The Carbondaze Gazette

Polar Bear

2012-01-28T16:32:00.001-06:00

In case you hadn't noticed, this is Polar Bear weekend in Carbondale which brings several thoughand people into C'dale. Headquartered at Pinch Penny Pub, it's basically an excuse for lots of drinking, much of it outside. Hopefully, there will be lots of taxi service or designated drivers around.

Update: The police are out in force writing tickets for open containers and underage consumption of alcholol and there has been one accident early this morning. According to Mayor Fritzler's Facebook page, a 19 year old man with a blood alcohol content of .273 tried to jump on a passing freight train and failed, causing him to at least lose a leg.

I have to wonder if the bars involved, up to four now in the eleventh year of the event, spend any extra money on security. They fact that they didn't, choosing to rely solely on the police to help control the event, is one of the reasons Halloween went out of control. Large quantities of alcohol and large numbers of students never end well.

Walking Through Downtown

2012-01-27T08:12:00.000-06:00

Was walking through downtown and was struck once again by the fact that, once you get south of the Square, it's really hard to maintain foot traffic flow. Retail areas set up for pedestrians such as malls and business districts like downtown, are set up to promote foot traffic flow. That's a major problem with the location of the food court at University Mall. It's set up at the end of a corridor, with the offices of Southern Illinois Healthcare as the anchor to draw foot traffic there. The result is, last time I checked during the holidays, there was only one restaurant there, leaving 7 spaces empty.

Similarly with downtown, there are too many gaps between buildings to promote customers moving from space to space between the Square and Pagliai's. Much of Washington Street is empty, save for parking, from Newell House to Italian Village. There are also a large number of open spaced, filled with grass or parking down Illinois Ave., from Walnut to College. Large breaks in the flow of buildings don't encourage people to move from place to place.

However, I have heard recently of some development plans that would infill several of those empty spaces. Keeping my fingers crossed that those plans come to fruition

Cheese Please

2012-01-25T07:46:00.001-06:00

The place doesn't look like much but if you like cheese, check Ware Grocery at the intersection of Highway 3 and 146, west of Jonesboro. The store stared selling cheese last fall and has the best prices in the area that I have seen. I figure they are buying surplus from a wholesaler as I picked up a 10 pound bag of English Cheddar trim pieces for $5.

Spring Attendance at SIUC

2012-01-24T10:32:00.002-06:00

Caught Chancellor Cheng's Morning Conversation this morning and spring attendance figures caught my attention. It appears spring attendance has declined another 1.9%, though final figures have not released yet. Hopefully the university's marketing plan will start to bear fruit soon, thought it's going to take more than banners and billboards to change the direction of attendance.

Downtown as Tourist Destination

2012-01-21T19:25:00.001-06:00

The more I look at downtown Carbondale, the less I see it as a viable place as a tourist destination (Not that I've heard much talk about trying to position it as such). Save for the area right around the square, the rest of the central business district is flat, the result of decades of replacing multistory buildings with single story ones or even worse, nothing. There's little photogenic about the downtown area once you move off the square and even the square itself doesn't project a vibe of "Come, linger here. Stroll around and admire my quaint buildings, my charming shops, my landscaping."

Downtown Carbondale works fine as a central business district, even an entertainment district, but it's just not attractive enough to pull tourists into the area and keep them there. If the town wants to go this route, and I'm not sure it should, it needs a ten or fifteen year plan in order to get there.

What I would like to see happen, and that could happen within a shorter time frame, is re-position Carbondale as the Gateway to the Illinois Wine Country or the Entrance to the Shawnee. Either (or both) could happen,with focus from the community, within 3 to 4 years,without the major re-development it would take to make Carbondale itself the destination.

Annual Carbondale Classic

2012-01-20T10:05:00.001-06:00

Carbondale Main Street, the Carbondale Nightlife and Venegoni Distributing once again work to establish downtown as a drinking destination. The organizers are having to go outside the traditional downtown area (Pinch Penny Pub) to fill the slate as two long time downtown bars (Stix and Gatsby's) aren't on the list as participating.

The Nightlife, Venegoni Distributing and Carbondale Main Street are getting ready for the 3^rd Annual Carbondale Classic. This year’s bar-to-bar putt-putt golf is scheduled for Saturday, March 24, 2012. Check in time for teams will begin at 9:45 and teams will tee off promptly at 10am. Registration has already begun and ends Monday, March 19^th.

Teams can register at participating bars or at carbondalemainstreet.com.

All team members must be 21. The participation fee for a team of four is $100.00 and includes long sleeved tshirts, a chance at prizes and an official scorecard. This year, a team can also add a caddy (designated driver) who will receive a free hoodie and free non-alcoholic drinks throughout the day.

Last year’s event was very successful and this year we are happy that the following bars and restaurants will be participating in this year’s event: Hangar 9, The Blue Martin, Elks Club, Global Gourmet, Tres Hombres, The Cellar, Sidetracks, Italian Village and Pinch Penny Pub.

Each participating bar will set up their own creative and challenging hole for teams to play. The first place team will receive $500 and a golf package to a local golf course. Second place will receive $300 and third place $200. Winners will be announced at a party hosted by the participating bar with the most teams registered.

Come see what makes Downtown Carbondale the place to be, with this new Carbondale favorite!
For more information, call the Carbondale Main Street office at 618-529-8040.

Oakland Ave. Auto Repair

2012-01-17T21:19:00.002-06:00

No sign yet that Oakland Ave. Auto Repair has any plans to move as the shop was directed to do in the letter sent by then Assistant City Manager Kevin Baity last November. Quite likely they won't either, as the majority of the city council has shown little to no interest in pursuing the matter further.

From the city's viewpoint, I can certainly see why. The warehouse nee' auto storage facility has sat empty for several years now, gradually deteriorating like many other larger unoccupied buildings in Carbondale (Animal Crackers, Tuscan Lodge, Peerless Linens to name a few). Now the owners have fixed it up and the repair shop does decent business,generating some sales tax revenue for the city.. I pass the location a couple of times a week and always see a couple of cars inside undergoing repairs.

Also, when Home Rentals sought permission to lease the space to the repair shop, the city gave it, wrongly as it turns out. Home Rentals, which has proven fairly dogged in its dealings with the city over the years, could validly claim that the company made substantial investments in the building in good faith and take the city to court should the city decide to pursue the movement order. I'm not a lawyer so have no idea how that would shake out legally, but it certainly seems reasonable from a lay point of view. Home Rentals, as one of the largest landlords in town, certainly has the money to pursue a legal option, likely moreso than one of the residents of the area, who might want to take action against the city for allowing the business to open up in an area not zoned for it.

New Spa

2012-01-17T11:59:00.001-06:00

There's a sign up on the old Pagliai's building on South Illinois announcing the Studio Day Spa. Presumably, planing for this is further along than the aborted microbrewery ever got last year. By my rough count, if it opens, this will make seven stylists or spas located in the downtown area, giving the bars a run for their money.

Vintage Soul

2012-01-16T19:41:00.000-06:00

According to the postcard I received, Vintage Soul, a coffee shop, event planning and gently used furniture store, opened at 821 S. Illinois today. That's the location next to Universtees briefly occupied by Jazzy Pops. Further according to the postcard, part of their business plan involves giving back 50% of their profits (would bet net profits rather than gross but neither the website nor the postcard says) to various organizations. Currently listed are Ekklesia Homeless Ministry and the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

Meetings, We've Got Meetings

2012-01-14T15:04:00.000-06:00

Busy night this Thursday the 19th. Sustainability Commission meets at 6 p.m. at the Civic Center. On the agenda, a review of the proposed chicken ordinance (yet again. I figure it will get OKed by about 2014), bike paths and recycling.

Then, for more local political fun, the CCHS (that's Carbondale Community High School, for those who don't speak acronym) School District #165 Board meets in the high school cafeteria at 7.

Then you only have a week to wait until the Carbondale Elementary School District #95 meeting at 7 p.m. on the 26.

Grant Meeting

2012-01-14T14:20:00.001-06:00

The City of Carbondale has scheduled a public meeting to discuss the City’s proposal to submit a grant application for the HOME Single Family Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation (SFOOR) program in Carbondale. The grant application will be submitted to the Illinois Housing Development Authority. The SFOOR program provides financial assistance to lower-income owner-occupants who desire to have their homes rehabilitated. The program is funded by the Illinois Housing Development Authority with HOME funds provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Persons desiring to comment or offer suggestions on the proposed grant applications are invited to attend a Public Meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 17, 2012, in Room 103 of the Carbondale Civic Center, 200 South Illinois Avenue, Carbondale.

New Yogurt Shop

2012-01-13T12:47:00.000-06:00

Cool Spoons, a frozen yogurt shop, plans to open on North Giant City Road on March 1. From their Facebook page (since the website isn't active yet):

	Cool Spoons is a new self-serve yogurt shop with an expected grand opening on March 1, 2012. With over a dozen flavors, 50+ toppings, and a custom smoothie bar, Cool Spoons will have a dessert for every taste bud. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Closed: Christmas Eve, Christmas day, Thanksgiving Day, New Year's Eve
Address	695 N. Giant City Rd., Carbondale, IL 62902 · Get Directions

Economic Impact of SIUC

2012-01-13T11:21:00.001-06:00

This report got a lot of attention when it was released last fall. I just ran across a longer article giving more details. Among some of the highlights:

SIUC has a economic impact on 32 counties in central and southern Illinois.
Every dollar appropriated by the state to SIUC generates about $7.75 in economic activity.
That same dollar generates about 40 cents in tax revenues to both state and local givernments.
Just over 17,700 jobs are created (directly and indirectly) by SIUC.
$357.5 million in research grants generated over the last 5 years.
Those same research grants generated about $42 million in state and local taxes.

It can't be overstated just how important SIUC is to the well being of southern Illinois. The university is the economic engine for the entire region and I fear enrollment (which is what ultimately brings the dollars in) will continue to drop until the university gets leadership with the long term commitment to the institution that Delyte Morris brought.

Here Yesterday, Gone Today

2012-01-11T10:17:00.000-06:00

Received an email from a reader after yesterday's post about A&B Mexican Groceries, point out that the sign had vanished, replaced by a "For Lease" sign. That was fast.

New Mexican Grocery

2012-01-09T12:48:00.001-06:00

A & B Mexican Grocery has opened in the old Subway location on West Main St. To my knowledge, and indicating the growth of the Hispanic market in Carbondale, that makes 3 groceries dedicated to Mexican grocery items in town, one downtown and two on the west side. Also as far as I know, there is no other grocery devoted to the foods of a particular ethnic group in town.

Special City Council Meeting

2012-01-08T19:43:00.001-06:00

This Tuesday, Jan 10th at 7 p.m. Looks like the only thing on the agenda is a pro-forma vote (at least according to the press release sent out last week), appointing Kevin Baity as the new City Manger. Expect at least one "No" vote as Jane Adams has posted on her website that she plans to vote against the appointment.

Prescription Card Roll Out

2012-01-08T19:37:00.002-06:00

The Prescription Card program, a benefit of C'dale membership in the National League of Cities, will be discussed at a press conference tomorrow:

The City of Carbondale will hold a press conference on Monday, January 9, 2012 at 1:30 p.m. in the Carbondale Civic Center located at 200 S. Illinois Avenue, to make an announcement regarding the rollout of a Prescription Discount Card Program made available by the City of Carbondale through the National League of Cities.

Liquor Sales

2012-01-08T19:14:00.001-06:00

The Southern has an article looking at the effect last summer's change to liquor licensing has had on local beer and wine retailers. I found it interesting that they talked to three of the four local businesses that started selling beer and wine but only one that sold it prior to the addition of the new licenses. Maybe the article didn't want any more "sales have been down by 25%" quotes in the store.

National Guard Armory

2012-01-07T13:06:00.000-06:00

The DE has some more information on the sale of the Armory, including that there is no asking price, rather the Guard is taking sealed bids on the building. No indication if there is a minimum bid or not. A couple of city officials expressed an interest in buying it, but really, what would the city do with it? We have a perfectly serviceable civic center, with no problems with overcrowding, at least that I know of. The city actually got rid of a city building (the Eurma Haynes center) earlier this year, so to spend city funds on another one, without a plan in place, makes little sense.

Wanna Buy an Armory?

2012-01-06T07:55:00.003-06:00

From an email sent out to the Arbor District list.. It would be rather hard, given the zoning for that area, not to mention the traffic flow, for anyone to make commercial use of the property. I remember Carbondale Main Street expressing an interest in the building at one time, possibly for use as a year round farmer's market, but only if it were donated to the organization:



The now vacant national Guard Armory at the corner of Sycamore and Oakland is up 
for sale. The grounds cover approximately 2.89 acres.The building was 
constructed in 1938 during the high modernist period of the New Deal. It is 
controlled by the Illinois Department of the Military. Today the building was 
open to inspection for the public. 

The main building has 32,449 Square Feet of space.



The main structure houses a large auditorium/gymnasium/parade ground. It appears 
to be constructed of concrete arches. We did not see any cracks in the 
structure.



However, we learned that the Army shut the building down for almost a year and 
drains stopped up causing water to flow through areas of the lower roof. 
They said since the problem was corrected it has not leaked again.



There is a large kitchen, though the equipment is being removed.



There are several sets of bathrooms, showers



There are a number of offices circling the central auditorium. In the basement 
there are more offices, storage.



There are two large buildings separate from the original Armory. We estimate 
this at more than 200 feet long. They were used to store vehicles and was built 
in the 1950s



On the southwest side of the complex is more outdoor parking as well as fuel 
pumps.

City Manager Baity

2012-01-06T07:51:00.000-06:00

According to a press release sent out by the mayor, Kevin Baity will be the next city manger:

The Carbondale City Council has reached a consensus that Mr. Kevin Baity will serve as the next City Manager of Carbondale. Mr. Baity has been employed by the City of Carbondale since August 2006 and is currently the city’s Director of Development Services and Interim City Manager. He was originally hired as the city’s Assistant City Manager for Economic Development. Prior to coming to Carbondale, Mr. Baity had served as the City Administrator for the City of Flora, IL; the Director of Community Development for the City of Centralia, IL; and the Director of Environmental Health for the Perry County (IL) Health Department.

A Special Carbondale City Council Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 7:00 pm to formalize the decision by voting on an ordinance to approve a City Manager Employment Agreement. The meeting will be followed by a reception to introduce Mr. Baity to the public as the City Manager.

I find the term "consensus" an interesting choice of wording. It doesn't say he was voted upon by the council, just that some form of agreement about him. Apparently the council, or at least the mayor, is making=ng the announcement prior to the actual vote. At least one city council member has concerns about this. From a eamil sent out by councilwoman Jane Adams:

Until we officially vote, our discussions in Executive Session are private. Does the Open Meetings Act allow the Mayor to publicly characterize our private deliberations?

