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Dear Editor:

Two weeks ago my next door neighbor was very upset, near tears. It seems someone had the audacity near our neighborhood to think that it’s just fine to dig up and remove perennial plants from someone else’s yard, rather than pay for flowers for their own property! Or perhaps they are re-selling these plants! My friend and neighbor of many years has one of the most beautiful yards in Blue Island. People actually plan their walking route to be sure and pass by this lady’s house because her beautiful flowers bring joy to their day.

For years she has lovingly tended her flowers for her own enjoyment as well as everyone else lucky enough to live close by. When this incident happened and she looked down at all the ugly holes where the flowers used to be, she wondered why she even bothered! This theft was not done by kids, the way these specific perennials were removed “roots intact” shows us this is the act of adults.

Has our society become so bad that we are not allowed to enjoy beauty in our neighborhoods? I had hoped as rightfully upset as she was, that she wouldn’t give up and stop planting her lovely flowers. Well she is trying to stay optimistic and hope these thieves would not come back again. I know the rest of us are watching on Greenwood Ave. and we are not so trusting anymore and we will call the police if you are around again! I am hearing there has been a rash of flower thefts in a lot of blocks. I say we keep a careful watch in our neighborhoods. We refuse to live in an ugly world where we are not even allowed to enjoy beauty!

Gerry Osberg

Editor’s Note: While we are on the subject, the beautiful Western Avenue planters which are supplied and maintained by the City of Blue Island are Planters---not garbage cans. If you are one of those who don’t have the sense of a flea and throw in cans, cigarettes etc. please stop!

Never should we have to write about stealing flowers (planted at citizens expense and by their effort). Don’t people know better?

Dear Editor:

While at the Fest on June 25 at Memorial Park, my daughter lost her house and car keys.

Needless to say, we were frantic, but the security guards and police crew were great in the search.

Thanks to one of them (Jim) who found the keys and turned them in. We are grateful to him and all the rest and especially to St. Anthony for answering our prayers.

Liz Martino

Dear Editor:

Blue Island is a community that has two fire stations that are under-staffed as per National Fire Protection Association standards. It is also a community with several railroad crossings that often cause severe delays or time consuming detours. The closure of the Division Street and Chatham Street bridges over the Cal-Sag Canal increases traffic congestion, and the potential for time consuming detours of emergency vehicles.

Our community fire department has been responding to fire calls with only a three man first response fighting team. This is in direct violation of N.F.P.A. safety standards which require a minimum of four fire fighters on a first response fire call. The reason for this standard is safety rules require no fewer than two men may enter a fire scene, and then only if they have two men outside of the fire to provide back up in case those inside become endangered.

The rationale of these violations of standard practice has been that simultaneous alarms to both fire stations make both three man fire response teams into what amounts to a six man fire company. This is a bad policy because there are neighborhoods where fire crews responding from one or the other fire station can encounter signifi - cant delays in reaching the fire scene. The solution is to have four man crews on first response fire teams in each fire house . This gives the first arriving fire fighters the ability to attack a fire as soon a they arrive. Presently, three man fire fighting crews are restrained from entering the fire scene and putting out the fire.

A few months ago, three firefighters arrived at a fire, one fire fighter rushed in to rescue an unconscious victim. The fire team supervisor was disciplined for allowing a violation of the two-in two-out rule. The fire fighter was reprimanded for failure to put on his breathing mask before entering the scene.

Over the last several weeks, I have studied traffic delays at railroad crossings in town. My longest delay (30 minutes) was at the second to last southern most double crossing on Western Avenue. This is a default victory because east bound traffic on Vermont was backed up to Francisco, and after inching my way up to Maple, I gave up hope on reaching the commuter rail crossing at Vermont Street. I also defaulted on checking out the multiple track crossing on Broadway, because no self respecting Blue Island resident would contemplate using that crossing without taking along a bag lunch. Second place went to the double crossing on 127th Street with a delay of 17 minutes, while the commuter train crossing at the east end of the 127th Street bridge was only two and one half minutes. The rail crossings at 123rd and 119th streets had delays almost identical to double crossings on 127th Street.

What would a mutual assistance squad from Posen do if it were trapped between any two of the multiple crossings on south Western Avenue? What if the back up team from Fire Station 2 were delayed by a train? What would the three man first response team from Fire Station 1 do while they waited at the fire scene, toast marshmallows?

Fire fighters and police officers are trained to confront danger while the rest of us are conditioned to avoid it.

Blue Island fire fighters and police officers have a reflex response to the plight of fire victims and will rush into a burning building to rescue victims regardless of the two-in two-out rule. In fact, three police officers from Blue Island just did that. They rushed into a burning building to rescue an 80 + year old man before fire fighters could arrive on the scene. The police officers were not reprimanded for violating the twoin two-out rule, and none of the police officers were reprimanded for failure to wear breathing apparatus. In fact, the police officers received justly deserved commendations. But, police officers should not have to put their lives at risk to rescue citizens from burning buildings because an under-staffed fire department has not arrived on the scene to carry out rescue operations.

It is obvious that it is not good policy to have only three firefighters on a first response emergency call. There are neighborhoods in Blue Island (the 6th Ward in particular) that are vulnerable because of potential traffic delays to under-manned fire vehicles.

After I discussed the problem with the Blue Island Police and Fire Committee, the “chair-person” misrepresented my concerns by reporting to the City Council that I had complained because only one person was sent out on a fire truck. It is obvious that the “chair-person” had not grasped the concept of the need to have a minimum of four fire fighters on the first response team.

