Some highlights from 2016

Looking over the 166 posts from 2016 shows that I spent a lot of time in various meetings. Two of the more interesting or important items from those meetings occurred early in the year. In the January the Commissioners passed a Frost Law and in February the School Board killed a proposal for a Wellness Center.

Many of the events I followed had both a meeting and a non-meeting aspect. For example, the City Council approved the drilling of a test well for water, which took place early this year. They then went through all the procedures necessary to apply for a grant but had to withdraw the proposal when SJC wanted more money for the property than the City thought it had agreed to pay.

The Fire Department opened its new fire house. I was out of town for the open house but got a tour when they had a tree planting.

The Airport had a busy year, with the completion of their fuel farm, the start of construction of a new hangar, and a change in management. I only attend a few of the meetings of the Airport Authority Board each year, those when the days are long.

The topic of the Indiana Bicentennial came up often at county meetings. The Torch Relay and the Jasper the Bison were what most people will remember.

The most frequently photographed place this past year was the construction of the high rate treatment plant. Some updates were given at City Council meetings.

The Solar Farm had a ribbon cutting this year though it has been running for a year or two.

A Drainage Board meeting was the first I heard about the new Salyer Apartments, which are under construction and will be photographed as they rise in 2017.

I do  not recall if a meeting was where I learned about the expansion project of National Gypsum, which seems to have been completed.

The most notable new business opening this year was Comfort Suites. They held their ribbon cutting with a tour in August. Others that were notable were YNG (You'll Never Guess), a company that assembles 3-D printers, and Mount Hood Pizza. There were closings as well: Blockbuster/Noble Romans, Longs Gift/From the Needle's Point, and Heritage Office Supply.

In tragic news, a fire destroyed one of the Park View Apartment buildings and one person died in the fire. The building still has not been demolished.

In sad news, our largest elm tree got a plaque but then died and was removed.

No highlight list would be complete without mention of the mural.

Two posts that record visits that I enjoyed were about PET (now called Mobility Worldwide) and Hazeldon.

I undoubtedly have missed some items that belong here.

This blog started in 2008. At the end of 2016 it has had 2392 posts. The site statistics for the blog say that it has had 912,006 page views as of mid-day Jan 1. The Adsense statistics say it has had only 679,680 page views; the difference may be due partly due to ad blocking and I may not have had ads on the site when it first started.

We will see what surprises 2017 brings our way.