Four meetings to end the month

 SJC Open House

On Saturday Saint Joseph's College had an open house intended to show prospective students the educational programs available on campus.  

The picture below shows the tables of the various programs. Closest is the CDL program. I asked if they did training for school bus drivers and was told that was a separate CDL certificate that they did not offer. 

Next to them was the Indiana Ag and Tech School, a charter school that meets at SJC on Wednesdays. They were unsure of how many students that they have this semester because their meeting on Wednesday was canceled due to weather, but it may be as many as 42. They had 32 enrolled last semester. Most of the almost 500 students enrolled in IATS are in the Indianapolis area and Rensselaer is a branch campus. It is a public charter school.

I talked a bit to the founder of IATS and Chairman of its Board. He is a writer who does not publish under his name. Rather he writes speeches for others and things like fundraising appeals. He said that the key to a good speech is to tell a story. (I am not sure how I can incorporate a more storied approach into this blog.) 

Further down the row and hard to see are tables for the veterinary certificate programs and the health-science programs. One of the draws for the health programs is that with a certificate one can work in the field while one pursues more education, such as becoming a registered nurse. 

Not in the picture and separated from the other tables was a table for WorkOne.  WorkOne provides financial aid to some of the people enrolled in the certificate programs, though I do not know what the criteria are for getting that aid.

I asked if the co-working program was still ongoing and was told it was. I also asked who was in charge overall and did not get an answer.

Rensselaer Plan Commission meeting

The Rensselaer Plan Commission met Monday evening before the City Council meeting. The Mayor swore in a new member, Scott Barton. The first two items of new business were about a 3.5 acre lot that was just inside the City's exclusion zone. The County had already approved the split of this lot from a larger lot, but the City needed to approve it because it was in the City's exclusion zone. They approved the split and also recommended to the Council that the zoning be changed from A1 to A2. The reason for the meeting was to consider a subdivision control amendment. The goal was to create a simpler process for small (1, 2, or 3 lot) subdivisions rather than have them go through the process for large subdivisions. The Commission created a committee to review the process consisting of Barton, Davis, and Sammons. The Commission then sent the matter to the Council with a favorable recommendation.

Before the meeting adjourned, member Stan Haines announced that he was resigning, saying he did not feel welcome. Perhaps this was due to something that happened at the previous meeting before I arrived.

The next meeting is scheduled for February 20 at 5:30. (Video of the meeting here.)

Rensselaer City Council meeting

The first item on the agenda of the City Council meeting was a public hearing for vacating a public right-of-way. At the west end of Vine Street there is a row of houses on the north side. North of those houses is an undeveloped alley. The owners of the lots immediately to the west of the Maxwell Ditch own both sides of that alley and there will likely never be a way to access that part of the alley from the east. By vacating the right-of-way the Council allowed them to connect the parcels they own.

Art in the Alley will take place on June 22 from 10:00 to 4:00 in Filson Park. The Council agreed to close Kellner Street for the event. The Council then heard a presentation from Reach Alert Systems about the emergency-alert system that they offer. The system can send messages via phone, text, and e-mail and can be customized in various ways to limit who gets which messages. It can be used for more than just emergency messages and the control will be with the City. The Council approved adopting the system.

The Council approved a proposal to have Peerless Midwest do maintenance on another water well. The cost is $26,368. Mayor Phillips then swore in Todd Wilson as Gas Department superintendent. An ordinance of fees for zoning and other building department matters was introduced. There was concern about how much some of the fees had risen. Mrs Weishaar commented that it is important to avoid doing things that will inhibit growth and development. 

The next two items on the agenda came from the Plan Commission meeting earlier in the evening. The Council approved the rezone from A1 to A2 and also the amendments that simplified the granting of small subdivisions. The Council approved a transfer of funds for the Park Department, needed for a later item on the agenda. Three conflict of interest forms from Council members were approved. A revised Ward Map was presented and Council members Armold and Weishaar were selected as a committee to review it.

The Park Department had sought quotes for replacing the roof on the pool house and recommended a proposal from Style Craft. The company wants a downpayment of 20%, which was approved. The amount of $23,700 was mentioned and I do not know if that was the total amount or just the down payment. Work will not begin for three months. Appleseed requested a donation of $100,000. There were concerns about the size of the ask and hopes that this would not become permanent. The donation was approved with Mr Armold voting against.

