is highly walkable.”
The study assumes a 40-percent
increase in patrons once a new library
is built, but only a 20-percent
increase in the number of people who
will need to park, he continued, saying
that these figures are at “the high
end of [the] analysis.”
According to library Director
Barb Kruser, the library has 42 dedicated
spaces across the street at the
Edward-Elmhurst medical facility
along with two handicapped spaces,
and 10 dedicated spaces in the library-
owned parking lot between the
Victorian Cottage Museum and Calvary
Episcopal Church.
She further noted that behind the
church are 10 general spaces available
for use by library patrons, although
they are not fixed.
Other parking spaces the study
looked at, among the 117 spots, are
those located along Park Avenue and
Maple Street, and free parking in
the south lot after 11 a.m., although
those are general public parking.
Huberty said shared parking
around libraries is “the norm,” and
that the traffic study “[took] measurements
on typical-use days,” reiterating
that it appears that the peak
of parking would be about 50 percent,
“and often 40 percent of that
capacity,” thereby offering adequate
parking.
The architect said the village requirement
is three spaces per 1,000
square feet, “which is high in comparison
to industry standards” of
2.61 spaces per 1,000 square feet.
He said the traffic study recommendation
is 2.06 spaces per 1,000
square feet.
Kruser said medical clinic officials
have offered to let patrons use
parking spaces—although non-dedicated—
if necessary, and repaving
the south lot would likely yield more
spaces as well.
“We were very pleasantly surprised”
over the traffic study, Kruser
said. “Take advantage of shared
parking as much as you can.”
The parking issue, commented
board member Gary Brenniman,
“isn’t as big a deal as it’s made out
to be.”
Huberty said the traffic study will
be forwarded to Lombard officials,
and they “can do with it as they
please.”
“There is room for interpretation
and judgments on the part of the municipality,”
he said, “and room to find
a mutually agreeable arrangement.”
“It’s an important first step,” added
the architect.
Huberty also noted that while the
village requires room for three cars
along the drive-through area, the
building was designed for up to five
vehicles at one time.
The library will likely not go before
the Lombard Plan Commission
in November as previously thought,
with Huberty pushing the timeframe
to early December.
He said the village “wants all the
ducks in a row,” meaning building
design, potential variance requests,
parking and other zoning requirements,
and that it takes at least “a
five-week window” to prepare for
such a meeting.
Between now and the end of August
is when the architects are “wrapping
up the design development,”
Huberty related, and “if we can’t do
it within the budget, there is time to
reconcile before presenting [it] to the
community.”
He also noted that the village requires
library property to be 2 acres,
and currently, the library sits on 1
1/4 acres in what is considered a CR
zoning district, meaning conservation-
recreation.
The library will likely have to
demonstrate to the village why it
should receive a variance, Huberty
cautioned, meaning how the library
adds value to the community.
“We’re getting into much more
precise details,” Huberty said, and
“if you don’t get conditional use permits,
any requests for variances [in]
design are irrelevant.”
In other business
• The board voted to approve the
construction of a $1.5 million basement
in the west building, which
would house mechanical systems
and also be used for storage.
• The library will hold a public
hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 14, at 7
p.m. for its Budget and Appropriation
Ordinance, which is available
for public viewing at the library
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday.
AAIM: Lombard No. 1
in state for DUI arrests
Lombard Police made 313 driving
under the influence arrests in 2017,
resulting in the department being
named top in the state for DUI arrests
based on size, and sixth in Illinois
out of all departments, with
5.49 arrests per sworn officer, according
to Alliance Against Intoxicated
Motorists or AAIM.
The Lombard Police Department
remains committed to keeping
residents and motorists safe by
showing a zero tolerance policy
when it comes to intoxicated driving.
Throughout the year, Lombard
participates in Drive Sober or Get
Pulled Over and Click It Or Ticket
campaigns for events and holidays
including the Superbowl, St. Patrick’s
Day, Memorial Day, Fourth
of July, Labor Day, Halloween,
Thanksgiving and the December
holiday season, which also includes
New Year’s.
“I’m proud of our department and
of our officers who work hard to
reach these kinds of numbers,” said
Traffic Safety Unit Officer Lt. Joe
Grage. “While our arrest numbers
are high, we hope that one day we
won’t have any impaired drivers to
arrest. We’ll continue our efforts and
we’ll remind you again, Drive Sober
or Get Pulled Over Lombard!”
