Yard Regulations

Not able to make city council meeting tonight but on the agenda is a discussion of possible regulations regarding maintenance and selection of ground cover and alternative grasses.  No.  Just no.

City Council Meeting

City Council meets next Tuesday. Among other items on the agenda is a proposal to change the city code regarding ground cover and native grasses in gardens planted on the city right of way. Among other concerns is if there should be a list of approved grasses and ground cover and whether or not there should be a registration requirement so that city officials can tell the difference between a native grass garden and someone just letting their grass run wild. My neighbor has had yellow signs in the yard twice so far this summer for allowing grass and weeds to grow in excess of 12".

Hidden Carbondale Tour

The Chamber of Commerce will host another Hidden Carbondale tour later this month. The last one sold our fairly quickly. Most of the "Hidden" spots involved going inside one business or another in Carbondale, so if seeing how C'dale businesses operate interests you, you should find this tour enjoyable (and hopefully less wet than last year's tour):

Carbondale residents have an opportunity to get an inside look at otherwise unseen parts of the community thanks to a bus tour planned by the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce.

“Hidden Carbondale” is being billed by event organizers as “a field trip for adults,” taking participants to parts of the city they may have never seen before. The event, set for 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 23, includes stops at Carbondale industrial healthcare, communications sites as well as a few surprises. The program includes motorcoach transportation to all destinations and concludes with dinner and custom coffee bar at Cristaudo’s at approximately 7:30 p.m.

The Chamber’s first Hidden Carbondale event, held last year, took participants on visits to the R. Buckminster Fuller Dome, Com-Pac International, Grand River Spirits, the Varsity Theater and Memorial Hospital of Carbondale. All new stops are planned for 2014.

The tour does include significant walking and stairs.

Hidden Carbondale is limited to 50 participants. Reservations are $35 per person, which includes all transportation, dinner and beverage costs. For more information or to reserve space for the Hidden Carbondale program, call the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce at (618) 549-2146.

Freedom Summer Presentation

SIUC sent more students south during Freedom Summer 50 years ago than any other Illinois university. Morris Library had an exhibit on display currently: "50 Summers Ago:  SIU Students in Mississipi" and will host a reception and discussion on the exhibit this Friday, Sept 5 from 3:30 to 5 p.m:

Speakers include Father Joseph A. Brown, professor of Africana Studies, and Jane Adams, Carbondale city council member and professor emeritus of anthropology. Adams chaired the Mississippi Summer Project at SIU and taught in the Freedom School in Harmony, Mississippi.

Fall Enrollment at SIUC Up

Fall enrollment at SIUC up slightly, just a bit  over 2%  Total attendance is up 25 people but freshmen enrollment increased about 2.4% and transfers are up 2.3%. Still really too small to consider significant and, after 10 years of steady decline, 'twill need more than 1 year to show that the university has "turned the corner",

Downtown Master Plan Committee Meets

Tomorrow night at 6 p.m. I have heard quite a bit of talk recently about a proposal to make University Avenue a two street and shift Highway 51 over there, rather than have 51 split onto University and Illinois Avenues as it passes through downtown.

From what I have heard from people who have lived here far longer than I, the reason for splitting 51 onto two one way streets was the amount of truck traffic using 51 both north and southbound. Having all those trucks funneled down a single two way street not only damaged the pavement, meaning more frequent street repairs, but also made driving and walking in downtown much more dangerous, since large trucks bore down from both directions. Unless a solution is proposed to deal with those problems, the current street layout is likely best for now.

Both the Endswell development in the Walnut Street Baptist Church building and the Carbondale Flats project will strain downtown parking more. From what I have heard, the research done by Tartan, the Carbondale Flats developer, indicates that the parking developments for that area will be enough to satisfice the needs of Carbondale Flats residents. However, there appears no plan in place for any additional parking for the residents of the building. With Civic Center parking already tight for events, something will need to be done.

Trains, trucks, busses, bikes and automobiles are up for discussion at the next meeting of the Downtown Advisory Committee. Increase parking lots or build parking garages? Two way streets on Illinois and University? Slow down traffic? Close off the street for festivals? Too many trucks? Angle parking in front of businesses?  Bike lanes…what about handicapped?

We’re discussing ANY question or idea you have about the Downtown Carbondale streets. We will share the latest information about developments from IDOT and other agencies. Come at 6:00 p.m. for informal conversation with members of the Committee.

Press are welcome to mingle and interview during the informal gathering at 6:00 p.m.

The theme of transportation modes will be presented by SIUC Sustainability Coordinator Chris Schachel. The issue of traffic flow in the downtown area will be discussed by Carbondale businessman Nathan Colombo. Parking and public safety will be addressed by Meghan Cole, Executive Director of Main Street.

We’re meeting at the old Illinois Central Depot at the corner of Main Street and Illinois Avenue on Wednesday night, September 3. The official meeting starts at 6:30 p.m., but please come early.

In the event that attendance exceeds the allowable occupancy at the Carbondale Main Street Offices, the meeting will relocate across the street in the Civic Center located at 200 South Illinois Avenue.

Agenda

 Carbondale Downtown Master Plan Advisory Committee
Agenda for Meeting of September 3, 2014 Commencing at 6:30 p.m.
Carbondale Main Street Offices at Old Train Station
Interest Area: Transportation
1. Bring to order
2. Roll Call and member/facilitator introductory remarks
3. City Staff presentation: ongoing transportation projects, actions, and plans
4. Current transportation issues as seen by the theme organizers
a. Transportation modes (Kris Schachel)
b. Flow of traffic in the downtown area (Nathan Columbo)
c. Parking and public safety (Meghan Cole)
5. Comments from the public
6. Brief recess
7. Comments from the committee members
8. Summary of major recommended actions and member selection
9. Approval of minutes
10. Review of mission statement
11. Announcement of next meeting, date, time and location
12. Adjournment
In the event that attendance exceeds the allowable occupancy at the Carbondale Main Street Offices, the meeting will relocate across the street in the Civic Center located at 200 South Illinois Avenue.

New Business Opening (Kinda)

New online business based here in Carbondale will have a ribbon cutting this Saturday.  Hard to call it an opening since the event is taking place in the Old Train Depot building:

The Carbondale Chamber of Commerce will hold a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Classroom and Board, a Carbondale-based online business at 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept.6. The ceremony will be part of an open house and kick-off party for the business, and will be held in the meeting room of the Chamber’s office at 131 S. Illinois Ave.

Classroom and Board is an online source for ready-to-use educational bulletin boards and components for classrooms, university and college residence halls, churches workplaces and more. All of the products can be customized to buyer’s specifications and include free shipping. The company can be found online at www.classroomandboard.com.

Representatives of the Chamber, City and the business will participate in the ceremony. The event is open to the public.