Leaving Rensselaer

 Power plant pictures

Workers removing engines from the power plant took the weekend off but were busy again on Tuesday. Below rails are being positioned to allow the big engine inside to be pulled out.

I missed the removal of the engine from the building. Late on Tuesday the engine was sitting on the street outside the building.

Peeking though the window, one could see where the engine had been.

On Wednesday morning the crane was lifting one end of the engine so blocks of wood could be placed beneath it.

The crane then manuevered to position itself at the other end of the engine. I was surprised to see that all the wheels on the crane could turn, which made turning around easier.

Then the crane lifted one end onto the trailer. This took a while because the blocks at the other end had not raised that end enough and the workers had to make adjustments.  (Note the branches on the ground. The crane knocked off the branches overhanging the street when it was repositioned.)

Below one end of the engine is on the truck.

Not too long after the other end was also on the truck.

City Council meeting

At its Monday meeting the City Council approved an electric tracker for the second quarter of $1.95 per thousand kilowatt hours. It also approved the hiring of four or five part-time seasonal workers for the Street Department and two for the Gas Department. However there was concern on the part of the departments that they might not be able to find applicants because the wage is $10.14 per hour. After discussion, the Mayor appointed a committee to consider the issue and perhaps draft an amendment to the salary ordinance. Those part-time seasonal employees that operate equipment must be 18 years old or older. Those that work at the pool only need to be 16 years old. 

The Council approved a contractor contract for electrical engineering services. Two public-relations requests were approved, one for up to $500 for donuts and a lunch for those working on clean-up week and a second for $3600 for the Gas Department Open House on April 29th. The Gas Department is seeking a grant for gas-line public awareness and may be able to pay back the City. There will be no vendors at the Open House this year. 

The Mayor announced that the City has been awarded a planning grant that KIRPC will administer. Work on the sewer project will begin within 30 days. The City Planning office wants to replace all the older wreaths with new decorations. The Council approved $3305 pending approval of the other half of the cost from the Tourism Commission. The fire station has converted to LED lighting. The doors have been installed in the recently constructed warehouse for the Electric Department.  The Council gave the Electric Department permission to seek quotes for a 22-year-old forklift that is no longer working.

(There were no public comments. Some examples of funny comments at City Council meetings elsewhere in the US are here, here, and here.)

Odds and ends

Spring is on the way. Here is a picture of my rhubarb coming up.

(Trust me. There is some rhubarb under the snow.)

Walk with a Doc is back this spring, running from Tuesday, April 12 to May 17. The event begins with a short presentation from a medical professional and then a mile-long walk around the perimeter of Weston Cemetery. Attendees gather at the Brookside Park shelter closest to the Cemetery and the event begins at 12:00 with registration beginning at 11:45.

Last July a new restaurant opened in Monon. Called the Junction House, it is located on the highway just south of the railroad crossing. It may be the only restaurant in the area serving Cajun food. It takes its name from a hotel that was once across the street that was destroyed long ago in a train derailment.

The primary election is May 3. Here is a list of candidates. Probably the most interesting race for Rensselaer residents is for State Representative where three people are running on the Republican ballot.

Another small college closing.

Mostly pictures, Feb 2022

Power-plant activity

A week ago on the 17th I noticed activity near the power plant. One of the large windows had been removed and workers were taking down the wall below the window.

On Saturday a large crane was in the middle of the street and on Sunday it had lifted out one of the generators. The generator is the part that has the wiring to make electricity.

Later in the day this generator and another had been loaded onto a truck. On Monday the truck left.

Below is the view inside the building showing the two engines without their generators.  

On Tuesday one of the engines had been lifted up.

On Wednesday the crane had been moved from the street and a flat-bed trailer with some odds and ends was getting ready to leave. 

I expect more activity next week.

Walgreens

Work continues on the new Walgreens. The exterior has undergone some changes and when this picture was taken, an electrical contractor was working inside.

Middle-school art show

The Fendig Gallery currently has the 29th Regional Middle School Art Show.

The show runs until April 3, 2022. The Gallery is open Tuesdays (noon - 4:00), Thursdays (2:00 - 6:00), and Saturdays (noon - 2:00).

Sewer financing and meeting

On Thursday morning the bond financing for the upcoming sewer project (new lift station and construction of sewers in three areas of the City) was finalized with a lot of forms and documents signed. Representatives from Commonwealth Engineering and USDA Rural Development attended. This meeting was scheduled in March to take advantage of some low interest rates that will disappear in the next few weeks. 

After the financing documents had been reviewed and signed, there was a preconstruction meeting for the contractors awarded the project. The main contractor, Thieneman Construction of Westville, IN, was awarded the $7 million dollar contract. The meeting was to review all the requirements the contractors had to meet, and there are many because the Federal Government is financing the project through a State agency. I have an unusual tolerance for sitting through boring meetings but this one was too much for me. I bailed after 15 minutes. 

A note from the City Building Department

 The City of Rensselaer would like to inspire our residents and also assist them with increasing pride in our community. Spring is here and everyone is looking forward to being outside, enjoying our yards, streets and parks. We would like to challenge to all of our citizens to help beautify our city. 

 What can you do to help? Possible things may include clean up lawns, make sure all trash is picked up, get rid of vacated vehicles and tires, plant some flowers, help a neighbor, get inspired! 

I f there are some things you are inspired to do but need help accomplishing contact the Building Department at (219) 866-2311. We can put you in touch with some groups who would like to help with beautifying our city. 

 Happy Spring!!!

Crocuses!

I saw crocuses on Tuesday. Spring is here!!

And also some snowdrops.

BPW

Monday's Board of Public Works was a bit strange. It had three items on the agenda. The first was a firefighter application. The Board decided that they needed more information so did not act. The second was a claim from Commonwealth Engineers. It had been approved at the previous meeting but not been paid so the Board approved it again. The last was a bill from the Board's lawyer. It was withdrawn because the matter will be settled when the bond issue for the sewer project is approved.

City Council meeting

In the public comment section of the City Council meeting, John Cannon, a representative of the State Attorney General's office told the Council of some of the things that the Attorney General's office does. A big push is to return unclaimed property.  (You can check here to see if you are owed anything.) He said that the office was working with 26 other states to get the FCC to stop some of the robo calls coming from out of state. He also warned people to be wary of out-of-area contractors who solicit business after big storms. 

The Council passed an ordinance to rezone two lots from A2 to I1. This rezone for two lots immediately west of the REMC headquarters had been approved at an earlier meeting but it needed to be done with an ordinance. The gas tracker for March is slightly less then 10¢ per hundred cubic feet. A resolution that I did not completely understand allows the sewer department to partially reimburse the water department for the recent purchase of a vac truck.  (Both departments use the truck.)

Some dates to put on your calendar: April 30, Town-Wide Yard Sale; May 2-6 Clean-up Week; April 29 Gas Department Open House 11:00-1:00 or 11:00-2:00 (time not yet set).

So far this year Greyhound has had 19 passengers get on or get off the bus in Rensselaer. The bus stops at 6:00 on the way north and at noon on the way south. The stop is starting to be used more. Three employees of the Street Department recently used their CPR training on a person who needed it. The Gas Department will soon begin CRP training for its employees. For some it will be a refresher course. Weston Cemetery will begin its Spring Cleanup on the 21st. Fenwick Farms asked to have part of the City parking to its south closed while some  work is done on its building and the request was approved. Some of the lights in Potawatomi Park are damaged and the company that manufactured them is no longer in business so parts are hard or maybe impossible to find. The closing on the sewage bonds will be on April 24 at 9:00 in the Council Chambers.

PTABOA

The Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (PTABOA) met on Tuesday morning in the Court House. In a short meeting they approved four applications for property tax exemptions. Two were for small cemeteries that need to refile every two years. (This may only be for private, family cemeteries,) One was for Grace Point Resource Center that owns the building next to the First Merchants Bank and the other was for Family Focus, which works from what used to be Christian Haven near Wheatfield. Both of these are not-for-profit organizations. Property values have and are rising so assessments will also be rising.

Invasive species

In January 2020 a group concerned with invasive species formed in Jasper County but it has largely died partly as a result of Covid lockdowns. A meeting to revive it was held on Tuesday evening at the Carnegie Center. The nine people attending brainstormed ideas and managed to set up a steering committee for more planning. One person even stepped up to be the leader. The Soil and Water Conservation District has an invasive species buy-back program that will help residents replace invasive trees and shrubs with native species. See here. The next public meeting is scheduled for April 29.

County Council meeting

The agenda for the Council, which met Tuesday evening, was short but the meeting still lasted over an hour. The Fairgrounds wanted an additional appropriation to repair grandstand seating, something the Commissioners approved at its meeting. The Council could not make the appropriation this month because it had not been advertised. Animal Control did receive an additional appropriation for part-time help. The Director noted that about 50% of the animals they are getting are from people who died or who are moving into assisted living or nursing homes and about 50% are old animals that no one wants. The office repairs to the building have been completed. 

EMS is seeking to hire a director. The concern for County EMS is for the Southern EMS service. They are struggling to find younger people to replace the older people who are retiring and are depending a lot on the Wolcott EMS service. Remington is OK with combining the Southern service with the Central service if an ambulance is stationed in Remington.

The Sheriff and the Council had a long discussion on license-plate readers. The Sheriff would like seven cameras on four Interstate interchanges. Renting them will cost about $16,000 per year, which is more than he thinks his budget can handle. He would also like four cameras to be used on traffic trailers. He is reaching out to the community police departments and some Interstate businesses for financial help and wanted to know if the Council would also help financially. He wants to go with two vendors because that would allow the County to tap into their separate databases. One of the vendors would allow smartphones to be used as license-plate readers, so a deputy could take pictures of license plates in a parking lot and run them to see if the vehicle had any violations on record. The interchange that will probably see the first cameras it the SR 10 interchange because it seems to have had the most recent incidents. He noted that almost all trucks now have dashboard cameras because they are no longer expensive and his patrol cars also have them. The Council indicated that it is willing to help at some level.

Odds and Ends

On Tuesday morning work was being done on the exterior of the soon-to-be Walgreens store. The windows and door were installed.

On Saturday the Rensselaer Library had its annual Train Day.

This box is in front of the sign on the northwest corner of the Court House Square. I think it is a Little Library box, but when I stopped by there were no book inside. It looks like it was made by the plasma cutters at Chief Industries.

From a reader:

Barstool golf from November 2021 has donated over $400 to Fill the Bus.
Barstool golf from March 12, 2022 has donated $400 to the school lunch program.
Next Barstool Golf will be November 19th 2022.  Donation will be made to the CDC of Rensselaer.
All Bars and Clubs are involved and have info at least one week prior.
Northside Tavern is for sale.....owners are retiring (sort of). 

(I decided to break up the text with headers. Are they helpful?)

A busy week

I did not attend the Airport Authority meeting on Tuesday night because it conflicted with a Soil and Water Conservation meeting held at Embers and that meeting had food. I sat near six members of the Rensselaer FFA who will be going to Oklahoma in May for the National Soil Judging contest. The Rensselaer group finished fourth at the State competition and the top five teams advance. During the program each of them gave a short speech about their FFA experiences and they did remarkably well, especially considering at least half of them were underclassmen. 

Also at the meeting Lana Zimmer and Mark Jordan were re-elected to the Soil and Water Conservation Board. The featured speaker was Scott Pelath, Head of the Kankakee and Yellow River Basin Development Commission. Two years ago he addressed the Soil and Water Conservation meeting and talked about the things the Commission, new at the time, was planning. Then Covid hit and he stopped giving addresses. This was his first speaking engagement post Covid.

He began by congratulating Jasper County and its surveyor for pursuing a $3.8 million FEMA grant to stabilize banks for the Kankakee River. The work funded by this grant is finished or almost finished. The Commission has been busy in a number of areas: bank stabilization, channel reconstruction, acquisition of land for flood control, construction of levees, sediment removal, and tree removal. There are eight counties that are affected by the Commission. Pelath showed some slides of land that the Commission had purchased in Newton County for flood control. When the river rises to flood stage, the water has to go somewhere and the Commission would like to control where it goes. He said that they were in discussion with NIPSCO to see if the land of the Schahfer plant might be used as flood control. It will never be farmed or used for residential purposes because of the fly ash buried there.

At the meeting Rein Bontreger mentioned to me that he had attended a ribbon cutting in Remington for a new tiling company that was producing from what had been the Omni Forge plant. I had not realized that Omni Forge was no longer in business. The new owner of the facility is C&L Tiling Inc. They purchased the property in July of 2021. I could find little about them on the Internet other than they seem to be part of a company called Timewell Drainage Products.

On Wednesday the Rensselaer Chamber of Commerce hosted a meeting at Saint Joe's that featured talks by Chad Pulver, the new Chancellor, and Haley Chapman, the Academic Program Director. The message I got was that Saint Joe's does not see an early return of accreditation so while they will continue trying to find other institutions that will offer college courses on campus, their main focus is trying to find certificate programs and other training programs that will serve area communities. Those programs need not be sponsored by SJC; they are willing to provide facilities for outsiders with programs useful to the area. SJC currently offers a number of certificate programs in the health area and at the end of the session Carlos Vasquez, head of Franciscan Rensselaer, said that there is a huge demand for the sorts of certificates that are being offered. Since these certificate programs began in 2019, there have been 75 graduates and there are currently 23 students enrolled. The certificate programs need approval by the State or a professional organization and getting that approval takes time and effort, which is a reason that more are not being offered at present. Some SJC alumni would like to see SJC restored as it once was but the people in charge seem to realize that can never happen. They are trying to take education to where it is needed.

After the meeting I congratulated Coach Pulver on the RCHS basketball sectional championship.

I took a couple of pictures as I left the Core Building. This room is used for health certificate courses.

Below is a computer classroom used for some college credit courses.

On Wednesday evening the Rensselaer Redevelopment Commission met and in five minutes held a public hearing on the enlargement of the Lintner TIF area and adopted the declaratory resolution to enlarge the TIF (Tax Increment Financing) area. After adjournment there was a 50-minute long discussion of TIF areas, how they work and what are their benefits. Answering the question was an advisor to redevelopment commissions on TIFs. In a TIF area the increase in property tax revenue from development is captured by the redevelopment commission and used to provide infrastructure such as roads and utilities that the new businesses need. They generally do this by issuing bonds and the new tax revenues pay the interest and redemption of the bonds. TIF areas and tax abatements are the two main tools local governments have in attracting new businesses. (The Rensselaer fire station was financed by TIF revenues and the extension of water and sewer from DeMotte to the Interstate was made possible by TIF financing.)

On Thursday afternoon the Rensselaer Urban Forest Council met for their monthly meeting. They spent an hour tossing around ideas. Ideas for grants included a new pump to help water the new trees they plant and for an intern or two. This year they will plant 51 trees, ten of which are replants. New trees need a lot water and care or else many will die. On April 29 at 4:00 there will be a tree planting at Brookside Park to celebrate Arbor Day. At one time Earth Day was celebrated locally, but weather often did not cooperate and the event died. Suggestions were made to revive it as a Tree City Day and hold it in the Fall. On June 25 there will be a tree planted in honor of Mike Riley, formerly the City's attorney. It will be in Potawatomi Park at 1:00. The Council would like to find ways to encourage people to more plant trees on their properties. The next meeting will be on April 14 at 5:00 at the First Christian Church and the public is welcome to attend. 

Searching for spring

 I keep looking for signs of spring. The warm weather on Saturday seemed very spring-like but the brief period of snow on Monday reminded us that winter is not quite over. I have seen several soaring birds that I think are turkey vultures. I saw at least of dozen robins over the weekend. Walmart has put out some gardening supplies: mulch and paving bricks. The sun keeps setting further north and daylight is about two minutes longer each day. Sap is running in the maples. I still have not seen any crocuses.

On Monday local gasoline prices jumped to over $4.00.

The exterior of the new Walgreens has changed.

There is renovation going on in what was once a gas station on the corner of Washington and Weston Streets. The building permit says that it is owned by RF Capital Investments LLC. The grapevine rumor says it will be a distillery. We will see.

Recently I stumbled on some information about past Jasper County residents. If you are a fan of America's Got Talent you probably remember a comedian named Ryan Niemiller.  He placed third in the 2019 season. His arms did not form properly and he used his disability in most of his humor. He graduated from Kankakee Valley High School in 2000. The other past resident is buried in Weston Cemetery and is one of the many Civil War veterans buried there. He was captured and held in a prisoner of war camp. He was one of 109 prisoners who took part in the largest prison escape of the Civil War. Here is a video explaining the escape and here is a link to his findagrave memorial. (If you click on "photos", you should find some newspaper articles about his life.) (There are two other Civil War veterans in Weston who were in prisoner-of-war camps but they were Confederate Soldiers. See here and here.)

The early March meetings began Monday with the Commissioners meeting. They approved a couple of buried cable permits and were told that at the next meeting there would be a request that involves connecting another dairy to a gas pipeline.  A citizen wanted a speed limit on part of CR 1400N and after some discussion it was discovered that the lower speed limit already exists but the signs for the speed limit were never posted. The Fair Board has discovered that the footboards in the grandstand need to be replaced and would like to purchase some used aluminum footboards that will cost about one half the cost of new ones. They requested $31,000 to purchase them and said that they may need additional funds next year to install them. Instead the Commissioners voted to recommend to the Council that they be given an additional appropriation of $40,000 and not be given additional funds next year. (The Fair Board budget is part of the Commissioners' budget but additional appropriations need approval of the Council.) In 2024 the Fair will celebrate its 100th anniversary.

Usually rezone requests that have been recommended by the Plan Commission are approved with little discussion, but the rezone request needed for a meat processing plant south of DeMotte had an explanation similar to that given to the Plan Commission. I missed the start of that explanation at the Plan Commission, so some of it was new to me. The speaker noted that the way people buy beef has been slowly changing, with more people buying from farmers rather than retail stores. That change was accelerated by the pandemic. The new demand exceeded what the small packing houses could provide. He noted that there are no large processing plants in Indiana but that 50,000 head of cattle are processed by the small plants each year. That leaves about 100,000 head of cattle that are shipped out of state to be processed. The rezone was approved for a project that has been given the name "Operation Ribeye".

The Marion Township trustee and the committee planning the Central Jasper County EMS service suggested that a medical director for the County should be hired to plan for the future EMS service and to help coordinate among the four County EMS services. The proposal was approved.

The Sheriff was given permission to fill a part-time dispatcher position that was vacant. He warned that the jail was facing some major expenses from the medical problems of one of the prisoners. Stephen Eastridge gave an update on a study that the Commissioners wanted about the cost of running utilities from Remington north to the Interstate intersection. The Surveyor was given permission to replace a draftsman who is leaving. He has been with the department for 15 years and commutes from Kokomo.

Before they adjourned, the Commissioners approved a change in their plan of how to spend ARPA moneys. They will devote $1.5 million to roads.

In the afternoon meeting of the Drainage Board, Operation Ribeye was back in the meeting room. The standard easement for a County ditch is 75 feet, meaning that nothing should be built within 75 feet of a ditch. However the site plans have a bit of the parking lot extending into this zone for the Sipkena Ditch. Operation Ribeye wanted a variance that would reduce the setback to only 40 feet. After discussion, the Board decided not to give a variance but would allow an encroachment on the easement of 25 feet. The company will not be able to claim damages if the County damages anything that encroaches on the easement and no structure can be built there. Also, the company agrees to maintain that part of the ditch. 

The second item on the agenda was the drainage plan for Flatland Pigs LLC. This is the name of the company that is restarting a CAFO on the site of the former Tip Top pig operation.  The Board decided it needed more information and took no action at this meeting. 

The Board will have a public hearing at its April meeting for the Kane Nesius Agreement Tile Abandonment and for the Cowden Lateral Tile #34 Abandonment. The discussion of the Dunn's Bridge Solar Project, which at the last meeting was scheduled for this meeting, had been canceled. However, the Commissioners discussed and approved a suggestion to hire an engineering firm to review all plans for the Dunn's Bridge project. The next meeting will be April 4.

On Monday evening the Park Board and Corporation met. The Board had a quorum but the Corporation did not. They discussed the soccer program with a spokesman from the Rensselaer Regional Soccer Club (website here). The spring season will begin April 10 and last until early June. There will be five teams in the travel program, which play other  teams in the North West Indiana Soccer League. Cooperation between the Parks and the Club seems to be going smoothly.

Contracts for the Blacker-Field tournaments are signed. There are still a few dates for which concession workers have not been determined. Prices for finishing the new tennis courts have gone up because material costs have risen. RBI has obtained two grants, one of $29,000 from the Jasper Foundation and the second a patronicity grant of $37,500 that must be matched locally. So far a bit over $24,000 has been matched.

 The Tourism Commission meeting scheduled for March 5 was canceled because a quorum could not be met. 

Long meetings

The Rensselaer City Council met on Monday evening for an unusually long meeting. It lasted an hour. First up was a request from Rensselaer Baseball Inc (RBI) for a donation of $10,000 from the City to help match a Patronicity Grant the group had obtained. The grant was for $37,500 and they need to raise a matching $37,500. The main use of the money will be to upgrade the rest room at Foundation Park, making it ADA compliant. With the construction of the Blacker Fields and the move of the Park leagues to those fields, the Park Department has allowed RBI to use Staddon Field as its home field. The Council approved the donation for what will upgrade a City facility. Near the end of the meeting one of the Board members of RBI said that with the City's donation over $23,000 had been pledged.

Next up was a public hearing on a preliminary engineering report for a water project that will add a water tank near the Interstate, add back-up generators to the various water facilities (pumps, water-treatment plant, and towers), and replace some water mains that are old and subject to frequent leaks. The City and its engineering consulting firm want to submit this report to the Indiana Finance Authority and a public hearing is necessary before it is submitted. The City would like to finance as much of this project as possible with grants and this submission is needed to seek those grants. At least two resolutions were passed to meet the requirements for submitting the report.

The Council then passed an ordinance vacating a previous ordinance that established pay for employees quaranteeing at home due to Covid. It passed another ordinance to clarify pay for City workers who needed to work when the City was closed due to weather. 

The next big item was a sewer bond ordinance. The City is planning to replace its lift station east of Weston Cemetery and provide sewers to several unsewered areas. Some of this project will be funded by grants from Rural Development but much of it will not be. The ordinance allows the City to borrow up to $7.2 million in two stages. The Council suspended the rules in order to pass the ordinance in one meeting because the City would like to lock in a low interest rate of 1.25% and to do that everything has to be done within the next month. More than one motion was needed to satisfy the legal requirements. 

The Council approved the purchase of a vehicle for the City Planning Department. It approved the signing of a required annual Rural Development report pending its completion. The Mayor reported that the City had sold one of the engines at the power plant. A Council member asked the Chief of Police if there had been any problems resulting from the new Greyhound Bus stop. He said no.

Leaving the City Council meeting, I rushed over to the Sparling Annex for the Jasper County Plan Commission meeting, arriving about ten minutes late. The main item on the agenda was a rezone from A1 to I2 to allow a meat processing plant on the SW corner of CR 800W and SR 10 (across the highway from Castongia's). The plant will be 12000 square feet and will process 100 cattle and 15-20 hogs per week. 75% of the work will be custom processing, for customers of farmers. The other 25% will be purchase of animals by the new business and sale of the meat in its retail store, which will be part of the facility. The facility will employ about 30 people. If demand exists, there may be a phase two for the project. Because the County encouraged DeMotte to run water and sewer lines to the Interstate to encourage development along SR 10, this facility will use DeMotte water and the recently installed sewer line. Hence no water well, septic system, or wastewater lagoon will be needed, which dramatically cuts the need to get various permits. There were several public comments before the rezone was approved. It now goes to the Commissioners for their approval. This business will be in the TIF zone approved when the DeMotte sewer and water project was approved.

After the Plan Commission adjourned, the Jasper County BZA met. Their first issue was a sign variance for the recently approved Love's RV Park at the SR 10/I-65 interchange. Love's wants to put a sign for the RV Park on its existing sign pole for the Travel Stop. The Board was unclear exactly what their sign regulations were and there were no public comments. Love's said they had sent out letters to neighboring landowners but the receipts showing that the letters had been sent had not been received by the County Planning office. The BZA approved the variance contingent on the Planning Office getting those receipts.

The second issue was a request for a special exception and variances for a cell tower to be located at the southwest corner of CR 1100N and CR 300W. The proposed tower would be a three-legged lattice structure 305 feet tall. The owner of the tower would be Parallel Infrastructure and the main tenant would be AT&T with two other tenants, FirstNet, a network for first responders, not the public, and the Defense Department. There would also be room for other users on the tower. In addition to the special exception that is needed for any cell tower, the proposers wanted variances for height, type, and setbacks. 

After the Board asked various questions, they opened the floor to the public. The first speaker represented SBA, another tower provider. He said that AT&T currently uses one of their towers and would move from them to this new tower. He said that all the needs of AT&T are being met with the current tower and there was no need to build an additional tower. I do not think the members of the Board found his reasoning persuasive.  He was followed by several women who lived near the proposed site of the tower. Several were from the Beverly Woods subdivision. They had concerns about property values, safety and health, and aesthetics. The spokesmen for Parallel responded by saying that several studies said that cell towers did not have a significant effect on property values and that SBA should not be trying to stifle competition. The rent AT&T pays on the SBA tower is 2.5 times what they would pay on the new tower. Either they or the Board's attorney said that Federal law prohibits consideration of health effects for siting cell towers. 

The company representatives realized that the discussion among Board members was not going well so asked to have the matter continued so they could meet with the concerned neighbors. Instead a member of the Board made a motion to deny, which was seconded. They then went through the findings of facts and half were voted negatively by a 3 to 1 vote. The special exception was denied, to the applause of most in the audience. The Board then needed reasons for the record of why they denied. They mentioned safety, harmony with surrounding areas, property values, and quality of life. Because the special exception was denied, there was no need to discuss the variances. I do not know if Parallel has any way of reversing this decision, but they did request the audio recording of the meeting.