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Weather delays Quinn’s visit to Marion RYAN VOYLES Daily Egyptian Chicago storms have delayed Gov. Pat Quinn from signing a bill that would begin major project development in Marion until today. More than a hundred people filed into the Operating Engineers Union Local 318 Hall Wednesday afternoon,
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where Quinn was scheduled to appear and sign a bill which would approve the use of bonds to begin construction on a multimillion-dollar development on the north side of Marion. But heavy rain and thunderstorms in Chicago grounded the governor’s plane, forcing officials to delay the event until 11 a.m. today in the same location. A mega-retail and entertainment
area is proposed in the plan, which is estimated to cost $378 million. Supporters of the bill have said the development has the potential to bring in thousands of jobs and millions in revenue to the southern Illinois region.
Ryan Voyles can be reached at rvoyles@dailyegyptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 254
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A living room to celebrate living CHRIS MCGREGOR Daily Egyptian Setting up a living room in 15 minutes has become a weekly event for a group of friends. For nearly a decade, a living room including a love seat, a coffee table, a refrigerator, carpet and lamps has appeared outdoors at every Sunset Concert. The living room group started from an idea Wayne Lukowski had while attending school at SIU. “Me and a friend had brought a recliner to a Sunset Concert,� said Lukowski, of Du Quoin. “We talked about that story and thought we needed to do this again.� The original furniture was assembled through a donation from a Murphysboro landlord who wanted to get rid of extra furniture. From the first incarnation eight years ago, the group has grown in size and modified its living room. Lukowski said the amount of enthusiasm from everyone in the group and the larger community encouraged them to continue their quest for the ultimate lounging experience. Geoff Ritter, of Carbondale, said he used to carry a cooler and sit on that, but the upgrade to a recliner has been welcomed. “Where else can you go every weekend and have a live band play basically in your living room with a whole slew of good friends?� Lukowski said. He said their group of friends enjoys the relaxed atmosphere of their own home that their portable living room creates. He said his philosophy is to be laid back. “Everyone brings lawn chairs, blankets or whatever makes them comfortable,� Ritter said. “We just prefer the living room. We just want to relax and have nice comfortable furniture to do it on.� The group’s ability to set up their living room in under 15 minutes is a testament to their attendance, said Ritter. “We’ve made every concert with the living room for the past eight (years),� he said. He said they keep tarps with them at every concert in case of rain. Lukowski said the group’s relaxed philosophy mandated a mobile room. “We have gotten it down to a science,� he said. “With the editions we can set it up in 15 minutes or less with two people.� The living room is easily maneuverable as it is all set on wheels.
TOP: Victoria Rabacchi, 6, spins in anticipation before playing another round of limbo Thursday with Eric Lynch, 11, and Wayne Lukowski, owner of the portable living room at the Sunset Concert. Lukowski said he and his friends have brought the carpet, couch, armchairs and refrigerator to Shryock or Turley Park for the last eight years. “Otherwise it sits all year,� he said. “This is our ‘Sunset’ living room.� RIGHT: Everyone who enters Lukowski’s living room is asked one small thing — please take off your shoes. The carpet shows little wear or stains, indicating that the request has paid off. DIANA SOLIWON DAILY EGYPTIAN
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Green fund committee designates fall funding Wind turbine, green roof leads list of green funded projects LAUREN LEONE Daily Egyptian The Sustainability Council Green Fund Committee has collected more than $125,600 to fund sustainability projects for the fall semester. The $125,600 will go toward nine projects while the other eight approved proposals will have to wait for the committee to receive another round of money from the
fee before the projects can be funded, said Ryan Klopf, chairman of the Green Fund Committee. The committee is roughly $377,000 short of the total requested money from all 17 projects, according to committee reports. Klopf said the council — which consists of students, faculty and staff — weighs several factors when going over proposal applications. “We look at sustainability impact, education value,� he said. “We look
at whether or not the project has matching resources from another agency, if they’ve already taken steps to find other means of support.� Some of the projects have already received money from the committee in the spring semester when it levied out roughly $151,000 to 17 projects. Two main projects — the wind turbine and the green roof for the Agriculture Building — will receive $64,000 and $20,000, respectively. The turbine received $25,000 last semester for preliminary planning, assessment, zoning and permitting issues, but will apply the fall award for construction purposes, Klopf said.
Once the wind turbine is built, it will reduce carbon dioxide omissions annually by 3,637 metric tons and sulfur dioxide by 22.29 metric tons, according to the Physical Plant’s funding proposal. The proposal also estimated net savings for coal-generated electricity with the new wind turbine to be $365,000 annually. The green roof installation project would make the Agriculture Building the first facility on campus to have a green roof. Plants would be grown on the roof of the building to reduce stream pollution, erosion, and heating and cooling costs, Klopf said. He also said the green
roof would have a prolonged lifespan and create a habitat for wildlife. “It will be used for education and research purposes,� Klopf said. “It can function as a prototype for future green roofs.� Klopf said the green roof project received funding and support from other sources — the Physical Plant helped plan the roof design, the College of Agriculture Sciences donated $10,000 and Green Roof Solutions — a green roof construction company — committed $5,000 worth of materials to the project. Please see GREEN | 3