ABOVE: Former Alderman Brenda Brown addresses the Danville City Council.
A veritable plethora of items came up in the Danville City Council chambers Tuesday (Feb 11th) evening. During the second meeting, a special meeting of the full City Council, former Alderman Brenda Brown used the Public Comment period to address last week’s firing of Human Resources Administrator Sandra Finch by Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr. Brown brought up the name of former Rotary president Herbert Taylor; and stated that the four things he preached are what the mayor and City Council need to keep in mind when taking ANY action. “Is it the TRUTH; is it FAIR; does it help with GOODWILL AND FRIENDSHIP IN THE COMMUNITY; and is it BENEFICIAL TO ALL.
AUDIO: Administrator Finch served the community. It’s not just her job here at City Hall every day. She has worked with the community. She helps the community through her job as a human relations director. So, that’s why I used the four way test.
Also Tuesday night, during the Public Works Committee meeting, Public Comment speaker Deonta Brooks talked about a major reason for the Council to allow the consumption lounge at the Seven Point of Illinois dispensary. Brooks says as a two-time combat veteran, he has seen fellow veterans that need medication sometimes try to self medicate themselves, and get hurt. He says the use of cannabis, and a place to use it, can make all the difference.
(1st Picture) Deonta Brooks address Public Works Committee on advantage of cannabis to combat veterans. (2nd Picture) Full City Council prepares for special meeting. (3rd Picture) Seven Point CEO Brad Zerman makes some additional points to Public Works ahead of next week’s full City Council vote on consumption lounge.
AUDIO: As our current law stands in the city; you have to get it, and then you have to go home, and then you’re by yourself. And you can’t be around other people and have conversations, and talk about your physical illness and the things going on in your head. It’s been proven that it actually helps people with PTSD deal with some of the things that they deal with; versus just overmedicating them.
The Public Works Committee made the change that would allow a consumption lounge in the first place; but the actual approval of this particular one at Seven Point will be before the full council on February 18th.
Also during Public Works on Tuesday, a pair of actions designed to save money were approved by the committee and explained by Community Development Administrator Logan Cronk. One is the purchase by the city of two blighted structures at 18 E. 5th Street. Cronk says this will provide a shortcut for a new sanitary sewer alignment along Jefferson Street. And without it, the city would have needed a new pump station.
AUDIO: We don’t have an exact cost of what the pump station installation would be, extra on to the project. It would be to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars; is what we’re saving here.
Then, there’s the city’s decision to purchase current DC Fitness facility at 125 N Vermilion. Cronk says the main concern there is a bad north wall that connects that structure with the old Chart Records structure. And once the city has control of both locations, they’ll be able to make the safest decision possible on what to do next.
AUDIO: We know that it’s current structural condition is so poor, that we need to act quickly. Now that may be either demolition, or exploring to see if it can be fixed.
Those latter two items will also come before the Danville City Council on Tuesday the 18th.