It is entirely proper for the Mayor to call a special Council meeting. However, the press release says that there will be a reception following which will “introduce Mr. Baity to the public as the City Manager.”

Again, no vote has been taken. We discussed, we argued, we debated. We developed a sense of where the majority sentiment lay. Without compromising the confidentiality of our debates, I think I can fairly state that the Mayor was a leader of the majority. But there was no vote. To have voted would have been illegal – a clear violation of the Open Meetings Act.

Until that public vote, Mr. Baity cannot be presumed to be the next City Manager. Nor can there be a presumption of “consensus.”

Christmas Tree Recycling

2012-01-02T15:46:00.001-06:00

In case you are wondering what to do with your Christmas tree, the city's annual recycling program starts tomorrow.

Mary Lou's

2012-01-01T20:07:00.003-06:00

Looks as if Mary Lou's will move to its new next-door location in the near future. I see the sign has already moved from the old building to the new one.

Costello Replacements

2011-12-31T10:21:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of the Sierra Club Shawnee Group, here's a list of Democrats and Republicans who have filed for the primary elections for his seat:

Here’s who has filed for the primary in the (new) 12^th Congressional district:

Name	Office/Party	Status
	HARRIMAN, BRAD1334 THREE RIVERS DRIVE O'FALLON, IL 62269	12TH CONGRESSDEMOCRATIC	Active 12/23/2011 8:00 AM
	MILLER, CHRISTOPHER260 CRAFT LANE CARBONDALE, IL 62902	12TH CONGRESSDEMOCRATIC	Active 12/23/2011 8:00 AM
	WIEZER, KENNETH CHARLES1624 POPLAR STREET GRANITE CITY, IL 62040	12TH CONGRESSDEMOCRATIC	Active 12/27/2011 8:54 AM
	COOK, RODGER7538 STATE ROUTE 15 ST. LIBORY, IL 62282	12TH CONGRESSREPUBLICAN	Active 12/23/2011 8:00 AM
	PLUMMER, JASON5816 ARROW RIDGE RD. FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, IL 62208	12TH CONGRESSREPUBLICAN	Active 12/23/2011 8:00 AM
	KORMOS, THERESA1204 SHADOW RIDGE CROSSING O'FALLON, IL 62269	12TH CONGRESSREPUBLICAN	Active 12/23/2011 9:31 AM
	NEWMAN, TERI797 CEDAR MILL DR. BELLEVILLE, IL 62221	12TH CONGRESSREPUBLICAN	Active 12/27/2011 1:35 PM

Oakland Avenue Auto Repair

2011-12-30T21:10:00.001-06:00

This could make things difficult, given that the business has been open for a couple of weeks now:

Neighborhood Alliance Meeting

2011-12-30T20:50:00.001-06:00

Carbondale's 8th annual Neighborhood Alliance Meeting will be Saturday morning, January 14th (2012): Reports on positive trends in neighborhoods and city-wide projects, plus a special focus on litter and enforcement. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. Meeting runs from 10 to 12 noon.

More info: Mary O'Hara at 713 0820 or Sarah Heyer at 549-5302 x 386.

City Manager Position

2011-12-29T22:23:00.002-06:00

City council met today in closed session to discuss the candidates for the open city manager position. According to the city clerk, no decision was made:

The Carbondale City Council met in closed session today to discuss the finalists for the City Manager vacancy. No decision was formalized as a result of the closed session.

The fact they weren't able to come to a decision today doesn't bode well for acting City Manager Kevin Baity. He is a known quantity to the council, having worked for the city for a number of years so the fact council hasn't appointed him to the position after this meeting indicates either concerns members of the council must have or that the other candidates have stronger resumes.

Bus Routes

2011-12-28T07:35:00.002-06:00

The university has announced a couple of changes to the routes for the Saluki Express for the spring. Unfortunately, neither of the changes add to the number of stops in the downtown area. Looking at the schedule, it appears that only the Logan Route makes any stops in downtown, at the Amtrak station, and that during the day. At night, however, it's a different story, as the Late Night Route makes multiple stops throughout downtown after dark.

Granted, the university doesn't want students driving back to campus after an evening at the bars, but why not make it as easy to get to downton at other times of the day as SIUC does at night?

Oakland Ave. Auto Repair

2011-12-24T13:52:00.000-06:00

Had their grand opening last week and now open for business. Have heard some concerns about putting an auto repair shop in the center of a residential area so asked interim city manager Kevin Beatty about it. He gave several reasons for approving the location. First, the building was already designed such that an auto repair shop could move in with minimal disruption to the location as even the facilities for capturing oil from oil changes had been installed. it also seems a waste to just leave the building sitting empty when an occupant wanted to make use of it and Beatty says he plans on keeping a close eye on operations there, since part of the agreement is that the business will leave no cars outside.
Finally, Beatty believes that locating the business there follows spirit of the city's comprehensive plan as it moves businesses back into the neighborhoods, ergo someone with auto problems in the near northwest side of the city now has ready access to a garage rather than having to try to get their car to a repair shop some distance away.
Since he is in the neighborhood quite often, Beatty plans to drive by the shop two to three times a week to make certain it remains compliant with the terms of the agreement allowing it to open.

Saline County Fracking

2011-12-22T10:27:00.001-06:00

Looks as if fracking is coming to Saline County late in 2012. Judge Todd Lambert awarded the mineral rights belonging to over 1000 people to Next Energy without their permission since the company says it cannot track down the owners of the rights. royalties for th rights will be held in escrow should the rights-holders turn up. The company is paying about $75 per acre.

City Council

2011-12-20T20:07:00.002-06:00

Very sparsely attended city council meeting tonight. Only 5 people in the audience, more city staff present than citizens. Not too much on the agenda though. Council approved an aerial photographic of the city, for the first time since 2002 and the first one commissions specifically of the city. Council also voted to authorize funding to upgrade the energy efficiency of the civic center.

during council comments, a planned upgrade in 2012 of city audio visual equipment was mentioned along with the possibility of starting streaming of city council meetings. Council went to closed meeting to conduct the semi-annual review of this year's closed meeting minutes at about 7:50 p.m.

Mary Lou's Move

2011-12-20T18:38:00.001-06:00

From what I understand, Mary Lou's expects to open their new, next door location the first week of January.

New Era Road Day Care

2011-12-18T19:28:00.003-06:00

If you live in the vicinity of New Era Road, you might be interested in this agenda item for Wednesday's planning commission meeting:

PC 12-08, 7:00p.m. Neophansya Robinson is requesting a Special Use to allow a Day Care Home II in the R-1 District at 1170 New Era Road

City Council Meeting

2011-12-17T21:34:00.002-06:00

Next Tuesday evening. Last one of the year. From the agenda, unless something pops up, looks as if it will be a short one.

State of the City

2011-12-14T10:18:00.001-06:00

The Southern has a wrap up of yesterday's State of the City Address here. A few things struck me:

1. New businesses coming in, to the mall and downtown. here's hoping we get a few more eateries in the mall food court as that place echoes. Last time I stopped by there, Wise Guy's Pizza and Sam's Cafe had both pulled out, leaving only a chili place there. Here's hoping the new businesses are not all retailers, as retailers tend to generate only low wage jobs and generally feed off the already existing economic base, rather than grow it. That said, one retailer I hope comes in, but am not sure has enough business to support it, is a higher end women's wear shop. Several female professionals in Carbondale and surrounding areas have commented they have to drive to St. Louis or shop online to find quality business wear.

