Miscellany June 12, 2021

 Eden Valley Farms, located just south of West Central High School, had an open house on Saturday. It was well attended, with tour groups of about 15 people starting every ten minutes or so. People on the tour had to wear hair nets and glasses and were not allowed to take pictures. At the end of the tour we were allowed to take a basil plant, so a picture of my basil plant is the only picture from the tour that I have to share. (There are pictures on the farm's website.)

The facility is divided into two parts. In one part herbs are grown in pots or trays and are watered in two different ways. This part grows organic produce. In the other part lettuce and maybe a some other things are grown without soil, hydroponically. This part was only being about 1/3 used. The facility employs 18 people full-time and another 7 or 8 part-time. Some of the output is sold locally under the Eden Valley Farms name, but most is sold under two other names, Farmers & Co and Edible Farms. The last is a Meijer label and Eden Valley is not the sole provider.

Murals are in the news. Cameron Moberg is finishing a large mural in DeMotte. A small mural was recently painted on the side of Main Street Bakery in Medaryville. Downtown Rensselaer also is getting a small mural, a flag on the Campbell Printing building.

The artist for this one is Rein Bontrager, who did the mural in Iroquois Park and who will soon be doing a large one in Kentland.  (My prediction from last year seems to be coming true.) The Kentland mural will focus on Newton County history. My guess is it will have people like George Ade, Sam Rice, and perhaps Jenny Conrad. Certainly it will have pictures of wildlife because Beaver Lake and the area around the Kankakee River were famous for wildlife. It will be interesting to see what he includes.

The curbs are in on South McKinley.

The Rensselaer Pet Care Clinic under construction east of Fountain Stone has been roofed and wrapped.

Walmart seems to be doing something with its sign over the entrance.

LaRue Pool did not open on Saturday but at least it had water. Filling started Thursday.

The Rensselaer Chamber of Commerce had a lunch in Brookside Park this past week and got to tour the new press box building. Below is the view of from the press box of the middle field.

The first item discussed at the Airport Authority Board meeting Thursday evening was the proposal for a 4-H shooting range northwest of the airport. This proposal had been brought before the Commissioners earlier in the week and also at their May meeting and Commissioners had wanted to know what the Airport Authority thought of it before they acted. The 4-H shooting sports are archery, air rifle, 22-caliber rifle, pistol, and shotgun for clay pigeons. The Airport manager pointed out that the area of the proposed range was under the flight path of some of the smaller planes taking off from the airport and said that the location posed safety issues. Further, the part of the year when the range would be most used, in July, coincided with the time when the airport had the most traffic. The Jasper County Sheriff said that though the people proposing the range had offered his department use of the range, the range would not be suitable for his department because the firearms that his people use are far more high-powered than those that the 4-H youth would use. The Board expressed support for the idea of a 4-H shooting range but voted to recommend to the Commissioners that it not be sited near the airport.

During the discussion it was mentioned that there was once a skeet-shooting range on the south end of the Fairgrounds. Prior to about ten years ago, the local 4-H had had shooting events for fair week. Those making the proposal said that there were other options for a site, and that the one near the airport was advanced because it was the closest to the Fairgrounds.

Next the Board turned to insurance. Some current insurance policies expire at the end of the month and the Board heard quotes for renewal. There were some tense moments and exchanges during the discussion, something I have rarely seen in meetings I attend. In the end, the Board voted 2-1-1 to renew the policies recommended by the existing insurance agent. (The Board should have five members but there is currently a vacancy.)

The State is ending the emergency meeting procedures that were instituted as a result of the COVID lockdown. The Board voted on an electronic attendance policy that would require that if any member is attending virtually, all votes must be by roll call.

The Airport received a $30,000 grant that will allow it to purchase three flight simulators to aid both existing pilots and those in pilot training. Although the Airport had the money in its account, it needed the Board to approve an additional appropriation before it spent the money.

The Airport is currently installing a back-up generator. It is mostly complete but it needs some gas pipes, which are currently in short supply. On Sunday the Airport will be offering free flights to 65 high-school aged students. Six or seven airplanes from around the state will be here to provide them. There will be an aviation summer camp this summer and 28 students are signed up. Indian Trails Career Cooperative will fund a half hour of flight training for each of the participants. The summer intern has been working at the airport for more than a week. She is a student at Kankakee Valley High School and would like to become an airline pilot.

The July meeting will have the 2022 budget on its agenda.