Lotus Massage

 It is not showing up on Google yet but according to the sign, Lotus Massage will/is open at the corner of Main and Almond. By my count that makes at least 5 places to get a massage in Carbondale. We must have a really stressed out population

Strip

 I was walking the south end of the Strip, the section of Illinois Avenue between College and Mill andwas struck by how empty it has become. The only retail business south of Trax and the Artspace Gallery is Insomnia Cookies and the retail stretch where it is located has never seen another business move into that stretch since Evolve/ Storyboard opened.  

Across the street, The Shop salon has moved to another location and the insurance agency has a sign in the window saying to call them as it is operating from home now.  SauSea's Seafood has  a banner up saying it will reopen soon and I have heard Slabz will be reopening sometime. 

Tourism Display

 I stopped in at the multi modal state to check to see if there was a tourism display there as I remembered and there is a display in the corner. Fairly small one though so I hope the city has plans to put a much larger rack in there when the station gets completed

Chicago Hot Dogs

 According to the sign in the window and the store's Google listing, Chicago Hot Dogs and More has permanently closed. for those who missed it, the business was located in the Nacho Fries location at the south end of the Strip. Neither business managed to last longer about six months.

Tourism Display

 I stopped in at the Civic Center/City Hall to pay water bills today and, whilst there looked around to see what was available for information on the city, especially things to do.  Just inside the east door, there is a double tiered rack attached to the wall with information on city services and flyers on local businesses and activities.  Good but not particularly noticeable.  

Bars

 I was pleasantly surprised to see people out on the sidewalk in front of several bars the last few weekends.  Booby's, PK's and Indigo all had people standing in front of them and if the recently reopened Hangar 9 had not greatly expanded its beer garden, I figure people would be standing outside in front of it. Parking was packed too. Certainly a nice change from earlier in the semester. 

University Baptist Church Letter

 Letter to the editor I sent to the Carbondale Times regarding University Baptist Church

Given that the University Baptist Church has held its last services and Good Samaritan House found itself unable to accept the offer of the facility, the city will likely find itself sometime in the next few years the recipient of yet another large building on which the owner will be unable to or unwilling to keep up with either maintenance or taxes. This is the unfortunate fate of most large buildings in Carbondale once their previous owner no longer has a need for them. The Johnson Hotel, Tuscan Lodge, Peerless Linens, Spires Grocery, Stage Company/ Bank Building, etc. The only ones offhand I can think of escaping this fate are part of the Walnut Street Baptist Church, the National Guard Armory complex and the Coca Cola Distribution facility on N. Oakland.

I would suggest the city reach out to University Baptist about accepting the building and then decide what to do with it, rather than leaving it set empty and unused, a the city will likely wind up in possession anyhow. 

Fire chief

 Looks like the city is looking for a new fire chief:

The City of Carbondale is seeking an experienced and dedicated Fire Chief to lead the City’s Fire Department and Emergency Management operations. The City desires a visionary, progressive, and forward-thinking professional who embraces best practices in modern fire and emergency services management, demonstrates a strong commitment to community engagement, and fosters a culture of teamwork and collaboration. 

Big Chill

 In case you want to hit Big Chill one last time, Mark extended the closing date until tomorrow, 11/18. Says he has more product that he can easily fit into storage so staying open an extra 2 days to lower inventory.

Placer.ai

 the city bought a 1 year license to use Placer.ai back in 2024 and decided earlier this year to extend the contract. Placer.ai   According to this, the Carbondale Police Department has been accessing the information despite Placer.ai's explicit policy against police departments having access to the information.  No idea how the poster got the information about police access to the date or if it is true as people can claim all sorts of things on the internet.

Placer.ai uses publicly available cell phone tracking data to track population movements in covered areas.  According to Placer.ai, all information gathered is anonymized with all identifying individual information stripped out. It allows the user to see high and low areas of foot traffic in the covered region. The report linked in the city council minutes, for example, shows foot traffic downtown during the 2024 Homecoming Concert

Highway 13 Parking

 Not sure how possible it is but I would like to see the left hand turn lane in the 200 block of West Main turned into on street parking. It would really help Thai Taste to have a parking space there for customers picking up orders and parking in front of the store for Nina' Panaderia, allowing customers to park in front of the store in order to run in and pick up their purchases, rather than parking behind the building and climbing a flight of stairs to get into the bakery or walking all the way around to the front. 

Tourism

 Carbondale is not a tourist town. It does not have the attractive and shoppable downtown needed to pull visitors in visit the downtown area.  It does not look "quaint", nor does it have the type of shops that would pull visitors in to the downtown area:  gift shops, artisanal crafters or antique shops.

What it does have, and this is something city government should push extensively, is adjacency to thousands of acres of national forest, state parks and wineries.  We have the lodging in both traditional hotels, motels and B&Bs  to serve as a home base for those coming to Southern Illinois to visit those attractions and the city needs a focal point where visitors can pick up information about local attractions. There is a small display last time I looked in the multi modal station. I hope the city puts in a much more fully stocked display to which we can send visitors.

Entertainment Pavilion

 Scheduled for completion next summer.  I hope, now that the city has spent $1.5 million on it, we get use out of it and that the parking area gets sealed and restriped after the pavilion gets completed.  I would like to see the city's hosting of the Sunset Concerts moved there and that the city never closes the Strip down again for a concert. close Washington Street down and use the stage for any downtown activities and concerts. The city still hasn't come up with a name for it.  From what I recall, when they solicited suggestions, the overwhelming choice was the Robbie Stokes Entertainment Pavilion or something similar , but have not heard anything since then.

Bandana's

 According to their signage Bandana's is reopening in the near future. Aside from a food truck or so, I think that will be the only dedicated BBQ restaurant in town.

Most Expensive Building

 Talking with someone in a position to know during the Homecoming concert, according to them the Multimodal transit center is the most expensive building built in the state of Illinois in the last 10 years, with a cost running around $800 per square foot.

I must say, there is a lot of empty space inside, both horizontally and vertically. There is a lot of empty vertical space inside the architect put in there to comply with the city's downtown requirement of having facades at least 2 stories tall. Instead of putting a second floor in, there is just a lot of open space, which will require heating and cooling.

In addition, there are more meeting spaces in the north end of the building. Did the city need them? It already has space at the Dunn Richmond Center, in the Student Center, in the Civic Center, even the old Train Depot building. Local groups also meet in the Public Library and in various churches. It seems we have far more meeting spaces that we have meeting space need.

Repaving

 Gov. Pritzker was in the city this week, announcing among other things, the awarding of a $2 million grant to resurface streets in the Arbor district. The area covered includes:  West College Street from South Forest to South University avenues; West Cherry Street from South Oakland to South Illinois avenues; and Poplar Street from West Mill to West Oak streets

I really hope the city can then come up with money to resurface the section of Poplar between Oak and Sycamore as that stretch of street is in pretty rough shape. Not to the point that someone driving on it will blow out a time but still bad.

