Glen Carbon agenda packed with presentations
By Kathy Turner
The Glen Carbon Board heard presentations from three different sources at their meeting on Tuesday, July 11.
First, they heard from Katie Robberson and Violette Book who represented Chestnut Health Systems. They addressed the board on the rising number of deaths from Fentanyl poisoning nationwide and the DEA’s “One Pill Can Kill” campaign.
Robberson spoke of an EHS senior who recently died from Fentanyl poisoning. She read from a Facebook post made by her parents addressing the crisis that is killing kids nationwide. The parents pointed out that their daughter was an excellent student, accepted to attend St. Louis University in the fall, with a bright future ahead of her. One mistake, just one pill, ended all her dreams. She also pointed out that the pills are often disguised as something else, including Adderall, often used by students to stay awake and alert.
Book presented statistics on the number of deaths in the county, state and nation as the result of this drug. She also spoke of a newer, more deadly drug, Carfentanil, that is making its way into the country with cases as close as Indiana. This new drug is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than Fentanyl. It contains an animal tranquilizer used to sedate elephants and large mammals.
Chestnut Health Systems is encouraging everyone to be prepared to assist someone experiencing Fentanyl poisoning by keeping Narcan available in their homes and businesses. The agency has two-dose Narcan kits available free of charge to anyone wanting the products by sending an email request to SR-Narcan@chestnut.org.
Samantha Doolin, coordinator of the Glen Carbon Heritage Museum, presented an annual report to the Board about museum activities. She reported that the number of visitors, both in-person and to the website, increased in 2022 and is already showing an increase in 2023. She attributed the increase to events targeting both adults and children.
Upcoming events for the Heritage Museum and Yanda Cabin include: Goat Yogo on July 22; an Illinois Humanities Road Scholar Presentation entitled “Happy Invention: The History and Significance of Picture Postcards” by Katherine Hamilton-Smith on August 5; and, a partnership event with MEMRC entitled “What’s Coming Down the Line? The Railroad in the American Mind” presented by Mike Matejka on August 19. Residents can visit the Museum and Yanda Log Cabin websites to learn about events throughout the year or to receive Museum email notification.
The final presentation of the evening came from Sikich, LLP and was an overview of the 2022 Audit of village finances. Required on an annual basis, the auditor reviews the financial operations of the Village for the prior year and reports to the Board any identified concerns or suggested changes to operations.
In other business, the Board approved the low bid of Haier Plumbing and Heating for $2,087,824.50 for the Nickel Plate Interceptor Sewer Project. Village engineer Charles Juneau pointed out to the Board that this project will take away the pump stations on this line and replace them with gravity-flow sewer lines for a more efficient system.
The Board also approved a request from Jim and Judy Kinsella dba MOB Factor, Inc. for a short-term rental permit for the property located at 106 School Street. This is the second such permit issued by the Village since voting to require permitting for short term rentals.
Finally, the board approved $32,320 in improvements to the Miner Park Ballfield playground surface. The playground area often faces flooding problems and, as a result, the surface has deteriorated. The surface will be rebuilt by PlayPower LT.
The next meeting of the Board will be held on Tuesday, July 25 at 7 p.m.
