City Manager Candidates

 From what I read, the city currently has three candidates for the city manager position, 1 from the area and 2 unfamiliar with Carbondale. I am of two minds on this. On one hand, assuming they are all equally competent, hiring someone already familiar with Carbondale means they will not have to spend time getting "up to speed" on the city and its operations. On the other hand, hiring someone from outside the area brings a new viewpoint and unclouded perceptions of the city and its problems and opportunities.

Hangar 9 Party

 Hangar 9, which will close after some 40 years operating on Dec. 31, will hold a farewell/retirement party tonight from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Seems rather early for an event at a bar, but then the people who remember the Hangar 9's heydays may not stay up that late anymore.

SIUC Welcome Center

 Still not certain why SIUC needs a stand along Welcome Center, though it certainly is more fun to put in a new named building rather than investing in rehabing already existing buildings. Quigly Hall has to source replacement HVAC parts on Ebay since manufacturers no long keep the ones needed that are compatible with the university system or much needed work on the Student Center, which could certainly be renamed after a donor. A Welcome Center could even be incorporated into the recently built Student Services Building, which could certainly use a better name than that.

Save A Lot Closing

 From what I am hearing, Save A Lot on East Main will close at the end of January. Apparently not enough demand for a full line grocery store in that area to support the store. Once, it shutters, only convenience store food and the items at Town Square Market will be available in the downtown area.

City Manager

 Apparently we have candidates for the city manager position.  I really hope Stan Reno is not one of them as his getting the position would then mean a search to fill the chief of police position

CARBONDALE - The City of Carbondale is pleased to announce that a public meet-and-greet event will be held on January 7, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Carbondale Civic Center. This event will allow residents to meet the finalist candidates for the position of City Manager, learn more about their backgrounds, and ask questions about their vision for the future of Carbondale.

The City Manager plays a pivotal role in overseeing the City's day-to-day operations, working closely with the City Council to implement policies and initiatives that affect the community. This event is a key part of the selection process, allowing residents to engage with the candidates before making a final decision.

Event Details:

• Date: Tuesday, January 7, 2025
• Time: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Location: Carbondale Civic Center, 200 S. Illinois Avenue, Carbondale, IL

The meet-and-greet is open to the public and free of charge. City officials encourage all residents, business owners, and community stakeholders to attend, share their thoughts, and ask questions to help inform the final selection process.

Good Samaritan House

 Mike Wadiak, owner of Campus View Rentals, has donated the house behind Good Samaritan House to the non-profit, meaning Good Sam will be able to provide accommodations for 6 to 8 more people. Good Sam is looking for household items, beds, furniture, etc. Email Patty at goodsam@mchsi.com you can help

Killman Calls for Secession

 This is the sort of thing that makes you  a laughingstock. Heck, several of our surrounding  counties have passed resolutions calling for southern Illinois to secede from the state, because they do not like that Chicago has outsize influence over the rest of the state. Making sure that the roads and sewers are in good shape and that residents are save are far more helpful than posting statements like this.

Live Music

 with Hangar 9 closing at the end of the month,  to my knowledge, there will be only three  places in  Carbondale regularly hosting live music:  PKs, Tres Hombres and Booby's. there are three basement venues of which I have heard, Lost Cross and two others of which I do not remember the names. Levels, Trax and The Cellar on play recorded music or host DJs as does Indigo Lounge on occasion. Quite a decline from the days which you could catch live bands playing multiple places over every weekend.

Longbranch

 According to this post, Longbranch will close after the 1st, then reopen in March with a redesigned interior and new menu. Hopefully they will have enough traffic to justify longer hours. also hopefully, the hangers on in the town square will find someplace else to hang out. From what I have heard the crowds that gather in the parking lot after dark dissuade customers from coming to eat at places like Tres Hombres.

Flooding Survey

 The city is seeking help in identifying locations prone to flooding in the city and has posted a survey here. I cited the intersection of Willow and Illinois as well as Illinois and Cherry. I thin the Mill Street underpass may flood as well but I stay away from there as much as possible. 

Mike Bost and Little Grassy Lake

 Rep. Mike Bost is not happy with the plans to drain Little Grassy Lake and shut it down for 7 years. I especially was bemused by this line:  "I’ll fight to get the answers we deserve and make clear to the D.C. bureaucrats how much this lake means to the people of Southern Illinois."

I would be willing to bet that members of the Fish and Wildlife Service have spend much more time and have a better understanding of the problems Little Grassy Lake faces than Rep. Bost has over the past decade.

city Council Candidates

 Due to procedural errors when they turned in their petitions, current city council members Ginger Raye Sanders and LaCaje Hill and council candidate  Ryan Reed will not appear on the ballot for next year's election. The Municipal Officers Election Board held unanimously, 3-0 in the case of Reed and Hill and 3-0 and 2-0 in the case of Rye Sanders that the three candidates had violated state statutes  and that current case law requires strict and not substantial compliance as Hill had argued.   The three may appeal the decision to the Jackson County Circuit Clerk

Romantix

 Romantix is opening a location in Marion and is looking for a store manager, should anyone be looking for a position.  Pay is around $45,000 per year. Moving into the shuttered Family Video location on West Main

Lights Fantastic Parade

 Traffic, from what I could tell, was not as heavy in downtown as it has been in past years for the parade. I was able to navigate the sidewalks near the square quite easily and we still had plenty of cookies left over after the cookie walk.

I did hear a few people complaining about traffic getting all snarled up for, from what I could tell, it was moving pretty steadily with no noticeable jams or problems, aside from the cars I spotted driving the wrong way on Elm and University.

Little Grassy Lake

 The Fish and Wildlife Service announced today it will drain Little Grassy Lake sometime in the near future. Apparently the dam, built back in 1942, has deteriorated to the point that it is no longer feasible to reinforce and, should it give way, the resulting flood could also destroy the dam holding back Crab Orchard Lake, flooding and destroying properties downstream. 

Holiday Lights Contest

 The city is sponsoring a holiday house lighting contest. Send in a photo of your house and your residence will go on a map showing all of the entries and may win a $100 gift card from Ace Hardware

Koppers Site

Ever wonder how long it takes to clean up a hazardous waste site. Beazer's has been working on cleaning up the former Kopper's railroad tie treatment site in the northeast side of Carbondale since at least May of 2016

Lights Fantastic

 Just a reminder that the Lights Fantastic parade takes place this Saturday at 6 p.m. Sl Illinois from the North side of the square down to Wall Street and all of the streets crossing it will close at 5 p.m. and reopen at 8. Traffic will flow as normal on South 51 though.

Garden Grove Event Center

 
According to this post on Facebook, Garden Grove Event Center closed last week, effective immediately. The gym side of the operation is still open apparently, just the wedding venue and event side has shuttered