2. focus on downtown. Mayor Fritzler said the city needs to focus on downtown and, as a downtown business owner and member of Carbondale Main Street, I agree. As noted in the speech, downtown only has a few empty storefronts on South Illinois and West Freeman. However, part of this is due to the propensity of the city and building owners to allow downtown buildings to deteriorate to the point that demolition is the only viable option. In the past few years, the Tuscan Lodge, Animal Crackers ,Southern Illinois Recycling and a pair of houses at the corner of Mill and Illinois have come down, leaving several blocks of now grass covered land behind. The Animal Crackers plot is slated for part of a proposed intermodal transportation station but have only heard vague rumors about uses for the others. It is easy to say you only have a few empty storefronts when several empty buildings have been replaced by empty plots of ground.

3. tourism. Retired City Manager Allen Gill made a good point when he pointed out that Carbondale could do a much better job of positioning itself as a tourist destination. No community in southern Illinois has positioned itself as the gateway to Southern Illinois Wine Country and, while Harrisburg has signage up advertising itself as the Gateway to the Shawnee Hills, the community doesn't do much that I have seen to capitalize upon that. Carbondale could. We already have three fine bike shops in town and easy access to country roads outside of town for cyclists (though in-town cycling routes could stand improvement), lakes nearby for kayaking, canoeing and fishing, terrific areas for hiking and rock-climbing and thousands of acres available for hunting. While other towns in southern Illinois provide closer access to these areas, only Carbondale and Marion have the infrastructure in place to support an increased tourist population.

Kirkland's Coming

2011-12-13T20:19:00.001-06:00

According to a reader of the blog, a Kirklands will soon open up in the University Place strip mall on the east side of town. The Kirklands' website confirms this as here's a posting for a retail manager position for a Carbondale location.

Gunshots and Arrests

2011-12-12T10:24:00.002-06:00

Early last Friday morning, police heard a single gunshot in the 200 block of West Main, followed by a fusillade of them. Stopping a vehicle seen leaving the area at high speed, C'dale police arrested the four men inside, one on outstanding warrants and 3 on various charges of unlawful use of a weapon.

The Icebox Bar and Grille, located in the same block, did host an event on Thursday night, but no indication currently that there is a connection between the two. However, a murder took place in the parking lot just south of the Icebox in November 2010 involving people attracted by, but not allowed into, an event held at the Icebox the same night.

Liquor Stores' Response

2011-12-10T22:03:00.001-06:00

Though I don't shop them, I have been told that the local liquor stores, in response to local grocery stores now selling wine and liquor, have really ramped up their selection of liquors and spirits. Westroads Liquor, I have heard, has really increased the selection it offers.

Doctor Donuts Defunct?

2011-12-09T10:28:00.001-06:00

Looks like Doctor Donuts, located off Hwy 13 on the west side of Carbondale, has closed its doors. The owner, Dr. Srinivas Gaddamm, had big plans for the business, including a chain of franchisees, when it opened earlier this year. However, the closed sign on the door has been there for a couple of weeks.

I never tried them but heard good things about the doughnuts. A major problem, from what I see, was the location, on the north side of 13. Most people buying doughnuts purchase them in the morning on the way to work or class. Coming from that side of Carbondale, they are heading east. To get to Dr. Donuts, drivers have to turn at a stoplight and cross the additional two lanes of traffic. Doughnuts are an impulse item and it's doubtful people wanted to make the extra effort, while on the way to work, to cross traffic to get to the store, pull in, then have to wait at the traffic light again to get back onto 13 to get to work or SIUC on time.

SIUC.xxx

2011-12-08T15:53:00.001-06:00

According to the Southern, SIUC, along with lots of other universities out there, are buying up assorted .xxx domian names to prevent pornographic web companies from purchasing them and using them to direct people doing a search for SIUC to a porno site. Cost, about $5000.

The porn industry spends a significant amount of money searching for domain names it can use to direct web searchers to adult sites. Especially desirable are once active domain names that, for one reason or another, the owner has allowed to lapse back into the public domain since they still deliver traffic from searchers unaware the original site is no longer active.

City Council Meeting

2011-12-06T12:32:00.001-06:00

City council meeting tonight. It's a short agenda but an important one as the annual property tax levy is on the agenda. The Carbondale Public Library asked for an increase of $42,578 over last year's levy for the library, or an increase of about 5%. The total levy under consideration if just over $1.7 million, a reduction, if I am reading the ordinance correctly, of about $788,000 from last year.

Also on the agenda is re-authorization of the Downtown Special Service Area for another five years. The SSA generates, though taxing downtown properties, $40,000 for partial funding of Carbondale Main Street. If approved, this would be the 2nd extension for the SSA.

Evelyn's Open

2011-12-03T17:06:00.001-06:00

Evelyn's Restaurant is now open. Just opened today it appears. Located in the old Jimmy John's and Express Burrito locations on South Illinois. They were just hanging a temporary sign announcing hours (11 a.m. to Midnight) about an hour ago and were already seating people.

Lights Fantastic

2011-12-02T20:52:00.001-06:00

The city will start closing off streets in downtown about 3 p.m. tomorrow (some parking lots will start closing about 12:30) for the annual Lights Fantastic parade, reopening about 7:30 or soon after the parade ends. there are a number of concurrent events going on as well:

Pictures with Reindeer (and other vendors) Friendship Plaza 4-7 p.m
Rotary Chili Supper: Civic Center 4-7 p.m.
Letters to Santa: Old Passenger Depot 4 -6 p.m
Downtown Cookie Walk:: various stores 4-6 p.m.
Warming Station: Varsity Center for the Arts 5-6 p.m.

Midas Closed

2011-12-01T10:35:00.001-06:00

Looks like the Midas on East Main has "temporarily" closed. I recall it did this several years ago and reopened after a couple of months. Here's hoping they reopen quickly this time.

Road Closure

2011-11-29T20:35:00.001-06:00

NOTICE OF ROAD CLOSURE

Roadway Patching Work on

West Chautauqua Street

Beginning on Thursday, December 1, 2011 and through Friday, December 2, 2011, West Chautauqua Street will be closed to westbound traffic between Emerald Lane and Tower Road. West bound traffic will be detoured via Glenview Drive to Sunset Drive to Tower Road. Eastbound traffic on Chautauqua Street will be permitted, however minor delays will be possible.

The City of Carbondale greatly appreciates motorists cooperation and patience and urges motorists to use caution in all work zones. In order to prevent delays please seek alternate routes during this time period.

Police Auction

2011-11-28T13:48:00.001-06:00

Looking to pick up some early Christmas presents? The C'dale police department might have just what you need at the unclaimed property auction this Saturday at 9 a.m. Hit the auction, then the downtown cookie walk, then the Lights Fantastic parade. What a way to spend a day!

Beer Sales

2011-11-28T10:38:00.001-06:00

Got curious about the effects of the increased number of beer and wine outlets on Carbondale sales so asked a friend who works for one of the local distributors. According to them, overall beer and wine sales are up significantly since the change in the ordinance. Sales are down some at the already existing liquor stores, but not as much as they had expected. In addition, Carbondale is now pulling in a large amount of business that used to go to Murphysboro and Marion, especially Marion since Marion still does not allow beer and wine sales in supermarkets and discount stores.

Black Friday in Downtown

2011-11-25T09:22:00.001-06:00

Very quiet in downtown Carbondale early this morning. Took a quick drive through downtown and didn't see any stores open aside from those that normally would be. Looks as if all the action is out at the malls and east side of town again.

Mustache Auction.

2011-11-24T13:16:00.001-06:00

Mayor Fritzler's auction of his mustache to benefit CCHS has gone national, or at least interstatal.

New Business

2011-11-22T21:21:00.001-06:00

Place Smart has opened an office in downtown Carbondale on West Freeman, in the strip of stores with B&L Photo and Mane Effects. I've seen a number of flyers posted about town advertising the company's employment and human resources services so it is nice to see they have a physical office, thought you wouldn't know where it was from the website or the flyers.

More Protesters

2011-11-20T13:24:00.001-06:00

Not on campus this time, thank goodness. Saw a group of union workers protesting the new Long John Silver's at the intersection of East 13 and Giant City Road. I gather, from the signs, that non-union labor was used in the construction of the building.

New Restaurants

2011-11-19T10:04:00.001-06:00

Yesterday's DE has an article looking at several of the restaurants that opened in downtown Carbondale recently. Most attention paid to Kelly's Irish Boxty House and Blend Tea and Crepe, with mention made of Cristaudo's, Mo Wallace BBQ and Evelyn's. Downtown Carbondale, according to the article, now boasts over 40 restaurants, more than it looks at first glance. By the way, the Premier Lounge, north side of the square has a soft opening this weekend.

Right of Way

2011-11-17T13:05:00.001-06:00

Checked with the city's planning department regarding IDOT right of way and the state right of way for Highways 51 and 13 does extend from the edge of the street to the edge of the building frontage, in most cases. In the case of buildings set back from the sidewalk, such as Tantastic and Fat Patties, the right of way stops at the edge of the sidewalk, meaning that tables and signs may be placed in the space between the sidewalk and building front.

The awnings in front of The Door and Priority Sports are in violation of the right of way but have been grandfathered in. No new awnings extending that far out could be built today at other locations and, while repairs on the current ones can be made, under currently regulations, they could not be replaced with similarly extending structures. Any new ones could only extend out about as far as the awnings on Thai Taste.

Grand Opening

2011-11-16T12:07:00.001-06:00

Grand opening of the new Goodwill location at 8:30 tomorrow morning. From the email sent by the Chamber of Commerce:

Tomorrow 11/17 is the Grand Opening of the new Goodwill location!!! Join us at 8:50am for a Ribbon Cutting. The new Goodwill is located at 1445 E. Main Street in Carbondale. There will be giveaways, food, drinks and of course, shopping!

More Mexican

2011-11-13T22:20:00.001-06:00

Heard that yet another Mexican restaurant will open in the 'dale soon. El Baquero will open next to the Royal Plaza Motel on the west side of town, within the next month or so. That makes, by my count, 8 Mexican or Tex/Mex places in town (9 if you count Taco Bell).

Better Late than Never

2011-11-10T18:46:00.001-06:00

No, nothing to do with the strike bu the civic center now has automatic doors. Seems one of the staff noticed a quadriplegic trying to get one of the power assist doors opened and decided to see if they could be adapted to open automatically rather than at the push of a button. Turns out all the wiring and sensors to make them automatic had been installed when the doors were put in fifteen years ago , just never hooked up. An hour's worth of work by an electrician and presto, magic doors. The civic center staff admits to feeling amused when they see the looks on peoples' faces when the doors open without the push of a button.

Strike Over?

2011-11-09T21:11:00.002-06:00

The Southern says the Faculty Association will call off the strike against SIUC, effective immediately. No contract signed but enough progress has been made that the Association will advise members to return to work.

Update: The University's Facebook page has a letter from Chancellor Cheng posted, confirming the end of the strike.

SIUC Facebook Page

2011-11-09T14:43:00.002-06:00

Looks as if the negative publicity SIUC received about deleting comments on its Facebook page had an effect as comments both supporting the strike and the administration are appearing there now.

Negotiations Continue

2011-11-08T11:15:00.000-06:00

SIUC strike negotations ended last night when the administration presented the FA with a revised offer and headed home for the evening. Negotations were scheduled to start up again at 9;30 this morning.

Negotations Off Again

2011-11-07T22:06:00.003-06:00

According to this Facebook page, the administration broke off negotiations with the Faculty Association this evening, meaning at least one more day of striking.

Why the Strike?

2011-11-07T14:48:00.000-06:00

hHd the opportunity to talk with a supporter of SIUC's strike (though not an actual striker), trying to get a better understanding why the strikers feel it is important enough for them to strike. From the conversation, a few factors emerged as underpinning the reasons for the strike, as least for some long time SIUC faculty members:

1) the SIUC 104, fired in the spring of 1974, ostensibly as part of a budget crisis/financial emergency. However, it turned out that almost all of those fired were among the university's most outspoken opponents to the Vietnam War and many people perceived the university's finances as a convenient peg upon which to hang the removal of a disruptive element. Some long -time members of the faculty see the current financial situation as the opportunity for the administration to void tenure and terminate a number of long serving ( and higher paid) faculty, replacing them with lower cost term faculty.

2. Last year's furlough days were at least troublesome and possibly in violation of the contract faculty has with the faculty and staff. At best they were most burdensome on those members of the university making the lease, since originally everyone took 4 furlough days whether they were a vice president or an office manager. It was only after significant bad PR, including President Poshard, that Chancellor Cheng and the Vice Chancellors took more. Compare that to UofI's policy, which spread the pain out, with higher paid administrators taking 10 days furlough while those making less than $30,000 took none.

There are other reasons as well, but those two stood out during the conversation.

Strike News

2011-11-06T12:57:00.000-06:00

In case you want a strikers' eye perspective of what is going on at the picket lines, the new Occupy SIUC blog does a pretty good job of posting comments and photos . The Bit51blog also has a post up on the university's lousy response to negative posts regarding the administrations response to the strike.

Bargaining

2011-11-05T14:51:00.000-05:00

According to this, looks as if bargaining may resume as early as tomorrow, under the auspices of a federal mediator.

Campus Habitat Going?

2011-11-04T07:20:00.003-05:00

According to an email received from a blog reader, First Internet Bank out of Indianapolis has taken over ownership of Campus Habitat properties at 716 S. University and 700 West Freeman after Campus Habitat defaulted on the loans. Councilwoman Jane Adams has more on the saga of Campus Habitat on her blog (scroll down to Sept 20th)

Steeerike!

2011-11-03T10:38:00.003-05:00

Looks as if the FA is the only one of the four groups to not reach an agreement before the deadline this morning. Here is WSIU's report. The DE has stories here, here and here. The Southern has stores here, here, here and here. Here's the Faculty Association's viewpoint and here's a statement from GA United and the Non-Ttenure Track Association, as well as the ACE.

Strike Update

2011-11-02T20:21:00.001-05:00

No agreement as of 7:30 this evening. The following message was posted by the Chancellor on the university's Facebook page about the same time:

Dear Students:

As you know, four campus unions have indicated they would walk off the job tomorrow (Nov. 3) if we cannot reach contract agreements. At this hour, we are continuing to negotiate with the bargaining teams for these unions, and I remain hopeful of a settlement.

In the event any of the unions chooses to strike tomorrow, we are prepared to maintain normal operations across the campus. Your classes will meet as regularly scheduled in their normal locations, and I encourage you to attend all of your classes. We expect a limited number of faculty may walk off the job. All classrooms are being monitored for attendance. In the event your professor or instructor does not show up for class, a University employee will address the class and make arrangements for continuing your coursework.