In comments at the end, the Mayor said that the State may require a wheel tax in order for local governments to continue receiving CCMG funding. The Fire Department had some electrical problems that fried equipment on the trucks. The meeting adjourned a few minutes after 7:00. (Video of the meeting here.)

Jasper County BZA and Plan Commission meetings

After the City Council meeting I hurried over to the Court house, arriving as the BZA meeting was finishing. I missed the election of officers but there was only one cause on the agenda, a special exception in Walker Township to allow adding onto a Post Frame Structure for living quarters for when their family is in town. It passed.

There was a surprisingly large crowd for the Plan Commission meeting that followed. There were two new members, Jacob Misch from the County Council replacing Steve Jordan, and Commissioner Ryan Hilton replacing James Walstra. The Commission elected Kent Korniak as President, Vince Urbano as Vice President (though he was not present), and Justin Rodibaugh as Secretary.

The first cause was for approval of a 6-lot subdivision in Walker Township on the east side of CR 200W north of CR 700N. The owners of a strip of land along the road live immediately to the south and would like to sell the north three lots and build on the south three lots, either for use by family or for rentals. The property was rezoned to R1 last year. Several neighbors spoke out with questions or objections. There was concern about drainage, some worrying it would lower the water table and others concerned because the land was swampy. The owners will need Drainage Board approval, so these objections were not the concern of the Plan Commission. The other major concern was renters and the possibility that having renters would lower property values. A couple of people liked the area because of its rural setting and did not want more neighbors. Despite the objections, the Commission approved the subdivision.

The other cause was a request for a rezone in Union Township from A1 to A2 to create a future building site. It was sent to the Commissioners with a favorable recommendation.

The next meeting will be on the fourth Monday of February because the third Monday is a holiday. The State Board of Accounts wants all attorneys working for Boards and Commissions to have a contract, so the Commission approved a contract for Mr Sammons.

Odds & ends

The legals in the January 23 edition of the Rensselaer Republican had an interesting notice titled "Legal Notice of Planned Improvement." The planned improvement is the demolition of the Wolcott Rest Areas on I-65. These rest areas were built in 1975 and the notice says that their parking areas are "undersized for current and predicted capacity demands." The five existing buildings and parking lots will be removed. Demolition will last from February until December. The estimated cost is $615,000.

The Jasper County Sheriff's Department is getting more than local news attention.

Jasper County will be getting a new historical marker, one for Charles Halleck. I believe it will be in DeMotte, where he was born.

A very cold week

County meetings

The County Commissioners had enough items to reconvene their January meeting on Monday morning. I had planned to attend in person because I wanted to see the Commissioners Room in the Court House again, but the new snow and the subzero temperatures changed my mind. I opted to attend via Zoom.

(As I put out my recycling in the morning, I noticed animal tracks in the new snow. A deer and its pet cat must have been by during the night.)

The first item on the agenda was signing the three ambulance contracts. This is done annually and now the size of the subsidies is based on the number of runs each of the services makes. Next the Commissioners made several more board appointments. It seemed that they appointed the whole Jasper County Health Board. They appointed a member to the Remington Plan Commission and four to Northwest Indiana Workforce Development.

The Highway Department has received funds from EDP for culverts in the Carpenter Wind Farm. The Commissioners approved the process for spending them, which will have the Council appropriate the funds and the Commissioners approve the claims. They also approved a financial commitment letter for work on roads as part of the CCMG grant. The project will cost more than $2 million and the County's share will be about $600,000. 

Earlier in December the Commissioners had approved getting quotes for a new railing for the Fase Center. Community Services had obtained a quote from Hamstra for $1750 and it was approved. The Recorder's Office makes documents available on-line via a private third party. That party is changing its software, going away from desktop applications to the Internet, and this new process requires a new agreement. The Commissioners approved having the Recorder entering into a new agreement.

Work has started on a new solar farm near Kniman in Walker Township and there was concern that some stop signs might be needed. The matter will probably need a public hearing. Citizens complained that no agenda for this meeting was published and a short discussion followed. There is no legal requirement for a published agenda for a continued meeting since all items fit under "other business" in the main meeting, but an agenda would be nice. 

The County will be upgrading a storage building at the Highway Department, but before they make the upgrades, some repairs are needed. The Commissioners approved $5108 to make those repairs. They also approved starting the process to get the old sidewalks on two sides of the Court House redone. Finally, they gave approval to the Fair Board to use the Commercial Building for Bingo, which is needed for the Fair Board to receive a State gaming permit. The meeting lasted an hour.

