Mayor to give State of the City speech March 20
By Bob Okon bokon@stmedianetwork.com March 7, 2013 7:36PM
Joliet Mayor Thomas Giarrante listens to the budget presentation at the Joliet City Council meeting Monday, August 1, 2011 in Joliet, Illinois. | Art Vassy~Sun-Times Media
Updated: April 11, 2013 6:42AM
Joliet Mayor Thomas Giarrante will give his State of the City address at City Hall, not the usual setting for the occasion.
Giarrante will deliver his speech at 7:30 a.m. March 20.
Last year’s speech was given at the Autobahn Country Club. But like last year, the State of the City address will offer people a chance to see a place many have not visited before.
City Hall is not new. But the council chambers, where the speech will be given, were remodeled last year. It was the first remodeling of the chambers in more than 40 years.
“It really turned out nice,” Giarrante said, adding that a lot of people have yet to see the room. “Those that have been there really like it.”
Instead of the old orange-cushioned chairs fixed to the floor, which had been there since they were stylish in the 1960s, the chambers now have portable seating that can be rearranged for smaller meetings. The chambers also has wide-screen TVs that can be used for visual demonstrations.
“The good news,” said City Manager Thomas Thanas, “is that it’s being used about every day of the week now.”
The room doubles as chambers for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, which helped pay for the remodelling.
“It’s become a multipurpose room, which is what we wanted,” Thanas said.
The mayor will give his speech in the second-floor chambers, and a continental breakfast will then be served downstairs in the City Hall atrium.
Parking will be available at no charge in the Harrah’s parking deck along Jefferson Street and in the public lot behind McBrody’s restaurant. Free parking also will be available streetside around city hall with meters off.
The event actually will be put on by the Joliet Chamber of Commerce, which also hosted the mayor’s address last year.
Those interested in attending should make a reservation with the chamber on its website, www.jolietchamber.com. Cost is $20 for members and $30 for non-members. For more information, call the chamber at 815-727-5371.
