Short takes
Last Wednesday I noticed workers jackhammering the very new sidewalk on the corner of Harrison and Van Rensselaer. I do not know why they were destroying a new sidewalk but maybe I will find out at the next City Council meeting.
The old tennis courts at Brookside Park were taken out last week.
What I thought might be vandalism on the side of the shed by the Roth Field was permitted graffiti. 65 members from the class of 2025 spent a day in the parks cleaning, repairing, painting, etc. Their names are on this wall.
The Mexican grocery that opened on Washington Street is gone. The store opened in late June or early July.
Remington has a video touting its revival of the downtown.
The Rensselaer Republican put a note on Facebook that RCHS might be leaving the Hoosier Conference. The conference has a very large range of school sizes.
Rensselaer Plan Commission meeting
The Rensselaer Advisory Plan Commission met Thursday afternoon. Under old business it discussed what the Commission wanted before it approves the plat for the St. Joseph's Building & Trades subdivision. They decided that if the City completes the sidewalk along Sparling (which currently stops at the Fr. Banet substation), the subdivision also needs to have a sidewalk along Sparling. Curbs and gutters will not be needed, but street signs and street lights will be. The item was continued to the next meeting.
The Commission approved a five-acre split from a larger parcel north of Donaldsons. The approval was needed for a building permit to be issued.
Earlier in October the Redevelopment Commission passed a plan for the Rensselaer Drexel/Fairgrounds Economic Development area that adds to the area in which TIF funds can be spent and also establishes a small residential TIF area. It was approved and will now move to the City Council.
Jasper County Plan Commission meeting
I decided to attend the JC Plan Commission via Zoom on Monday evening. It was a frustrating experience at the start because all I had was a dark screen with the names of the other people who were using Zoom. It turned out that the meeting did not have a quorum when it was supposed to start. After about twenty minutes enough members were found and the meeting started. Then I had audio and no video. Video came on twice during the meeting for a few minutes each time, but the camera was not aimed at the front of the room. I believe Vince Urbano presided based on the voice.
There were three causes on the agenda. The first was a rezone from A1 to R1 in Walker Township. The parcel is 8+ acres and the petitioner wants to sell off part of the parcel for housing and develop three smaller lots. He said the land was not used for agriculture. The request was approved and will now go to the Commissioners for final approval.
The second cause was a request to add four parcels to the existing Wind Farm Overlay District in Carpenter and Jordan Townships. That overlay district had been approved in May but there was some additional land needed for underground wiring and a turn lane. There was one comment from the audience, a neighbor wondering how the change affected him. I could not hear some of the response but it seemed he was not affected. The request was approved and will be on the agenda of the November Commissioners meeting.
The final item was an amendment to the UPO. The members received a handout with the proposed changes that eliminate some things not used and clean up language. No action was taken at this meeting. The members were encouraged to review the changes and the changes will be considered at a future meeting. The meeting adjourned a few minutes before 8:00.
Continued Commissioners meeting
The continued Commissioners meeting on Tuesday dealt with routine matters. The Commissioners formally approved memoranda of understanding with the Soil & Water District for funding a position. There were two memoranda, one for this year and one for next. They heard an update on the medical plan renewal, which they approved. Total costs will go down by 0.86% and the dental benefit will increase from $1000 to $1500. They formally approved the new canteen service agreement with the Sheriff's Department. The cost of meals will increase by 10¢ per meal. The average number of inmates at the jail has been 88, though on Tuesday it was only 76. The Commissioners extended the burn ban for another seven days.
They approved financial commitment letters for the Highway Department seeking grants for safety funding. The commitment is that the County will provide a match if the grant is awarded. The proposal is for pavement marking and a sign inventory. The head of JCEDO requested that she be approved for a license on the Beacon mapping system that would allow her to see what County licensees see. She said the information would be useful in promoting economic development and the request was approved. The Commissioners approved a repair bill for Community Services.
The Surveyor noted that Comcast has been boring without getting approval for boring under County drains. He told them to stop. He also noted that a drainage plan that had been approved in 2012 at the Roselawn exit had never been finished and the business involved now wants to add a Burger King to its site.
The Coroner is working with Hamstra to design a new forensic center. He talked about an incident without really explaining what it was. Apparently there were privacy issues. He noted that there have been three traumatic cases recently.
The meeting lasted about 45 minutes.
More Scarecrow Trail Pictures
I have shown some of the scarecrows in Milroy Park in the past few posts. I think the collection below gets the ones I have missed.
First, from McDonalds.
A fall festival
The Faith Pentecostal Church and Seeds of Hope sponsored a free fall festival on Saturday at Brookside Park. They had a small bounce house and two rings in which small children could run to make the rings roll.
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