Carbondale Reporter

Village of Makanda Village Board met Dec. 17.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

CALL TO ORDER: Regular meeting of the Board of Trustees was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by President Tina Shingleton.

ROLL CALL: Clerk called the role of the Village Board: Trustees Hilliard, Allen, Wolff, Ross, and Dalton were present. Trustee Brouillette was absent.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: President asked for a motion to approve the minutes of the last meeting. Trustee Wolff made a motion to accept the minutes. It was seconded by Trustee Dalton. Voice vote. All members present at roll call voted yes. Motion carried.

CITIZEN’S HEARING: Makanda citizens’ Russell Kramer, Debbie Dunn, and Loraine and Malcolm Leigh were present. Debbie stated that she, Loraine and Malcolm were there to support any positive forward movement regarding the tower situation. Russell inquired what the Village was going to do about the dirt by Doc’s house that is falling over the side. Trustee Allen reported that the Village has not decided what to do in that location. Possibly cover it with gravel and put up a barricade.

PETITIONS & COMMUNICATIONS:

Christmas cards received from Asaturian Eaton &Associates and J.T. Blankenship.

Correspondence and email received from Jennifer Ohlman of Eligoenergy advising that Makanda is eligible to receive up to $200,000 in civic grants by switching to 100% green energy and applying for an EPA Green Partner certification. Under this program, the participants price for electricity will be the same as they pay to Ameren. Ameren will continue to service and bill participants. President stated that we are currently under contract with Select Energy. If anyone would like to check into this program, please let her know.

Letter received from State Representative, Patrick Windhorst’s office regarding a grant for the Park and Recreational Facilities Construction Program (PARC). Applications will be accepted until January 21, 2020. It was suggested that we check to see if costs for updating Community Center might be covered under the grant. President will contact State Representative Windhorst’s office to see.

Correspondence received from Emergency Management Agency to participate in updating the Jackson County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, which was adopted on September 16, 2016. FEMA requires these plans be updated every 5 years. For the Village to be included in a FEMA approved Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan in order to apply for their grant program funding. A Statement of Intent was included for completion. President filled out and returned to EMA. President attended required meetings back in 2016 and is willing to do so again unless anyone else would like to volunteer.

Email received from Ameren asking for assistance in making residents aware of possible utility scams. President has printed out a flyer to post at Post Office, Boardwalk, and Village Hall.

President was contacted by Wade Bowlin, a student at SEMO, who is working on a class project called Rivertales and thought Makanda would be a good story to talk about. He asked for guidance for someone to contact for an interview. President checked with Jesse Rowan and Dave Dardis to see if they would be willing to assist. She provided contact information to Wade for an interview.

Trustee Ross mentioned in a previous meeting about a tree limb that was sticking out at the edge of the road on Makanda Road. President called Ben McCowsky at IDOT on 11/7 and left message regarding this. Limb was removed in a couple of days. President also called on 11/27 about the “Rough Crossing” road sign across from Danny Brewer’s that has been knocked down to make IDOT aware.

President received an email from Daron Absher at Carbondale Community High School asking for a schedule of village board meetings and time for January thru April 2020 so they might attend for a required Public Meeting class assignment.

Correspondence received information from IML providing a resource page to help protect municipalities from potential cyberattacks. Some attackers have turned their focus to local governments largely due to the lack of resources many local officials have in dealing with this. One suggestion is to register our website with a.gov domain. President will check with Go Daddy to see if this is necessary. Numerous articles and information will be included in the January 2020 issue of the IML Review magazine. President advised that website has been updated regarding 2020 date for Vulture Fest and current board minutes.

Website annual renewal notice has been received for the Village website. Charge due by February 1 is for Office 365 Starter Email in the amount of $59.88 and Standard Wordpress Design Service in the amount of $239.88 totaling $299.76.

This charge will be noted in the January bills payable.

CLERK: Presented the draft of the 2020 Village Board meeting calendar. Board briefly discussed and finalized meeting dates. Clerk will prepare the final calendar and distribute it to the Board and post the calendar at the Post Office and Village Hall. Clerk distributed copies of a proposed statement by the Board, stating opposition to the placement of the proposed railroad tower in the downtown area of the Village. Board discussed. Trustee Allen was opposed to the statement. All other trustees agreed to the statement. Clerk will have it published in the legal section of the Southern Illinoisan.