The County Council met on Tuesday evening with two pages of additional appropriations on the agenda. Most were small and seemed to be salary additions. I tried to join via Zoom using the url given on Facebook and also sent to me, but I kept getting asked for a meeting passcode. I did not see any passcode in the page with the url link, so I never joined the meeting.

It is always better to attend a meeting in person but when the weather is terrible, Zoom looks attractive. Next year all public meetings are supposed to be available on-line and because of my age I will probably attend most of the evening meetings during winter via computer. I hope that all the bugs are worked out by then.

Meeting of the Rensselaer Redevelopment Authority

The Rensselaer Redevelopment Authority, which is a different body than the Rensselaer Redevelopment Commission, met Thursday afternoon. It has only three members, and one of them, Jacob Ahler, was new. (He is not the attorney for the Authority. That is Todd Sammons.)

The Authority approved past minutes and elected Avery Douglas as president, Loren Berenda as Vice President, and Jacob Ahler as Secretary. The Authority issues the bonds that are attached to the TIF districts, and currently they have only one bond outstanding, one issued to finance the local fire department. Twice a year payments must be made on that bond, and the current payment was for $187,000, which the Authority approved. The bond will not be totally repaid until 2040. There was a question of whether the bond could be paid off early, and the answer was that if it were, the TIF district would lose some of its power. 

The members were given a report from Baker Tilly to review. The State Board of Accounts wants them to meet at least twice a year to approve the bond claims and they decided that the next meeting would probably be in June.

Odds and ends

The County has a new website and it may take me a while to find things on it. I wanted to find an old agenda and got a page asking me to log in. Also, the new pages are not visually attractive and hopefully that will change with time.

Going to the open house for the Harvest Christian Academy last Saturday, I stopped to take a picture of the other side of one of the semi trucks used for CDL training. (I had not realized that each side was different when I posted a picture here.)

This week's Rensselaer Republican has more details about the Harvest Christian Academy than I had in my post.

After the Redevelopment Authority meeting I visited the bowstring arch bridge to see how much ice was on the Iroquois River. Looking downstream toward College Avenue the River was completely frozen over.

But looking upstream toward the Washington Street Bridge there was open water, which was not surprising because there is a little rapids under the bridge.

I could not resist the temptation to take a picture from the bridge of the mural that the low winter sun was illuminating.

It has been a bitterly cold week but the highs for most days next week will be above zero.

January is off to a cold start

 Mystery window

During December I posted many pictures of decorated windows. Here is what I think is a final one. I would never have found it if I had not been told were it is. Do you know where it is? If so, tell everyone by leaving a comment.

If no one answers, I will tell where I found it in my next post.

New Commissioners

County government has two new Commissioners for 2025 and they got a workout on Tuesday morning. At 8:00 the Board of Finance met. It is required to meet between the first and last Mondays of January and the three County Commissioners are its members. The Board elected Rein Bontreger as president and Tammy McEwen, the County Treasurer, as secretary/treasurer. It approved an investment policy for 2025, which the Board members had in written form. The State severely limits how counties can invest funds, limiting them to liquid, safe assets such as CDs and Treasury notes. The County has over $30 million in various accounts that the Treasurer invests and last year the County earned more than $1 million on those funds. The meeting lasted only about 15 minutes.

The Commissioners meeting that followed was not as short, lasting about two and a half hours. Rein Bontreger was elected president and Ryan Hilton was elected vice president. The next item on the agenda was the opening of highway bids for various items that the Highway Department uses. This took about twenty minutes and involved a lot of prices that made no sense to me but were important for the Highway Department. As in past years, all bids were accepted so that if the low-price supplier cannot deliver, the County can get the material when it is needed.

A new State law now requires that contracts that the Sheriff previously approved must now receive Commissioner approval. The Commissioners approved a contract for battery maintenance. They also approved the yearly forfeiture audit. Finally, they approved the retirement of K-9 dog Alpha.

The Coroner wanted to make sure that the change in Commissioners would not interrupt planning for a new forensic center. Sharon Colee from Community Services had several items for Commissioner approval. A furnace at the Fase Center failed and was replaced at $5200. She wants a railing at the entrance of the Fase Center to help those who are mobility impaired. Both of these items were approved. She had investigated getting DeMotte water for the Fase Center but there is no nearby water main, so the cost would be over $100,000. She wants the Commissioners to do a walk through of the Rensselaer Center to see maintenance issues.

