A trailer park for Rensselaer???

This morning I noticed linemen busy on the corner of Jefferson and Lincoln. I thought they might be taking down lines so that they could cut trees, but on closer inspection I realized that they had installed a new pole and were stringing a line to it.

In the afternoon the structure arrived that the new electrical connection will service.

It is not the start of a new trailer park. It is the construction trailer for the high water treatment plant that has been discussed for the past two years.

The trailer was mentioned at Monday's City Council meeting, which had a short and unexciting agenda. The gas tracker for April will be an increase of almost  one cent per hundred cubic fee. The Council approved a proposal to remove about 30 trees that are dead or dying. Some are ash trees and in time there will be no more ash trees in the city right-of-ways; the emerald ash borer is killing them all. There were 3 bids received for tree removal and the low bid of $20,000 was accepted with a vote of 4 in favor and one opposed.

The Council has a school board position to appoint in the next few months. The current incumbent has indicated that she will reapply. The Council members will interview applicants in May and the appointment will be effective in July.

In administrative comments, Councilman George Cover recognized the dangerous work that the city linemen did during the recent high winds. They had to work on a line by the Babcock Quarry and were at time over the pit.

The Board of Public Works, which met before the Council meeting, approved the purchase of two body cameras for police officers. Chief Phillips requested the Council purchase a docking station and software for the cameras and the Council approved the request. Construction on the fire station is nearly completed and the city is scheduled to take possession on April 25.

The Mayor noted that the construction trailer for the high water treatment plant had arrived and that he had gotten a number of calls about it. Mr Lockridge said that this week trees would be cleared from the site and that the DNR requires the City to replace the trees that are removed with new plantings.

Chief Phillips noted that the Board of Public Works had in its meeting approved the request from the Jasper County Fair Association for fireworks on July 2.