Finish Line

According to their post on social media, The Finish Line athletic shoe store  at university Mall will close on Nov. 15. No clearance sales, just come by stuff before another mall store closes its doors.  I think that leaves about half a dozen still operating out there.

SauSea's Seafood

 According to a banner in front of their closed location, SauSea's Seafood will be reopening soon. No indication as to when "soon" is and no mention of it on their social media. will be glad to see another empty storefront filled though

food Bank donations

 Wile making a donation to the Good Sam Food pantry, I asked them what they could most use at this time and the answer was......cash. That makes sense. while donations of food are certainly welcome, with cash they can buy the food they need for their patrons and likely get it at cheaper prices than donors can get

University Baptist Church

 If the city wanted to be proactive about the whole University Baptist church situation, it could work with the church to have the property deeded over to the city, then work with Good Samaritan House to develop a play by which the organization could make use of the facility with input from stakeholders living in the area.  Otherwise, based on what has happened in the past, the building will sit empty, slowly getting vandalized and stripped, until it gets voluntarily surrendered to the city and demolished as most large abandoned  buildings in Carbondale have.

Aban Kitchen

 According to a post on their Facebook, Aban Kitchen on South Illinois is up for sale. You can either buy the whole Aban operation, including the name and recipes, or all of the restaurant equipment and fixtures and assume the lease.  If there is no sale, the owners will close up operations at the end of the year.

From what I can tell, the business is profitable but the owners are relocating out of the area and hope to sell to someone who will keep the business open and staff employed.

University Baptist Church

 According to this post on Good Samaritan House's Facebook page, the board voted not to accept the gift of the University Baptist Church building. The board decided the organization does not have the resources to renovate and maintain such a large facility. So, for those not wanting to have a homeless resource center located in the southwest part of town, you got your wish as the rezoning request has been removed from the city council agenda.

Of course, that does leave the very big problem of what to do with the building once the church dissolves and stops using it. The city will likely have to step up police visits to the property since it will not longer have staff keeping an eye on it 

Halloween Candy

 I was working the Halloween Trick or Treat/Homecoming Concert today and noticed that a lot of the candy given out was gummies, Skittles and other non-chocolate candy. This tracks with what is happening nationwide.  With chocolate prices up 8 to 10% from last year and bags of candy up 25% to a third, more people are giving out the non-chocolate candy as it is just cheaper.

Halloween Homecoming Concert

From what I can tell from this, South Illinois from College to Elm will close down for the Homecoming Concert starting about 3 p.m. tomorrow until about 10 p.m.

Downtown Candy Walk will take place from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. with about 40 locations participating.

CottonDale

 Was reading through Legends and Lore of Southern Illinois and found, from the mid 1860s through the late 1870s, Carbondale was the center of cotton production in Illinois  and one of the top cotton producing locations in the country. This was due to a combination of factors. During the Civil War, Southern cotton production was devastated so Illinois bottomland along the Mississippi was put into cotton production to replace it. Carbondale, as the nearest railroad hub, found itself the  shipping point for raw cotton produced in the region, with a number of cotton gins and balers built in the city. The shipment of baled cotton to mills in the east from Carbondale skyrocketed

As the South recovered and its cotton production revived, the demand for Illinois cotton declined with the last gins dismantled by 1880.

University Baptist Church

Further commenting on the status of the University Baptist Church  building, Carbondale has a pretty poor track record of getting land lords to maintain the condition of larger buildings with no tenants. Cases in point, the Johnson Hotel on North Illinois is now a parking lot.  Once the Stage Company left the old bank building at the corner of Main and Washington due to the landlord not maintaining it, the building quickly deteriorated further and now there is a grassy area with a fountain.

Tuscan Lodge eventually needed several hundred thousand dollars worth of renovation to bring it up to code, so the owner surrendered it to the city, which razed it. There's a grassy area where the old high school, occupied for a time by the Boys and Girls' Club, stood on North Springer.

University Baptist Church has someone willing to take over use and maintenance of the building. Better to put it to some sort of use than to leave it sit empty in the hope that some other buyer might come along. Remember at the time it was built, the building was a school on the edge of Carbondale. The housing grew up around it, before the city ever put zoning into place. That is why the town has a converted National Guard armoury and a former Coca Cola distributorship at the intersection of Sycamore and Oakland.

Hedges 2

 I took a walk around the square this afternoon and all of the hedges have indeed been removed from the railroad patio, the veterans patio and the fountain patio. In addition, the wall on the north side of the fountain patio on Washington Street, as well as the benches there have been removed. For the last few years, that area seen an average of 3 police visits per night, which really affects evening business in that area.  I figure the removal of the benches and wall is to discourage loitering in the area and it is common to see people sitting there for hours. Yeah, I know that is what the benches are for, but when you have people defecating in the shrubs and bathing in the fountain, some action needs to occur.

University Baptist Church Rezoning

 It appears several city council members are not in favor of rezoning University Baptist Church for use as a homeless shelter co-ordination center, due to its proximity to the owner occupied southwest section of Carbondale. Of course, the board of the University Baptist Church has offered the building gratis to Good Samaritan House, so not using it for the very purpose Good Samaritan House exists means we will a large empty building sitting on the edge of that owner occupied area.

Hedges

 The city has pulled out most of the hedges on the town square. The ones surrounding the conductor statue are gone as are the ones around the fountain.  I did not notice if the ones around the veteran's monument hat been removed or not. I know in the past people have used them to sleep behind so possibly that is one reason they were removed.

City Council Agenda

 Here is the agenda for next Tuesday's city council meeting. Notably on it are 

A request from Hangar 9 for a temporary liquor license

Authorization of an application for a $1 million grant for community solar poser

Awarding a contract for $80,000 to demolish 6 properties at 1965 Stephens Road, 608 W. Cherry Street, 613 W. College Street, 611 W. Walnut Street, 504 S. Ash Street, and 322 W. Walnut Street.  The 608, 611 and 504 properties were previously owned by Home Rentals while, according to an email from the Arbor District, the 322 and 613 properties were owned by Joseph Bryant.  All of them were voluntarily surrendered to the city

Expanding the #1 TIF District 

Munch Station

 Munch Station, which features Mediterranean  food, just opened to good reviews in the recently vacated Zeenah's Palace location on East Grand Avenue.  By my count, this makes at least four locations featuring Mediterranean food in Carbondale

University Baptist Church Closing

University Baptist Church on South Oakland has announced it will shutter the church at the end of October with an open house on Oct 25 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. It appears the church will no longer hold services and will turn the building over to Good Samaritan Ministries, allowing Good Sam to move its operations under one roof, while still maintaining the food pantry and clothes closet.

Slabz

 From what I heard recently, Slabz Skateboard park will reopen later this fall after it reintegrates the retail storefront into the skatepark. Appears sales were not strong enough to warrant a separate storefront operation.

I will be glad to see it open again as Carbondale can certainly use a skatepark. I remember local skateboarders approaching the city council about securing funding for the construction of a public one but as far as I know, they only did so one time. It would take continued pressure to get council to build one, not just a one time appearance.

