Murphysboro joins Carbondale, Jackson County
The Southern 3-13-2013 • BY D.W. NORRIS THE SOUTHERN
MURPHYSBORO — The Murphysboro City Council on Tuesday joined Jackson County and Carbondale in support of a proposed two-year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing.
The council approved by a 4-2 vote drafting a letter in support of efforts to temporarily halt hydraulic fracturing, a natural gas extraction method commonly known as “fracking,” until studies can be conducted on the possible negative long-term effects of the process.
Aldermen Vicki Ardrey, Bill Pierson, Gary McComb and Russell Brown voted in the affirmative. Mike Bastien and Dan Bratton voted against support, saying they wanted to know more about language in the proposed bill before throwing their support behind the moratorium.
The council also approved an ordinance designated four parking spots on the east side of South 10th Street as 30-minute parking. A fifth spot on 10th Street is now 1-hour handicap parking, as is a spot on the corner of Chestnut and South 10th streets.
The parking spots are on the same block as Jackson County Courthouse, directly in front of the Craine Building.
Although the ordinance passed, Pierson wondered said he voted against it because “there’s no way we’ll ever enforce 30 min-utes.”
The council approved a no-parking ordinance on the north side of North Street between Fifth and Sixth streets to allow fire trucks to negotiate the street in an emergency.
Police Chief Jeff Bock told the council he expected “some really good news” today on a string of more than three dozen automobile burglaries earlier this month.
The council moved its next meeting to 7 p.m. April 10 to free its chambers to act as a polling place on the April 9 election.
dw.norris@thesouthern.com/618-351-5074