History Progressing along the 114 corridor By Harley Tomlinson harley@rensselaerrepublican.com
From residential/agricultural ground to a retail/industrial hub. No longer is it known as just the home of the Jasper County Airport or the county fairgrounds. It’s much more than a few homes, a cemetery and farmland. The State Road 114 corridor that extends west from Rensselaer has become a cornucopia of development over the past decade with new businesses and industry. The city has seen the potential of the area with the current construction of a new fire station, which is set to open this spring. Land development along 114 was made possible by the city’s decision to extend water and sewage lines along the route during the Mayor Herb Arihood administration in the mid-2000s. The project began with annexation of the ground a half-mile back on each side of 114 for sewer and water lines. Once that was done, a fiscal plan was put in place. Mayor Steve Wood and his administration took over the project in 2012. “They had to have all the amenities the present city has,” Wood said.
“We’ve got the water done except the landscaping. But they’ve run all the taps and sent letters to all the businesses out there. They have 180 days to actually hook up without a tap fee. If they don’t contact us or make arrangements within the 180 days, we’ll charge a tap fee.” The project also allowed current businesses a chance to ditch their septic systems for city-monitored systems and new businesses a chance to provide cleaner water while eliminating the archaic method of disposing waste. “We started the sewer project in 2011 and finished in 2012,” Wood said from his office recently. “Some of the businesses were facing the fact their septic systems were not working. A lot of them didn’t have area big enough to build mound systems.” Renovations to McDonald’s and Dairy Queen followed as they awaited the chance to hook up to the sewer lines, which was mandated by the state. Over the past five years, the corridor has welcomed new businesses such as MacAllister Machinery near Airport Road, Dollar General and Tractor Supply. One business was particularly popular with city residents, Wood
said. “When I walked down the street, everybody would ask me, ‘When’s that Taco Bell coming?’ They didn’t care about nothing else. They wanted that Taco Bell,” he said with a chuckle. Another business in the final completion stages is Comfort Inn and Suites, giving the 114 corridor four hotels from which to choose, including three on the east side of I-65. With the growth at 114, the Rensselaer Fire Department saw an opportunity to build a new station on five acres of ground between Dollar General and Kirby Risk. The department felt its current building had run its course. “We were landlocked over here and the undercarriage of that building wasn’t real solid with all those heavy trucks,” Wood said. “The shell of the building is in good shape, so we might still have a use for it.” There is still plenty of ground for future development for any number of businesses along 114. The field south of KFC has several acres ready for purchase. See 114, Pg. B6
Photos by harley tomlinson
The new Rensselaer Volunteer Fire Department building is nearly complete and should open in June.
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B2 GAINING GROUND PROGRESS
HISTORY
MARCH, 2016
Jasper County communities plan events for bicentennial By Cheri Shelhart editor@kvpost.net
As the Indiana Bicentennial progresses through 2016, Jasper County communities are planning to renSSelaer rePUbliCan File PhotoS participate in celebrating the state’s 200th birthday. The communities of DeMotte, Rensselaer, The Jasper County Fair, where local 4-H members show their animals, is one of the local bicentennial events this year. Wheatfield and Remington will incorporate the bicentennial into their annual festivities. Some of the special events and attractions taking place locally in honor of the bicentennial are: • Jasper County has purchased a large, fiberglass bison to be decorated by area artists, and the Rensselaer Urban Forestry Council plans to plant native trees during the year. • The annual Touch of Dutch festival in DeMotte, scheduled for Aug. 12 and 13, will promote Hoosier pride, highlighting the history of Kankakee Valley as it developed through the years since Indiana became a state in 1816. Floats in the traditional parade will be encouraged to depict historical events associated with the early settlements in Jasper County and the DeMotte area. • The Remington Water Tower Festival features the historic Remington Water Tower, which is included on the National Registry of Historic Places. This year, the festival will be sharing and celebrating the water tower with programming about the tower, its care and its history. The festival will include a water tower coloring page contest for children as well as the annual festival events including entertainment, a parade, food, vendors and a beer garden. The festival is held each June. • The Little Cousin Jasper festival in Long a part of parades in town, the Belstra Milling Barrel Train snakes its way down the street during the 2015 Touch of