TRUSTEES: Trustee Hilliard reported that the streetlights that were out, have been fixed and updated with new LED lights. Trustee Hilliard stated that the Village only pays for the rental of each light, not the number of hours it is on. Trustee Wolff inquired if the Village could hire a plumber to fix the commodes that are not working properly at the Village Hall and Community Center. Trustee

Hilliard will provide details of what need to be repaired so we can call a plumber for an estimate. Trustee Ross reported that Buncombe Water Department has still not fixed their problem on Baptist Hill. President reported she is still working on finding out about the repair of curbing on Baptist Hill from Buncombe Water. Trustee Ross reported a tree that had fallen on private property on Crackers Neck had also knocked over a light pole, that needs to be fixed. Ceiling tiles at Community Center are sagging and need to be replaced. President and Dan Walker replaced one tile that was hanging from ceiling on December 1 prior to rental. Dan and Randy can handle replacement of tile replacement if needed. Trustee Dalton reported that last Sunday night when leaving the Community Center, it was so dark that it was difficult to see the next step, could the Village put reflective tape on the steps? Also, the greenery along both sides of the Community Center steps, needs to be trimmed back. President reported that she would make sure that the landscapers would trim the greenery off the steps.

FISCAL MATTERS:

A. Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer presented the Treasure’s report. He will begin to take out Federal taxes for anyone who makes over $600, starting January 2020.

B. Bills Payable: Treasurer presented the list of the bills payable.

President asked for a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report and pay the bills. Trustee Hilliard made a motion to accept the Treasures report and pay the bills. It was seconded by Trustee Wolff. Voice vote. All present at roll call voted yes. Motion carried.

REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES: 

A. Finance Committee:

B. Ordinance Committee:

C. Street & Road Committee: Mail was received from AT&T about a proposed construction of a new 310-foot self-support lattice communication tower along with ancillary equipment at 621 Sheppard Lane. CBRE is requesting comments with regards to any potential impacts on historic architectural and/or archaeological resources. This address is in Makanda Township. The correspondence was forwarded on to Makanda Township Supervisor, Sara Lipe. The President’s concern is damage to road with heavy equipment traveling Sheppard Lane. She suggested that a load limit sign be posted at entrance of road.

President spoke with Keith with E.T. Simonds on November 25 regarding settling of Heern Street where culvert had been installed in August 2017. Keith checked street and will have BAM spread to fix settling and even road out.

President spoke with Betty Dilley at 178 Poplar Camp Road regarding ditching that was done at her driveway earlier this year. She and her son stated that the ditching has made the embankment wash away. They are asking this be repaired to keep it from washing out. They would like for the Village to provide the materials to fix themselves. Since repair needs to be done on Village right-of-way, President asked the Board if they have any objection to Village employees laying out sheets of grass from Energy Culvert and tack down to take care of washout. No objection was made.

Trustee Allen stated that someone had dumped dirt, about 20-foot-long, in part of the newly cleaned ditch on Church Street, it was also on the road. The Street and Road crew had to use the backhoe and truck to get it all cleaned out. Trustee Allen said that if it happens again, he will take pictures of it and report it to the Sheriff.

D. Subdivision Committee:

E. Insurance Committee:

REPORTS OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES:

A. Emergency Disaster Committee: B. Special Events Committee:

ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS: Clerk introduced annual Levy Ordinance 2019-3 and request an individual voice vote to pass the ordinance. All present at roll call voted yes. Motion carried. Clerk introduced Ordinance 2019-4 an Ordinance Amending the Floodplain Ordinance 2008-2. Clerk requested an individual voice vote. All present at roll call voted yes. Motion carried.

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

UNFINISHED/OLD BUSINESS: President and Clerk gave update regarding the railroad communication tower.

• Last phone call with Larry Lloyd from Illinois Central railroad was on December 4. Nothing new to report. Mr. Lloyd stated that survey work from the railroad crossing to Village Hall area will take place to re-evaluate a site. No decision has been made as to the type of pole to be installed. He was advised we do not feel a tower should be considered in Makanda as a site and that an alternate site outside of Makanda be considered. The Village Clerk also let him know the Boardwalk has been deemed historic and is eligible for the National Register of Historical Places and is now under Cultural Resource protection.

• Everyone is becoming frustrated with lack of information. Discussions have taken place at meetings held by the Committee for Historic Downtown Makanda to speak with media and voice concerns. Banners have been placed at the Boardwalk and Pavilion to keep Makanda tower free.

• Next call is scheduled for this Friday, December 20.

President readdressed the Village Trustee’s position on the cannabis issue. There is a question as to how to move forward. Do we want there to be an option to allow cannabis craft grow facilities, etc.? Should there be a Community meeting held regarding this issue? Other municipalities have held meetings for community input. An Ordinance needs to be passed depending on our position. After discussion, Trustees felt it would not be of benefit to the Village. There are several municipalities in the area that will be providing these services. President will contact legal counsel to see if a community meeting is required and have an Ordinance prepared prohibiting cannabis business establishment in the Village of Makanda.

NEW BUSINESS:

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Trustee Hilliard advised the Board that he is having surgery on December 30, and will not be able to attend the January Meting.

ADJOURNMENT: President asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion was made by Trustee Ross and seconded by Trustee Dalton. Voice vote. All present at roll call voted yes. Motion carried. Meeting was adjourned at 8:13 p.m.

https://villageofmakanda.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/December-17-2019-Minutes.pdf