During the 2018 Fourth of July
Drive Sober and Click It or Ticket
Crackdown, from June 25 to July
8, the Lombard Police Department
made two DUI arrests, and issued
36 speeding and 56 cell phone violation
tickets. In addition, 58 seat
belt violations and 17 child safety
seat citations were issued.
In total, Lombard officers stopped
447 vehicles, with 153 of those stops
occurring in a single overnight roadside
safety checkpoint on July 6.
Extra enforcement efforts are
funded by federal traffic safety
funds through the Illinois Department
of Transportation and are part
of the statewide “Drive Sober or Get
Pulled Over” and “Click It or Ticket”
campaigns.
Contact Grage at 630-873-4400
with any questions.
Wilson at Hammerschmidt to
undergo concrete rehabilitation work
Public works has announced that beginning
the week of Monday, July 23,
Wilson Avenue will be under construction
for concrete rehabilitation work,
between Hammerschmidt and Stewart
Avenues, adjacent to Lombard Village
Hall.
During the construction, this section
of Wilson Avenue will be closed
to all traffic and will be detoured using
Hammerschmidt, Central and Stewart
Avenues. Detour signs will be in place
beginning Friday, July 20. The project
is anticipated for completion on Aug.
6, pending weather.
Anyone wishing to access the village
hall, public works or the Lombard
Police Station may do so by utilizing
the east side entrance on Stewart Avenue,
just south of Wilson Avenue or
the west side entrance on Hammerschmidt,
just north of Central Avenue.
Additional concrete work will take
place with the removal and replacement
of alleyways in the vicinity of
Edgewood, Lodge and Lewis, at South
Broadway. Residents with affected
driveways will be notified directly by
public works.
For news on the village’s Concrete
Rehabilitation and Utility Cuts Patching
Program, residents may sign up for
email updates via Notify Me at www.
villageoflombard.org/notifyme. Sign
up for weekly updates from the village,
including construction news, at www.
villageoflombard.org/epride.
Contact public works at publicworks@
villageoflombard.org or
630-620-5740 with any questions.
East Parkside commuter
parking lot to be resurfaced July 21
Lombard Public Works has announced
that East Parkside commuter
lot will be resurfaced on Saturday,
July 21. The work will require the
complete closure of the lot.
The commuter lot will be closed
during the overnight hours of Friday,
July 20 and is anticipated to be reopened
on Sunday, July 22, weather
permitting.
Parking will remain available in
the village’s nearby commuter lots,
located at Parkside West near Lilacia
Park, Michael McGuire Drive on the
north side of the train tracks west of
Main Street, and Hammerschmidt lot
just southeast of the Main Street and
St. Charles Road intersection.
Sign up for weekly updates from
the Village, including construction
news, at www.villageoflombard.
org/epride and follow the Village on
Facebook and Twitter for updates.
Contact public works at publicworks@
villageoflombard.org or
(630)620-5740 with any questions.
Police Department reminds
residents of when to dial 9-1-1
The Lombard Police Department is
reminding residents that 9-1-1 is available
to them whenever they do not feel
safe, or believe that they could be witnessing
or experiencing a potentially
unsafe situation.
Residents are reminded that they
should not wait until they are involved
in a dangerous situation before contacting
police.
“The police are here to provide assistance
to those in need,” said Lombard
Police Chief Roy Newton. “If
someone feels unsafe, they should not
hesitate to dial 9-1-1 and an officer will
be dispatched to the scene. If they wait
to call later, or decide to post their concern
on social media instead of calling
us first, then we might be limited to any
action we can take. It’s important to
dial 9-1-1 at the time of occurrence so
we can observe the scene in question.”
Some examples of when to dial 9-1-
1 include but are not limited to:
• Medical emergencies including
heart attack or stroke, or unresponsive
person
• House fire
• Domestic violence
• Burglary or theft in progress
• Car accident with life threatening
injuries
• Suspicious activities
• Concern for dog locked in potentially
hot car
• Aggressive solicitor
• Anything else that seems like an
emergency
Newton reminds residents that dialing
9-1-1 is also appropriate when
experiencing an excessive noise issue,
or when confronted by solicitors that
either cannot produce a Village issued
I.D. or are aggressive, or if you feel that
you could be witnessing or experiencing
an unsafe or suspicious situation.