Dutch parade. Rensselaer, a three day event, is a great example of celebrating the county’s Hoosier roots and all things Jasper County. The festival includes a beer garden, Lil’ King and Queen contest, a sing-a-long, parade, clogger, entertainment and dance and more. • This year, the Jasper County Fair will celebrate 92 years of fun, rides, 4-H competitions and entertainment. The fair is one of the longest running county fairs in the state and is held on county-owned land west of Rensselaer. The Jasper County Fair Association works all year long to bring the county a great fair every year. The fair association maintains the permanent buildings and several areas of land including 200 campsites ALL DAY for use during the summer. The fair is scheduled EVERY DAY for July 16-22. • The Bicentennial Torch, which is passing through all 92 Indiana counties will come to Jasper County on Oct. 11 and is expected to be in the county from approximately 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There will be 20 torch-bearers chosen from nominations sent in from across the county. They will be selected by a county Bicentennial Commission at the end of March and announce-
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RENSSELAER • I-65 & SR 114 • 219-866-8700 • OPEN 10:30 AM - 9 PM DAILY REMINGTON • I-65 & US 24 • 219-261-3335 • OPEN 10:30 AM - 9 PM DAILY
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Anna Schleman, 3, and Owen Schleman 1, check out the goats at the petting zoo during Remington’s 2015 Water Tower Days festival.
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HISTORY
MARCH, 2016
GAINING GROUND PROGRESS B3
Photos by Caitlin sievers
The town of Remington has a downtown master plan, as well as a master plan for its parks, both of which it is working to implement.
Remington works to improve citizens’ quality of life By Caitlin Sievers
received,” said town manager Jonathan Cripe. “They’re anxcan.com iously awaiting for it to open up.” The town of The town is tentaRemington might be tively planning to open small, but the local gov- it Memorial Day weekernment is continually end, depending on striving to improve weather. quality of life for its The splash pad can citizens. be run from 10 a.m. to In the past few 9 p.m. and is operated years, Remington has on a push button comdeveloped both a parks puterized system. and a downtown master “Our intention is to plan. keep moving forward The splash pad, with the parks master which opened at plan,” Cripe said. “Next Remington Community year we’re hoping to Park last summer, is have construction part of the town’s going on a paved implementation of its asphalt walking trail at parks master plan. The the park.” splash pad is a concrete A major component base with various feaof the town’s downtown tures that spray or pour master plan hinges on water, when activated. getting ownership of The pad was a popular the depot, a dilapidated addition to Remington’s building currently parks system. owned by TP&W rail “It’s been very well road. csievers@rensselaerrepubli-
ST. AUGUSTINE SCHOOL 113 YEARS OF QUALITY CATHOLIC EDUCATION 328 North McKinley Avenue, Rensselaer, IN 219-866-5480 www.s-augustine.org
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“As soon as we can secure the purchase of the depot, we’re going to be applying for an OCRA (Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs) grant to redo that block,” Cripe said. Plan for the area includes sidewalks and green space around the depot. “We’re not exactly sure what we’re going to do with the depot, but we need to have control of the depot and the land around it before we apply for that,” Cripe said. Other improvements within the past few years include the opening of the Jasper County Community Services senior center in 2014, as well as the purchase of an aerial fire truck in 2015. This allows the department to fight fires more easily, as well as to access anyone experiencing a medical emergency when working on top of a tall building. “With all of the tall buildings in town, like See REMINGTON, Pg. B7
Right: Remington’s downtown area features its library, as well as its historic water tower, which is the focus of its annual Water Tower Days festival, held each June.
Open To Students Of All Faiths
Right: Included in Remington’s downtown improvement plan is a beautification project at the location of the old train depot, which is currently owned by TP&W Railroad.
2016 Chamber sponsored events! ✓ Reality Store - Thursday, May 5 ✓ Shredding Day - Saturday, April 16 ✓ American Flags on Halleck Street May-Nov. ✓ Touch of Dutch Parade and FestivalFriday, August 12, & Saturday, August 13, Food Vendors, Crafters, Live Entertainment, Parade ✓ 23rd Annual Golf Scramble September 22 327 N. Halleck St. / PO Box 721 / DeMotte, IN 46310 Office/Fax: 219-987-5800 Website: DemotteChamber.org E-mail: info@demottechamber.org facebook.com/ demottechamber
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B4 GAINING GROUND PROGRESS
MARCH, 2016
Photos by harley tomlinson
A new paint job, a new floor, new lighting and a new roof are just some of the recent improvements to the Joe Burvan Gymnasium at RCHS.
