I’ve attended two meetings this week in the Alton City Hall, walking up the steps of the old building and entering the “new” government center. Each time I give some thought to the changed surroundings.

For those who haven’t ventured to 101 E. Third St. since City Hall re-opened in February, new and old mesh comfortably throughout the building. The grand staircase in the middle is familiar - albeit spiffed up - but the orange wall setting it off from behind wasn’t there last year.

Two previously neglected, ornate antique light fixtures that construction workers removed from the now gone, two-story auditorium, drop dramatically above the stairs. They seem to fit in well in their second round of service to the city.

What should please preservationists is that architectural details - such as ornate dentils above the doors that once blended into obscurity by matching bland walls around them - are painted in several colors so they really stand out. In older buildings in particular, it’s all about the details.

I’ve written extensively about the improvements in the building as the $3+ million in work progressed. You have to see it in person, though, to take in the full effect and to form an opinion as to whether you like the results or not.

What do you think? Or should the city have incurred considerably more expense and built a new City Hall?

On the “down” side of New City Hall, so far the biggest complaints I’ve heard are:

* The “monster,” as officials refer to the massive wooden podium in City Council Chambers that is difficult to move out of the way and has some electrical connection issues. On Monday, Mayor Don Sandidge asked the tableful of offiicals that the “monster” blocked from his view to stand up when speaking so they could be heard by the full council. Apparently help is on the way…. someday?

* The massive staircase that leads from the newly renovated City Hall parking lot south to Easton Street behind Gentelin’s On Broadway is attractive and makes it safer for people wanting to make the shortcut climb - or descent. The accompanying block wall that was built out from the old crumbling limestone one, which badly needed shoring up, also makes the hillside more secure.

However, for some odd reason , there is a 6-foot-wide stretch of pavement outside the 33-inch-tall railing that runs along the length of most of the parking lot. I have seen people climb over to the “perch” to take pictures of the riverfront from my vantage point by a window on the third floor of The Telegraph. Some officials have expressed concern that young skateboarders might try out the wall top and fall to suffer serious injuries. Actually, anyone could slip or lose his or her balance and take a tumble down the grassy hill, then another 10 feet down a couple of walls. So, stay off of it!

A landscape designer from Chicago met with Alton Park and Recreation Executive Director Mike Drake on July 25 concerning extending rails to cover gaps on the east and west ends, and possibly to install large planters to discourage people from getting on the top surface. They haven’t arrived yet.

At Monday’s meeting of the Committee of the Whole, 7th Ward Alderman David Boulds asked if the rail extensions would be up in time for an April 12 Alton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau reception for Abraham Lincoln Presenters. “I would like to see them up by then,” he said.

Why? Alcohol will be served at the event on the parking lot, with none to be allowed inside City Hall. Boulds, a retired firefighter/paramedic, didn’t want anyone to fall and get hurt.

I don’t know what precautions they will take concerning the stairs….

Sandidge said several months ago that the city will hold a dedication and open house once the parking lot/wall portion of the project is finished. So far, they haven’t given notice of the ceremony’s time and date.

I’m back here in “river city” after enjoying the sun, sand, peace among the tall pines and good conversation with some like-minded people also visiting the coast of South Carolina. Already I miss the gently pounding waves of the Atlantic Ocean, whose waters were both stress-relieving and invigorating - and still so warm during the last week of September.

Trees covering the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains had not started turning their brilliant fall colors as of last week. It still was breath-taking to drive east on Interstate 40 as I entered North Carolina shortly after sunset.

The giant silver moon was a few days from being full. Its bright glow helped illuminate the highway from far above to my left as I drove, with the light falling on the jagged, treed surfaces of the mountains. The beautiful scene was reminiscent of the classic Ansel Adams photograph, “Moon and Half Dome,” that he took at Yosemite Park.

Unfortunately, it was too dangerous for me to stop, take a picture and create my own “masterpiece.”

I thought of that mountain beauty when I returned to work Monday (October 1) and saw a large, old-style tourist cruise boat docked in Alton on the mighty Mississippi River. Perhaps some Carolinians were spending their vacation marveling at the big old muddy river, the beautiful limestone bluffs in this area and the silvery Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

Apparently it was a slow news week in Alton while I was gone.

I do note the death of retired Fire Chief Donald Dugan, who dedicated much of his life to public service and whom I respected.

I wrote his retirement story in June 2000 after working with him for more than two years. He was “old school” as far as working with the pesky media, but he still allowed ample information to be released. He invited me to several department luncheons celebrating retirements and once for the ceremonial signing of a new union contract. He greeted me at a few post-retirement events where we ran into each other, as we had gotten past any “rough spots.”

Although no longer chief, he continued providing helpful input to his successors and his longtime friend Alton Mayor Don Sandidge in the years after his retirement, sometimes by telephone from his vacation home at Lake of the Ozarks. The fire department remained in his heart.

Telegraph inside scoop:

* One operational aspect of The Telegraph that many sources and readers don’t understand is our “beats,” which generally designate what reporters cover which stories. While not chisled in Southern Illinois limestone, generally I cover Alton city news - from government to fires, some businesses and traffic crashes - Argosy casino, Hayner Public Library District, Alton Housing Authority and when Madison County Housing Authority actions involve Alton properties. I consider this the most interesting of all the beats at the newspaper, as it provides a variety of types of stories. There is always something going on in Alton! No boredom here!

* All reporters do features, particularly about people from their “territories.” We have someone covering schools, another reporter covers Madison County courts, and the others have beats comprised of various counties or towns. Professional courtesy dictates that reporters respect others’ beats and pass on news tips or ask if the other person minds if he or she does a story on the other reporter’s “territory.” That explains why someone who calls with a news tip might get switched to another reporter.

* For anyone who is interested, I began writing for The Telegraph in February 1992 as a free-lancer, mainly covering Edwardsville city government and schools, but also going to live events throughout the area on weekends. I joined the staff full-time in September 1995 as the education reporter, and 2.5 years later the editor transferred me to the Alton city beat.

* In the past I worked for the Edwardsville Journal, did free-lance writing for various clients and also worked in public relations. I am a native of Omaha, Nebraska and earned a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia.