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Chicago Suburb Demands Family Tear Down Their ‘Nuisance’ Ice Rink

Dec. 28, 2012 2:47pm Jonathon M. Seidl

If you ever lived in the Upper Midwest like I did, you probably were exposed at one point to the homemade ice rink. You know what I’m talking about: the cool dad in the neighborhood would put down large plastic tarps, flood the back yard, and then voila!

Well, that’s what the Lund family in suburban Chicago did — and now they’re being told it’s a “nuisance” and they must take it down, even though they maintain they’re breaking no laws.

“It has been red-flagged,” Kim Lund of Gurnee told CBS Chicago. “To me, it’s the principle. We are not violating any ordinances. We have consulted with an attorney.”

Gurnee, Illinois, Tells Family to Remove Homemade Ice Rink

The ice rink in the yard. (Photo: CBS Chicago)

Barry Burton, the local Lake County administrator, disagrees.

“It became a nuisance. And again, they’ll be asked to remove it.” He issued them a notice saying the family is violating zoning laws against ice rinks:

The letter informing the Lunds they’re violating zoning ordinances. (Photo: CBS Chicago)

When asked what rules the rink violates, Burton said “no ice rinks in your yard.”

“We don’t want to be a Scrooge,” he said, adding “This is in fact too large for that type of area.” He also said neighbors have complained about the noise associated with the kids playing on it in the past, making the Lunds repeat offenders.

The family faces fines if they don’t remove it — which doesn’t look like will happen anytime soon. For now, it’s an icy showdown.

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Comments (99)

LovinUSA
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:30pm
R-EA-L-L-Y ?, Like most have said, yeah, BAN the kids from playing outside in a healthy environment, excersizing, and strengthening their bodies, instead of being glued to a damn electronic device that makes them wealk minded , violent and hateful, l-a-z-y, and very ungrateful, because their parents can’t be bothered these days to physically interact with their children, they just buy and hand them something to keep them out of their way so they can do their lazy parent life! Just because you have a job, does not mean you are a good parent!!!!!

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- listeninginVT
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 5:09pm
  They sound like my sister in law, She would stick a pacifier in her kids mouth as a baby/young child. WHY, because the noise he was making “bothered her”, you know the whole ‘learning to talk’ thing, very intrusive. stupid people.
  
  Report this comment
- MadinIllinois
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:37pm
  Agreed – let’s not try and have “thin, fit, healthy & HAPPY” children in our community – what a violation of living in a country where we have such a “supreme leader”!! Perhaps the other alternative should be to just stick them in – front of a video game – and hope that the game doesn’t include any “guns or shooting”!
  
  Report this comment
- Rohawk
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:45pm
  What kind of messed up neighbor would complain about noise in the winter when their windows are closed? Seriously? So the problem is the ice is making kids loud? NITBY? Not In Their Back Yard?
  
  Report this comment
- ron2win
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 5:50am
  What idiots . They would rather listen to gun shots ,then children laughing and playing in a back yard .
  
  Report this comment
- love the kids
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 10:29am
  Liberals are a nuisance to me, can we ban them???
  
  Report this comment
- AlmostaCowboy
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 10:38am
  @lovethekids – love the post
  
  Report this comment
- VoteBushIn12
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 1:23pm
  Why does the Blaze hate Chicago so much? The run a story of overstepping government, but instead of naming the actual town in which it occurred (Gurnee) they just refer to it as “Suburban Chicago”…
  
  Are you serious?
  
  Gurnee is like 30 mins OUTSIDE of Chicago borders and even further from what anyone would consider the City. Heck, it’s in a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT COUNTY. Lake County is imposing the law, Chicago is in Cook County.
  
  There is nothing Chicago about it.
  
  This article is crap. The writers should be ashamed to try and draw such parallels. Do your jobs.
  
  Report this comment
- banjarmon
  Posted on December 30, 2012 at 12:04am
  Tell the kids to go to Lake Michigan and skate on the thin ice and fall through….Now that is LIB kid control!!!
  
  Report this comment
thegreatcarnac
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:28pm
Liberals are always against normalness. Kids play….that must be bad (to liberals). Kids laugh ..that must be bad (to liberals). Fun? Fun? Fun sounds dangerous to libs. Can’t have fun.

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Tri-ox
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:24pm
Uh, so, ice is illegal in Chicago? I don’t get it.

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- HI_Don
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 7:12pm
  Somebody needs to fine the City then for all the ice on the roads.
  
  And who is going to take care of the river and the lake when they freeze over – such a nuisance.
  
  uh, did he ever explain just how having a bunch of water in your back yard that nature froze into ice is a nuisance?
  