Joe Burvan Gymnasium has long history serving students By Harley Tomlinson harley@rensselaerrepublican.com
Rensselaer Central’s Joe Burvan Gymnasium has taken a beating over the years, but it’s holding up like a champ for this generation and many more. The oldest gym in Jasper County and one of the oldest in the area, The Joe has seen its share of memorable moments and exciting finishes in its history. The gym, which was built as part of the school project in 1967, will be celebrating its 50th year in 2017. It has also undergone a couple of facelifts over time, including a recent new floor, new lights, new basketball goals and the addition of new, more comfortable bleachers that add leg room and better safety. “It’s a brand new gym, basically,” said RCHS athletic director Ken Hickman. “It should last a very long
time.” Though far from a bandbox with a capacity of 1,800 fans, the gym does remind older fans of the old gyms that were prevalent before consolidation took effect. Fans are close to the action along the baselines and sidelines and the capacity is just right in today’s world, which offers many more distractions for potential fans. “We love our gym,” Hickman said. “The work we did on it is fantastic, topSee GYM, Pg. B7
Right: The Rensselaer Central High School gym installed new bleachers during a project a few years ago. The bleachers replaced the old, rickety wood ones that took nearly an hour to prepare. Now the bleachers can be unfolded in a handful of minutes.
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HISTORY
MARCH, 2016
GAINING GROUND PROGRESS B5
Still providing local news after 150 years By Catilin Sievers csievers@rensselaerrepublican.com
Not many businesses can claim to have the wherewithal, versatility and continuing customer demand to stay in business for 150 years. The Rensselaer Republican can. Since its beginnings, long before television and even radio, the newspaper was the only way for those in Rensselaer, and Jasper County access to national news. The Rensselaer Republican started out as the Prairie Telegraph, which was first published Oct. 18, 1865, according to “A Standard History of Jasper and Newton Counties”. The Prairie Telegraph was a weekly, six-column, Republican paper owned by R.B. James. In September, 1868, James sold to his son, Horace James. The paper then consolidated with the Iroquois Press, another weekly Republican paper that began printing in 1867. The new paper coming out of this consolidation was the Rensselaer Union, which was also a weekly Republican paper. The Rensselaer Union began printing Oct. 15, 1868. Far different than local papers of today, poetry and national news took prominence on the front page. Local news was almost exclusively kept to the inside pages. In the years following the establishment of the Union, two more short-lived papers were consolidated into it. In October, 1879, the Rensselaer Union was renamed the Rensselaer Republican, the name it retains to this day. The first issue of the Rensselaer Republican available on microfilm at the Jasper County Library is dated Oct. 16, 1879. Like most papers in its day, the Republican featured national and
Photos courtesy of the JasPer county historical society
Above: Edison Marshall, Walter Bott and Starr Marshall stand on the sidewalk near the Rensselaer Republican office in 1897. international news on the front page, with local news and tidbits from around the county on the inside pages. Political news took up a large portion of the print space during the Republican’s first years. Unlike today, in those days, editors made no attempt to be unbiased, even announcing in the first issues that the paper would remain Republican in politics. George Marshall bought a share in the Republican in 1881, and then became sole proprietor in 1882. While he was owner, Marshall raised his family in
Celebrating 75 Years Serving Our Community
Walter’s Auto Electric
Rensselaer. He lived across the street from the two-story Republican office he constructed on the corner of east Washington Street. The Rensselaer Republican was issued weekly until Dec. 24, 1896, with the first printing of The Evening Republican, marking the beginnings of today’s daily paper. The Republican continued to publish an auxiliary bi-weekly paper during this time as well. Marshall sold the business in 1907. Although the Republican has gone through numerous owners, editors, publishers, reporters and salespeo-
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During the late 1800s, the Rensselaer Republican office was located on Washington Street. ple in the past 150 years, it has remained a mainstay in the Rensselaer community. The Republican was purchased by its current owner, Community Media group, on March 16, 1996. The Republican
Serving the Community 13 Years
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stayed the course through countless changes in the media industry, many of which were predicted to bring about the demise of news in print. In the late 19th century, magazines were newspaper’s biggest rival, forcing papers to produce more features and niche content to stay competitive. Then in the 1930s, newspapers were threatened by the popularity of radio, where listeners could get their news for free. Newspapers at the time revamped their content, providing more in-depth coverage than radio. The death of the