“We receive a lot of inquiries from
residents about what to do if they find
a dog locked in a hot car, or when confronted
by an aggressive solicitor,”
said Newton. “The best thing to do in
these situations is to call us so we can
best handle the situation.”
Feel free to contact the Lombard
Police Department with any questions
at (630) 873-4400.
Driving record fee sponsored
by Breen signed into law
Legislation sponsored by state
Rep. Peter Breen (R-Lombard) that
clarifies the statutes as they relate to
fees paid for information in a driver’s
record was among the first bills
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law
this summer.
SB 2585 prevents individuals and
entities from avoiding the standard
$12 fee for the release of information
included in an Illinoisan’s driver’s
record. Some entities have been
requesting significant parts, but not
quite all, of the information in driver’s
records, to skirt paying the fee.
Law enforcement is exempted
from having to pay the fee, and
any public transit system, public
defender, law enforcement agency,
government agency or Illinois local
intergovernmental association can
also be exempted if the information
is requested for the purpose of a
background check of an employment
applicant, official investigations conducted
by an agency, or to determine
a current address for a driver.
“This legislation closes a loophole
that allowed individuals and entities
to circumvent the $12 fee by only
requesting only part of a driving record,”
said Breen. “These people
were requesting up to 95 percent of
a driving record and then turning
around and selling the information
to insurance companies for a healthy
profit. This legislation simply ensures
that even if only part of a driver’s
record information is requested,
the $12 fee will be paid uniformly.”
SB 2585 was signed into law as
Public Act 100-0590.
Breen has eight additional bills
that should be signed over the next
several weeks.
Citizens invited to participate in
Lombard’s 28th Citizen’s Police
Academy
The Lombard Police Department
invites citizens, who live or work
in the Village of Lombard, to participate
in Lombard’s 28th Citizen’s
Police Academy, beginning Sept. 11.
The academy provides an understanding
of modern police procedures
and the challenges officers
face.
The program provides a free opportunity
for citizens to meet members
of the Lombard Police force,
while gaining a hands-on experience
of police work. Classes will take
place Tuesday nights, 7-9:30, over a
10-week period and will be taught by
Lombard officers.
Topics include traffic stops, firearm
training, search and seizure laws,
defensive tactics training, police dog
protocols and training, as well as other
hands-on instruction.
Visit www.villageoflombard.org/
cpa for more information and applications.
Contact Jennifer Wetzel at
(630) 873-4462 with any questions.
Fire Department: Accidental
poisonings can be prevented
Each year in Illinois, there are more people
hospitalized for poisonings than for injuries from
firearms and motor vehicle collisions combined,
according to the Illinois Poison Center.
The Lombard Fire Department is encouraging
residents to learn about the dangers of household
medicines.
Read and follow the below tips regarding poison
prevention from www.CDC.gov:
• Store all medicines and household products up
and away and out of sight in a cabinet where a child
cannot reach them.
When you are taking or giving medicines or are
using household products:
• Do not put your next doses on the counter or table
where children can reach them—it only takes seconds
for a child to get them.
• If you have to do something else while taking
medicine, such as answer the phone, take any young
children with you.
• Secure the child safety cap completely every time
you use a medicine.
• After using them, do not leave medicines or
household products out. As soon as you are done with
them, put them away and out of sight in a cabinet
where a child cannot reach them.
• Be aware of any legal or illegal drugs that guests
may bring into your home. Ask guests to store drugs
where children cannot find them. Children can easily
get into pillboxes, purses, backpacks, or coat pockets.
“Over 50 percent of calls to poison centers involve
children 5 and younger. Keeping medicines out
of the reach of children and locking up household
cleaners can help decrease this unnecessary statistic,”
said Lombard Fire Department Emergency Medical
Coordinator Frank Gallione.
The Lombard Fire Department hopes that these
ultimately mitigate the number of people who
are involved in poisonings each year, especially
poisonings in the home—the most commonly
reported poisonings. Residents are also encouraged to
register at www.smart911.com.
This free service allows users to add useful
information for the use of first responders in an
emergency situation.
For more information including educational
courses, educational computer games for children,
and useful resources, visit www.illinoispoisoncenter.
org/IPPM. Feel free to call Gallione with any
questions at 630-873-4572.