November meetings and pictures

Halloween pictures

There were multiple opportunities for kids to get Halloween candy this year. One of the trunk or treat events was held at Saint Augustines on Halloween evening. Many visitors were greeted by Spiderman, who did not have any candy.

The first stops were at the line of trunks next to the school.

It may be hard to see, but there was a pirate handing out candy from his pirate ship.

From there the kids went into the school where more candy was available.

The skeleton had a box of candy for those brave enough to take some.

Not all those giving out candy were as scary as the skeleton, but maybe this witch was.

And there was a second witch a bit further down the hall.

When I left, there was still a line of kids eager for candy outside.

The organizers said they had 855 people come through.

November 1 was All Saint's Day and the kids at Saint Augustine School dressed up in costumes again, this time as a saint. At the school program each kid told a bit about the saint he or she was representing.

Commissioners meeting

The Commissioners met Monday for a rather uneventful monthly meeting. There were no buried cable requests. However there was mention of a problem with contractors installing cable along State highways. When contractors get permits to install in the County right-of-way along County roads, the County Highway Department gives those applications to the Surveyor to see if there are any drains involved. When contractors get permits to install along State roads, those permits are not forwarded to the Surveyor. Recently about seven miles of cable were installed along US 231 and the cables were installed above tiles rather than below them.

Mayor Phillips addressed the Commissioners informing them of the upcoming project to upgrade the sewer system as required by a court order several years ago. To pay for this project, the City will probably be raising sewer rates over the next three years by 40%, 40%, and 20%. This will about double the sewer bill of the average resident, which is $55.00. It will also have a big impact on the County and for this reason that the Mayor was telling the Commissioners about what to expect.

The Commissioners approved a service agreement for some tax software from a company called GUTS. The Health Department received approval for a new hire of a multi-media communications coordinator. The primary reason for the position is that the Health Department has seen an influx of Hispanics who do not speak English and wants someone who can communicate with them. The Health Department assured the Commissioners that the person would be available to help other departments who might need translations. The Council must approve the funding for this position. Remodeling of the Health Department is going well.

The County''s IT guy noted that the County was left without internet for a day because a fiber-optic cable was cut. He asked that the Commissioners approve a second, backup internet provider so if the main provider's service failed, service would not be interrupted. The cost would be $119.95 per month for three years. The Commissioners approved his request.

The Commissioners approved a Carpenter Wind Farm/Drain Tile memorandum of understanding. This had been requested by the Drainage Board and worked out with input from the County's compliance monitor. The reason that Commissioners were asked for their approval is because they hired the compliance monitor. 

The Commissoners approved two rezones that had been sent to them from the Plan Commission with a favorable recommendation. The first was an amendment to the zoning map adding four parcels to the wind-farm overlay district in Carpenter Township and the second was for a zoning change from A1 to R1 for a possible subdivision in Walker Township.

The building that the Jasper County EMS is using in Remington is owned by Remington and Carpenter Township. They want the County to assume ownership with the provision that if the County does not use it for six months, the ownership reverts back to Remington/Carpenter Township. The Commissioners approved the transfer.

In other business, the Highway Department wants a "yield" sign switched to a "stop" sign in a northern subdivision that has expanded, It will need a public hearing. The Commissioners agreed to a proposal of $20,000 to repair and polish the tiles on the first floor of the Court House. (The second floor was done a year or two ago.) The State Board of Accounts was unhappy that the salary contracts for the Sheriff had not been signed so the Sheriff asked the Commissioners to sign them. He also said that the State Board of Accounts wants a better accounting for inventory. Given the rain on Monday, the Commissioners will let the burn ban expire on Tuesday. The meeting was continued until Nov 18 if needed.

Drainage Board meeting

After a short break, the Drainage Board met on Monday morning. First Church is expanding its parking lot but said that they had planned the existing retention plan to be big enough to handle the expansion. The Board approved. The Board then approved the Carpenter Wind Farm MOU that the Commissioners had approved earlier in the morning. A drainage plan for a proposed community center at Grace Fellowship was approved.

A drainage for a substation that is part of the Biscayne Falls solar project in Walker Township was approved conditional on its getting its State permits. (Biscayne Falls is the new name of what was the Solar Pack solar farm.) Three bids were opened for the Kankakee River phase 5 bank stabilization project. Phase 5 covers the last two miles of the project. There were three bids, but one was incomplete. The bid was awarded to the low bid, Gutwein from Francesville. It covers excavation only. Bids were then opened for the materials. There were three companies bidding and all bids were accepted so that the project will be able to get material when they are needed.

There was a brief discussion of the possibility of a boat launch on a bit of County land along the Kankakee. That lot is considered too small but perhaps some additional land could be purchased. Porter and Lake County tourism are interested in getting better access to the river for recreation and may be adding public-access sites on their side of the River.

The meeting adjourned at 10:50.

Park Board meeting

The first item of business at the Rensselaer Park Board meeting Monday evening was a request from the Little Cousin Jasper Festival to continue use of Potawatomi Park for future festivals. The Festival Committee thinks the Park venue works better than the Courthouse Square. There was some discussion of what changes could be made to make Potawatomi Park work even better in the future, and having electricity in the center was one item mentioned. There may also be some changes downtown that may make it easier to serve beer at events. The Board approved the request to use Potawatomi and nearby parks in 2025.

There followed a discussion of plans for a miniature train display in Foundation Park. Preliminary plans had been presented at the previous meeting and Board members suggested three changes: eliminating the small parking lot off the highway, bringing the display closer to the highway, and shortening it by having only two cars instead of three. There were concerns about the cost of maintenance. The item was tabled for the next meeting.

There were some updates discussed. The Jackson Pickle-ball Courts have been paved. The asphalt will need 30 days to cure. It will have four courts running east and west. During the winter it will probably be fenced and it should be ready for use in the Spring.

The Board approved funding for a mural on the south side of the Brookside Pool building. That side was recently power-washed and primed. The Board also approved investigating how best to illuminate the mural at night.

Below is the LaRue Pool bath house with its new coat of primer paint.

Park restrooms except those at Filson Park have been winterized so are no longer available. The Park takes care of 167 trees that the Urban Forest Ministry has planted and waters them for three years. The Soccer league is thinking about a policy for unruly spectators, which was a problem this year. New roofs are needed for the LaRue Pool bath house and the Gifford Shelter. There is the possibility that next year some of the Park baseball teams might play teams from neighboring towns. The comment was made that no one can pitch; in some games most runs are scored by walks.

The next meeting will be on December 2 if there seems to be a need for a December meeting.

I noticed the other day that some kids were playing in our new splash pad.

Alpenhorns at the Library

The alpenhorns returned to the Rensselaer Library on Sunday. They are part of the German Band Inc from Valparaiso.

Below is a video of part of a song they played. To hear it as it was in the Library, turn up your volume to maximum. The alpenhorns are very loud.

If you want to get your own alpenhorn, you need a bit of money. A cheap one will run about $1500 and the horns being played at the Library cost about $5000. However, they can be a good investment. A horn made by a prominent maker can rise in value a lot after the death of the maker.

Odds and ends

The green machine is making its rounds in Rensselaer.

I had some pictures of oak leaves that turned from green to brown. Not all oaks are so bland. Here is a different species of oak that has orange and red coloring.

Many trees are bare or almost bare. 

I rode to Remington on Sunday and saw only three or four corn fields that were not yet harvested.

Below is the building-trades house at SJC as it appeared Monday morning.

The piece of sidewalk that was removed a few days ago because of a crack has been replaced.

The fire training tower got its first use over the weekend. The Rensselaer Fire Department Facebook page has pictures and stats.