October 2008 Archives

"I'm going to vote for John McCain," my 6-year-old announced proudly during our drive home from school.

I was impressed that he had been learning about the upcoming presidential election during his kindergarten class. But I was more intrigued that he had made his choice in the election.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Well, McCain sort of sounds like candy cane," he pondered. "And candy canes remind me of Christmas. And I just love Christmas."

Pretty cute coming from a kindergartner. But as I thought about his analysis, I realized it's not so far off from how adults think, at times.

As we had into the polls on Tuesday, the names at the top of the ballot stir up some serious emotions, much like the warm happy feelings of Christmas for my 6-year-old.

But there's more at stake on Tuesday than just the presidential election. Voters also will be asked to select representatives at the state and national levels, and a slew of county officeholders and judicial candidates.

Voters might make their choices because of the candidate's political party or because they recognize the name. Other names carry little meaning at all.

That's why candidates are investing heavily in trying to create name recognition. They want their names to sound familiar, even if they don't bring to mind a gut reaction, like those of Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama.

Oh, those names. Some definite images come to mind, depending on one's point of view:

Experience, leadership, war hero. Status quo, temper, unexperienced running mate.

Hope, change, history in the making. Uncertainty, inexperience, all talk.

As voters move down the ballot, many candidates will be riding the coattails of the names at the top of the ticket. They know that a big chunk of voters will simply choose one political party all the way down.

The undecided and the swing voters -- the ones who will switch political parties based on a particular issue -- could make a difference in both national and local races.

In the Bolingbrook area, the candidates vying for the 85th District Illinois House seat have been getting the most attention.

All around town, the red and blue signs for State Rep. Brent Hassert, R-Romeoville, compete with the green and white banners for Democratic challenger Emily Klunk-McAsey, a prosecutor in the Will County State's Attorney's office.

Hassert, a 14-year incumbent, and Klunk-McAsey have provided a steady stream of campaign fliers to area residents' mailboxes as the two battle for the Illinois House seat.

While Democrats have been working to connect Hassert's name with higher gas prices and "big oil" companies, Republicans want voters to link Klunk-McAsey with fellow Dems, Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, both of whom have been under intense scrutiny the past few years.

Sorting through the barrage of campaign attacks in the high-profile races can be tough. Just learning the names of everyone up for election at the local level is a challenge on its own.

Here are a few online resources that can help:

Area voters can download a list of candidates for state and county offices and find information on how and where to vote by clicking on the web site of the Will County clerk or the DuPage County Election Commission.

To create a sample ballot and view the background of candidates, as well as their positions on major issues, try clicking on the web sites of groups like Vote-USA or Project Vote Smart.

The web sites of newspapers and radio stations are a great way to read up on the issues. I particularly liked this one put together by CBS2 in Chicago. It allows voters to type in their street address to obtain a sample ballot complete with the bios and views of candidates down to the most local races.

What about you? Are you prepared to vote in all of the races on Tuesday's ballot? Are you planning to vote straight ticket or have you been researching the policy stance of the candidates at the local level?

One of my favorite parts about living in Bolingbrook has always been the facilities offered by the local park district.

We use the Pelican Harbor Aquatic Park all summer, and then schedule playdates with friends at the indoor pool for a change of pace in the winter.

But during the last few years, it seems that more and more of the friends we used to hang out with at the park district have become members of corporately-owned fitness centers like Lifetime Fitness or L.A. Fitness.

A recent report showed that the Bolingbrook Park District has been feeling the crunch of a tight economy, as well as pressure from neighboring fitness centers.

The district's revenue-generating facilities, such as the aquatic center, LifeStyles Fitness Centers and Boughton Ridge Golf Course, operated at a deficit of about $500,000 in 2007, according to a published report.

Park district officials say they are looking at budget cuts and new marketing strategies to move the facilities back in the black. Some fees for seasonal swimming passes at the Bolingbrook Recreation and Aquatic Center will drop more than 50 percent in 2009. The cost for a membership at the fitness centers also will decline to $249 in 2009, a decrease of $65.

Will the changes help?

I'm wondering how many Bolingbrook residents are choosing to buy their fitness memberships at places other than the park district? For those who have chosen to go elsewhere, what is the biggest attraction? And for those who stay, is it because of convenience, quality, affordability or loyalty to our local facilities? What do you think?

Even with all of the parks, paths and ponds here in The Brook, I often find myself daydreaming about what it would be like to live near the mountains of Colorado or maybe Tennessee. I could spend a fall afternoon hiking to the top of a mountain peak and then gaze out at the changing colors or the skyline below.

Wanting to take a break from the flat terrain, I turned to the one tall spot we have in these parts: the big closed landfill just north of the village border.

If you haven't ever taken the trek to the Scenic Overlook at the top of the "Greene Valley Hill", as it is officially called, this weekend is your last chance for the year. It's time to dust off the hiking shoes, pump up the bike tires, or do what I did and load the kids in the car for the 2-minute drive that starts just off Greene Road, north of Royce Road.

I wasn't expecting much. Just a roadway. Maybe a bench. I thought it would be a nice way to take a look at Bolingbrook from above on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

Really. What could possibly be going on at the top of a 190-foot-tall mountain of garbage?

Ahh. But we Midwesterners, with our creativity, ingenuity and just plain lack of tall hills, do the best with what we have. We know how to make a mountain out of a molehill. Or at least out of a trash mound.

The thought of dining on top of a closed landfill hadn't sounded real appealing to me before. But picnic tables and park benches provide a nice resting place while you gaze not only from Bolingbrook to Naperville, but enjoy a distant view of the Chicago skyline. At 980 feet above sea level, it's easy to spot the Sears Tower and other landmarks.