  And how do you “take down” frozen water on the ground? Maybe they should sue the weather for freezing it since if it had remained as water like the family put it in the back yard, it would have taken care of itself. Hey, they removed the plastic sides of the “pool” they created and the water refuses to leave.
  
  Now – isn’t Chicago in direct violation of the First Lady’s sponsored program for children “Let’s Move”. I think this family should point to Washington and say – Hey, they made me do it.
  
  Report this comment
- markdido
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 11:22am
  Tri-Ox
  It’s not ice that’s illegal, it’s high capacity ice. No one needs a rink with that much ice.
  It’s for the children!
  
  Report this comment
SpartanPride
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:16pm
Who could possibly object to kids actually getting outdoor exercise? Oh…I see it’s in Illinois…makes sense now

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- Rohawk
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:49pm
  They should be out organizing like good socialists instead of wasting their energy on bourgeois pursuits!
  
  Report this comment
Seabass82
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:03pm
I say the neighbors should lace up the skates and drop the mitts, winner has his/her way! Whatever happens stays on the ice.

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- 1TrueOne55
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:13pm
  Really kids playing together is a Nuisance in Chicago. I would take a temporary Ice Rink over a drive-by shooting any day. At least they are not shooting each other on the rink. What happens in the summer when kids play in the back yard laughing and noise etc.
  
  Report this comment
spirited
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:59pm
Let’s say a heavy snowfall falls in the Chicago suburb,
and after walking, jumping, laying and making snow angels….throughout the yard -it’s smooth enough to ice-skate on.

Will the homeowners be told no one may skate on it?

>Neighbors need to get a life.

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dovndce
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:58pm
It’s NOT the “ice rink” that offends these Liberals in local government, it’s the fact that kids can play “ice hockey” which in their, Liberal rainbow and butterfly minds encourages “violence”.

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- SirBeavis
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 1:36pm
  I’d also add they haven’t figured out a way to directly tax it…yet.
  
  Report this comment
cappicard
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:34pm
If the rink melts and the resulting water floods neighbor’s properties, then I can understand it from a liability standpoint.

They may have a property right to do such a thing, but I wonder if they are being considerate of their immediate neighbors. I’m not sure though this is the concern of the city though.

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- toiletclogga
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:47pm
  I am thinking the neighbors don’ t like the number of people who are at the “rink” at late hours. I am also thinking the neighbors do not get along well. It’s a shame. If it were me, I’d be making a fire, inviting the neighbors, and tapping a half barrell for all to enjoy!
  
  Report this comment
- MAULEMALL
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:50pm
  stfu dipwad… And by all means mind your own business…
  
  All the noise thats associated with it is kids haveing fun…
  
  Report this comment
GoodStuff
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:28pm
Government sucks…always.

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- Caniac Steve
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:45pm
  Bam !! you are on target..but would that same community complain IF and because of that stupid home made rink the murder rate fell by a dozen or 2 a month ..would they pitch a fit and complain then ? Sure they would…as it’s all about Power & Control !
  
  Report this comment
Walkabout
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:28pm
If someone gets hurt, the family will sue & win since it is judged an attractive nuisance.

How many people tell their kids to not go onto or cut through private property?

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Dismayed Veteran
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:25pm
I wonder if that jackass city administrator knows the cost of ice time. What a dolt. Kids should be encouraged to go outside and engage in athletics. I guess suburban Chicago is not far enough north to appreciate hockey.

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ghostsouls
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:20pm
If it’s in the back yard, not in public view, not for the public to happen upon, how is it a nuisance to the public? Should the public be in their backyard? If they put it in the front yard, and it attracted all the neighbor kids, and such, I could see it could be a nuisance…but it’s on private property. Sooner or later we are not only going to have to fence in our back yards, but roof them to keep neighborhood nosey busy bodies out of our business, also shield it from the drones.

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- castuslonginus
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 10:15am
  Maybe their neighbors are like the old woman who called the police and told them her neighbor was walking naked in his house with the curtains open, when the police arrived and looked ,he couldn’t see a thing because of the hedges, the old lady said you can see him plainly if you stand on this chair. Some people want to be offended. Makes them feel special.
  
  Report this comment
afishfarted
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:17pm
Like I said before, it ain’t your property

CA Court: Special Protection for Labor to Picket on Private Property
by Breitbart News

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- Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:21pm
  Indeed.
  
