Not much

The City Council meeting on Monday evening lasted about fifteen minutes. The gas department reported that four of the eight pressure recording devices on regulator stations were not operational. They are 13 to 15 years old and replacement takes 8 to 10 weeks. The Council approved $20891 to replace them. The gas department will be changing the brands from Reynolds to Honeywell.

There is a memorial service being planned for Veterans Day November 11. The event is tentative and may be called off. The Council approved a new mower for Weston Cemetery. Finally, Stace Pickering announced that the Parks had signed a contract that will bring 13 weekend tournaments for the new Blacker Fields.

eMbers has installed what appears to be infrared heaters in their outdoor seating area. It will extend the time that people can dine outside.

Below is what was the basketball court in Brookside Park. 

The John Egan memorial bench in Milroy Park was dedicated on Saturday with a respectable crowd. The bench honors Egan's contribution to Rotary, where he served as a district president.

There are only few days until Halloween. If you do not want tricks-and-treaters this year, keep your porch light off.

Rensselaer's richest men

Quite a few months ago, while searching for obituaries on the microfilm of old newspapers, I found the following:

Do you recognize any of those names? In 2019 the Weston Cemetery Walk featured Benjamin Harris and Mary Thompson, the mother of Delos Thompson. The year before it featured a wife of John Makeever. A goal of the Cemetery Walk is to tell the stories of past community residents who had a significant impact on the community or the wider world.

Some time in the future the Cemetery Walk will undoubtedly get around to featuring William Baden Austin. He has one of the largest monuments in Weston Cemetery. I have found two interesting stories about him. The first involved a New Years Party at the start of 1898. He invited some of the socially prominent men to his office and served them champagne, which at the time was illegal for some reason . Here is a very long, but fascinating, article about the case in The Indianapolis News of April 5, 1898 (page 5):

(See original here.  If you go to the previous page of the paper, you can see that the newspaper thinks the judgement was mistaken.)

Austin appealed the conviction and fine and an appellate court ruled in his favor.

Notice that the judge in this case, Simon Parr Thompson, is also on the list of the richest Rensselaerians in 1902.

The other item was not a legal matter but a social one. By 1919 Austin had moved to Chicago and members of a country club he belonged to wanted him kicked out because he sold property to a Negro.

Who knows what other interesting stories there are about William Baden Austin.

Other names in the first article with very interesting stories are A. and Thomas J. McCoy but they will never be directly featured on the Cemetery Walk because they are not buried in Weston Cemetery. In 1904 their bank failed and Thomas ended up serving time in prison for embezzlement.  After the bank failure, Alfred McCoy moved to Missouri to be close to his daughter and is buried at Queen City. Thomas moved further west and is buried in Portland, Oregon.

Noise in the morning

 On Wednesday morning I could hear jackhammering. Investigating, I found workers demolishing the basketball court at Brookside Park. This is part of Phase 3 of the Parks for people campaign that includes "Renovated basketball court at Brookside to include new basketball goals and new asphalt playing surface."

NIPSCO announced that it will cooperate with NextEra Energy to build two solar parks in Northeast Jasper County. The project will install over two million solar panels and be capable of generating 900 megawatts of electricity. More details here.

Fenwick Farms new brew house is quickly rising.

There were several meetings this week. On Monday morning the Commissioners met and their major item was approving a revised inter-local agreement with DeMotte to extend sewer and water to the I-65/SR 10 interchange. They had approved an agreement at their regular meeting this month, but there have been substantial changes so they had to approve a new agreement. After that meeting, the Sewer and Water Board met to also approve the agreement. On Wednesday the Jasper County Redevelopment Board met to do the same. I missed the meeting because I did not see the notice for it until the meeting had concluded.

The Jasper County Council met on Tuesday evening and approved the budgets of the Rensselaer Central School Corporation, the Airport, the Northwest Indiana Solid Waste District, and the Iroquois Conservancy. It then approved an additional appropriation to purchase law books for the Superior Court and cut in half a requested transfer requested by the Veterans Service Office. There was a discussion of audio-visual technology for the meeting room in the former youth center. This meeting or conference room seems destined to become the standard meeting room for County meetings because it is much larger than the Commissioners Room at the Court House.

The last big item on the agenda was approval of the Inter-local that will have DeMotte provide water and sewer to their I-65 interchange. The key bit for the Council was granting TIF revenues to help finance the $11.3 million dollar bond issue. The Town of DeMotte agrees not to annex the area for 25 years.

Someone mentioned that the housing market in northern Jasper County was incredible hot, with houses being sold within days of listing. The population of the jail remains below 60. The solar park at the jail is finished and should be hooked up by the end of the month; scheduling is causing the delay. The Council wanted it to be known that they did not cut the budget of Animal Control. Rather they insisted that Animal Control stay within its budget. That has resulted in reduced hours, which has upset some citizens. The December November meeting will be preceded by a joint meeting with the Commissioners.

The Court House is now open to the public but there are restrictions on how many people can be in an office at a time. If you need to visit an office, you are encouraged to make an appointment.

Here are a few more pictures from the Scarecrow trail. First is a large construction from Van Rensselaer School. 