Model airplane lovers bring their gliders to the overlook to catch some thermal lift from the top of the slope. One pilot was guiding his bright yellow 20-ounce glider back and forth along the side of the hill while onlookers gazed at the peaceful craft soaring through the breeze.

The closed landfill, which operated from 1974 to 1996, is one of the few places in the area to fly the miniature glider planes, without traveling to the Indiana Dunes to catch some air.

On another side of the hill, 13 men and women armed with high-powered binoculars were scanning the skies in search of another type of flying object, in this case, hawks. Members of the DuPage Birding Club frequent the top of the mound to record bird sightings during the heavy migration period that ends around Thanksgiving.

On the Saturday we made our trip to the Scenic Overlook, bird watchers had spotted 28 hawks, nine vultures and one eagle. The group reports its daily findings on the web site, hawkcount.org, which helps scientists track the population of hawks in the United States.

For those looking for a good leg workout, the hill is a great place to hike or bike. But this landfill is hard at work, too.

The pipes and posts jutting out all over the mound are a landfill gas extraction system, which draws methane from the decomposing mass to a gas-to-energy plant to produce electricity.

The plant generates enough power to provide energy to 7,500 homes each year.

The Scenic Overlook is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each weekend from May to October.

Do you know of a great spot to enjoy the outdoors in The Brook? Comment about it here.

If your idea of a relaxing experience includes reading a book in a park-like atmosphere while sipping a cup of java, then the new library planned for Bolingbrook could be just the place.

The proposed 100,000-square-foot facility will be built with the theme "a library in the park." It will feature an ecologically-friendly "green roof" with plant life, as well as a cafe and expanded computer resources, according to information released by the Fountaindale Public Library District.

Residents can see the designs for the $48 million library during a Public Information Night at 7 p.m. Tuesday when architects will present floor plans for the new facility.

The park concept will be carried throughout the interior of the building where book lovers can enjoy creative parks, thinking parks, exploratory play parks and study parks. Plans also include a larger children's area, story time room, a teen area and expanded study rooms and reading areas for adults.

A small cafe serving coffee, tea, cold drinks and refreshments will be part of the main lobby.

District voters approved a $43.5 million bond issue in April to fund construction of the project, which is expected to begin in 2009 and be completed by December 2010.

It's official. I filled up the gas tank on my minivan this weekend for less than $3 a gallon.

I had to adjust my eyes and think about this for a second to determine if it was good or bad. "Does the sign say $2.99 or $3.99?" I thought. "Yep, $2.99 it is."

After doing a happy dance and letting out a sigh of relief, I thought about the irony. I'm actually excited to be paying almost $3 a gallon for gasoline. How my perspective has changed in the last year as we have watched gas prices climb by the week, peaking at well past $4 a gallon.

When the price for a gallon of gas hit $3 for the first time a little more than a year ago, my reaction was just the opposite.

The falling prices are the one bright side during this economic storm. At least I can now fill up the 22.5-gallon tank on my minivan before the price hits $75, which -- up until recently -- automatically triggered the pump to shut off. But like many families, we are cutting corners in many other areas.

We think twice before enrolling a child in a class at the park district. We have cut back on out-of-town trips to visit family. And we even purchased a more fuel-efficient vehicle for my husband's daily 80-mile, round-trip commute.

According to a poll released today, the economy is having an effect on the overall attitude many people have about life. About 59 percent of people say they are happy about the way things are going in their own lives, compared with 70 percent a month ago, according to the survey conducted by the Associated Press and Yahoo News.

Only 15 percent of those surveyed believe the country is moving in the right direction, the poll said.

What about you? Is the economy affecting your overall view on life? Or are you just as happy now as you were a year ago?

Have you made changes in your lifestyle? Are you doing life as usual? Would you describe yourself as cautiously optimistic? Or are you in a near panic over the economic news? Comment about it here.

BY EMILY NEAL

When my husband and I moved to the Chicago area 10 years ago, we chose Bolingbrook for one reason: location. Newly married, we rented a two-bedroom townhouse near Rt. 53 because it was 16 miles from my job in Joliet and 18 miles from my husband's work in Westmont.

We planned to stay there a year, maybe two.

But two years later, with a new baby sharing the bedroom we used for our computers, we starting looking for a house. This time, we chose Bolingbrook not just for the location, but also because it was affordable.

Again, we said we would stay a year, maybe two.

Now, eight years and three children later, we are planted in the same home and our reasons to stay in The Brook seem to out-number the reasons to leave. It's no longer just location and affordability, but the friends, the booming shopping areas, the restaurants, the park district and mostly a sense of community in a town that now feels like home.

And in the world of Bolingbrook residents, I guess that makes us pretty average. According to a recent report, the average resident has lived in town for nine years, much like us. Many of us came to the village because we could get "more house for our money."

Back then, we often described ourselves as living "near Naperville", a little embarrassed by the town's reputation of being just a place people moved to because it was affordable.

Then, along came a row of restaurants on Weber Road, a fancy new golf course, IKEA, an Interstate 355 extension, luxury housing, a hospital and a shopping mall, not to mention the little things like lighted streets signs and tree-lined medians. Now, Bolingbrook has become a destination, not just a commuter town.

Sure, life isn't perfect in The Brook.

While our schools are making strides, families still move away looking for something more. As one of the most diverse communities in Will County, the village is a welcoming place and offers many cultural experiences. But the differences in race, age, income and lifestyles, which attract some, also can create friction among others.

I'm looking forward to writing about it all. The good, the bad, the new, the old and the people who make Bolingbrook a community we call home.

I would love to hear your story. What do you love about Bolingbrook? And what do you love to hate? Please feel free to comment on my blog. I look forward to interacting with you.