Fulton County Museum
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daily newspaper was again thought to be immanent in the 1950s with the advent of TV news, which did put many afternoon papers out of business. As television news became even more popular, newspapers began to feature more local content that readers couldn’t get anywhere else, important news that bigger outlets weren’t covering. Today, newspapers face new challenges with the ubiquitousness of the internet, which has caused challenges for many large outlets, because readers are reluctant to pay for news they believe they can get somewhere else for free. In an effort to stay competitive in the changing nature of the news business, the Republican launched its website in 2008 and offers a full e-edition to subscribers. The Republican continues to print six days a week, Monday through Saturday, and goes out to thousands of subscribers. The Republican is still the only place in Rensselaer to go for daily coverage of local government, sports, crime, court news and features. As it has for the past century and a half, the Republican will continue to change and grow to meet the wants and needs of its readers and to provide news to the public well into the future.
B6 GAINING GROUND PROGRESS
HISTORY
MARCH, 2016
KV Schools: serving the community for 51 years By Tom Sparks Correspondent
On Jan. 1 of this year, the Kankakee Valley School Corporation celebrated its 51st year of existence. Prior to that, public education in Jasper County was governed by a central Jasper County School Corporation. According to DeMotte Historical Society papers, “Because of growth in the area, the KVSC commissioned a study to look at the needs of the school corporation in the future.” Dr. Lindley of Purdue University did this study in 1965. A consolidation of the DeMotte, Wheatfield, Tefft and Fair Oaks high Photos by GreG Perrotto schools into one high school was recommendOriginal construction on Kankakee Valley High School was completed in 1970. ed and Dr. Lindley felt and was built to handle Two years ago, the school in the same locathat this action would corporation took anothtion. fourth through sixth make possible several grades. DeMotte and er giant step forward. The former DeMotte improvements such as High School became Wheatfield would then This time it did not advanced courses in sciinvolve a building but DeMotte Elementary and become kindergarten ence and mathematics, through third grades instead involved the Wheatfield Elementary remedial reading proissuance of Chromebook was soon built to handle only. grams and a modern laptops to each and It wasn’t long before the ever growing populibrary. every student at the high the population again It would be four years lace. Both schools have exceeded the physical been remodeled extenschool. This year, the before that became a space and a fifth sepasively over the years, eighth grade joined the reality. Construction of rate building was creatmost recently in 2015. technological push and Kankakee Valley High In the ensuing years, ed. The middle school next year, the sixth and School started in 1969 the school corporation moved from the high seventh grades will do so and was completed in has continued to grow to school location to its as well. 1970. The seventh own building next door meet the education The Kankakee Valley through twelfth grade needs of the burgeoning to the Intermediate School Corporation has students were moved to School and became the population. To that end, continued to be responthe newly completed home of grades 6, 7 and the corporation added sive to the ever-changing high school facility in 8. needs of the area with January, 1971. The build- an Intermediate School The Intermediate each successive board ing was eventually added near Kersey and the Students from the DeMotte, Wheatfield, Tefft and Fair Oaks School became solely striving to adapt to the onto, to better accommo- eventual corporation high schools were consolidated into Kankakee Valley Schools fourth and fifth at that office. The KVIS hosted educational needs of date having both a midin 1970. time, also. its first students in 2001 their constituents. dle school and high
114
From B- 1
“We’re hoping some of that area develops,” Wood said. “It’s part of progress. We want the tax base, which would be better for the city and our citizens.” There has been very preliminary discussions of finding ways to improve the area across I-65 as 114 heads west out of the city limits. “In order to get utilities across there, it would be quite an undertaking,” Wood said. “I would like to see something done to get rid of some of the eyesores, but that’s something that might take a
Events
few years.” As a kid, Wood remembers the 114 corridor as an artery for the Jasper County Fairgrounds and the airport with corn fields straddling both sides of the road. It did have a few businesses but didn’t experience a boom until I-65 cut through the county in the late 1960s. “It really opened up development out there,” Wood said. “I-65 made 114 a corridor for new opportunities for growth at the time.”
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From B- 2
ments will follow. • The Stoutsburg Savanna Preserve, south of State Road 10 between DeMotte and Wheatfield had 160 acres purchased by the Bicentennial Nature Trust. The State of Indiana owned 236 acres in two separate tracts to protect rare and unique habitat. The additional 160 acres joined these two tracts bringing the total acreage to 396 acres to consolidate and protect the areas fauna, flora and all the creatures living within its protection. A guided hike of the preserve is planned for September. Mark Becker, Bicentennial Nature Trust Program director, said this is a great opportunity for the public to check out the piece of property acquired through the trust. Becker said the nature preserves are to preserve plant and habitat communities. This is one of almost 200 projects set aside for public protection as a gift to Hoosiers for the Bicentennial.
The office of Sheriff can be traced back to Alfred the Great in England in the late 9th century. The word Sheriff is derived from the English term “shire-reeve” which stands for keeper of the county. A function that the Sheriff is dedicated to over a thousand years later. The first known elected Sheriff in North America occurred in Virginia in 1651. When Indiana adopted its constitution in 1816 the Sheriff was made a constitutional office under Article 6. Section 2. As such the Sheriff is the highest elected law-enforcement officer in the county in which the people have a voice to elect.
I wish to assure the citizens of Jasper County, that we hold the oath of this office as a sacred honor.
Sheriff, Terry J. Risner 2171 North McKinley Ave. Rensselaer, IN 219-866-7334
www.jaspercountypolice.com
Jasper County Veterans Service Office
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HISTORY
MARCH, 2016
Gym
GAINING GROUND PROGRESS B7
From B- 4
notch. A lot of schools comment on our facilities and how much they like them.” A recent proposal for a wellness center (or fieldhouse) that would be built to the south of the gym was brought to the school board that would help alleviate some scheduling concerns at the old gym, which is in constant use. The board voted down the idea despite the fact many people voiced support of it at a recent board meeting. Before the proposal was voted down, a board member suggested that it be reviewed to see how viable it would be if it were set in motion. Though that motion went unsupported, those who first proposed a center or fieldhouse will likely prepare
Remington
research in the future with plans to reintroduce it at a later date. “I’ve found with projects here, you just keep chipping away,” Hickman said. “So we’ll chip away and see what happens. It may take a year, two years, whatever. I’m all right with that.” Currently, the RCHS gym and middle school gym accommodate many athletic teams, including volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball and softball in the spring when the weather forces athletes inside. While the facility will surely hold up for decades to come, scheduling that many sports in a single gym for varsity often means late hours for students whose num-
ber one priority should be academics. Non-sport clubs and activities also utilize the gym floor, including blood drives, school dances, After Prom and graduation. Not many schools that fit Rensselaer’s enrollment size use a single gym for so much activity. Meanwhile, schools at Wheeler, Hanover Central and Tri-County have built fieldhouses or extra space for athletics over the past decade. “We just need more facilities for our athletes,” Hickman said. “The opportunities for kids are more than they were 10, 15, 20 years ago. It would be nice to give them more space so that they can get in a practice after school and have more time at home to do their homework.”
From B- 3
the elevator, Advance Auto, Remington Seed, Monsanto, it’s going to make a big difference if something happens at those areas,” Cripe said. In 2013, Remington wrapped up its Indiana Housing and Community Development housing demolition, wherein the town of Remington purchased and demolished several homes that were damaged in the 2008 flood. This project entailed the removal of three structures around Illinois and Kentucky streets. The area is currently a green space. Some recent accomplishments by the Remington Main Street organization are the Gateway Sign at Ohio Street and U.S. 24 which was put up in 2013. The group also raised money and secured grants to put in new Christmas lights downtown. One of the biggest upcoming improvements for citizens is the town’s water treatment plant, which will be its last major infrastructure project. Construction is set to start in late March or early April. “It’s going to improve the quality of the drinking water and filter out the iron and the manganese,” Cripe said. Cripe is pleased with how the town is progressing, although he conceded that you can’t please everyone. “We’re definitely headed in the right direction,” Photo by Caitlin SieverS Cripe said. “We have a very forward thinking, progressive council that wants to see Remington not Taylor Cripe, 8, cringes as water from the 60-gallon dump-bucket falls on her and a group of other children after the ribbon cutonly survive but thrive. They’re very pro-developting for the Remington Splash Pad last year, part of the community’s parks master plan. ment.”
Anders Water
“The Good Water People” Since 1991
1225 E. MAPLE STREET • RENSSELAER, IN • 219-866-4121
Anders
Concrete Walls Since 1974
1966 2016
THE ONLY THING STRONGER THAN OUR STEEL IS OUR FOUNDATION Since 1966, Chief Buildings has been doing business the way we’ve always done it - on a foundation of honesty, reliability and partnership. That seamless combination has helped us become a leader in product, communication and service for the construction industry. With manufacturing facilities in Grand Island, Neb., and Rensselaer, Ind., Chief designs and manufactures metal building systems for commercial and industrial applications to specific customer requirements. Computer-aided design, extensive engineering, manufacturing capabilities and unmatched customer service make Chief Buildings a recognized leader in low-rise metal building systems.
STRENGTH AND STABILITY THROUGH DIVERSITY
Much of the strength and stability of Chief Industries, Inc. is due to the extraordinary diversity of Chief’s family of businesses. Throughout their many divisions and subsidiaries, a workforce of approximately 1,300 skilled, imaginative and dedicated employees produce a wide variety of products, many of which are used around the world.
Custom Metal Building Solutions We understand metal is just a tool we use to engineer customer solutions. We build to suit limitless styles and endless operational needs and it all starts from the ground up with our customers.
131 E. Washington St. Rensselaer, IN Enter by Side Door
866-7430
B8 GAINING GROUND PROGRESS
MARCH, 2016
Celebrating 60 Years
SINCE 1956
Wiers was originally established in 1956 as a small Chevrolet only dealership. Since then, Wiers has expanded to a multi-line GM dealer now offering new Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC vehicles. We take pride in providing an exceptional sales and service experience.
We Proudly offer: • Over 200 New and used in stock for immediate delivery. If we do not have exactly what you are looking for, we have the capabilities to find the new or pre-driven vehicle for you! • Lowest Price Guaranteed / Great financing options • Certified Service by highly trained GM ASE Technicians • Courtesy transportation fleet of vehicles • Comfortable waiting lounge with free Starbucks, beverages and snacks
Jasper County’s ONLY GM DEALERSHIP Our guests are able to have all their GM warranty work and service work done close to home instead of having to travel many miles. We are actually one of the only dealers in Northwest Indiana that has the Chevrolet-GMC and Cadillac combination of new vehicles. This gives everyone a great selection of cars, trucks, crossovers, small and large suv’s to choose from at many different price points.
~ OUR MISSION ~
At Wiers Chevrolet Cadillac, GMC, our mission is to create and exceptional sales and service experience for all of our guests with the highest possible satisfaction, earning your trust for all of your automotive needs. The ownership appreciates the support of the communities and feel extremely strong about giving back to our local communities as much as possible.
We have a huge selection of GM pre-driven certified vehicles in stock. We are proud to say we our one of the highest volume certified dealers in all of Northwest Indiana. Ask us about the advantages of buying a Certified Pre-driven Vehicle!
All new vehicle sales comes with a complimentary Silver rewards program which includes: • Nitrogen Tire Inflation • Road Hazard Tire protection • Paintless Dent repair • Wheel Coverage • Lifetime towing
• Lifetime Multi Point Inspections • Lifetime Pre-Vacation Check up • Lifetime shuttle service • Plus enrollment in our rewards program
ALL AT NO Charge To YOU
We are very appreciative of the support we have had from the community since 1956.
wiersauto.com Sales: Mon.-Thurs. 9am-7pm; Fri. 9am-6pm; Sat. 9am-4pm Service: Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm; Sat. 8am-2pm
416 S. Halleck St. • DeMotte
219-987-5555 866-202-0537