Miscellany May 10, 2017

A press release from Saint Joseph's College on Tuesday afternoon announced that the president of Saint Joseph's College, Robert Pastoor, was resigning as of May 12. I doubt if he had any idea of how serious the financial problems were when he accepted the position.

The Marathon station by the railroad, often called Shorty's Marathon, was out of gas on Tuesday.

I went inside to find out what was going on. Tuesday was the last day that the station will be open. I was told that the building will be demolished on Thursday. The move to the new building will take about a month. New gas tanks and pumps will be installed before the station reopens.

Gas prices keep falling. They are now below $2.10 in local stations.

The rain early this morning postponed paving on Grace Street. Maybe the weather will cooperate tomorrow. I went to the quarry to get a picture of stone hauling and was a bit too late. As I arrived three trucks and the loader were leaving. The piles of stone that had been in the lot were gone.

The pavement markings have been painted on Drexel Drive.

I stopped by Saint Joseph's College and disturbed a heron at the reflecting pond.

I asked a person in the athletic department how job searches were going. Those that have found new positions have mostly moved downward, to Division III schools or to NAIA schools. I have heard only a few success stories of faculty finding new positions. Three schools that will have a former Puma Prof next year are Ohio University, Wabash College, and Buena Vista in Iowa.

On Tuesday evening the Rensselaer Board of Zoning Appeals heard a request for a variance on the old Monnett School building so that it can be used for child day care. The people planning to open the child day care wanted to purchase the building only if they received the variance. Their plan is to serve children two to five years old. The day care will be open five days a week from about 6:00 in the morning until about 5:00 in the afternoon. Only the first floor will be used. There are numerous state regulations that will have to be met before it opens. The variance passed.