Last year the Commissioners approved $30,000 from Opiod settlement money to the House of Grace and Tammy Tidd, head of the House of Grace, would like a similar amount this year. In the four years that they have had a location in Rensselaer, they have served 19 women and have two current women living here with another pending. The local facility can handle up to four women. I think she said that they have bought a house here. The Commissioners decided to make a decision on the request in February.

The Commissioners approved the replacement of an employee in the Clerk's Office who retired at the end of last year. The Office is still short-staffed because an employee is on maternity leave. The Commissioners also approved two conference requests from the Health Department. They were skeptical, however, at the Department's request to fill a full-time position for a second person to do food inspections and septic-tank inspections. The Health Department argued that the position would be needed because two new subdivisions are going in near DeMotte. The matter will be on the agenda again in February. 

The transfer of the Remington EMS building to the County was delayed because one of the people signing did not have the proper seal. Next on the agenda was "Arrowhead Grant." I could not find the full name of the Arrowhead organization, but it gives small grants in our area. The Commissioners could not think of any programs that might benefit, but said "maybe next year.

The next 20 or 25 minutes were devoted to appointments to boards and various office positions. In most cases the current members were retained. There were several applicants for the Airport Authority Board and the Commissioners approved Tommy Gutwein. Noah Hoek and Chad Healy were added to the Citizens Advisory Board for Land Acquisition. The Community Corrections Advisory Board adds Jake Misch, Justin DeYoung, and Clifford Robinson (who may be the new head of the Public Defenders Office). Ryan Hilton was added to several boards, including the Fair Board, Kankakee River Regional Planning Board, and the Jasper County Plan Commission. Craig Standish will be new on the Northwest Solid Waste District. Both were added to the Water and Sewer Board. Jake Misch wanted off the Property Tax Board of Appeals and will be replaced by someone whose name I did not catch. Risk Management Board added Diana Boersma and Craig Standish. The commissioners appointed George Hamstra to the Town of DeMotte Plan Commission and John Schwab to the Remington BZA. 

Employee bonds were approved for employees who handle money. Three buried cable requests were approved. There was a brief discussion of plans to renovate a barn at the County Highway Department and the Commissioners approved getting bids to move along the process. The County has received safety grants and needs to request proposals to implement them. One citizen expressed concern about a plan for an unelected regional government. 

If needed, the meeting was continued until January 21 at 8:30 in the Commissioners' Room in the Court House.

After a short recess, the Drainage Board met. Craig Standish was elected president, Ryan Hilton Vice President, and Rhonda Eldridge secretary. Jacob Ahler will serve as the Board' attorney. There were also appointments to the various joint drainage boards with surrounding counties. 

The Board approved compensation for the Board's attorney of $10,000 plus $215 for any work not covered by the usual duties. Landowners drained by the Zimmer Ditch brought signatures to reconstruct the ditch. The next step will be for the surveyor to do a report outlining what work needs to be done and how much it will cost. The Board accepted certifications for the Sands Ditch and the R. E. Davis Ditch and approved signing a hold-harmless agreement with Genova Plastics. There was discussion of the need to update the County's drainage specifications because some of it is out of date.

These were the last meetings to be held at the Sparling Annex for at least a couple of months. When the remodeling is finished, the column in the center of the room will be gone.

Odds and ends

There was a Park Board meeting on Monday evening but this post is long enough already so I will write about it for the next post.

Rensselaer avoided heavy snow fall that the weekend brought both north and south of us. 

During January daylight increases by 47 minutes, with about two thirds of that coming by later sunsets and about one third by earlier sunrises. The reason that the two are unequal is due to the eliptical orbit of the earth and the fact that it earth is tilted on its axis. The perihelion for earth (when it is closest to the sun) just occurred on January 4. Did you enjoy the extra warmth on that day?

On January 1 I took a picture of the building trades house at SJC. It has windows and doors, so work inside can be a bit more comfortable than it would be without them.

Leaving SJC I noticed a new sign at one of the entrances. The hours for the open house are from 10 to 4.

SJC has an open house for its various certificate programs on January 25 from noon until 2:00.

Driving past SJC on Sunday I noticed that they had their semi-trucks used for CDL training decorated. I was able to get a picture on Tuesday.

Lirio Resources now has a Crown Point office.

Miscellany Mid-November 2024

Some SJC news

On Wednesday the Rensselaer Chamber of Commerce held its final luncheon of the year at Strack & Van Til with a presentation from Ernest Watson about programs at SJC. He talked mostly about the building-trades program that recently started. That program has had problems finding high school students because of scheduling (the students need a three-hour block of time and some schools cannot provide that) and the foundation courses that are needed are not there. The program does have a student from the Indiana Ag and Tech school who would be willing to work every day if it were permitted.

It has taken a while, but SJC is now focused on hands-on training. Mr Watson commented that it has gone from higher education to hirer education, a focus on providing skills and certificates that make students ready for jobs. There is a demand for people in the trades and not enough young people are entering them. The CDL program limits classes to four students, much less than some programs north of us. The students learn on manual transmissions because then they can drive any semi. Students who learn on automatic transmissions cannot drive manual transmission trucks. 

SJC has developed useful relationships with WorkOne and United Way of Northwest Indiana, both of which have funding to help people upgrade their skills. SJC will have an open house on November 21 from 6:00 until 8:00 for anyone interested in knowing more about their program.

There is a chance that SJC will host a school for training linemen. Let's hope it happens. Saint Joe has its winter newsletter on-line. The subdivision that will gradually emerge west of Halleck Center now has a name, the "Waugh Estates".

Finally, the recently-hired CEO, Rachel J. Lattimore, who was hired this past summer, is leaving. She gave her notice in September and will leave before the end of November. I talked to her briefly and she said her vision of the future was not the same as the vision of some Board members. She did not go into details, but my guess is that she is interested in exploring new opportunities while some on the Board still want to resurrect the past.

Annual Prairie Arts Council Holiday Sale

The Prairie Arts Council Holiday Sale began on Thursday and will end on Saturday. There is a lot of stuff for sale—the gallery is packed with things. There are several jewelry exhibits.

Of course there are paintings.

I am not sure what these are.

More paintings and glassware.

If you have not stopped by, Saturday is your last chance.

The Celebrating Photography show that was scheduled to run through December has been canceled because of building maintenance.

A mystery tree/bush

This summer I noticed a strange little tree or bush that was growing in my yard next to the street. I used to be able to identify almost all the trees around town, but this one was a complete mystery to me. It had very ordinary leaves but strange pink-red fruit that was oddly shaped.

My curiosity finally made me search for it. It is a European Spindle. It is not native to North American but so far has not spread enough to be declared an invasive species. Its berries pop open and reveal a hard seed. The whole plant is poisonous. You can find more here and here.

Rensselaer Redevelopment Commission meeting

The Rensselaer Redevelopment Commission met Thursday afternoon. On their agenda was a public hearing for a resolution that would a) enlarge the Drexel/Fairgrounds economic development area, b) establish the Van Rensselaer Residential allocation area, and c) amend and restate the Drexel/Fairgrounds economic development plan. There were several people who asked questions about what this meant. The Drexel/Fairgrounds TIF district connects via roads two areas, one on the east side of US 231 across from SJC and the other west along SR 114 from the old City limits to the Interstate. Any property tax revenues from new development in these areas goes to the Redevelopment Commission and they are supposed to spend them to provide infrastructure such as roads and utilities. The resolution establishes a new TIF area, a two block tract north of Van Rensselaer and a strip along Elm Street east of Melville Street. This is a residential TIF, something new allowed by the State.The resolution both expands the area in which the Commission can spend money and the things on which the Commission can spend. After the comments, the Commission passed it and this is the final vote that it needed. (The City Council previously approved it.)

The Commission continued the Façade grant program with funding at $100,000 for 2025. It loosened the timing of the spending, so more than $25,000 can be spent in one quarter if it is taken from another quarter.

Finally, the Commission approved a 2025 spending plan. During that discussion, Superintendent Craig from Rensselaer Central Schools reported on how the $25,000 given to the Schools last year helped the Corporation's pre-school, which enrolls 43 kids this year. There is no State funding for pre-schools. This year the Corporation is requesting another $25,000, but for school supplies instead of pre-school. The State gives schools $156 per student for supplies, but Rensselaer spends more than that. I am not sure if the vote to accept the 2025 spending plan also approved that request or if it needs a separate approval.

Odds & ends

Saint Augustine had its annual turkey dinner and bazaar on Thursday. Preparing dinners for hundreds of people takes a tremendous amount of work and I respect those who do it.

Below is the finished window painting on the window of Gallina Insurance. (The previous post had the sketch.)

On Monday and Tuesday there are some County meetings that may have substantial audiences.

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.

