Readers weigh in on Charlestowne Mall

As uncertain as the future of Charlestowne Mall might be, we do know this: There is no shortage of ideas about how the lonely retail center on the east side of St. Charles can best serve the region.

Readers shared a few more of those ideas in the past week, and Lynn Chassee weighed in with a good one.

She said she liked my idea of a "man's mall," but felt a good twist on that theme might be a fitness/sports destination to provide indoor options during our highly variable weather. Because many people "walk" the near-empty mall for exercise to begin with, it would be cool to have distance markers and a drinking fountain or two along what would essentially be a walking track, Chassee said.

The empty stores could become volleyball, tennis or pickleball courts amid health food stores and restaurants.

"How about an east-side bowling alley in one of the stores?" she asks. "For the kids and/or adults, there could be a climbing wall in the middle of the mall."

An indoor batting cage or some basketball courts could be popular as well, Chassee said.

"I would keep the movie theater to draw people in, too," she added.

Go for housing

Reader Carol Johnson doesn't see much hope for retail at Charlestowne Mall any longer, so she suggests keeping the movie theater in place, but knocking down the rest of the mall and building housing designed for the 55 and older demographic.

There are enough assisted living and senior housing options, she said, but not many for those getting older who are still active, continue to work and would like to come home to a nice place.

If developers went that route, it would be smart for both Carson's and Von Maur to relocate someplace along Randall Road, Johnson said.

"It once was a beautiful mall, one where you could visit so many stores and not bump into each other," Johnson said. "But then Geneva Commons came into being and The Premium Outlet (in Aurora) came, so how can Charlestowne Mall compete with those two?" she added. "Carson's is a wonderful store, as well as Von Maur, but how can they compete?"

Some old and new

Every time we go to Peck Farm in Geneva for a walk, we spot something we didn't notice before.

There's a new pergola greeting visitors into the "Sensory Gardens" on the site, and I spotted the plaque along the stonewall around the Peck House, declaring the stones were from a 1936 WPA project in which a stone wall was built in Island Park in Geneva.

Back held up

After lugging around 70 bags of mulch for the beds in our yard, I again thanked God for something that not a lot of men my age can give thanks.

My back held up fine and, in fact, back pain has never been a major issue for me. Considering how common and agonizing back pain can be for so many men and women, I am indeed lucky in this particular area.

Not smart enough

When it comes to general knowledge, journalists often feel comfortable in saying they are fairly smart on a number of different topics. Such a line of work generally makes you interested in everything, so you absorb a lot of information.

As such, I take some pride in being able to understand or figure out fairly complex topics.

But I am willing to officially declare myself either too dumb to understand, or simply unable to comprehend, an insurance "explanation of benefits" form.

My past education and life experiences have not prepared me for the difficult task of trying to figure out how and why it costs so much to get medical care - and what exactly I am paying for.

I studied one such explanation sheet for several minutes, determined to crack the code by comparing them with actual bills and my insurance benefits.

Alas, the code remains safe with the medical providers.

dheun@sbcglobal.net