Strange as it may seem, I've had a lot of interaction with City Water Works. My first experience…read morewas a week after my closing when I realized I had no water service to the house, including the toilet. I called the water works and was told I needed to give them a deposit of $200.00 before they would turn my water back on. I ran down to their office immediately and gave them the $200.00 check. I was told that no matter how often or where I moved in Monticello that I wouldn't have to give them another deposit. If I moved away from Monticello, I would get my $200.00 back. By the time I got home (and I live around the corner), they had the water turned back on. Out of pure laziness, I hated getting the little postcards with my water and garbage bill so the nice lady at the water works kept my credit card on file and charged my card monthly before they had automatic withdraw from checking. When they got automatic withdraw, I think I was the first person to sign-up, and they worked with me on getting that set-up. The people at City Water Works are give public service a good name. One day, I get a call at work from them telling me I have a leak equivalent to a house full of water. For the life of me and my neighbor, we couldn't find the leak. I called water works and asked them if it could be a faulty meter? They never really gave me an answer, but they also didn't charge me the $550.00 my leak cost. Nice to know that once a year, they will forgive you an atrociously high bill, if you leave the hose running for a month, your plumbing goes bonkers or like me, who knows what, and they will let you know within a week if you have done so.

I called the non emergency police department because a friend was stranded in monticello and we are…read morenot from Indiana this is the only way of contacting anyone who knows anything and she just hung up on me.

On the same par with teachers, policemen have a thankless job, but they put themselves in harms way…read moreeveryday anyway to serve the public. I have only had one run in with a Monticello policeman, and I thought he did an amazing job considering the circumstances and position he was put in. My neighbors called the police department on their teenage daughter (14 years old) because she was verbally and physically being abusive to them. I'm not sure what they thought the policeman was supposed to do. For that matter, I wondered if they were clear on what his duties and responsibilities are. Setting their teenage daughter straight did not seem like one of them. The policeman showed-up, spoke to the parents with concern and gave them options and advice, including a group home they could call and drop the troubled teen at any time of the day and night. Then, he proceeded to ask the teen why she was behaving in such a way, why being at home was so bad, what her parents did to warrant such terrible behavior from her, etc. Every answer from the teen included a curse word every other word directed at the Police Officer, and he in turn gave as good as he got. He spoke loudly, authoritatively, swore enough to get her attention and attempted to either put common sense into her head or some fear - neither of which worked, but he did the best he could. I'm sure the entire time he was thinking what I was - which is that he didn't sign-up for this: parenting other people's kids. He doesn't get paid enough to do this, and I'm sure it wasn't part of his officer's training, and yet, there he was doing it. God bless policemen!

One thing I really like about exploring towns in central Indiana is when I discover a memorial to…read morethe history of the area, especially when it was something that I somewhat recall or have a connection with. Back on April 3, 1974, the Midwest was hit with a "Super Outbreak" that generated 148 confirmed tornadoes over a two day period across 13 states. 5000 were injured and 315 deaths were confirmed. Monticello was the target of an F4 tornado that swept in from the southwest, killing eight people. There was an estimated $100 million in damages, including the court house. The tornado struck the town at 5:17 p.m. It is considered (locally) as when "time stood still". In 2010, a new park was created a block west of where the new court house stands. The bricked plaza features several special items. A sculpture shaped like a tornado supports a clock that is stopped at 5:17. There are some pieces from the court house that were saved and put in this park. The original water fountain and several of the lamp posts were saved and used in this plaza. (Note: The keystone from the original court house sits a block to the west on the corner of Constitution Plaza by the new court house.) This plaza creates a quiet space in the downtown area that succinctly tells the story of what happened by use of plaques that are located around the plaza. I admire that the town pays tribute to its challenges and has continued forward rebuilding as a community. Review #2794

I have nothing but great things to say about the library and the staff. They were extremely…read morehelpful and courteous for anything I needed. I would highly recommend.

I wasn't sure what to expect of a small town library, but Monticello's definitely threw me for a…read moreloop. The building is new and modern, but from the height of it, I assumed there was a second floor. No, it's just a vaulted ceiling which I find a waste of space, especially for a library where I want every space filled and brimming with books. Inside, it's airy and sectioned well. There is a computer area with printers that cost per page to print. The wifi is free. The librarians are older women who are not comfortable or familar with computers because it took me over half an hour to get a library card. It's not enough to have an out-of-state drivers license and your week old, closing documents for your new house in Monticello to speed-up the process of getting a library card. The librarians are also not personable, have no sense of humor, and do not appreciate other's time constraints. I thought I was at the DMV. What is the point of leaving a review for an institution geared towards public service? The hope that someone reads it who can improve the public service.

When the former White County Court House was destroyed by the horrific tornado of 1974, the county…read morehad the opportunity to rebuild. Not only did they make a new court house, but they also added Constitution Plaza. The plaza has a bit of everything: a Veteran's memorial section in the south east corner; the keystone sculpture from the previous court house; a new pavilion for outdoor events; and a new sculpture on the north east corner. The plaza is brick lined and looks great! The scale is smaller in keeping with the reduced size of the court house. It all seems to work because it was planned that way. The statue of Colonel Isaac White was added in 2015. The statue was created by artists Stephen Maxon and Doris Park who made the life sized bronze. White is the namesake of the county and there is a dedication plaque that tells his story. Very nice plaza for the heart of downtown. Review #2753