Du Quoin Hires New Fireman
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Du Quoin City Council Monday voted to hire the son of longtime Du Quoin fireman Joe Riggio, who retired in April 2009, as the city's new fireman.
Will Riggio has received the highest scores among applicants who have completed the last two rounds of testing with the Du Quoin Police and Fire Merit Board. Riggio is hired to fill a vacancy in the department because of the retirement of Chief Brett Crain and the promotion of Bob Shaw to the city's new fire chief.
In other action, the council will offer for sale to the public 11 city-owned lots along North Walnut Street and South Oak Street. Nine of the lots lie near the intersection of North Walnut and Perry streets and years ago were gifted to the city by a fraternal organization for use as a soccer field. That plan never came to fruition. The city will advertise for the properties which will be sold by sealed bid and quit claim deed. The other two lots lie at the end of South Oak Street between the Frank Deaton State Farm Agency and the Poplar Street overpass.
The council approved an ordinance amending Section 39-4-52 of the current code pertaining to effluent and zinc concentration limits.
The council approved Ordinance 2010-O05-06: An ordinance amending the Zoning Code-rezone 500 block West Park Street, south side from R-1 to R-2 zoning.
The council approved Ordinance 2010-O05-07: An ordinance repealing Ordinance 2010-O05-03 to reestablish a "No Parking " restrictions on Walnut Street, east side and south of Main Street to Poplar Street.
Treasurer Jacqueline Williams gave her quarterly report and said the city has an $81,000 surplus. Sales tax revenues are strong, but cautioned all departments to watch spending as the city heads into the summer maintenance months.
The council approved an IDNR suggestion to take fish (gizzard shad) reduction measures at the Du Quoin City Lake as recommended by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Dale Spencer, public works director, has begun mapping a Du Quoin cleanup plan that involves a no-fees day for dumping at the landfill in June to be followed in August by a program to give residents weekend use of some dumpsters.