I will keep you updated on the situation as new information becomes available.

Sincerely,

Rita Cheng
Chancellor

FA Bargaining Points

2011-11-01T18:51:00.002-05:00

In case you are interested. the linkon this page for the List of FA Interests and Issues Presented in Bargaining gives about 11 pages of points the Faculty Association is negotiating with the administration over. One point I see fairly high on the list is Fair Share or what my Dad calls a union shop. Employees do not have to belong to the union but have to have an among equivalent to union dues deducted from their salaries that is paid to the union:

Effective partnership betweenFaculty and Administration—Fair share. How can we bring the Faculty Association in parity with other unions oncampus who have Fair Share provisions? How can we ensure a strong Faculty to work effectively in partnershipwith the Administration?

Staduim Grille and Goodwill

2011-11-01T13:04:00.001-05:00

You can buy your own restaurant now as the old Stadium Grille building is officially on the market, asking price about $1.6 million.

Goodwill is finally making its move to a now location in the old Rex TV and Appliance Building at 1145 East Main. Currently location closes November 11 and the new one opens Nov. 17.

Cristaudo's Open?

2011-11-01T12:57:00.001-05:00

According to their Facebook page, the store reopened for a couple of hours last Friday, all day Saturday and is now maintaining regular hours starting today. Talk about a soft launch.

Street Lights Out

2011-10-31T10:29:00.002-05:00

Mayor Fritzler has sent out a request to members of the community to report any street light that are out. His email indicates he spotted 13 lights out in the downtown area last night. The ones he spotted are listed below. Please report any other lights out to Janice in the City Manager’s office at 457-3226 or jhampton@ci.carbondale.il.us.

1. SW corner of Illinois Ave. & College, Off

2. Illinois Ave in front of the Bike Surgeon (across from Amtrak), Off

3. SE corner of University & Elm , Off

4. On University between Elm & Cherry, Off & On

5. East side of University at Hospital Drive, Off

6. East side of University at driveway to parking lot behind Quatro's, Off

7. Corner of the curve of University Ave and the short section of University Ave (NW corner of the Island) by tattoo parlor), Off & On

8. NE corner of University & Mill (SW corner of the Island), Off

9. 504 W. Mill,, Off

10. NE Corner of Mill & Poplar, Off & On

11. 608 W. Mill, Off

12. NW corner of Mill & Rawlings, Off

13. 1202 W. Freeman, Off

Strike Overview

2011-10-29T12:07:00.000-05:00

The St. Louis Post Dispatch has a look at the ramifications if the SIUC unions call the strike.

City Council Meeting

2011-10-28T18:25:00.001-05:00

Might be a shortish meeting next week as it looks like the only things on the agenda are some votes to increase the 2012 budget for unanticipated items, wastewater treatment plant and and some storm related damage from last April.

Protest Tomorrow

2011-10-26T18:37:00.002-05:00

In case you feel like a nice protest tomorrow:

The student-led Beyond Coal Campaign along with the Eco Dawgs, the Environmental Coalition, the Sierra Club and several other coalition partners will host a "Demand Healthy Air" rally Thursday 10/27 from 12-2pm in the free form area between Anthony Hall and the parking garage on the south side of SIU Carbondale's campus. The Beyond Coal campaign has gathered 1,500 petition signatures from SIU Carbondale students demanding that the university administration protect their health by creating a retirement plan and setting a retirement date for the campus coal plant as soon as responsibly possible. Our national coalition partner, the American Lung Association (ALA), has linked toxins from coal plants like the plant on SIU Carbondale's campus to over 60,000 premature deaths in the United States annually in addition to a dramatic increase in asthma rates and asthma attacks.

Strike FAQs

2011-10-26T14:24:00.001-05:00

These have been up for awhile (since October 7) but thought those not directly connected with the university might want to see the FAQs the Chancellor's office posted regarding the strike for faculty/staff and students. Here's the IEA's take on the Chancellor's FAQ.

Prescription Drug Takeback

2011-10-25T10:53:00.002-05:00

Not a lot of advance notice for this, but the C'dale PD is accepting unwanted prescription drugs at the Public Safety Center this Friday, so here's an opportunity to get rid of that extra OxyContin you've got floating around.

Steeerike! (Maybe)

2011-10-25T10:29:00.001-05:00

The last of the four unions at SIUC voted to strike yesterday, if a contract isn't negotiated by Nov. 3. Negotiating theory indicates that agreements are more likely to be reached with the pressure of a deadline in place, so we will see what happens. If there is a strike and the graduate student strikers don't get some financial support from the other three groups, my bet is they would be the first to come to terms with the university, simply because most graduate students don't have the financial underpinnings that members of the other three unions do.

George Maroney Was Right...

2011-10-24T13:39:00.000-05:00

...at least about downtown Carbondale becoming an entertainment district. Took a walk through downtown last week and saw at least three new businesses ( Evelyn's Restaurant, Kelly's Irish Boxy House, and the unnamed rumored micorbrewery), the new location of Cristado's and one expansion (Mary Lou's) going int. All food related. Almost all the store fronts that have opened in the area in the past year, with the exceptions of Sew A Lot and Esther's Clothing, have been entrainment/food oriented ( various tattoo parlors and spas, Practice Pad, Crossfit Gym, La Unica Bakery).

Most of these serve as entertainment for their customers. they come in, eat, get a tattoo, work out, then leave. They don't promote shopping by their customers, nor do their customers have a reason to move from one location to the other. The places where customers can buy "things" are quite limited, most of what you buy in downtown Carbondale are services. Generally, once the customer purchases the service, they leave downtown or, in the case of the bars, move onto another one.

Even in the case of purchasing things, there is no inducement to convince customers to remain downtown to shop as most of the stores, the bike shops excepted, are dissimilar from one another. A customer at Priority Sports is not likely to move on to Sound Core to shop nor will a purchaser at Old Town Liquors move on to Univeristees. There are no clusters of similar stores, or "strings' as they are called, save for the group of bike shops, spas, bars and restaurants, ergo no reason for customers to engage in the traditional shopping behavior of moving from store to store,looking for the perfect, or at least satisfactory, product. People come downtown for entertainment and find it in the form of bar and restaurants (and the Varsity). The question is, does Carbondale accept that it does not have a viable shopping district for a downtown but does have a lively entertainment district or does it put in the extensive (and expensive) work needed to change this.

Auto Repair Shop

2011-10-24T07:37:00.002-05:00

Sign and remodeling indicate a new auto repair shop moving into the old Blue Star Limo building at the corner of N. Oakland and W Sycamore. Nothing posted regarding a projected opening date.

Haunted Carbondale

2011-10-23T12:51:00.002-05:00

If you are out in the Boskydell area at night, keep an eye out for lights floating along the railroad tracks near the crossing/. People have reported seen lights both there and further north by the Makanda crossing as well.

Trivia Event/Contest

2011-10-22T10:58:00.001-05:00

Received an email advertisng this:

The League of Women Voters of Jackson County is sponsoring a

Fall LWVJC Fun-raising Political Trivia Event Saturday October 29 7-9 pm - Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship

The goal is to meet some potential members, raise some money, and have fun.
Event price will be $10 and will include wine, desserts and lots of fun.
It would be fun to have one table for each political party that energizes our democracy.
Please check with your partisan friends and put together a table of six.RSVP to Gayle Klam at g.klam@mchsi.com Questions? Call Sarah at 549-5230 or Gayle at 549-1868

Getting Closer

2011-10-21T07:23:00.002-05:00

According to this story, the SIUC Faculty Association has set Nov. 3 as the date for striking if negotiations with the administration fail. Neither side is going to come out of this well. The administration is distracted from other problems at the university and the Faculty Association may see a call for its removal as the negotiating agent for the faculty.

