Drones Downtown

 A couple of drones flew over downtown shortly after 6 p.m. releasing some sort of spray in their wake.  Hoping this has something to do with Homecoming but the spray was grey colored rather than SIUC shades.

City Council Meeting

 Here are the minutes from the Sept 29 council meeting at which changes to downtown parking were discussed.  Here is the section summarizing the feeling of the council:

"Councilmembers gauged the consensus for a host of suggested Ordinance and Resolution

amendments. Those that gained majority support included free Saturday parking except for the

SIMMS lot and Lot 14; changing the proposed up-to-seven-day overtime ticket to $10; and

maintaining the Downtown Employee Parking permit fee at $15.00 for six months, Resident

permit fees at $25.00, and Senior Permit as it currently stands. The Ordinance and Resolution

will be brought back with the proposed amendments incorporated, in addition to the cleanup of

the language."

However, the resolution was not brought back for a vote at this past Tuesday's council meeting, leaving the parking situation remaining as it has for now.

Homecoming Help Schedule

 Here is the Schedule of help needed for this Friday's Homecoming event.  Register here

Artist Hospitality set up: 8am-12pm

Work with the Events team to prepare backstage/artist areas with water, snacks, tables, and chairs. Ensure spaces are welcoming, stocked, and labeled for each performer.

Signage placement/Banner placement/ Trash and recycling placement: 8:00am-12:00pm

Place directional, informational, and promotional signs and banners around event areas. Ensure visibility and secure installation (must be gentle with the metal sign frame).

Litter Pick up 10:00am-12:00pm

Walk the strip & parking lots to collect trash and recyclables to ensure a clean event space before attendees arrive. Supplies provided (gloves, bags, grabbers)

Event Set up 10:00am-3:00pm

Setting up tents, putting up tables, merch, other event set up tasks as needed

Event Runner 2:00pm-11:00pm

Work directly with Events team to help run various tasks such as relaying messages to event team, landing vendors, grabbing office supplies, helping monitor media and stage access, social media coverage, bands runner

Event Tear Down 10:00pm-12:00am

Help pick up parking signs, trash, recycling, tear down easy up tents, coolers, etc.

Stage

 I see the city and SIUC plan to shut down Illinois avenue for the Homecoming Concert this Friday.  Funny, I thought the city built a brand new stage over on Washington Ave. so that it did not have to put up portable stages again. I guess the city and SIUc are hoping to resurrect the feeling alumni had when closing down the Strip at night was a regular weekend thing.  

Be that as it may, if you want to volunteer to help out this Friday, here's the link.

City Jobs

 If you are looking for a job with the city, there are currently four positions open:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CARBONDALE - 

The City of Carbondale is actively seeking applicants for the following positions:        

Facility/Event Support Worker 

City Hall, IL 
Full-Time - $18.00 - $19.00 Hourly 
Category: Building & Safety / Building Maintenance / Customer Service / Building & Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
Department: Civic Center

Lead Facility/Event Support Worker 

City Hall, IL 
Full-Time - $19.00 - $20.50 Hourly 
Category: Building & Safety / Building Maintenance / Maintenance / Customer Service / Grounds & Landscaping / Building & Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance 
Department: Civic Center 

Mental Health Advocate 

Police Department, IL 
Full-Time - $25.50 - $27.00 Hourly 
Category: Mental Health / Public Safety / Professional / Customer Service / Counseling / Community and Social Services
Department: Police Department 

Vacant Building/Property Inspector 

City Hall, IL 
Full-Time - $28.76 Hourly 
Category: Administration / Building & Safety / Building Maintenance / Code Enforcement / Safety / Maintenance / Community Development / Customer Service 
Department: Community Development 

City Limit Residency Boundary Requirement 

The City of Carbondale requires its employees to live within a 20-mile radius starting from the intersection of West Walnut Street and South Illinois Avenue in Carbondale. The 20-mile radius is outlined in GREEN. Please zoom in to accurately check for addresses that are within a 20-mile radius. To check a residence located near the boundaries of the radius, please contact Planning Services. 

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer (EEOE) 

The City of Carbondale is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the City of Carbondale to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, veteran status, marital status, sex, national origin, age, based on genetic information, or the existence of a physical or mental disability. 

City of Carbondale Core Values 

As a responsive and caring community, Carbondale's success is not just based on "what we do" but also "how we do it." Our core values define the behaviors important in our interactions with residents, visitors, and one another. These are the values that guide our work: accountability, integrity, fairness, communication, honesty, and teamwork. 

Those interested may apply here: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/carbondale 

Massage Parlors

It is a small thing but I have noticed that the names of almost all of the massage parlors in Carbondale have changed their name to "Something Spa"  . there are at least 4 in town that I know at those have all became spas over the last coupld of months. makes me wonder if they are all owned by the same person or company.

City Council Meeting 9/29/26

 Stopped in at this week's city council meeting.  A number of supporters of Anna's Choate Mental Health Center spoke during public comments, asking the council to go on record supporting Choate remaining open, which the council seemed inclined to do, saying it would bring up a proclamation at a later date. Speaking of proclamations, the council issued another one in support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

A public hearing with no comments from the public followed, asking for comments on the sale of property along East Highway 13 to IDOT so the state may continue work on 13 in the Crab Orchard area.

The consent agenda passed without much discussion, authorizing the aforementioned sale of property as well as submitting grant proposals to IDOT and the Illinois EPA.

Most of the evening's discussion concerned changes to parking regulations in downtown Carbondale.  At the time I left, the council appeared leaning toward the following:

1.  two hours free parking with a charge of 75 cents per hour after the second hour.

2. a permitting system providing free parking in the SIMMMs parking lot for those travelling on Amtrak

3. unlimited free parking throughout downtown on Saturday and Sunday.  Current signage says only Sunday is free although there is no parking enforcement on Saturday either.

4.  Increased fines for overtime parking, somewhere in the neighborhood of $7 if paid promptly. Yearly parking permits will go up in price $10 to $15.