July starts with bangs

Odds & ends

I hope you had an enjoyable Fourth of July. Hundreds of people watched from Brookside Park the fireworks that the Bridge Church put on. As an added bonus to their half-hour show, there were several smaller displays visible in the background.

(Here is a video of a few seconds of the show.)

Some people enjoyed their own fireworks shows a day or two earlier.

What was CDC Resources is now lirio Resources. The organization held a renaming ceremony and ribbon cutting on Thursday at Meadow Springs Banquet Hall.

After (and even a little before) the participants had a lot of fun shooting Silly String.

I served for several years on the Board of Directors for the organization and there has long been dissatisfaction with the old name. I was surprised, though, when I got a notice that they were actually changing it.

A new business will soon be opening in the space that once had the bakery. It is called The Baked Bean and will be a hemp store with drinks,  eats, and treats.

As it opens, a business a couple stores to the south, the Country Bumpkin, will be closing. The owner cites supplier problems and a lack of business.

I wonder how much retail business in Rensselaer is now done on the Internet. I see UPS and FedEx trucks even on Sundays and now there is a Prime van delivering packages.

Just north of the railroad track on Cullen Street Biscuit & A Bath is now open. It is a dog grooming service with a limited amount of doggie merchandise.

There are several stations for grooming dogs.

The front of the store has some merchandise. Since I am not a dog owner, I do not understand this stuff.

The store even has some clothes for dogs.

The building most recently was used as apartments.  See the Biscuits & A Bath Facebook page for more information about services, hours, etc.

We have had dry weather for several weeks and lawns are turning brown. I do not hear lawnmowers very often. The crops in the fields look small for this time of the year and some of the soybean fields I saw looked stressed. 

I noticed that the Japanese beetles are back for the summer. 

I went by the recycling building a day or two ago and took a picture of the building that the City will be re-roofing and putting on a new exterior. It needs both.

Digging continues for the lift station and sewer project. The workers seem to be putting pipes in the ground.

In a previous post I had an article that mentioned Lloyd Parks. A few days ago one of his relatives stopped in to tell me a bit about him. He is buried in the Welsh Cemetery, also known as Egypt Cemetery. He was a football player for Rensselaer High School and his picture is in the 1912 yearbook. 

He is mentioned several places in the 1911 yearbook, including one mention next to Howard Clark.

Here is a picture of him in his WWI uniform.

I found his obituary and posted it on his findagrave memorial. Included with the news of his death is a loving tribute from his long-time friend, Howard "Lefty" Clark. (Yearbooks can be found here.)

I received an e-mail from a former Rensselaerian who had returned to Rensselaer for his 60th high-school reunion. He has a blog and had four lengthy posts about Rensselaer:

https://chipfilson.com/2022/07/credit-unions-and-small-town-america/

https://chipfilson.com/2022/06/the-murals-of-rensselaer/

https://chipfilson.com/2022/06/rensselaers-farmers-market/

https://chipfilson.com/2022/06/learning-from-my-high-school-experiences-or-back-home-again-in-indiana/

 Commissioners meeting

The July Commissioners meeting had a short agenda and a sparse audience. They approved two buried cable requests, one a simple bore for Internet service and the other for the Rensselaer Gas Department to extend service to Flatland Pigs LLC. The Animal Control officer told the Commissioners that the County needed a feral cat ordinance. The Commissioners were receptive to his idea of classifying them as wild animals, which would put them under the jurisdiction of the State wildlife bureaucracy. At the previous meeting the Commissioners had accepted a bid for road construction but could not award the contract because they needed something signed for or by the State. At this meeting they officially awarded the contract.

The Commissioners approved a zoning change on a 16 acre parcel from A1 to A2 that had been recommended by the Plan Commission. The parcel will be split as part of a divorce settlement. EMS service is waiting for State certification. The Commissioners approved paying Phoenix up to $10,000 more each month until the County takes over the service they provide. There was a discussion of where to best place handicapped parking spaces for the Courthouse and Prosecutor's office. The Commissioners approved advertising for replacing one bridge and repairing a second. The proposals will be due September 11. They then approved a road agreement for the Dunns Bridge Project Phase 2 and also an ordinance that raises the foreclosure fees that the Sheriff charges from $200 to $300.

The Health Department wants to regulate body art (tattoos). They say they get complaints and have to respond to them. They also want changes in fees for septic and other things they inspect, and an ordinance may be ready for August. A citizen who bought a lot in Kniman would like an alley vacated. There may be a public hearing at the August meeting. There was no Drainage Board meeting for July. The Commissioners continued the meeting until July 18 at 9:00 am if necessary.

Park Board

The Rensselaer Park Board had a very short meeting on a hot and humid Monday evening. The tournament schedule is almost finished. There were cancelations when not enough teams signed up. Two new flag poles are being installed, one at Blacker Fields and the other at Hal Gray Park.