Roundabout

Looks as if the city will install its first roundabout at the intersection of Chautauqua and Briarwood. The city has looked at roundabouts at various locations for roundabouts in the past but never has gone ahead with the project.

West Oak Street

From what I have heard, SIH/Memorial Hospital has purchased all of the lots and houses on the stretch of West Oak behind the hospital. I would expect to see all of them knocked down in the next couple of years as the hospital needs more room to expand, probably including knocking down the Rain House. site of a murder and at least one accidental death. 

Combined City Council/ Park Board Meeting

In case you are free tomorrow night, there is a combined City Council Park Board meeting tomorrow night at the Civic Center, starting at 6 p.m. Looks as if the two groups will devote the major portion of the meeting to a discussion of a merger of the two organizations and what citizens of the community expect of such and what could actually happen. Nothing will likely happen until something is done about the debt load the Park District has on the books as a result of Hickory Ridge Golf Course.

Also on the agenda is a resolution condemning the proposed discharge of waste water by Williamson Energy into the Big Muddy River.

Free Parking

So far the city's experiment with free downtown parking appears to be going well. I have not seen any members of the parking division patrolling the lots and traffic flow in the lots appears as smooth as it was prior to the start of the program. The is costing the city somewhere in the neighborhood of roughly $10,000 per month which was applied to parking lot maintenance, so that money will have to come out of the general fund.

Regions Bank

Regions will consolidate its two Carbondale locations into one at the new location at the corner of Oakland and Main in mid October. Memorial Hospital has already purchased the Regions property on West Main and will likely raze it for either more parking for the facility or adding another building to the Memorial complex. Not sure why the company did not just consolidate the two locations into one. Maybe because the current West Main location is somewhat awkward to access while the East Main location is much smaller.

Steak and Shake Inspection Report

If you would like to read the last health inspection report for the now closed Carbondale Steak and Shake, here you go.

Steak and Shake Closed

The Carbondale Steak and Shake closed without much fanfare. Sign on the door indicates the company is looking for another franchisee to take over but the company has also been having a lot of financial problems