Glen Carbon Senior Center Administrator delivers annual report

By Kathy Turner • The regular meeting of the Glen Carbon Village Board on Oct. 28 began with a report from Felicia Voelkel, who administers the Glen Carbon Senior Center. She highlighted the activities that take place each month at the center, along with special events that have occurred over the past year. 

She also spoke of the transportation service offered by the center. The service allows Glen Carbon seniors to schedule transport to and from area stores, medical appointments and various errands that they may need to do but without relying on a ride. She said that the bus has transported 2,156 passengers so far this year, up from the 2024 total of 1,551. 

In addition to activities and events, the center serves as an Ameren Warm Neighbors Cool Friends (WNCF) site. This means that Voelkel serves as a liaison for seniors who are facing difficulties in paying utility bills throughout the year. She helps to identify grant sources to help meet those costs. 

The center hosts Land of Lincoln Legal Aid for assistance with legal issues and provides assistance in completing various forms of paperwork such as applications for Medicaid, disability and assistance. 

Finally, the center serves as a collection site for various drives each year. This includes a coat and food drive currently underway, a collection site for plastic bags that are recycled by the local food pantry and the collection of items such as hotel giveaways of shampoos, soaps, toothpaste, etc. These items are bagged up in ‘blessing bags’ and left in library restrooms for the unhoused to use to help with hygiene. 

The board meeting continued with the passage of two ordinances that amend current village fiscal policies, accounting procedures and purchasing policies. Most of the changes, after review by staff and committee members, were housekeeping items such as amending board rosters. Some related to policies on travel and reimbursement. Most prominent was a change in purchasing policies that increased the level of purchases that must obtain board approval prior to the purchase from $20,000 to $25,000. This change aligns with regular expenditures of the village that have increased in cost. 

The board approved an ordinance that changes the zoning of the property located at 1 Pioneer Trail from single family to agricultural. The zoning was originally changed with an annexation of the property in the past. The property owner is looking to sell the property and it will be used for agricultural purposes. 

Finally, the board approved the site plan for Glen Carbon Mini Storage to be located at 5214 Chain of Rocks Road. The plan had been previously approved by the board but construction delays require the past approval, which expires after one year, be reissued for the project. It will include two buildings comprising about 9,000- and 7,300-square-feet. The project meets all village codes.

Trustee David Rands reported on his attendance at the Illinois Municipal League (IML) conference in Chicago. Rands thanked the village for the opportunity to attend and learn more about his role as a trustee. He focused his conference seminars to learning more about TIF districts and how they can benefit a community. He referred to the city of Marion’s use of the TIF program to help expand their commercial footprint and, as such, the tax base of the community. 

The next meeting of the board will be held on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m., a change in the normal schedule because of the Veterans’ Day holiday.