By Quint Forgey
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- This roughly 25,000-person college town in
southern Illinois will become shrouded in total darkness for as
long as two minutes and 40 seconds during Monday's solar eclipse,
longer than almost any other location in the country.
But for Carbondale city administrators who have been preparing
for the phenomenon since last summer, the eclipse is as much an
opportunity to boost the city's faltering university-based economy
as it is a chance to view a cosmic light show.
"It's a massive opportunity," City Manager Gary Williams said.
"It's an unbelievable economic potential for our businesses."
Carbondale's population is expected to double Monday as
astronomers, NASA scientists, curiosity-seekers, students of all
ages and international media trek here for an event that could
generate $8 million in local economic activity, according to city
estimates.
The town's moment in the blocked-out sun couldn't come at a
better time.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, the city's largest
employer, has seen funding delays in recent years as a result of a
record-breaking state budget stalemate in Springfield.
Carbondale normally relies on each student to generate $10,000
annually in local economic activity, said Mayor John "Mike" Henry,
but dwindling student enrollment has cost the city about $50
million a year. Drugs and crime in pockets of the community have
stretched local police and social services.
When Mr. Henry was first notified of Carbondale's geographic
significance for the eclipse by SIU faculty more than two years
ago, he became determined to make hay while the sun was still
shining.
"Right at the beginning we said, 'We cannot fail at this,'" Mr.
Henry said. "We're going to overplan. We're going to overspend.
We're going to do everything possible so that every single person
has the best experience that they can have."
Mr. Henry expedited the first phase of an expansive
downtown-revitalization effort, spending about $1.75 million to
tear up sidewalks, unify the streetscape, update public parking and
improve street lighting.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday marked the beautification
project's completion, just three days before the solar
deadline.
"It was extremely important," Mr. Henry said. "We wanted to put
our best foot forward, and that's what that did for us."
The new look of the downtown area, coupled with whirring
commercial activity in the days leading up to the eclipse, have
left many locals feeling rather sunny.
"The transformation they've finished in just the past week has
been incredible," said Kyle Harfst, executive director of economic
development at SIU.
Mr. Harfst was part of a planning committee that hosted seminars
for local businesses as early as September of last year to help
prepare retailers for the enormous influx of visitors to Carbondale
this weekend.
He advised restaurants to limit extensive menus to roughly a
dozen items and discouraged vendors from relying exclusively on
niche products like eclipse T-shirts that would lose value after
the weekend.
"Let's take advantage of this naturally occurring phenomenon and
capitalize on it," Mr. Harfst said. "Economically, it's been a
pretty good investment for the city, the university and the
community."
George Sheffer, who has owned the Murdale True Value hardware
store in Carbondale for 40 years, attended one of the seminars,
where he was warned that his business may not profit as much as
convenience stores or other shops this weekend.
But he has done well selling bottled water, caution tape,
entrance and exit signs for restaurants, and propane for eclipse
barbecues. He has also rented several tents to the city government
for use during festivals downtown and has sold about 5,000 pairs of
protective eclipse glasses.
"For a local, it's been a very exciting time," he said. "You
have so many people coming together to give a good impression."
Mr. Sheffer is already excited for the economic potential of
another eclipse set to pass over the city in April 2024, prompting
Carbondale to bill itself as the "Eclipse Crossroads of America."
Planning for that event begins next week with a meeting where city
officials will debrief and reflect on the events of this
weekend.
"We're going to do it while it's fresh on everybody's mind," Mr.
Henry said. "We'll be more ready than ever for the next one."
Write to Quint Forgey at quint.forgey@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 20, 2017 18:22 ET (22:22 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.