More June meetings

 Some idiot kids roamed the City the other night with a can of spray paint. Among  the things they defaced was the mural on the side of Janet's Kitchen.

Fortunately, that mural is protected by an anti-graffiti coat so the unwanted additions were easily removed. You can see the removal in this short video. The police have found the perpetrators but have not released their names because they are juveniles.

Last week's Rensselaer Republican had the names and pictures of graduating seniors. This year Kankakee Valley, DeMotte Christian, North Newton, and South Newton were also included. I did a quick count and came up with 86 graduates for RCHS, 205 for KVHS, 82 for NNHS, 54 for SNHS, and 28 for DCHS. That shows where the population is concentrated for the two counties. Also, it was not that long ago when the graduating RCHS classes were well over 100. Americans are not having as many kids as they used to have.

Work continues on McKinley Street.

Further north on McKinley the old Nowels House is being remodeled and will become a short-term rental called McKinley Manor. There are two existing rentals of this sort, both along West Clark Street.

The exterior of the future veterinarian clinic is rapidly being finished. The picture below is from the weekend.

Have you noticed the tulips in bloom? I had not until I saw a low-hanging branch of Indiana's State Tree.

The previous post summarized Monday's Commissioners meeting. In the afternoon the Commissioners met via Zoom for the Drainage Board meeting, and because there had been no June meeting, they had a lengthy agenda. First on the agenda were two bid openings. There were two bids for Kankakee River maintenance, one for $687,779.09 and the second for $246,098.25. (The numbers are not typos.) The Board accepted the lower bid contingent on attorney review. There were no bids for the Parr Lateral Tile Construction. This was the second time the project had no bids. The Board voted to have the Surveyor find someone to get the work done.

The City of Rensselaer hit a lateral tile when it installed the new gas pipeline and the damage to the tile was not discovered until water remained in a field after a heavy rain. The City will make temporary repairs and do a permanent fix in the fall after crops are out of the field. The permanent fix will place the pipeline five feet below the tile and I have no idea how that can be done. The City of Rensselaer will soon be running a sewer line west along SR 114. It sought and received permission to cross a drainage easement.

Pipestone Veterinary Services just north of Rensselaer is planning an addition to its building. It will have minimal effect on runoff and was approved.

Von Excavating in Wheatfield Township wants to dig a pond for recreational use. It needed Drainage Board approval to get a permit from Planning and Development. There was a lengthy discussion of water issues east of the US 24/I 65 interchange. A tile under the Interstate is plugged and a ditch needs to be cleaned. The proposed solar park in Wheatfield Township will be installing cables under drains and tiles so future Drainage Board meetings can expect to be busy reviewing their plans. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, July 6 if needed.

On Monday evening the Rensselaer Park Board met for a meeting that rambled. This coming weekend the Blacker Fields will host the largest softball tournament on the schedule. There have been many reports that the people coming to the tournaments are spending money in Rensselaer. There have been some unanticipated problems but they will be corrected for next year. There was a long discussion about scheduling the fields for local use.

Main Street Rensselaer is planning to install a walkway from Potawatomi Park to the shelter and restrooms in Iroquois Park. They will also install some concrete corn-hole goals and chess tables. The basketball court in Brookside needs another layer of asphalt before it can open. There is no water in the pool because a drain value broke during efforts to get the pool ready and it needs to be replaced. The next Park Board meeting will be on Tuesday, July 6.

On Tuesday evening the Rensselaer BZA met. On the way to the meeting, I passed by the Cylinders and Snacks event. It had at least 15 cars, so it seems to be taking off.

There were two main items on the agenda of the BZA. The first, a variance to allow a second residence to built on a lot, was withdrawn. The second was a setback variance to allow an expansion of the College Avenue McDonalds. The plan is to add ten feet to the south and square off the east side. The required setback from the property line is 20 feet and this addition will be only about 15 feet from the property line. There were several neighbors in attendance and their major concern is with a gap in the fence along the north side of the shopping mall. McDonalds has a fence along its property line, but there is an access road between McDonalds and the Lube Express and the end of that road is not fenced. People cut through the gap, and in doing so they cut through people's yards. The variance was approved. The estimated cost of the renovation is $800,000 to $1,000,000.

The meeting was not over. There was a discussion of what is happening at SJC. According to a member of the Board, some organization or business has made an offer to SJC to purchase part of the campus, that part that has athletic facilities. According to this person, the organization has not been able to get an answer from whoever is making decisions for the College. I do not know if those in charge of the College realize that there is developing ill-will toward the College. The College's apparent goal of bringing back a degree-granting college is seen as wildly unrealistic and there is concern that the slow deterioration of the physical plant will result in an expensive eyesore. People would like to see something using the facility, something that will contribute to the well-being of the City.

The intermittent rain on Monday came with some impressive cloud displays.