Schnuck's Remodel

2011-10-20T10:51:00.001-05:00

Schnuck's is remodeling the inside of the store today. So far, they have pushed the counters about 4 feet towards the back of the store, giving more space between the front end of the counter and the cash register. There is a crew of about 2 dozen+ staffers out there this morning relaying out products on the shovels. Looks like the same Lozier shelves still used though.

Microbrewery

2011-10-19T13:22:00.000-05:00

From what I understand, the revision of the microbrewery ordinance paved the way for one to open up in the old Pag's location on S. Illinois. Not sure when from from the speed of the remodel, it will probably be before Christado's opens its doors.

City Council Meeting

2011-10-18T20:29:00.002-05:00

Well, that was over fast. With minimal discussion, the council unanimously (absent councilpeople Lance Jack and Jane Adams) approved ending minimum rates of water and sewer as of April 30 of 2012, switching to charging for the actual amount used and bumping that up over the next 5 years to pay for needed infrastructure improvements to the system. Not much of a surprise here.

Also, council voted unanimously to participate in the League of Cities Prescription Discount Card Program. This is a program that allows residents of participating cities to sign up for a discount card they can use as participating pharmacies for an average discount of 23% on prescriptions not otherwise covered by insurance. The city considered participating in the program several years ago but decided against it at the time since only a couple of local pharmacies participated and council felt the program would both give an unfair advantage to those pharmacies and implicitly give the city's endorsement to them. Now that approximately twelve pharmacies in the area participate, any advantage appears moot.

It is interesting to note and a commentary on how difficult it is to operate an independent pharmacy in today's market, that a search of participating pharmacies returns only one in Carbondale that is not part of a discount or supermarket chain.

On the Agenda

2011-10-18T18:36:00.001-05:00

The Liquor Control Commission will vote on approving a Class A2 license for Evelyn's tonight. Evelyn's is a new Cajun/comfort food restaurant opening at 519 S. Illinois, in the location previously occupied by Express Burrito and Jimmy John's.

The main thing on the council proper's agenda is the proposed ordinance adjusting city water and sewer rates, which will bring in about $10 million for sewer and water line repairs over the next five years.

Occupy Carbondale

2011-10-17T10:16:00.000-05:00

In case you happened to notice the tent encampment that sprung up at the corner of S. Illinois and E. Grand, that his ground zero for the Occupy Carbondale movement. By my count, there are half a dozen tents out there.

PR on FOIA

2011-10-12T12:07:00.001-05:00

The city sent out the following pre-release regarding FOI requests in regard to police investigations, specifically the one relating to the murder committed with Chielf O'Guinn's gun:

Recently questions have been raised aboutthe City of Carbondalewithholding reports and documents related to ongoing police investigations,even after these are requested pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act. TheFreedom of Information Act is meant to allow citizens access to information onthe activities and policies of government entities. However, the Act provides anumber of exceptions specifically for law enforcement activities. Theseexceptions are contained in Section 7 of the Act. One of these exceptionsis for information related to ongoing criminal investigations. This exceptionexists for a number of reasons:

1. Premature release of information can place witnesses in danger.

2. Premature release can tip criminals to the leads being followed andallow criminals to destroy evidence.

3. Premature release can cause innocent suspects to seem guilty as a resultof being questioned by law enforcement officials.

4. Early publicity can prejudice juriesand threaten the conviction of guilty suspects.

The theft of Police ChiefO’Guinn’s gun has now been linked directly with a homicideinvestigation. There are two criminal cases currently pending in JacksonCounty Circuit Court relating to the homicide and the stolen gun. Theinvestigation into those two cases is on-going. Two individuals have beencharged by the State's Attorney's Office in these matters. These two defendantseach have the constitutional right to a fair trial in a courtroom untainted bypre-trial publicity. The Illinois Supreme Court limits that which a prosecutormay say regarding a pending criminal case. The Court has essentially extendedthose limitations to police departments. The City of Carbondale and its Police Department willadhere to those rules so that these two defendants may receive a fair trial ina court of law. This is the FOIA exception that the City has been claiming indenying the release of this information. Denials issued on this basis areeasily appealed to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. Over 270pages of related documents have been reviewed and released by the City,primarily in response to media requests.

The City of Carbondale and the Carbondale PoliceDepartment serve to protect the health and safety of all its citizens. Crime victims and witnesses deserve to know that investigations will be completedin a manner that protects them as much as possible. Information on suchinvestigations is released when it is appropriate to do so. The CarbondalePolice Department routinely releases more public information than any otherdepartment in the region, as evidenced by the Department’s web site.

Questions should be directed toAllen D. Gill, City Manager at 457-3226.

Economic Development and Highways

2011-10-11T21:11:00.000-05:00

Caught the C'dale Chamber of Commerce's noon presentation on economic development in Jackson County. A good chunk of it was a promotional spiel regarding upcoming events at SIUC's Small Business Development Center and development at the airport. Betwix the two was an interesting presentation by the Jackson Growth Alliance on their efforts to push through a 4 lane highway from Carbondale to St. Louis that doesn't run through Marion. The organizations proposed plan is to widen 127 to 4 lanes, bypass Pickneyville to the west and link up with the interstate at Nashville. This is something that various organizations have promoted for the region since the mid 1960s. The Pickneyville route is the least direct but also requires the least amount of construction, totaling only about 43 miles with a cost of around $140 million.

I am not an expert on this but I have talked to someone who is, as they worked for IDOT for a number of years, and they are of the opinion that this won't happen, at least not in the foreseeable future, for two reasons.

Number one is the way in which highway districts in Illinois are laid out. The border between District 9 (where we are) and District 8 (north and east of Pickneyville including the Metro East area) runs right through Pickneyville, which means both districts would have to contribute funds and approval to the project. While District 9 probably could find the money to put into the highway, any additional funds District 8 comes up with would get funneled into infrastructure improvements in the East St. Louis/Metro East area.as population density and road usage is much greater there than anywhere in District 9.

Number two is traffic flow. If you look at the statewide traffic flow map, there are about 30,000 cars that enter or exit Carbondale daily from the east. 13,000 enter or exit from the west side and the figure drops to 11,400 on the est side of Murphysboro. The north side of Murphysboro handles about 7200 cars per day and it drops to 5500 by the time you get to Nashville. There is just not enough traffic in that area to justify an expenditure of $144 million in the hope that "if you build it, they will come."

Business comments on strike

2011-10-10T10:53:00.001-05:00

The DE called around this week asking local business about the potential effect of a strike on local businesses. The consensus appears that, while the labor strife isn't hurting business currently, an actual strike would certainly harm the university and, by extension, the local economy.

New Faculty Group

2011-10-08T11:44:00.000-05:00

A new group of faculty, calling itself the Faculty for Sensible for Negotiation, has sent out a letter calling for desertification of the Faculty Association as the bargaining representative of SIUC's faculty. the letter calls for turning negotiations over to the Faculty Senate.

While I don't particularity care for any organization that calls itself "Sensible", as too many times that's a code word for "let's roll back regulatory protections", the FA has been around for 15 years now and seems to have had problems with all five of the administrations that have cycled through during that period. Either the university has a habit of appointing very poor chancellors and administrators (not that far fetched given the number that have cycled through) or the FA is a very contentious organization.

