Pictures from the end of September

 Ribbon cutting for new tennis courts

On Tuesday afternoon there was a dedication ceremony with a ribbon cutting for the new tennis courts at the high school. The event started with several short speeches by the superintendent, chairman of the School board, and several others involved in the planning and building of the courts. The school board had to choose between asphalt and concrete for the courts and chose concrete because it will last longer. There are six courts, the same as before, but they have been shifted to the east so there will be fewer foul balls landing in the courts from the adjacent baseball field.

The boys tennis team this year is very large, with 19 members. 

After the ribbon cutting, the team served a ceremonial first serve.

Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest had very nice weather on Saturday and a respectable crowd. The number of people was probably larger later after I left.

There were two bands scheduled, a German band early and a pop band later.

OctoberFest is a fundraiser for Main Street Rensselaer, which uses the money raised for community improvements.

Some park news

Arriving at the Walk for a Doc event on Tuesday, I noticed someone painting the concrete pad that formerly held bleachers for the soccer field.

There are two hopscotch courts, one with words and the other that will be traditional with numbers. The words on the one were hand painted and I was impressed with the precision of the lettering.

Below you can see the start of a heron alongside a series of blocks that will have the alphabet.

Below is the completed heron.

The artist has done some other work in Rensselaer: at the dog park, at Mount Hood Pizza, and most recently at Browns Garden Shop. 

I will post more pictures when this work is finished.

Iroquois Park now has a permanent corn-hole court.

The new lights in Potawatomie Park are LED and they project all their light to the ground, with none going to the sky.

Odds & ends

Improv at the Ritz returns this year with performances on three Thursday evenings: October 6, 13, and 20. The performances begin at 7:00 and the cost is $7.

The Urban Forestry Council has been planting trees on McKinley and Cullen Streets.

Below is what the new lift station looked like over the weekend.

Work continues to remove engines from the power plant.

Dismantling a second engine has begun.

Below is a closer look at the second engine.

The Doc part of Walk with a Doc was a talk about overuse of antibiotics. Bacteria eventually develop resistance to any antibiotics, so when it is used when not necessary, that resistance can be hastened and the useful life of the antibiotic is reduced. Also, the drug companies have not been doing a lot of development of new antibiotics because the payoff for meds that people take to maintain health are a lot more profitable than meds that are only used to cure a disease.

Most fields around Rensselaer are ready to harvest and many have already been harvested.

City Council meeting

The Rensselaer City Council met for its second September meeting Monday evening. In Citizen's Comments Stace Pickering said that the construction plans are finished and bids are in for the development of Filson Park. There will be a small stage area, a central fountain, a shelter with restrooms, and an archway over an entrance. The new shelter will be like the shelter in Foundation Park. The sidewalks around the exterior will be redone and six new street lights will be installed. There will be art works in the park and the Filsons will work with the Prairie Arts Council to find art. The Council was not asked for money because the Filsons and other private groups are funding the project. The Council approved the plan and gave permission to move forward with one no vote. Mrs Weishaar had previously opposed using this site for a park, saying a better use would be commercial use.

The lot to the south of the park was sold this year and the new owner would like to develop it for retail and or office use.

The Council then had an open hearing for an ordinance to rename the Superintendent of Weston Cemetery as the Caretaker of Weston Cemetery. This change was prompted by a new State law. Afterwards they passed the ordinance that appointed Tony Baltes as the Caretaker.

After the Clerk/Treasurer read the budget for 2023, the Council approved it. The public hearing for the budget was held at the previous Council meeting. Later in the meeting the Mayor announced that this was the last meeting for Clerk/Treasurer Frieda Bretzinger. She will retire on October 8. The Clerk/Treasurer is an elected official. I assume we will learn at the next meeting how the vacancy will be filled.

The electric tracker for the fourth quarter will be a 77¢ increase per thousand kilowatt hours. The Council approved a donation of $500 to the American Legion for their annual Thanksgiving dinner that is open to all. The Legion expects to serve 600 to 650 meals. The project coordinator had two quotes for a new truck for the water and sewer departments. The Council approved the purchase of the truck for a bit over $48,000 with Mrs Weishaar abstaining because her husband works for one of the departments affected.

The Council decided that Trick-and-Treat hours will be 5:00 to 7:00 on Saturday, October 29.

Public Power week is October 2 - 6 and the Council approved $100 for a display for the City Hall lobby. The company removing asbestos from the power plant found more asbestos in the basement and said they could remove it for an additional $7500, which the Council approved. New lights have been installed at Potawatomie Park. The City has hired a CDL driver who does not live in Rensselaer or within 10 miles of the City. The Council waived that residency requirement. The Council approved $56,500 for Town & Country Paving to resurface Cullen Street from Clark to the railroad. The street is in bad shape and the City does not want to wait for CCMG funding next year to do the project. Finally, the Council approved the Police Department advertising for a new officer.