A thirty-minute Grayville meeting Monday night resulted in plenty of discussion from apartments in commercial districts to smoking in public places. Commissioners and Mayor Travis Thompson all thanked city workers for their efforts in the June 2nd water break that took about 30 hours to repair. Employees were able to make repairs without having to issue a boil water order.
When it comes to apartments in the business district, leaders spent about 6 minutes skirting the issue. Nobody spoke to what the specific issue is; only stating that there were issues. Topics included multiple families living in single family units and parking. The matter was tabled so City Attorney Jay Walden and others could look over the current ordinance before taking any action.
Chief Mason Siegel also spoke up requesting the city give his department some teeth via an ordinance to deal with cannabis use in public places.
Recently, we had an issue with cannabis use at the city pool. The Smoke Free Illinois Act keeps people from smoking anything within I believe 15 feet from a doorway. However, at the state level, it’s pretty clear you can’t use in proximity to minors; I’ve already reached out to Chief Carter [Carmi Police Chief] and other chiefs and there’s been some confusion. It’s clear it’s illegal in proximity to minors and in public view, but there’s no clear penalty in the ILCS code book. I’ve scoured it. The way Carmi does it, they’re addressing it via city ordinances.
Commissioners would vote unanimously to grant Walden the authority to work on an ordinance specifically with the issue.
Grayville leaders also approved an expenditure of $13,310 for Guisewite on an estimate to fix a ditch between First Street and Route 1. The city will use Motor Fuel Tax funds for the project.
Street commissioner Chris James also discussed solutions to some roadway issues with residents who attended the meeting.
Monday night, Grayville also approved the VFW to solicit donations for Flag Day this Saturday and a change order of $8,130 for the watermain replacement. Commissioner Don Baldwin also said he’d talk to city workers about not allowing septic tank contractors to use the city’s sewer system as a disposal.
Tuesday morning, the city of Grayville announced the sidewalk project for downtown is underway. The north and south side sidewalks on East North Street from Court St to Main St will be getting replaced. Residents can expect some inconveniences associated with getting this portion of the project done including not being able to use the front entrances to buildings while crews are working on the front, specifically while concrete is drying.
The Grayville Council adjourned just after 7:30 Monday night and will next gather on June 23rd.