  Report this comment
- ranepowel
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:42pm
  I’ll just turn my property into a brothel, then, since it’s mine and I can do with it what I want. I’ll also remove all the blinds so everyone can see all the fornicating that’s going on outside, because it’s my property and I can do with it what I want.
  
  You’re a genius.
  
  Next?
  
  Report this comment
- Zipit
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:52pm
  Rane! I’d be willing to wager that your outer is as ugly as your inner!! Making a living in the brothel bus, is not an option for you!
  
  Report this comment
- skippy6
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:57pm
  @ranepowel Must be a fantasy of yours…
  
  Report this comment
- chips1
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:51pm
  RANE:
  Like mother, like daughter.
  
  Report this comment
- Inlightofthings
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:00pm
  C’mon RANE. Are you a parrot that needs to have an attorney define what “drink responsibly” means? I mean really….the logic of liberals is confounding.
  
  Report this comment
- missdagnytaggart
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 12:09am
  I’ll be sure to stop by Rane’s whorehouse so I can pay a visit to his mom
  
  Report this comment
Coyote1953
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:17pm
Can bureaucrats make up laws out of thin air?

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- Le Sellers
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:12pm
  That’s what bureaucrats do.
  
  Mr. O’bama, will there ever BE any Jobs?
  
  Report this comment
- texashuntre
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:13pm
  DICTATORS do..
  
  Report this comment
- GENEPAGLIARI
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:28pm
  It is called an “EXECUTIVE ORDER.” JUGEARS does it all the time.
  
  Report this comment
Old Truckers
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:15pm
It is not a ice skating rink.

It is a pond!

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- 4xeverything
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:48pm
  It’s not in the ground…it’s on the ground…it is a puddle.
  
  Report this comment
- spirited
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:55pm
  It is a FROZEN puddle
  
  Report this comment
- chips1
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:35pm
  Mix in koolaid and it’s a popcicle. Kids love popcicles.
  
  Report this comment
- Taquoshi
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 7:28pm
  Be careful. If it’s deemed as an inland wetland, they may be required to follow the local environmental rules.
  
  Report this comment
Exidor
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:08pm
Brillisnt. Send the kids back inside and plop them down in front of their X Box.

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- CatB
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:22pm
  Or out on the streets to get shot or do the shooting. Really Chicago .. you are soooooo stupid! Yes we had a dad who did this .. they actually made a hockey rink and the boys played and played. Then when it got dark .. we girls (and some of the boys) took it over to just skate.
  
  Report this comment
Rbell2915
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:06pm
I guess fun is now soon to be illegal?

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sparkyrules
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:00pm
For Pete’s sake! Kids need to get out and play,get away from video games and the like.Your damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

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- afishfarted
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:15pm
  You know how long it’s been since I’ve heard “for Pete’s sake”? I’ll be dad burned, I didn’t think anyone used that besides me. Dad gum, that’s good talkin’
  
  Report this comment
- 4xeverything
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:50pm
  Oh, you crazy, rackin’, frackin’ varments.
  
  Report this comment
its_the_end_of_the_world_as_we_know_it
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:59pm
Seems like the neighbors are the nuisance.

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- Jenny Lind
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:19pm
  Love your name. People have forgotten what a good sound it is to hear kids having good clean fun, it’s gotten more and more “don’t bother me” and worse, a resentment of fun, if they aren’t having any. Know someone in your neighborhood like that? If these folks keep reasonable hours, it is none of the city’s business.
  
  Report this comment
civilwarcometh
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:59pm
See how we don’t even own our own land anymore. Free my a$$!

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- Cavallo
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:06pm
  You never really did. It is called Property Taxes. You pay rent to occupy the land on which you think you own. Stop paying rent to your land lord (The State) and you will be evicted and the property given to someone else to rent, your deposit (the mortgage/selling price) will have the back rent deducted from the total. Welcome to Oceania, fellow serf!
  
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- mij61
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 2:06am
  No we don’t!!
  
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afishfarted
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:57pm
Y’all better aquaint yourself with Agenda 21. it AIN’T your property

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toiletclogga
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:55pm
If my dad built an ice rink in the back yard, I’d be thrilled. Neighbors probably don’t like the sound of fun coming from the rink!

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progressiveslayer
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:55pm
You can use your so called ‘private property’ any way you like as long as you do as you’re told by the communist heathen who really own your ‘private property’.

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- 4xeverything
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:51pm
  Agenda 21
  
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gyro
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:51pm
Wait till summer let it melt ?

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RJJinGadsden
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:50pm
Break out the hand held **** driers and go for it!

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- Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:22pm
  They could always just pee on it, it may take a lot of beer to melt the entire pond.
  
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