Odds and ends, 6-19-2017

The high school was having its entry way paved on Saturday.

Work continues on the rebuilding of the Marathon by the tracks. The concrete for the pump area was poured early last week and it looks like the pumps may go in soon.

Are you curious about what is happening with the Embers Station? Embers has a lengthy post on their website explaining their present situation.

Speaking of Embers, Camer1 revisited when he was working in Benton County. I think this was his most recent contribution. It is on the back of the building and is clearly visible from the parking lot of Endless Treasures.

On Friday evening and Saturday morning thunderstorms moved through Rensselaer with a impressive display of lightning and thunder. They also gave us about an inch of rain, so I expect plant growth to be impressive in the next week. Benton County and southern Newton County also got the rain, which they did not need.

 On Friday there was a meeting of the joint Benton-Jasper Drainage Board to discuss Carpenter Creek. Some of the watershed is in Benton County but about 75% of it is in Jasper. The Benton farmers had a court establish a special drainage district in 1962 before their Drainage Board was established and that group has been doing a good job in maintaining the drainage ditches that feed into the Jasper County part of Carpenter Creek. Jasper County is limited in what it can do by various state agencies--IDEM, Fish and Wildlife, and DNR. (Apparently there is a snail in the creek that is a matter of concern.)

Jasper County seemed to be pushing for a cooperative arrangement, making the entire watershed a single district under the joint drainage board. The officials from Benton County were not sure that the benefits to them of cooperating were greater than the costs. However, the attorney for the joint board said that if Jasper County petitioned a court for a joint district, the law said that a joint district would be the result.

The two county surveyors will investigate the matter and the joint Benton-Jasper Drainage Board will resume the discussion at a meeting on August 22 at 9:00 am.