Three--make that two--ribbon cuttings

Ribbon cutting for a revived greenhouse

On Wednesday the Rensselaer branch of the Indiana Ag and Tech School (IATS) held a ribbon cutting for the reopening of a green house on the SJC campus. The green house was abandoned when SJC suspended operations in 2010 2017. This year IATS moved its Rensselaer location from the Fairgrounds to the campus and decided to take advantage of the greenhouse.

When I saw the announcement I assumed that they had fixed the old hoop house. They had not. Instead they had repaired a smaller building next to it that included a small greenhouse and a classroom behind it.

The skeleton of the hoop house remains but it will take some work to restore it. That may happen next spring.

Before the ribbon cutting, students who had worked to restore the building spoke. They mentioned that the building was full of mouse droppings and they began cleaning it wearing hazmat suits. They had to replace some of the panels of the green house and there was a lot of work needed to get the hydroponics part of the greenhouse working. They also cleaned, painted, and refinished floors in the classroom part of the building. They were proud of what they had accomplished and deservedly so.

The Rensselaer branch has about 35 students. IATS is a public charter school that draws students from as far away as Clinton County. After the ribbon cutting I had a guide take me through the building and he was an eighth grader from the Rossville area. The bulk of their classroom work is done on-line using Edgenuity, a national provider of on-line instruction. Once a week, on Wednesdays, they meet together at SJC.

Below is a picture of the ribbon cutting. The people on either side of the door are IATS students.

Below is a very short video showing the ribbon being cut.

Below is the classroom behind the greenhouse. There are also some storage closets and a small room used to germinate plants.

To keep the plants from freezing in the winter, the greenhouse has a heating unit.

Those attending were treated to some homemade cookies after the ribbon cutting.

I asked a couple of students why they chose IATS. One girl said she lived on a farm and entered many animals in 4H, but the key to her choosing IATS seemed to be that she was bullied at her regular school. I wish I had talked to more of them and gotten their stories.

Fall fun at Filson Park

A ribbon-cutting event had been scheduled for Filson Park Thursday evening but it was postponed because one of the principals was ill. However, the rest of the planned activities took place including a concert, pumpkin carving, roasting hot dogs, making smores, and the movie, "Hocus Pocus".

The bird that for the past few years has been sitting outside eMbers has a new home. It was given to the City but until now the City had no place to display it.

This ringed globe is new. It was provided by the Prairie Arts Council.

The fire hydrant on the corner has been made into an art piece.

A lot of asphalt patching has been done recently, including around the new sidewalks at Filson Park.

Fire tower dedication

I left Filson Park before the sun set to get ready to go the second planned ribbon cutting of the day. That ceremony began with about 20 minutes of various people thanking the many people who contributed to the planning and building of the fire tower.

There was no ribbon cutting. Instead two hoses were uncoupled. The people standing above were firefighters from Rensselaer with a few from neighboring departments.

Then the best part of the evening began. Those attending were invited to explore the tower, which is constructed from shipping containers. There are many hallways that have white walls. They may not stay white after bales of hay are set on fire as part of training.

Metal stairs take up a lot of the room inside.

I kept climbing until I reached the top so I could take some pictures. The final ascent was on a ladder, not stairs. The bright lights made it hard to get pictures in some directions. Below is the view looking to the east. Notice the partial circle next to the building. That is around a second ladder, this one on the outside of the building. I contemplated descending using it but decided to go back down the way I had come up.

Below is the view of the fire station from atop the fire tower.

Coming back down I left the building to go onto the deck that the firefighters had used for the uncoupling picture. 

After leaving the building, I thought the southeast corner was lit very nicely so I stopped and took a picture. Notice the cage around the ladder mentioned earlier.

The tower will provide training not only for fire fighters from around the state but for other first responders including police and EMTs. One of the reasons that Rensselaer wanted this is to reduce the burden of traveling for training. There is a lot of training needed to become a fireman and if it includes frequent trips lasting a couple of hours, that makes the training burdensome.

Odd and ends

On Thursday morning we had another patchy frost. The first light frost was a week earlier. The first frost damaged some of my garden plants but I do not think it killed any.

Work on converting the old tennis courts at Brookside Park to pickleball courts continues. On Wednesday the foundation was being prepared.

The next step was to put on a layer of crushed stone.

I was asked if I knew what was happening with YNG. I do not know but the large space that they rented in the College Mall is empty. (Update: See comment at end.)

Finally, a picture of Fall.