Veterans Day

 The weather turned cool for Veterans Day but it did not affect the annual ceremony at Weston Cemetery.

The  middle school choir sang a couple of songs and veteran Dan Lewandowski gave a short speech honoring the sacrifices of veterans. 

In downtown news, the old Charlie Roberts building is getting a major renovation.

The exterior of the Fenwick Farms Brew House is finished and work is continuing inside.

On Monday evening the Rensselaer Board of Public Works had an item on its agenda, "Request for Qualification recommendation (Water, Tower/Generator)". The Board approved having Commonwealth Engineers start preliminary planning for a back-up generator for the water treatment plant by Iroquois Park and also for a water tower near the Interstate.

In the Council meeting that followed, the Council approved an ordinance involving the CARES Act. The City is asking for reimbursement for public safety wages and for some reason that needed City Council approval before being submitted.

The gas tracker for November will be a 9.5¢ decrease per hundred cubic feet. The Mayor than handed out a couple of ten-year awards to members of the Police Department and gave jackets to four people who had served the City for 40 years.

Supply bids were opened, one for gasoline, one for diesel, and one for tire repair. Ceres Solutions was the only bidder on the first two and Wonderland Tire the only bidder on the third. 

The software and equipment that the City uses for reading utility meters will no longer be supported after the end 2021. The Council approved $24,365 to upgrade and the cost will be split among the four utilities. 

The American Legion Thanksgiving Dinner will not be held this year. The City had contributed $250 for the event but will not ask for a refund. Instead it will ask the Legion to apply the amount to next year's event. The same solution is being used for Oktoberfest. The City will not reclaim the money it gave this year but will not give funds next year. 

The Mayor had polled three Council members last week on a proposal to help fund new Christmas lights. They had approved about $5000 from the public relations fund. This will be added to $7000 that the Tourism Commission approved and $2500 from Rensselaer Main Street. The total cost will be $15336.25. 

Before adjournment, Council members thanked the Street Department for their work in picking up leaves this fall.

Here is a bit a Rensselaer trivia that I stumbled on last week. Who carved the names of the Civil War soldiers on the base of the Milroy statue? (Answer here.)