We have passed the vernal equinox

Sunday was the vernal equinox. The sun will now rise north of due east and set north of due west.

The Rensselaer City Council met Monday evening. First on the agenda was an ordinance that would charge new electric services for meter bases and, for commercial installations only, transformers. Currently there is no charge for either though many other electric utilities charge for these and other costs of providing new hook-ups. This matter had been discussed at a February meeting and tabled to get more information. The measure passed. 

The Council also approved the transfer of funds not spent from the general fund to the rainy-day fund. The amount was $250,000. It also approved the electric tracker for the next quarter. It will be a reduction of $12.20 per megawatt. The customer using the average amount of electricity will save $8.54 on a monthly bill.

The Council opened bids for a new pole-barn storage building for the electric utility. There was only one bid, from Farm Builders for $173,686. However, the bid submission did not include a non-collusion affidavit. Normally this would disqualify the bid, but there was only one bid. The matter was taken under advisement and tabled to the next meeting. The Mayor selected a committee to review the bid if the City Attorney can get a non-collusion agreement from FBI.

There were four bids received to remove 35 trees on City right-of-ways and the low bid was from Timber Tree Service for $14,475. This bid resulted in something I do not recall ever seeing in a meeting, concern that the bid was too low. (The bid works out to $414 per tree. Two recent contracts had per-tree costs of $772 and $580.) The project manager had talked to the bidder who said that he wanted to get his foot in the door for working with the City. Later there was some discussion whether all bidders on City contracts above a certain amount should be bonded to insure that they do the work properly.

The Council approved a request of $5000 to help purchase new Christmas lights decorations. 

The four-year term of the Rensselaer School Board member appointed by the Council ends in June and the Council is inviting anyone interested in the position to apply before the second meeting in April. The Council will interview and make an appointment in May. Several Council members expressed the opinion that the Board should be elected, but Mayor said that the townships oppose this so it will not happen.

There will be work this year on McKinley Avenue and it will be closed for several weeks. The City-wide garage sale is set for May 1.

(INDOT is working on the local I-65 interchanges. From the Facebook page of Indiana Department of Transportation Northwest: "The State Road 114 and State Road 14 bridges over I-65 will be reduced to one lane for bridge deck overlay projects beginning Monday, March 15. Temporary stoplights will be installed to direct traffic, and lane restrictions will be in place through mid-August, 2021.")

I have seen quite a few people enjoying the new disc golf course in Brookside Park. There is now a map of the course posted near the entrance from Lincoln Street.

Rules for the course are also posted.

In a little more than a month the first tournament at Blacker Fields is scheduled. Benches for the dugouts and stands for a few fans have been installed.

Newton County is planning a rather unusual triathlon on May 15. It features a paddle, bike ride, and trail run on a course that will have mud.

Benton County will be offering tours of wind farms this summer.

The County has listed for sale its former annex at 128 N Cullen. The former Cooper Tire building on the corner of Washington and Front also has a for-sale sign. The building has been closed for about a year but it has had lights on. I guess this means that they are not planning to reopen it. They have a second location near the SR 114 and I-65 intersection. A third downtown property for sale is the building that houses Balloons Galore and More.