After speaking to the subject at two City Council meetings, it became obvious that our city administration did not want to grasp the need to have four person first response teams, or that back up fire response teams from either station could and will, someday, encounter significant delays in getting to a fire. City Clerk Pam Frasor summed up the feelings of Council when she said, “I had a fire at my house…Posen fire department was there…and they did a fine job.”

Ms. Frasor expressed total satisfaction with the existing fire department organization. Like the mayor, fire chief, and “chair-person” of the Police and Fire Committee, Ms. Frasor refuses to appreciate the fact that there are neighborhoods in Blue Island that are more vulnerable than the one she lives in.

The potential now exists that railroad blockages and traffic back ups can pose significant damage or suffering. Sooner or later, the railroad crossings will be blocked, and a small fire will turn into a major conflagration because the fourth man was missing from the first response team.

Our mayor seems to believe that the solution lies in creating a self taxing fire protection district. But, such an idea will take years to develop. In the meantime, the question of adequate fire protection in Blue Island will remain a burning issue.

Ron Young

Dear Editor:

About that worsening problem of railroad noise and air pollution a reader brought to the FORUM’s attention.

Not only is the quality of life threatened for all Blue Islanders by this unhealthful noise and dirty diesel emissions but property values will continue to be depressed. Who would buy a home in a noisy neighborhood unless it was very cheap? It would be unethical and perhaps risky if a homeowner seller did not disclose the railroad noise problem to a buyer.

Yes, the noise is much worst. The locomotives now hold down their horn for longer blasts and longer periods of time as they move their longer and longer trains at higher and higher speeds.

What is the purpose of this explosive noise at 1:00 and 3:00 a.m.? Is this to keep their insurance rates low by avoiding a possibly alcoholically impaired driver?

Many motorists now drive with loud radios and so the best prevention are gates — preferable four. The recent motorist death in Park Forest was due to faulty gates despite horn blowing, I know occurs at that particular crossing- this shows horn blowing does not prevent accidents.

If Evergreen Park can get the railroads to establish quiet zones and install gate crossing, many with 4 gates and even 6 gates, why can’t our mayor do the same?

It would be interesting to know how many millions of dollars of property taxes the very extensive railroad yards in town pay to Cook County and Blue Island. Can some of those taxes be used to build gates or even bridges?

Is the gossip true that the railroads contribute to the mayors political fund? We need to know whose side our mayor is on and he needs to deny or affi rm any financial interest!

Meantime, many of us in town are waiting for a group to emerge, dedicated to limiting dangerous levels of horn blowing and high particulate diesel pollution. We have very, very heavy train traffic in town and we need gates at all crossings. Railrods enjoy enormous profits and perhaps a lawsuit is the answer.

Concerned Blue Islander

Dear Editor:

Candace Carr (CARR home-garden- holiday) wrote a letter to the FORUM recently, one of many with the same hoo-ha about the importance of local merchants.

While her concern for the financial well being of Blue Island is commendable, she is barking up the wrong tree.

The tax system we live under favors big business, not small business. I attempted to move my business to Blue Island a few years ago and was ready to buy a small office building at a reasonable price but the county taxes were $1600 per month, more than the mortgage payments and the building, like the many older buildings in town I considered, was riddled with building code violations.

The need for numerous businesses in town is not essential as modern transit allows Blue Islanders access to job opportunities and stores all over Chicago land. Shoppers at the Walmart in Alsip are supporting Blue Islanders who may work there as well as other south suburbanites and even helping workers around the world sustain their families with the added bonus of a wide selection of goods and more aff ordable prices.

The notion to buy local or “American” is meaningless as we live in a global economy. Many products said to be made in America have components from other countries. Many exports from Mexico for example, are assembled with parts made in the U.S.A. Also many so-called American companies are owned by overseas investors as are many “foreign” companies partially owned by American banks, pension funds and U.S. citizens.

Nowadays money flows back and forth around the globe and the benefits, as well as the problems, are spread worldwide. Why then give up the benefit of free and competitive free enterprise? If a local merchant offers superior service or goods he will be successful but politically motivated shopping is not the answer.

Blue Island is not a “non-revenue producing welfare recipient” as alleged in her letter as the town generates millions of dollars of county, state and federal tax revenues from the wealth created by every Blue Island resident that has a job, regardless of where they work or even immigration status. This is hardly the “handout” society she declares---despite all the gloom we hear, the work ethic is alive and well in the US.

Perhaps Candace Carr (CARR home-garden-holiday) should run for public office and promote tax refunds to homeowners and small business that invest in their properties as this would create jobs and help upgrade the building stock.

People and small business already pay plenty of taxes but the real problem is waste and unnecessary government spending, such as the $700 billion dollars a year squandered on the military industrial complex under the umbrella of “defense” and those questionable, never ending wars. We can best support our troops not by bumper stickers but by having jobs for returning veterans with prudent government investments and careful oversight of projects repairing America’s crumbling infrastructure.

Shame on Candace Carr (CARR home-garden-holiday) for accusing Blue Islanders of depriving their neighbors of jobs and endangering police, fire and city services by not shopping enough in town.

J.P. Cueva, M.D.

Dear Editor

This is an open letter to all the lawn/ yard ornament thieves in the area.

I like many other Blue Islanders, work hard and take pride in beautifying our yards and lawns for the spring and summer months.

It is very mean-spirited for you to come by and help yourself to our yard ornaments, I had 2 multicolor wind twirl decorations in my front yard, under a large tree, one of the yard bandits came by and helped themselves to not only one, but both of them, I have other cute decorations that I would love to put out but I’m afraid that they too will disappear, Every item you help yourself to can be bought at Menards, Home Depot, Dollar Tree, and Family Dollar etc.

Blue Island Resident

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