Franciscan Health.

The radio station, the Q.

The law office of Lori James.

Gravestone art in Mt Calvary Cemetery

Recently this blog had a post on tombstone art in Weston Cemetery. I thought it would be interesting to compare the art shown there to what is in Mount Calvary Cemetery. The art is much different, although there is some convergence on recent gravestones. There are at least two reasons for the differences. First, Weston has older burials and much of the iconography on the early graves was disappearing as the 20th century approached.  Second, Catholics have their own set of iconography.

There are few crosses on older graves in Weston but they are everywhere in Mount Calvary. There are also some that have the rosary, a distinctive Catholic devotion. 

Below is another cross with a rosary.

Praying hands are not particularly Catholic, but they are on a more recent marker and the addition of the cross makes the image seem more Catholic.

The IHS is common in Catholic art. It represents the first three letters of the word "Jesus" in Greek. The lily has several meanings, including innocence and purity, but I suspect on this stone it is meant to symbolize resurrection.

Ivy is not unique to Catholic grave markers. It can be found as often in Weston as in Mount Calvary. It often is used to represent immortality.

I was surprised to learn that the woman clinging to the cross is often found in Southern cemeteries, where it is supposed to symbolize faith. This is a marker from 1904 for a young man.

The vessel or urn with a flame is also in many non-Catholic cemeteries. The flame sometimes represents eternity.

This seems to be a picture of a stained glass window. I think the cross is the symbolic element in this unusual design.

The Agony in the Garden scene on this grave is one of the more elaborate decorations in Mount Calvary.

The wreath or garland (which I think this is) is a symbol of victory or passage to eternal life.

I had not found any canna lilies in Weston Cemetery, so I was surprised to find this image in Mount Calvary. They have several symbolic meanings, including resurrection and rebirth.

There are many urns in Weston Cemetery, but there they are usually the top piece of the the marker, not art on the marker. The urn is a funeral urn and is supposed to represent immorality.

The dove in this decoration probably represents the Holy Spirit, usually represented as a dove in Christian art.

Grapes and grape leaves can be a symbol of Christian faith.

At one time most grave art was hand carved. That was almost entirely replaced with sandblasting with a stencil.  A recent innovation is to use lasers that can copy photographs onto grave markers. Laser etching is becoming common on recent markers, including those in Weston and Mount Calvary Cemeteries. 

Laser etching or engraving is changing tombstone art. Symbolism is being replaced with images personal to the life of the deceased.

The picture below has me stumped. I cannot figure out what the symbolism is supposed to be in this image. Did the deceased work on the railroad?

;-)

(This past weekend I received a comment on an old post that reminded me that ten years ago I had written about symbolism in graveyard art.  See my post about North Star Cemetery in 2010.)

Utility rate ordinances pass

The Rensselaer City Council met Monday evening and the first item on the agenda was a public hearing for three rate ordinances: for trash pickup, water, and sewer. There were only two members of the public who attended to make comments and ask questions; I expected more. John Julien from the City's financial advisor, Baker Tilly, summarized the justification for each of the rate hikes. The Sanitation Department (Trash) has lost money for the past three years and has needed a subsidy from the City's general fund. Also, there will be a need to replace trucks in the future and to provide residents with totes that new trucks will be able to lift and empty. His firm estimated that the department needs an additional $189,000 each year and to get the money needed to be self-sustaining. The ordinance replaces the current sticker program with a monthly fee. The fee will be implemented in three stages and after 2023 it will be $19 dollars a month per residence. Also, Sanitation will become a standalone utility and will have to rely on fees, with no subsidies from the City's general fund. 

The Sewage Department must cover day-to-day cost plus changes mandated by the State. Its fee will be increased in three stages and after 2023 the extra charge per household will be about $9.30. Baker Tilly estimates the annual shortfall for the water utility at $225,000 annually. There is also a need for a new water tower to serve the interstate area. Again the increased fees will be implemented in three stages. After 2023 the average bill will increase by about $4.60.

All three ordinances were introduced in the September 14 meeting and they were advertised in the Rensselaer Republican on September 30. All of three passed the Council unanimously.

Next there was a discussion of a golf cart ordinance that contains lots of rules and regulations. The Council approved the ordinance subject to three changes that the city attorney will put into the ordinance. There was one negative vote; Noelle Weishaar said she was concerned about safety.

The gas tracker for the month of October will be a 4.5¢ increase per hundred cubic feet. The council reaffirmed a telephone poll to change the financing for the aerial truck but no explanation was given of what the change was. The Police Department and the Jasper County Sheriff's Department will be getting the Spillman dispatch software up and running this week. Finally, the Council approved $8000 to take down an additional six trees in Western Cemetery. 

Before the Council meeting, the Board of Public Works met. It gave authorization to their engineering firm to submit an amended plan for the sewer project to USDA Rural Development, the funding agency. The sewer project consists of a new lift station near the high-water treatment plant and extensions of sewer service along W Washington and Owens Streets. The entire project is estimated to cost $7.2 million and much of it is mandated by State regulations or laws. 

The BPW considered and rejected a request for a waiver of the environmental fee for an individual who lives outside City limits but gets at least one City utility.