Water and Sewer Rate Meeting

2011-10-06T14:02:00.002-05:00

Caught last night's meeting discussing proposed increase in city water and sewer rates. The summary of our systems is that, while the systems are well maintained, there is a need to replace significant amount of pipe and tanks that are damaged due to wear and tear and aging. The city has averaged about 61 water main breaks and just over 120 sewer line stoppages per year over the past 4 years (significantly higher in 2008 due to damage caused by the windstorm). Needed repairs include replacing water mains, lining sewer pipes, repairs to sewer lines, replacement of underground tanks and enlargement of some mains, and looping of water lines.

Currently the city charges residential and commercial customers $3.35 per 1,000 gallons, with a minimum monthly fee of $10.05 for the initial 3,000 gallons Sewer fees run $3.56 per 1000 gallons.

The proposed rate increases would eliminate the minimum monthly fee and generate approximately $10 million over the next 5 years. This would fix the most immediate problems and see us well into this century (To bring the entire system to tip top shape would cost an estimated $50 million). If you are a low use user (1000 gallons per month, your approximate rates would would run $21.78 in 2012 then drop too $14.67 in 2013 and increase up to $19.01 in 2016. A moderate level user (2600 gallons per month) would see rates increase from $21.78 in 2012 to $27.31 in 2013 and to $35.41 by 2016. A high usage customer (4200 gallons) would see rates increase from $30.49 in 2012 to $39.95 in 2013 and up to $51.81 by 2016. The city does not expect to see rates drop back to pre-repair numbers after the repair work is completed.

City Council

2011-10-04T21:21:00.000-05:00

Walked in to city council meeting at the tail in, just as they voted to go into closed session. I understand everything on the agenda passed, which means we have updated definitions of micro-breweries, Fair Days (allowing public consumption of alcohol) for the Hangar 9's Cartoon Network Carnival Event (the idea of consuming alcohol at a Cartoon Network event is bemusing but animation has gotten much less aimed at children over the years). There was also a presentation on water and sewer rates and changes that might need to be made.

Also passed was an ordinance allowing the issue of bonds to pay for a new fire station on the west side of town, back behind the new Walgreen's drugstore. It's probably a good idea to go ahead and replace the existing fire station since it is over 50 years old, located in a location that does not allow easy access by fire trucks and has a number of structural defects. Funding to cover the bonds will come from the increase in the sales tax passed a few years ago. Additionally, in 2018, some funding obligations to the school district end, freeing up additional money for bond servicing.

GA Strike Vote

2011-10-03T21:44:00.000-05:00

According to the DE, the Graduate Students United voted today to authorize a strike after this Thursday.. From the article, it appears that the union tail is wagging the graduate assistant dog. Of the 1700 graduate assitants on campus, only about 130 of them actually are members of the union, meaning that less than 10% of of the graduate assistant are determining the fate of the other 90%. Of those 130 or so, 88%, according to the article, voted to go out on strike. Since they have the union representing them, for better or worse, if I was a graduate assistant at SIUC, I'd join up with GA United, just so I would have a say in events like this.

It will certainly be interesting, given how few of them joined or voted, how many graduate assistants cross the picket lines should a strike be called. I'd bet the vast majority will opt to report to work as ususal, given how few of them appear to have any interest in the negotiations.

Strike on Facebook

2011-10-03T10:09:00.001-05:00

For those wanting to follow the discussion on the possible strikes at SIUC, the pro-strike faction has a Facebook page here.

Haunted Carbondale

2011-10-02T21:09:00.002-05:00

It's that time of the year again. The Little Egypt Ghost Society will host a presentation on haunted sites throughout southern Illinois on Oct 23, starting at 11 a.m. at the Giant City State Park Visitors Center on Sunday, Oct 23. This event is free to the public:

We will also display our ghost hunting equipment for show and tell. Copies of "HISTORY, MYSTERY and HAUNTINGS of SOUTHERN ILLINOIS", LITTLE EGYPT GHOST SOCIETY T-shirts and GHOST METER EMF meters will be offered for sale.

Incoming

2011-09-30T22:58:00.002-05:00

restaurants, that is. Kelly's Irish Boxies hopes to open this weekend in the space that Gumby's Pizza used to occupy next to 710 Bookstore. Meanwhile, C'dale icon and purveyor of countless platters of biscuits and gravy, Mary Lou's, is set to expand into the space next door that most recently house Hothead's styling salon.

Police Department FOIA Officer

2011-09-29T09:56:00.000-05:00

Apparently the city/police department is getting quite a bit of heat over the recent shooting with the gun stolen from Chief O'Guinn as it has appointed a representative to handle FOIA requests directed to the police department:

In the interests of streamlining theFreedom of Information Act (FOIA) process and expediting the requests forinformation, City Manager Allen Gillhas appointed Assistant City Attorney Lenoard “Jamie” Snyder asFOIA Officer for the Police Department. All future requests for PoliceDepartment reports and records are to be directed to Mr. Snyder’s office.As City Prosecutor, Mr. Snyder is very familiar with Police Department recordkeeping procedures and the critical nature of confidentiality in ongoingcriminal investigations. As an attorney, he is also very familiar with FOIArequirements and exemptions. This shift of responsibilities will also help easethe growing workload on the Clerk’s office, so that other FOIA requestscan be processed in a timely manner. The City Clerk will continue to be theFOIA Officer for all other requests.

Based on analysis of recentexperience with providing adequate response to FOIA requests, City Manager Allen Gill has identified an area where service canbe improved. Most of the perceived delays and lack of response come inregard to requests for Police Department records and reports. The OpenRecords Act provides numerous exemptions for police-related documents. Each ofthese exemptions for police-related records provides specific procedures andrequirements for meeting the exemption. On numerous occasions there havebeen differences of interpretation between the City Clerk’s office andthe Police Department. When these differences come to the City Manager’sattention, Mr. Gill asks the City Attorney to rule on the request and eachdepartment is expected to abide by the City Attorney’s ruling. TheCity Attorney’s opinion of these rulings must be final, as he is the onewho must defend the City if the City is accused of violating FOIA regulations.This is the procedure agreed upon after the new FOIA rules were announced ayear ago. Since that time, there has been a dramatic increase in FOIA requests,and this has also contributed to some of the delays.

State law allows for organizationsto have more than one FOIA officer. The City had elected until now to have oneFOIA officer for the entire organization, so as to centralize recordkeeping. Increasing workloads and increasing complexity of requests havecaused the City Manager to reconsider this option. This recommendationhas been discussed with Mayor Fritzler and he is in agreement with thisproposed change.

Merrily Marching Forward

2011-09-28T10:52:00.003-05:00

Civic service union employees at SIUC voted to authorize a strike yesterday. Dollars to donuts the other two follow along within the next couple of days.

Update: Just heard that, with 88% attendance, 92% of the Faculty Association members voted to strike.

Why Strike?

2011-09-26T09:59:00.003-05:00

From the Deo Volente blog, Dave Johnson gives his reasons for voting for a strike at SIUC

Fat Patties

2011-09-26T07:50:00.003-05:00

Fat Patties now has beer. The restaurant got every finally set up that week and added three varieties last Thurday: PBR, Miller Lite and Sam Adams (don't remember which variety). Lance Jack's plan is to add 3 new beers per week until the restaurant offers a total of twelve, six mass brewed beers and six craft brews.