Saturday Soapbox: DuPage County

Refreshing:

That's the way -- especially in light of the early history of Metea Valley High School -- to describe the cooperation between neighbors and school officials. Residents of the adjoining Cambridge Chase subdivision said this week they initially worried about idling buses, stadium lights pointed at their homes and other annoyances. But after a few productive meetings with Indian Prairie Unit District 204, homeowners say they're looking forward to being neighbors to the school when it opens for freshmen and sophomores next year.

Not so refreshing:

By contrast, nearly every time there's discussion about road improvements, or development along 75th Street in Naperville, someone's unhappy. Plans to widen the intersection of 75th and Washington Street have drawn adamant opposition. A Thursday-night meeting on development of that general area was no different. Residents complained loudly that their concerns about traffic and other woes spawned by more commercial development have been unheeded. We'd encourage the city to listen hard to what residents are saying -- there is, indeed, a lot of traffic on 75th. We'd also encourage the residents to be realistic, and understand that such prime commercial frontage is not going to be filled with houses. It's worth noting, too, there are limits to the city's control over future development.

Cracking down on firecrackers

Carol Stream and Aurora leaders are attempting to snuff out illegal fireworks by giving their police officers the ability to write $250 tickets to anyone caught with fireworks. With local communities spending tens of thousands of dollars on massive fireworks displays, there's no need to risk injury and expense shooting bottle rockets in the street. So this Fourth of July, let's leave the aerial light shows to the professionals.

Amen to that?

Bill Johnston of Wayne sent in a note last week on which he cut out and pasted the Daily Herald Opinion page header (which adorns the page you're reading) along with the motto from H.C. Paddock: "Our aim: To fear God, tell the truth and make money." Johnston wrote: "It is my opinion that if you tell the truth you don't have to fear God!" Yep, that's another way to look at it, Bill. But we have no plans on changing the motto at this time.

He still doesn't get it

Elgin Area School District U-46 President Ken Kaczynski is in complete denial if he thinks "our community was reeling from the change that seemed to happen suddenly upon us" when former Superintendent Connie Neale took indefinite sick leave and later retired. No, Ken, the taxpayers are reeling because your school board gave Neale a $60,000 raise and a compensation package, including lifetime health benefits, that this year will cost them more than $535,000, months before she bolted from the district and moved to Missouri. Moreover, they've been paying $1,100 a day for Interim Superintendent Mary Jayne Broncato until the board chose Jose Torres to take over. So if the community is reeling from anything, it's all the money being spent on leadership these days.

When only a law will work

Seems ridiculous for our state to now have a law cracking down on speeding through a construction zone. Who in their right mind goes flying through an area where men and women are working? The reality is, too many drivers do, and hopefully Jeff's Law -- in honor of Jeff Heath, an IDOT worker killed by a driver while directing traffic in a construction zone -- will eliminate this problem. But we're guessing too many still won't get the message.