A meeting not Zoomed

We are finally getting some needed rain. Now the grass can start growing again.

The United Way of White County recently received a grant of $400,000 from the Lilly Endowment for not-for-profit organizations in White, Jasper, and Pulaski Counties that have been adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown:

"The purpose of the Community Relief Fund collected in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic is to distribute dollars as quickly as practicable to address the short term and long-term needs of local communities suffering the physical, social, and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic by supporting service agencies and programs in their quest to continue assistance during the pandemic."

"The United Way is accepting applications that will be evaluated by a committee. Special attention will be given to agencies that:
• Ensure sustainability of our regional social service network
• Reduce gaps in services, particularly for healthcare and mental health access
• Increase services offered via alternative or virtual delivery
• Increase the # of individuals who access services for basic needs
• Increase the # of individuals participating in healthy food access/nutrition programs
• Increase the # of children enrolled in childcare or education/engagement programs
• Increase the # of volunteers engaged in addressing community needs
• Increase the # of social sector jobs retained through organizational financial supports"

I cannot find a lot about this on the news, but here is a short and concise summary.

The Rensselaer City Council met on Monday afternoon for its second June meeting. The meeting was not via Zoom but was live, in City Hall. The tables that line the back of the room for various department superintendents had been supplemented by another row so that the superintendents could be spaced further apart. I was the only member of the public attending.

The Council approved closing the alley west of Washington between Front and VanRensselaer during mural week. They noted that there would be a need for some City vehicles to have access to the alley for garbage pickup and perhaps other purposes. The meeting was then closed for a public hearing on additional appropriations for the Building Department, the Police Department, and for street repair and construction. There were no public comments so the regular meeting was reconvened and the additional appropriations were approved. The Council then approved transfers to the rainy day fund and within the mayor's budget.

The electric tracker for the quarter will reflect a one dollar decrease per thousand kilowatt hours. Two members of the Police Department were honored with ten-year and twenty-year service awards. (The Republican should have pictures.) Shortly before the recent demonstration at the Court House, the County asked the City to close a block of Harrison Street for the evening. That was approved with a poll and that poll was then ratified by a vote at this meeting.

A request for $1500 for the third annual employee picnic was approved as was a request for $300 for a meal for officers working Cruise Night on July 11. The meal is a tradition and usually financed by donations from restaurants, but this year the Police Department did not want to ask the restaurants for help given how the pandemic has affected their businesses.

A change in State law prohibits members of the City Council from sitting on the City BZA and Plan Commission. Currently there are two members on each board. The Council approved Jeff Rayburn and Jason Armold to finish the terms of the Council members on the Plan Commission and Rob Dobson and Jason Armold to finish the terms on the BZA.

The Council approved deferring the sewer assessment for businesses near I-65 for three more months because they have been financially impacted by the shutdown. The Council discussed meeting times going forward. The 4:00 time is more convenient for City Superintendents but the 6:00 is more convenient for citizens who work. The Council instructed its attorney to prepare a resolution to amend the 1951 resolution under which the Council operates to have the meetings at 6:00.

The new dispatcher began working for the Police Department last week. The City Pool may open on Thursday. The City Coordinator will be preparing for moving forward with a grant for Community Crossings, due at the end of July. The Mayor is investigating a grant opportunity that may be used for redoing the brick streets on two sides of the Court House. The meeting adjourned at 4:34.

Some pictures. Last week a frame was going up for a new storage building on Mattheson.

Walls are up on a house in the Blacker development on Vine Street. It is sponsored by Fuller Center.

Last week crews were working on SR 114 west of US 231. Below concrete is being poured at the corner of Grace and Cullen.

Cullen by the Court House was being ripped up.

I though it was interesting that you could see the old brick street below the asphalt.

I asked a construction worker why they were doing this digging. He said that it was a truck route and needed a deeper base.

On Friday the new asphalt was in place.

Notice that the sides of the road have been milled. The rest of the road from the Interstate will also be milled and then repaved. This section was milled early so the asphalt could be made level with the milled street and there would be no need to mill the newly laid asphalt.

Concrete is also being poured at Brookside Park.

Below are the new sidewalks made from the concrete.

After the meeting Police Officer McAleer asked me if I had ever heard of Harrison Dodd. The name did not ring a bell, but when he described the incident, I recalled I had seen something about it when researching the Sparling family. It might make a good post. Here is Dodd's wikipedia entry; it mentions Rensselaer. (Rensselaer came close to being a Civil War battlefield!)

Cameron is working on a mural in Remington this week. Next week he and others will be in Rensselaer.  Below are links to the artists schedule to work on murals in Rensselaer. Most were taken from the Rensselaer Republican.

https://www.rickywatts.com/

https://www.maxsansing.com/

http://www.bamcatart.com/

https://www.instagram.com/no_vwlz/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/pawnpaint/

https://www.instagram.com/mister_toledo/

https://www.instagram.com/Alex_ann_allen/

https://www.fasm.net/

https://www.instagram.com/mandoghandpaw/

https://www.instagram.com/beautyfromlight/

http://ellestreetart.com/WALLS

https://www.instagram.com/metabyte_/

http://www.camer1.com/