Council Approves Permit for Walnut Street Weddings

The Effingham City Council Tuesday voted to grant a special-use permit to Walnut Street Weddings to hold weddings and similar events at the Austin Mansion.

All four Council members present voted in favor; Mayor Merv Gillenwater and Commissioners Alan Harris, Don Althoff and Matt Hirtzel. Commissioner Brian Milleville was not present for the meeting.

The mayor asked for two conditions not included in the recommendation to grant the permit by the Effingham City Plan Commission. The conditions were a part of the six-month permit now being utilized by Walnut Street Weddings. One limits the number of large events each week to two and limits when they can be held to Friday, Saturday, Sunday or a Federal holiday. The other requires that smaller events be ended no later than 10pm. Billie Jansen, who manages Walnut Street Weddings, said she was agreeable to those conditions.

Two neighbors, Stephen McNaughton and Kelli Bingman, shared concerns. Both brought up an incident when an apparently intoxicated man left the event and ended up in front of Bingman's home along 4th Street where he fell down and ended up in the street. Jansen acknowledged the event and said she followed the man and with help from two others got the man to return to the event. McNaughton also had concerns over the noise level even after the music at one event ended, and whether excessive alcohol use might lead to further problems. Bingman said she was also concerned about the level of alcohol consumption at events, and liability issues had the man who fell at her property been injured.

Jansen described the man in question as "one idiot who drank too much" and felt she had properly monitored the events held to this point. When asked, City Police Chief Mike Schutzbach said his department has not received any calls about any activity at the property. Jansen said the other neighbor next door to the mansion told her she had not noticed anything was going on until she remembered it was taking place and opened her door to double check.

The status of the permit will be reviewed annually by City Administrator Jim Arndt.

The Council agreed to sell City-owned property at 602 West Clark to high bidder K and K Investment Company for $22,601, about $2,100 above the minimum acceptable bid. Commissioner Matt Hirtzel voiced concerns that the land wouldn't just be used as a parking lot. Director of Public Works Steve Miller said the City could regulate the use of the property through right-of-way permits. K and K officials told the City that they plan to use the property in conjunction with neighboring property they own for commercial development.

The Council voted to declare the property at 111 South Mulberry as dangerous and unsafe. The owner must provide a plan within 30 days of how they'll correct the situation, or the City can take whatever steps are necesssary.

Council members also authorized the issuance of a liquor license to DDP Development for what is to be known as Camp Lakewood Lounge; agreed to include compensation directed into a retirement health savings plan as IMRF earnings; purchased land as an easement for a sanitary sewer to serve a property on the southeast corner of 3rd and Evergreen; approved a proposal from Esker and Walker Construction for $120,000 to construct a stretch of Kreke Avenue west of Banker Street to provide access to NAPA Auto Parts, Nuxoll's Food Center and other developments in the area; and informally okayed further work to design water line improvements in the area around the former Fedders complex being developed by Diel and Diel Properties.