The usual monthly meetings

There were three public meetings on Monday. But before we get to them, let's look at the really important news. This sign is in front of the bowling alley.

Main Street Bakery of Medaryville, which bought the equipment and recipes from the Claus Bakery, will be opening in the east side of the bowling alley. You can follow them on Facebook.

Also opening in Rensselaer is the "Royal Scoop" in the north part of the Royal Oaks Restaurant.

When I stopped by on Tuesday afternoon the sign said "open" but the door was locked.

The Commissioners meeting on Monday morning had both a live and virtual component. There were twelve or thirteen people attending at the Sparling annex and double that on-line, including two of the commissioners. The meeting got a late start because of technical problems with the microphones and those problems reoccurred occasionally during the meeting. There was one buried cable request, from NITCO to run a line south on Melville to Donaldsons. It will cross the Iroquois River and needs permits from the State, City, County, and the Iroquois Conservancy. The County granted its permit.

There was a request to vacate an alley in Kniman so a person can combine two lots that are separated by the alley right of way. He was told that the process begins by notifying neighbors of the intent and then there must be a public hearing. The Commissioners suggested rather than doing just one platted alley, that the petition be for all of the never-developed alleys.

Little Cousin Jasper Festival received permission to use the Court House lawn for the Festival on September 10-12. The Commissioners could not promise that the restrooms would be open. They also approved use of the lawn and gazebo for a lawn sale on June 22 to raise funds for the festival.

Jasper County Tourism received permission to use County roads for a bike ride called the Jasper Jaunt. It was planned for last year but the lockdown resulted in its cancelation. This year it will be held on August 7. It will start in Potawatomi Park, head out Bunkum to 1000W, then north to Perkins Good Earth Farm where there will be a stop with breakfast. Then it will come back to Rensselaer and stop at Fenwick Farms. The next leg goes south to the Carpenter Creek Winery and a stop with music. It then returns to Rensselaer. Those who do not want to do the entire route will have a shorter option.

The County Clerk is interested in moving the County from precinct voting to something called voting centers, a method used by half of Indiana counties. It would reduce the number of places a person could vote but a person could vote in any one of them. So if a person from Rensselaer works in Remington and it would be more convenient to vote in Remington, he or she could do that. After some discussion, the Commissioners approved letting the County Clerk develop the proposal. The County Council must also give approval to the Clerk to develop the proposal. Then neither body will have any more say in the matter. If the Clerk and her committee decide to go to voting centers, whatever they propose will need State approval. There are now 29 precinct voting stations and that will be reduced to about 10. Staffing the poling places has gotten more difficult and with voting centers the number of poll workers needed will be about 100, down from 150 currently.

Mr Wakeland from Community Corrections told the Commissioners that his building is out of space and that the County needs to build an addition to the current building. He suggested two options, one that would include new dorms and the other room for new offices and utility rooms. The first would be about 6000 square feet and the second 3500 to 4000 square feet. No action was requested. He also told them that fees, which account for a good part of the budget, have decreased. He wondered if the County could get relief from the latest spending bill passed by Congress. He was told that various heads of departments would be meeting on Friday to learn more about what the County can expect and he was invited to attend.

The Commissioners approved a rezone request from A1 to A2 that the Plan Commission had recommended. It will allow the owner to build on a five acre lot.

The County Health nurse received permission to replace a part-time sanitarian. This position has had constant turnover because it has no benefits. The County Health nurse  told Commissioners that she would like to make this a full-time position to reduce the turnover. The Health Department has given 7,000 vaccinations using the Moderna vaccine and 500 using the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. The total number of shots given in the County is 12,000. Although the Governor has removed the mask mandate, the County Health Department has not. They have declared that the mask mandate will remain until Jasper County is listed as "blue." It was pointed out that the County has no mechanism to enforce the mandate.

The County Prosecutor requested permission to replace a part-time investigator who is retiring.  He would like to make the position full-time because it is difficult to find qualified people who will work part-time. He was given permission to fill the position and the decision on whether it will be full-time will wait.

The Sheriff was given permission to fill two vacancies, a part-time position in Court House security and a full-time detective.  The director of Emergency Management was given permission to submit a grant to improve security for the former PNC building. (All grant applications need Commissioner approval.) The City of Rensselaer is planning to run a sewer line along SR 114 and wants to cross the County Highway Department property. They received approval pending final plans. The County will have a surplus auction on this Saturday, April 10, at the County Highway Department. The start time is 9:00 am.

Steven Eastridge gave a quick update on economic development. It is not clear yet what the rules will be for the funds available from the latest COVID relief bill, The County should receive $6.5 million, Rensselaer $1.2 million, DeMotte $870,000, Remington $240,000, and Wheatfield $170,000. The meeting was continued to the 19th, if necessary.

The Drainage Board met in the afternoon. The item of interest was from the City of Rensselaer. It neglected to approach the Drainage Board before beginning to install its gas pipeline and has already installed the line beneath a couple of County ditches. The Board wants to make sure that the pipe is at least five feet below the cleaned bottom of the ditches and also wants a hold-harmless agreement. There will be no meeting in May and it will approve the project retroactively after it gets the documents it wants.

Over the weekend I took a picture of the work along CR 650 S. The long line of pipe will be installed using directional boring.

In the evening the Rensselaer Park Board met and this time they had a quorum so they could elect officers. The first tournament for the Blacker Fields will be this weekend. 15 or 16 teams are expected.

There was concern again about people using the ball fields to run their dogs. The Board suggested installing signs and locking the gates open.The Board approved the use of Potawatomi Park for the start and end of the Jasper Jaunt in August. A donor has given money to redo the tennis courts in Brookside Park. The old surface will be removed and a new one installed, The Courts will also be moved about ten feet to the east. There was enthusiasm for the prospect of a hill in Brookside Park. Someone is excavating a pond and has offered the dirt to the Parks.