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.