Signage

 Someone told me Carbondale had an ordinance on the books forbidding architectural signs installed at a 90 degree angle to the building, hence the reason for all of the signs flush against the building on Illinois.  According to city ordinances, that is not so. Architectural signs, those attached to the building, can extend out over the sidewalk and other public rights of way so long as they are at least 8 feet off the ground and the owner provides proof of insurance, in the event the sign falls off the building and damages the sidewalk or konks a passerby on the head.

Native Tree and Shrub Sale

 Native tree and shrub sale at the town square pavilion until 2 p.m .today. Town square parking was packed last night, likely due to people in town for Family Weekend.  Even people waiting to get  into Mary Lou's at 7 a.m today.

Pag's

 Pagliai's is open but apparently customer foot traffic dropped significantly during their closure. It is really hard to get foot traffic back up to where you were before closing any business. I do not know what social media, if any, they are using but the restaurant's last Facebook post said they were closing for repairs and that was back in June.

Street Projects

 City government announced today it received almost $2 million in non-matching funds to resurface sections of West College, West Cherry and Poplar.  I am especially happy to see that Poplar is included because the stretch of Poplar north of Main has been needing more work for years.  Now if the city could just get funding to redo Willow.

The City of Carbondale is pleased to announce it has been awarded a $1,989,063 grant to repave three important roadway corridors. This award requires no local matching funds, ensuring that the project will be completed at no cost to the City or residents.

The grant, awarded through the state’s largest-ever infrastructure program, will provide 100% funding for the following repaving projects:

• W. College Street from S. Forest Avenue to S. University Avenue
• W. Cherry Street from S. Oakland Avenue to S. Illinois Avenue
• Poplar Street from W. Mill Street to W. Oak Street

This investment will enhance transportation safety, improve road conditions, and support long-term community development.

Halloween Events

 Here's is the press release from the city regarding Halloween events in the city

Due to all the trick or treaters, several blocks of S. Glenview usually get blocked off.

I will be hosting Haunted Carbondale walking tours, leaving Castle Perilous Games at 6 p.m on the events of the 10th, 17 22 and 29th . We moved the last two from Friday to Wednesday so as not to conflict with the Homecoming Concert or Halloween

The City of Carbondale is excited to announce the kickoff of Carbondale Halloween 2025, a month filled with traditions, thrills, and exciting new events for all ages! 

Halloween Kickoff – October 4 
Festivities begin on Saturday, October 4, at The Varsity Center with a special double-feature screening of Ghostbusters and The Substance. This is the first of several spooky movie nights planned throughout October. Residents and visitors can enjoy classic Carbondale Halloween traditions such as The Pumpkin Glow from Green Earth, Inc. (Oct. 16-18), & The Great Carbondale Pumpkin Race (Oct. 18), put on by The Rotary Club of Carbondale- Breakfast, along with many other family-friendly outings, old and new, throughout October, on into the beginning of November.  

This year, Carbondale Halloween and SIU Homecoming join forces for the Carbondale Halloween Homecoming Music Street Festival on Friday, Oct. 24 from 3-10 p.m. South Illinois Avenue will be closed for an evening of food trucks, vendors, games, an all-ages costume contest, and live music featuring The Urge, Keller Williams Presents DeadPettyKellerGrass, Hot Like Mars, and Modern Day Saints ft. Tawl Paul and other special guests.  Don’t resist “The Urge” to join us with friends, family and alumni to celebrate Halloween and SIU Homecoming on the Strip. 

Find full itinerary and details of all Carbondale Halloween events at carbondalehalooween.com.  

Official Trick-or-Treat Hours – October 31 
Halloween trick-or-treating will take place on Thursday, October 31, from 4–8 p.m. 

• Residents who wish to hand out candy should leave their porch or driveway lights on. 

• Trick-or-treaters are encouraged to wear reflective clothing or tape, and guardians should check candy for safety. 

• Volunteers are welcome for the Pumpkin Patrol, which helps ensure a safe Halloween night. To volunteer, contact Randy Mathis at the Carbondale Police Department at 618-457-3200 ext. 402 or via email at rmathis@carbondaleil.gov. 

Halloween Decorating Contest 
Carbondale will again host its Home & Business Decorating Contest to celebrate the spirit of Halloween. Winners in each category will receive a $50 gift card to a local business. 

• Entries must feature decorations visible from outside. 

• To participate, email photos to contest@carbondaleil.gov with your name, phone number, and address. Please also indicate if you consent to your photos being shared on social media and your address being included in the public map of decorated homes. 

• The submission deadline is Monday, October 27. 

ACLU

 I thought the City council had changed the ordinance targeting protestors who were speaking out in opposition to the reproductive care/abortion clinics in town but apparently not, or at least not enough to satisfy the protestors and the ACLU. Just stop it. Treat them like anyone else. They cannot go onto private property without permission and if they cause a disturbance, arrest them

Washington Street Garden

 According to this, the owner of the property where the Washington Street Community Garden was decided to raze it due to trash, lack of upkeep and the owner's vague desire to possibly establish a bar in the vacant Center for Empowerment and Justice building with the Washington Street Garden property used for parking.

Taste Buds Stacks

 Taste Bud Snacks, on the west side of Carbondale, announced on social media they will be closing the Carbondale location, not due to poor sales but because the owner is relocating to Columbia Mo

Slabz 2

 It looks as if both the Slabz retail storefront and the Slabz skatepark have both shuttered.  As I mentioned earlier, the Slabz storefront is empty. A sign on the door at the Slabz skatepark directs people wanting access to the skatepark to go to the storefront, which of course, won't do them much good since nothing is there.

SIU Day of Giving

 SIU raised $5.7 million during this week's day of giving. From what I gather though, about $3 million of that came from an already announced gift  to SIUC's women's basketball program. Still $2.7 million is a respectable amount.

Slabz

 Looks as if the Slabz retail location has closed down.  The space is empty. I didn't get a chance to look but would be willing to bet they incorporated into the Skatepark facility.

For Sale

 I would estimate one third to one half of the houses in the 300 and 400 blocks of West Walnut have "For sale" signs on them. Not just "For Rent" but "For sale". That is a lot of places, primarily rental properties, up for sale through Schilling Properties commercial property division. Great investment opportunity if you think the university can get in town attendance back up to 20,000 or so students.

Simply Slices

 Simply Slices opened its third location (the other two are in Chicago) in the closed Long John Silver/ A&W Root Beer location behind Taco Bell. As the name says, it sells slices of pizza, as well as shaved ice.  Lots of customers now checking out the business but we shall see if it has staying power. A drive through slice based pizza location may do quite well, as Newby's is the only other pizza place in town offering a drive through option.

John A. Logan Up

 while SIUC remained flat year to year, John A Logan reported an attendance increase of 4.5%, Shawnee community College is up 6.8% and Rend Lake College is up 3.7%. granted those have smaller student populations than SIUC but Northwestern University has a student population of 23,000 and still saw a 7% increase in admitted students.

corporate Landlords

 Last time I checked about 70% of Carbondale housing was rental properly rather than single family owned. According to this research, that is good for diversity and lower income families as it makes moving into  a home more affordable.  Unfortunately, it makes it hard for those families wanting to own a home as it takes homes affordable for families off the market, forcing them to rent rather than own.

City Council Meeting

 Headed over to tonight's city council meeting but did not get there until 6:20. It was a short meeting as the session had ended and people were at the dais talking to various council members

Getty Solar Farm

 The Getty solar farm is nearing completion. Probably a good 20 to 30 acres of solar panels. Despite Rep. Mike Bost's complaining, no "prime farmland" was taken out of production for its installation

SIUC Attendance Update

 According to this updated story, Chancellor Lane did a 180 on his decision to avoid the media and SIUC lost 95 international students year to year. Normally, that wouldn't be significant but as thin as SIUC's enrollment increases have been over the past several years, any drop is going to have an outsized impact. This is also the smallest freshman class since 2022.

As was noted in the comments on the previous post, the drop in incoming students may be due to the lack of attention SIUC administration has paid to facilities over the past 25 years. The last major upgrades to infrastructure were the new student services building football stadium and Arena renovation. There is no real need for the Tedrick Welcome Centeras the student services building could easily serve that function. The Tedricks have donated a lot of money to the university over the years but do not have anything on campus to show for it. A new welcome center is nice but does nothing to fix the leaks in the roof at Quigley Hall or the broken book shelves in Morris Library. Students come here because of solid programs, facilities that support them financial aid. Anything else is window dressing. No student, save for those on athletic scholarship, comes here because of the athletic program. 

City Council Agenda

 Here is the majority of the city council agenda for next Tuesday. Assuming there aren't a lot of citizen comments and no one wants to pull items from the consent agenda, it should be a pretty quick meeting as there are no general business items to come before the council:

3.1 City Council Meeting Minutes from August 26, 2025

3.2 Approval of Warrant for the Period Ending: 08/29/2025 for the FY 2026 Warrant 1519 in the Total Amount of

$1,389,325.01

3.3 Approval of Wells Fargo Warrant for the Period Ending 07/31/2025 FY 2026 Warrant # WF 07/2025 in the amount of

$171,224.23

3.4 Ordinance Approving a Budget Adjustment to Increase the Information Systems FY 2026 Budget in the Total Amount of

$7,020.00

3.5 Award the Purchase of One (1) - 4 Door GMC 1500 4x4 to Auffenberg of Carbondale in the Amount of $46,320, Adopt an

Ordinance Approving a Budget Adjustment to Increase the Meter Services Budget in the Amount of $46,320, and Declare

City-Owned Property as Surplus

3.6 Resolution Approving the Submission of an IDNR OSLAD Grant in the Amount of $578,776 and Obligating Matching

Funds in the Amount of $289,388 for the Evergreen Park Playground Upgrade Project

3.7 Approval of Consent Agenda Items

SIUC Attendance Flat

 According to this article from the Daily Egyptian, attendance at SIUC is flat this semester, with a 5 person drop to 11, 785. According to the numbers in the press release, attendance would have been up 5 to 10% if not for a significant drop in international students. How large the drop in international students is, the press release did not say.

I found interesting Chancellor Lane's explicit refusal to sit for media interviews about the numbers but then, from what I hear, he does not much care for staying around campus.

Community Garden

 It looks as if the community garden at the corner of Washington and Jackson has been removed. From what I understand, it was used as a toilet with human feces found there regularly, along with drug paraphernalia and the volunteers who had started the garden were no longer able to maintain it.

Highway 13

 From what I understand, when Highway 13 was expanded to multiple lanes and run through downtown., part of the agreement was on street parallel parking . Highway 13 eastbound along Walnut in the Arbor District area has the promised onstreet parking. However, it was never installed on westbound Main Street. It still could be which might help slow traffic through that area. I would really like seeing 13 reduced to 2 lanes going through town. There is no good reason for 3 lanes of traffic running through a residential area.

Downtown

 I attended a meeting with a few other downtown business owners and one of the problems downtown faces is an overabundance of destination stores. Most of the businesses in downtown are restaurants or bars or hair stylists. While people do pub crawl, with the other two, their customers visit and leave. There are not a lot of shopping options in downtown. Customers leave my store or Priority Sports with their purchases, hop in their cars and leave 

PK's Beer Garden

 Is no more.  The Hilton is building a parking lot on the north side of the building and the alleyway will once again be used for traffic. I assume the smokers will all migrate into the alley when needed, watching out for cars, or the front sidewalk. 

Solar Bear

 Solar Bear snuck up on me this year but apparently started about 11 a.m. this morning with the focal point the section of West College between University and Poplar. Although I saw very little foot traffic while driving on Walnut this afternoon, there are about 500 drunk college students blocking the streets in that section of town.

Off the Rails

 Off the Rails concert tonight featuring Chicago Farmer and the Fieldnotes and Lucas Wayne and the Cottonmouths. Estimated attendance for the first Off the Rails earlier this month was between 300 and 400 people. Given that students are back and moved in and the temperature is more moderate, I would expect to see another 200 to 300 people .

West Coast Vibes Dispensary

 Carbondale has another dispensary in downtown.  West Coast Vibes Dispensary is located in University Plaza next to Q Massage. That makes, by my count, at least three dispensaries in town, with a fourth coming in the old Pizza Hut building, and that does not count the place where you can get CBD hemp extract.

Hangar 9

 Hangar 9 reopened last night. According to a friend that was there, the place was packed earlier in the evening, then cleared out some after 10 , then saw an influx of people again to pack the place about midnight.

Preservation Commission

 the Preservation Commission meets this Monday at 5:30. Appears there is some concern over the status of the Paul Simon Federal Building, which was listed earlier this year as a potential sale by the administration. No further word or announced arrests regarding last June's defacement of the building

Roll call 

Approval of Minutes: July 21, 2025

Communication and Reports:

a. Educational and Technical Assistance Committee

No Report

b. Nomination and Hardship Committee

No Report

c. Work Plan Committee

No Report

d. Certificate of Appropriateness Committee

No report

e. Preservation Month Subcommittee

No Report

Old Business:

None.

New Business:

a. Review with possible action on draft letter on the Senator Paul Simon Federal Building

b. Discussion with possible action on the selection of commission members to serve on the July 4th sub-ommittee

Comments from the public, commission members or staff 

Adjournment

Letter

 since Rep. Bost is only holding photo ops and private meetings to discuss the Large Lousy Law, I sent a letter to the editor of the Carbondale Times pointing out some additional things included in the bill. You can find it in the August 15 issue of the Times.

Off the Rails 2

 Talking with Matt at Carbondale Main street, the estimates for the first Off the Rails concert were between 300 and 400 attendees.  When I stopped by between 8 and 9 p.m., I saw quite a bit of space in the crowd but it was still pretty warm which likely kept people away,  However if that many people came out in muggy weather like this, I imaging the August 29th event will see between 500 to 1000

Big Beautiful Bill Tour

 Rep Mike Bost is hosting a series of private events starting today and ending on the 27, highlighting the benefits of the "Big Beautiful Bill" (who names a law that anyway?). None of these events are open, as far as I can tell, to the public and the closest one to Carbondale, in Murphysboro, is a webinar.  No visits to hospitals or health care organizations and no visit to the VA.

Off The Rails

 the first Off the Rails concert of the fall takes place tonight, featuring House of Soul and Funky Mojo Daddy. This means Washington Street between Main and Walnut will close until sometime around 10 p.m.

Students Back

 SIUC reopens August 18th so students will return or move in this upcoming week. Expect to see lots of drivers unfamiliar with Carbondale's one way streets turning the wrong direction onto them and likely a number of accidents or near misses.

West Hospital Drive

 Ever wonder why we have a block long West Hospital Drive in downtown Carbondale? It is the block long street that runs just north of FirstMid Bank, linking University and Illinois.

Here is a link to information about the hospital which stood on the FirstMid property until 1971. It opened as Holden Hospital, affiliated with the Methodist Church, in 1916 and remained an independent organization until 1965 when it merged with Doctor's Memorial Hospital, now simply Memorial Hospital. Most of the hospital complex was razed in 1971 after the building sold to FirstMid with the last structure pulled down in 1976, replaced by what is now the FirstMid parking lot.

SIUC students, from what I have heard, liked to use the hospital grounds for recreation as it was the only large green space in downtown. Now the West Hospital Drive sign is the only indication of how early Carbondale became the health care center for the region.

Nina's Panaderia

 La Unica Panaderia closed for about a month for remodeling and reopened yesterday under the new name Nina's Panaderia. They have added new tables and display cases for the pastries and removed several of the refrigerated cases. At least for today, the business is opening on Sunday.

Jimmy John's

 Appears the S. Illinois Jimmy John's workers are on strike,. Sign on the door reads "On strike.  Overworked and Underpaid". Apparently there is a Jimmy John's Union but the website does not appear updated since 2014.

Popeye's

 Given the signage, or rather the lack thereof, it appears that Popeye's has officially given up the ghost for the second or third time.  All of the signage featuring the company's name has been completely covered up

Longtime residents may remember the first Popeye's to come to Carbondale was located on the south side of East Main, a few dozen yards east.  The last occupant of that location was a payday loan operation that closed down a couple of years ago.

Bystander Training

 From the city:

CARBONDALE - The Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR), in partnership with the City of Carbondale, invites community members to participate in “From Bystander to Upstander: Preventing Harm in Public Spaces,” an interactive training session taking place on Tuesday, August 26 beginning at 3:00 p.m. at the Carbondale Civic Center.  

“Creating a safe and inclusive community requires all of us to take an active role,” said Stan Reno, City Manager of Carbondale. “We’re proud to partner with the Illinois Department of Human Rights to bring this important training to our residents. Equipping individuals with tools for safe conflict resolution and effective bystander intervention strengthens our community and supports our shared goal of promoting respect, accountability, and safety for everyone at all times.”  

Grounded in the “5 Ds” of bystander intervention, this training is designed to empower individuals with the knowledge and tools to safely intervene in incidents of harassment and conflict. The presentation explores the impact of harassment, offers strategies for safety, and introduces practical de-escalation techniques grounded in empathy, active listening, and situational awareness. 

Participants will also engage in real-world scenarios and learn how to access support networks, report incidents effectively, and promote systemic change. Attendees will leave with confidence and competence to foster safer, more inclusive public spaces. 

This event is free and open to the public. Please contact the City of Carbondale’s Director of Violence Prevention Programs, Dianah McGreehan, at dmcgreehan@carbondaleil.gov for more information about this training or to register.                                                                                                          

For media requests contact Public Relations Officer Eva Fisher at 618-713-0711.

Lighting

 Appears that part of the T-mobile lighting grant Carbondale Main Street received will go towards illuminating the alley between Cristados and the So Il Syndicate gym. Apparently the hope is to eventually block the alley and turn it into an outdoor dining space, much as was done with the alley running south of P.K.s 

Chief of Police

 Looks like Carbondale has a new Chief of Police. Rather bemused the press release announcing it was sent out at 4:56 on a Friday afternoon

The City of Carbondale is pleased to announce the appointment of Anthony Copeland as its new Chief of Police, effective September 2, 2025.

Copeland brings more than two decades of law enforcement experience to the position and a strong commitment to community-centered policing and leadership development. Copeland began his career in law enforcement in 2002 with the Baltimore County Police Department in Maryland. In 2006, he and his family relocated to Western Kentucky, where he joined the Paducah Police Department starting as a patrol officer and then a detective. Over the course of his distinguished career, he served in or supervised every division as he promoted through the ranks within the Paducah Police Department. Since 2018, Copeland has held the role of Assistant Chief of Police.

Copeland holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a master’s degree in Human Development and Leadership from Murray State University. His training also includes advanced law enforcement leadership programs from the FBI, Penn State University, the University of Louisville, and the Southern Police Institute.

Carbondale City Manager and retiring Chief of Police Stan Reno expressed his confidence in the transition and praised Copeland’s extensive experience and character: “Chief Copeland is a proven leader who understands the importance of professional law enforcement practices, accountability and community engagement,” said Reno. “ His combination of experience, education, and vision makes him the right person to lead the Department into the future. I am proud to entrust the leadership of the Department with someone who is committed to building strong relationships within the Carbondale community and keeping the community safe.”

Signs

Since I was discussing signage yesterday, the sign directing people to Carbondale Main Street , the Chamber of Commerce and Station Carbondale needs updating. Ever since it was installed, the only drivers who could see it easily were those turning onto  Illinois from Marion as the arrows were installed parallel to Illinois avenue. Rotate it 90 degrees so that drivers heading North on Illinois can see it.  Also, since the Chamber of Commerce moved its offices to the Dunn Richmond Center, taking its name off the sign is overdue as well.

Multi Modal Station

 You know what the new transmodal station really needs?  A sign.  Make that two signs. One saying this is the Amtrak Station and one saying it is the Greyhound and other bus station.  Seriously, put signs up.  For years, those in the offices at the old train depot have had people coming in asking if it is the train station. There was even a sign put up a number of years ago telling train riders that the Amtrak station was two blocks south and still people kept asking.  Why?  Because the old train depot looks like a TRAIN DEPOT. The new building, while a nice addition to downtown, does not. The only signage currently on the outside of the building is a big one saying "Carbondale".

Given that the now demolished Amtrak station was built back in 1981 and 40 years later people still did not know where it was, putting signage up indicating the new building is now the train and bus depot seems a good idea. One on the building itself and one posted on a light pole out by the street.

Lost Forest Coffeehouse

 The Lost Forest Coffeehouse, at the corner of College and Illinois in the old Artistic Minds Tattoo location opened this pas week and so far the reviews are good. I expect it to do well since it is the closest coffeehouse to the main SIUC campus, though Common Grounds is right across the street from the Towers. I hope the owners have plans to reach out to campus as they could draw a lot of traffic from there.

Pag's Temporarily Closed

 According to their Facebook page, Pagliai's is temporarily closed for repairs.  The HVAC is currently getting replaced and the people who bought it last year have returned it to the previous owners who have put it up for sale again for just under $700,000

Charging Stations

 SIUC announced, along with the planned demolition of the old Greek row, it would install 3 level three EV changing stations on campus, one across from the Student Center, one at the entrance to Touch of Nature and one on the north side of the  Glenn Poshard Transportation Education Center at the Southern Illinois Airport.  From the tone of the article, it sounds as if multiple drivers can charge vehicles at the same time and it will take about 45 to fully charge one vehicle. Installed by summer of 2026.

On Campus Living

 Caught on the news today that there are approximately 3800 beds on campus and they are just over 80% occupied (I assume during the fall and spring semesters). The university also plans to raze the old Greek Row complex, which for the most part is boarded up, west of Campus Lake and replace it with, ta-dah, Saluki Village, which will be targeted at.....fraternities and sororities.  In effect, just replicating Greek Row under a new name with food service facilities. I rather expect to see the demolition take place but not too sure about the new facilities. The university pulled down the three story residence halls south of the Towers several years ago, with plans to replace them with new housing facilities, but nothing ever came of that.

Tourism

 Following up on my last post on tourism, we had easily half a dozen families stop in at the store that said they were staying in Carbondale and visiting the Shawnee region.  We handing out Carbondale Main Streets new downtown dining and drinking book and pointed them in the way of attractions such as Boo Rochman (Castle), which given the nature of our clientele, they had either already visited or were very enthused to learn about about, Giant City State Park, alto Pass and Bald Knob and the assorted wine trails.

We did ask them were they were staying and, to a fault, no one said any of the local hotels. Every family had booked one of the local AirBnBs. Also, rather surprisingly, none of them said they were down for the wine trails.

Buckminister Fuller Birthday Party

 I have been advocating for the city to celebrate Buckminister Fuller more so am glad to see Fuller Dome committee is hosting a celebration this Saturday commemorating his 130th birthday. This is the 2nd year for the celebration and I hope it continues. I also hope SIUC revives its Bucky Days multi day celebration it used to hold. It did host a speaker on Fuller's legacy in April of 2024 but nothing so far this year.

Declaration of Independence

 I normally do not plug the store here but tomorrow we will host our third annual reading of the Declaration of Independence at 11 am. You are welcome to join us at the store or watch live as we stream it on our Facebook page.

Zeenah's Palace

 I see a note in the window at Zeenah's Palace saying they are currently closed but are available for catering. No indication as to why or how long.

Tourism

 Caught on the news today that the state has doubled the amount it spends promoting tourism in Southern Illinois which is good.  How does Carbondale cash in on this? Despite what it might think or want, Carbondale is not a tourist town. People visit Carbondale for two main reasons:  SIUC or health care. Which is fine. There is nothing wrong with people coming to town for those two reasons. Their money is good and they spend it in hotels and restaurants.

What Carbondale Tourism should do, and since this advice is free take it for what it is worth, is position itself as the place to stay while taking advantage of the outdoor opportunities in Southern Illinois. it is easier to get to the Shawnee here than it is from Marion and it is also easier to get to the Southern Illinois Wine Trail(s) as well. Promote Carbondale as the place to stay while enjoying those, not as a tourist destination in itself. 

It is certainly possible to make Carbondale a tourist destination but it will take years and a concerted effort on the part of the city to make us a desirable place for tourists to visit.

SIUC Enrollment

 SIUC's summer enrollment for 2025 is up 5% over that of 2024 and is up 15% over that of 2021. This marks 6 semesters in a row the university  has seen  enrollment increase. Enrollment this summer is 5264 is a far cry from the 9000 students Carbondale used to see during summer session . I remember how quiet people thought the town was with "only" 9000 students here.

Lighting

 From what I understand, part of the grant Carbondale Main Street received from T-mobile will go towards lighting the alleys between Mary Lou's and Aban Kitchen as well as the one just north of Rip's Pizza, /there is one other location scheduled to be lighted but I do not remember where it was.

More lighting in downtown is good. The lighting along South Illinois has really improved the appearance and safety of the Strip after dark.

Fountain

 SIUC is installing a fountain in Campus Lake, which will shoot water 60 feet into the air. While it will look cool, it will also improve the quality of water in the lake which, due to a lake of water movement, has had problems with algae growth for years.

Potholes

 I have noticed the city doing a very good job responding to reports about potholes when I submit them through the See Click Fix application on my phone. I have submitted half a dozen over the last two weeks and all but one have had repairs done to them.

Of course I have been on my bike, which makes it far easier to stop and submit a report than if I were in a car. 

Planning Commission

 The Planning Commission meets next Wednesday night at 6 p.m. to take more public comments regarding updating the city's comprehensive plan. The comprehensive plan is more important than you might think as the city is supposed to follow the plan's dictates when making decisions and members of the community have used past versions of the plan to dissuade the city from developing a project that ran counter to it.

Call to Order and Roll Call

2. Approval of Minutes: None

3. Citizen Comments and Questions

4. Report of Officers, Committees, Communications

5. Public Hearings/Plan Review

PC 25-13: Continuation of a public hearing to take testimony and make recommendations to City

Council regarding the City’s Comprehensive Plan update

Vandalism

 The feds are looking for whomever vandalized the Federal Building last week.  Here is a photo of the "person of interest" but apparently they are not looking too hard as the reward is only $1000.  Make it $10,000 and you would have a line out the door waiting to turn him in.

Signage

 Carbondale Main Street announced today a $47,000 grant from T-mobile for downtown signage and lighting. From what I understand the signage will primarily focus on making cyclists aware of the bicycle route running from the square to the SIUC campus. It is there, but most people do not know of it, especially cyclists as I saw a couple riding on the side walks and on highway 51. the new bikeway is much safer than even using the bike lanes on 51 but people need to know about it.

In addition, some of the funding will go towards decorative alleyway lighting. I am not sure where but maybe the alleyway behind Mary Lou's as that one gets pretty dark when the sun goes down but lights along the bikeway would be good as well, especially closer to Mill Street.

This N' That

 According a couple of posts on social media, This 'n That will reopen around June 28th after remodeling. Be glad to see them reopened though I certainly wish they had posted something on the door indicating they had closed but were reopening.I think that will leave the SauSea's location as the only storefront facing S. Illinois looking for a tenant, though the spaces in the Evolve/Storyboard complex next to Insomnia never have filled.

618 Week

 Celebrate 618 week started today and here is a list of participating businesses.  Most of them are offering a discount or special offer tied to 618. Some started Monday and run all week, some are only good on June 18th.

No Kings Protest

No Kings protest today on Highway 51 northbound.  Stretching about 6 blocks north and south and about half a block east and west on East and West 13. 

Federal Building Vandalism

 The Paul Simon Federal Building got vandalized sometime on Tuesday and the DOJ is promising to find whomever did it.  I walked around the building this after noon and, if there was vandalism, it was cleaned up very quickly. The only sign I saw of any vandalism was a sand blasted area on the east side of the building where it looked as if some one had spray pained graffiti. 

Homelessness

 Caught on the news today that US citizens over 50 are the fastest growing segment of the US homeless population. Roughly 50 percent of those people homeless in the US are over age 50, primarily due to a lack of low income housing.

Revised Code Meeting

 Meeting at the civic center this Thursday at 5;30  to discuss proposed changes to the rental section of the Carbondale revised code. If you want to read over the code and the current proposed changes to the code, you can find them here.

Lawn and Garden Tour

 Lawn and Garden tour of Carbondale today starting at the old train depot. Cost is only $5 per person. Self guided so you buy a ticket there and then invade participant's properties this afternoon

Yummy Donuts

I assume they are yummy since it is in the store name but Yummy Donuts is now open at 606 S Illinois Ave in the University Plaza strip on south Illinois. From what I read, a dozen doughnuts runs about $11. Hopefully

Planning Commission and Solar Farm

 Planning Commission is looking to approve ( or disapprove ) a solar farm off West Sycamore.  I have seen a few complaints posted on social media about locating it so close to to residential areas but, as far as I know, there have never been any health or safety problems associated with solar farms. 

In addition, there is another solar farm going on old Highway 13

. Call to Order and Roll Call

2. Approval of Minutes: None

3. Citizen Comments and Questions

4. Report of Officers, Committees, Communications

5. Public Hearings/Plan Review

PC 25-10: Development Services staff are initiating the rezoning of property on parcel

number 15-17-327-023 from PUD, Planned Unit Development, to AG, General

Agriculture, in accordance with §15.2.15.16.C of Carbondale Revised Code. As the

property was never developed as a PUD, the Code calls for it to revert back to its

previous zoning district designation.

PC 25-11: Arena Knight 1 Solar, LLC is requesting a Special Use Permit to construct,

operate, and maintain a 3.8 Megawatt (MW) utility-grade solar project on parcel number

15-17-376-013 at 1914 Sycamore Street in an AG, General Agriculture-zoned District.

PC 25-12: Arena Knight 2 Solar, LLC is requesting a Special Use Permit to construct,

operate, and maintain a 3.0 Megawatt (MW) utility-grade solar project on parcel number

15-17-376-013 at 1914 Sycamore Street zoned AG, General Agriculture, and parcel

number 15-17-327-023 at the terminus of Baine Drive zoned PUD, Planned Unit

Development, contingent on the approval of rezoning parcel 15-17-376-023 from PUD to

AG (PC 25-10).

Meet the Chiefs

 You can meet the candidates for Carbondale's next police chief this afternoon from 3;30 to 5 p.m. at the Carbondale Police Department. Not sure if I should read anything into it but I notice none of the press releases about the candidates have mentioned their names or qualifications.

I would like to hear how each candidate would approach Carbondale's abnormally high crime rate. For years I have though concerns about crime in Carbondale were overblown but with the per capita rate now exceeding that of Chicago, some action needs to be taken.  

Planning Commission

 Special meeting of the Planning Commission on June 25 at 6 p.m.

There will be a continuation of a public hearing before the City of Carbondale

Planning Commission at a special meeting scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on June 25th,

2025, in the City Hall/Civic Center, 200 South Illinois Avenue, Carbondale, Illinois

to take testimony on PLAN Carbondale, the City’s new Comprehensive Plan. The

Plan was presented to Planning Commission at their May 28th, 2025 meeting. The

Commission requested that staff return with a revised version of the Plan and

comments addressed to the special meeting scheduled for June 25th, 2025. 

Funko and hangar 9

 One of the new owners of Hangar 9 is Andrew Perlmutter, who was the CEO of Funko until stepping down in February of 2024. Funko, for those who don't know, makes POP figures, those little plastic models of characters from popular culture with oversized heads as big as their bodies.

Pizza Hut

 Remodeling taking place at the long shuttered Pizza Hut on East Main. From what I understand, yet another licensed marijuana store ( I am not going to call them dispensaries, since most people do not shop there for medicinal purposes) is going in. That will make three licensed stores in town so far and at least four that sell CBD that are not licensed.

Carbondale Railroad History

 While looking up the amount of rail traffic that used to come through Carbondale (just over 50 passenger trains a day during the 1920s), I ran across this history of the railroad in Carbondale, written by former city manager AND city councilperson Jeff Doherty as part of the requirements for his MPA degree.

Summer Activities

 The city sent out a pretty lengthy press release touting summer activities in town:

Carbondale offers endless opportunities to play and recreate- this summer season there is no end to the fun and exploration families and individuals can enjoy! 

Carbondale Park District 

The Carbondale Super Splash park officially opened this past Memorial Day weekend! Hours of operation are Tuesday- Sunday, 12- 6 PM. Admission for the Splash Park is $5, with season passes also available. Guests can enjoy water slides, lazy rivers, high dives, and special events at the Super Splash Park, with a concession stand at the ready.  

The Super Splash Park is just one of the many fun offerings from the Carbondale Park District for Carbondale residents to enjoy! With new playground equipment at Attucks Park, families can enjoy this park and its amenities more than ever. Grown-ups, don’t forget there’s plenty for you to enjoy as well- check out the Hickory Ridge Public Golf Course this summer! The Carbondale Park District also offers a multitude of summer camps, of different lengths and varieties. Check out their robust line-up here: https://cpkd.org/programs/day-camps/   

SIU/Touch of Nature 

Speaking of summer camps, SIU offers a variety of youth summer camps as diverse, professional, and varied as their collegiate offerings! Everything from outdoor, arts & science, and athletic camps, there is something for every child. https://camps.siu.edu/ 

Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Program at SIU provides the perfect opening for the youth in our region to step into the amazing Shawnee National Forest that surrounds us here in Carbondale. With camps catered to specific demographics, Touch of Nature makes sure everyone has access to the great outdoors.  https://ton.siu.edu/  

Boys & Girls Club of Southern Illinois  

The Boys & Girls Club of Southern Illinois provides youth programming all year-round but turns up the heat for an 8-week summer camp June 9th- Aug. 1! Parent Orientation will be the week of May 30th. For more information contact info@bgcsi.com 

Carbondale Public Library 

Beat the heat and cool off with amazing youth and adult programming from the Carbondale Public Library, all free of charge for Carbondale residents. https://carbondalepubliclibrary.org/ 

SOAR – Southern Outdoor Access Route 

You don’t have to be a kid going to summer camp to enjoy the amazing natural beauty that surrounds us, and JAX Mass Transit just made it easier for everyone to get out there and explore! Officially launching this Saturday, May 31st, SOAR will take explorers to several iconic stops throughout Southern Illinois including Giant City, the Makanda Boardwalk, and Poplar Camp Beach at Cedar Lake, with convenient pick up and drop off points at the SIMMS (Southern Illinois Multimodal Station), Evergreen Park, and the SIU Recreational Center. For more details on schedule and routes visit here: https://ridejax.com/soar/ 

Poplar Camp Beach at Cedar Lake  

One of the stops on the new Southern Outdoor Access Route from JAX Mass Transit, Poplar Camp Beach at Cedar Lake is officially open as of this past Memorial Day weekend and ready for beach goers! With a single day admission of $2.50 (Ten visits pass $20, or twenty visits pass $35) Poplar Camp Beach provides a spot for residents to enjoy the sand and water, just 5 minutes from Carbondale city limits. Equipped with restrooms, picnic tables, and concession stand, this spot provides a carefree summer hang for you and the family. It is a swim at your own risk facility, but lifeguards are often present. If you or your group require a lifeguard to be on duty during your visit, please call 618-549-8441 for up-to-date staffing information. 11-7 every day 

Pyles Fork Preserve 

The Pyles Fork Nature Preserve, one of several trails in Carbondale managed by Green Earth Inc., is celebrating its grand re-opening on June 7, from 10:30-12:30 PM. The ADA-Friendly trail surface is now a five-foot wide, hard-packed gravel path, with ramped elevation changes – great for those with limited mobility or pushing a stroller. 

This event will offer light refreshments, music, kids’ crafts and games, a ribbon cutting with Mayor Harvey, and GE Docents along the trail to interact with visitors and answer your questions. Guests can park at Attucks Park and then follow the signs to the celebration. 

Amtrak Station

 Demolition is proceeding on the now closed Amtrak station. I was reminded that the structure was actually built on wheels, in the event that the proposed Big Ditch, lowering the railroad tracks below ground level and creating overpasses at various crossings, ever got built.

Arcade and Entertainment Venue

 The planed arcade and entertainment venue that was going into the Cricket location at the intersection of Mill and Illinois appears to have run into "proof of concept" problems.  The installed lights have all been removed and "For Rent" signs are back in the windows.

From what I understand, the location was supposed to be a family oriented arcade and entertainment space charging a fee for either flat entry or per hour.

Planning Meeting

 The Planning Commission meets tonight at 6 p.m in the Civic Center.  Not much on the agenda save discussing updates to the Comprehensive Plan. Incidentally, the comprehensive plan can be useful should city council want to enact something in variance from it.  When the council, in the past, has wanted to take an action that deviated from the plan, residents came before the council and pointed out that said proposal was in variance from the plan, which caused the council to drop that proposal. 

Call to Order and Roll Call

2. Approval of Minutes: March 26th, 2025 and May 14th, 2025

3. Citizen Comments and Questions

4. Report of Officers, Committees, Communications

5. Public Hearings/Plan Review

PC 25-13: Public hearing to take testimony and make recommendations to City Council regarding

the City’s Comprehensive Plan update

6. Old Business

None

7. New Business

Kroger Ribbon Cutting

 After its recent remodel, Kroger will have a ribbon cutting on June 6th at 8 a.m. Samples and giveaways

Music Trivia

 continuing the music theme of the past few days. The Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a music trivia event the evening of the 29th.

SI Music Fest

 The 2025 SI Music Fest started last Saturday and will run through June 8th. Here is the schedule if you want to look it over.

SI Music Scene

 The city sent this press release out highlighting upcoming music events in the city. I hope the Off the Rails concerts can pull the sorts of crowds that the street concerts of a few years ago did and that they pull people into businesses in downtown

Carbondale has long been home to a cherished local music scene, but with the development of the new Downtown Entertainment and Events Plaza, venues hosting local and touring bands, and non-profits investing time and energy into live entertainment, it is ever growing as a nationally centralized music hub.  

We recently shared that a 2 million dollar RISE grant was awarded to the City of Carbondale for Phase 2 of the Downtown Entertainment and Events Plaza- with there being such a buzz of live entertainment we wanted to take the opportunity to share the many avenues in which you can experience top notch performances here in Carbondale! 

Brown Bag Concert Series- Carbondale Main Street produces free concerts every Wednesday from 12-1 PM through the months of May- June, featuring local artists in an intimate setting at the Town Square Pavilion. Guests are encouraged to bring lunch from a local establishment, which gains them an extra ticket for a giveaway contest to local stores and restaurants. Find the lineup of musicians and more details here: https://carbondalemainstreet.com/events/brown-bag/ 

Sunset Concerts- The Sunset Concert Series is in its 46th year of bringing lively entertainment to Carbondale residents over the peak of summer! Beginning June 12th and running through July 24th, these concerts take place every Thursday evening, held either on the front steps of Shryock Auditorium or the Gazebo at Turley Park. This series is a beloved staple for Carbondale residents, regional neighbors, and SIU students who stick around for the summer. Artist lineup and event details can be found here: https://spc.rso.siu.edu/events/sunset-concerts.php 

The Varsity Center-  Woodbox Gang, Friday, June 13 

Woodbox Gang: On Friday, June 13th The Woodbox Gang will release their first album in 12 years! The Woodbox Gang have spent a quarter of a century creating vibrant and timeless music, combining the traditional sounds of American roots music with a raw and ragged sensibility. From the rickety stage floors of a church in downtown Makanda to the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., The Woodbox Gang has excited audiences of all kinds over the years. Recently, the band played only a handful of shows, often digging into the vault for tunes written more than 20 years earlier, now offering highly anticipated new tunes for eager audience members in the Big Room at The Varsity this June.  Chicago Farmer will open the show with his sharp wit and amazing storytelling in his music.  

SI Music Fest- Now in its 21st season, the 2025 Southern Illinois Music Festival runs May 23 through June 8, under the artistic and administrative direction of SIU School of Music Emeritus Professor Edward Benyas. Professional singers, instrumentalists and dancers from across the United States and Europe converge in Southern Illinois to perform orchestral and chamber music, opera, jazz and educational programs, along with select SIU faculty and students. The Festival promotes our region’s reputation for cultural activity on a national scale. Symphony magazine listed it as the only professional music festival in Illinois south of I-80, AAA magazine described it as a Midwest Travel Treasure, and the Chicago Tribune cited it as one of 24 top summer activities (musical and otherwise) in an eight-state region. http://www.sifest.com/ 

Off the Rails- Last but not least in the seasonal lineup of free concert series in Carbondale, is the Off the Rails Concert Series! Located in Downtown Carbondale at the site of the new Downtown Entertainment and Events Plaza, this series offers free lively concerts twice a month, August-October, right in the heart of Downtown. A few of these concerts are paired with larger community events. Save the dates and stay tuned for artists announcements for these epic concerts: 

Saturday, August 9 & 23 

Saturday, September 6  

Saturday, September 20- Hemp, Hops & Shrooms Festival 

Friday, October 3- SIU Family Weekend 

Friday, October 24, Cdale Halloween & SIU Homecomin