Below are a few more pictures of entries on the Scarecrow Trail. Because this post discussed sewers, it seems appropriate to begin with the scarecrow from Rensselaer Septic Tanks (which people in Rensselaer should not need).

Shouldn't Chief do a tin man rather than a scarecrow? 

Krause and Company are certified public accountants.

The Rensselaer chapter of Tri-Kappa is celebrating the centennial of the 19th amendment, giving women right to vote nationally.

A new business and a bunch of pictures

On Saturday, a new business in Rensselaer had an open house. D-1 is a towing company that operates heavy-duty tow trucks, the big ones that can tow just about anything. The other area towing companies with these big rigs are Farney's in Wolcott and Cheever's in DeMotte.

The new office is located west of the Amtrak station in a large building that I think was previously used for storage.

D-1 is not a new company. It has been operating for several years in Francesville. The establishment of a branch in Rensselaer will let them serve the Interstate better.

In addition to towing, they offer tire repair, alignments, and oil changes.

I noticed another new business, this one at the bend of US 231 north of Merritt Street. It is selling Trump flags, signs, and other items.

Last week the concrete floor was poured for the Fenwick Farms brew house.

Work on US 231 in the downtown was finished last week as workers painted the lines for parking spaces.

The traffic cones made for interesting driving on Tuesday.

The mural alley has a new addition.

Last week the dead ash trees along the Maxwell Ditch in Weston Cemetery were cut down and removed.

I noticed this image on a very old marker and I think I know what it is. What do you think it is? I will give you my answer at the end of the post.

There were several meetings last week. The Park Board met Monday evening for a short meeting. Grass is growing on the new ball fields and on the soccer fields in Foundation Park. However, the grass in Foundation Park is not growing well where the old school was located. I saw someone mowing the grass on the ball fields, so it must be doing well.

The Park Department still has not completely figured out how it will handle concessions for tournaments next year. A lot of reunions that rent shelters were canceled this summer, reducing revenues. Eighty to a hundred people have signed up to use the dog park. Seventeen organizations and businesses signed up to create something for the Scarecrow Trail in Milroy Park, but there are currently less than 17 entries. Below is the entry from Brown's Garden Shop. It took me a while to figure out that this is a shaggy dog.

When I went to the Airport Authority meeting on Tuesday, I was impressed with the jet at the airport. The meeting managed to get a quorum but nothing of importance was decided. The hangars currently have no vacancies. There is one empty bay in the old hangar, but its door needs to be fixed and it is not clear that repairing it is economical given the low rents for that building. There was discussion of maintenance issues.

I did not attend the JC Water and Sewer meeting on Thursday because I expected it to be very short. It was called to approve the almost final agreement with DeMotte to extend sewer and water to the I-65/SR 10 interchange. The Demotte City Council met last week and also approved the agreement. The Rensselaer Republican reported on this meeting in their Saturday issue. Also in the Saturday issue of the Rensselaer Republican was a report on a meeting for town officials by alumni who are presenting a plan to the SJC Board that is intended to invigorate the College.

We have been having some beautiful fall weather. It is ideal for harvesting crops and it encourages people to get out and enjoy the color in the trees.

(I think the picture on the marker is of an hourglass.)

Two new exhibits

The Fendig Gallery at the Carnegie Center has a new art show, an exhibit of works by DeMotte artist Judy Crawford. She works in oil, pastel, and charcoal and paints or draws people, animals, landscapes, and still lives.

Her work is on display until November 5. 

The Gallery hours are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon until 4:00 pm.

Most of the works in the show are for sale.

The other recent exhibit features the written word. The Jasper County Historical Society has an exhibit featuring Jasper County authors. There are at least two authors with Jasper County roots that achieved national fame and were successful enough as writers to support themselves as authors, Edison Marshall and Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson. Both moved from Rensselaer as children, but Eleanor came back in death. She is buried in Weston Cemetery.

There are a number of other authors that have interesting stories. Jim Ellis told his in a autobiography that tells of his life in the advertising business. He ran the advertising for Buick from the mid-1930s until the mid 1950s. 

Elmer Dwiggins is a strange character from a strange family. You can read more about him here and in the links at that post. Note the mention of this blog at the end of the description.

One of the very first settlers in Rensselaer was a Samuel Sparling. His grandson, also Samuel Sparling, earned the first Ph.D. from the political science department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He wrote several books and although he lived the last twenty or thirty years of his life in Alabama, he is buried in Weston Cemetery.

I have read books of Atkinson, Dwiggins, and Ellis.  Atkinson is a very gifted writer. Ellis has a fascinating life story. Dwiggins wrote a sci-fi book about a trip to Mars that is interesting partly because it shows how little people knew about Mars and outer space in the 1890s.

The exhibit is impressive and took a lot of work to put together. It features about 60 authors (I think) and it is too much to take in on one visit. It mixes important authors that published with major publishing houses and sold well with minor authors who have sold few books (like me). This is an exhibit that might actually be better on-line where people can leisurely read through the descriptions of the authors and their writings.

The Historical Society Museum is open the first and third Saturdays of the month from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm.