Allisonville Road remains closed at 146th Street as construction continues on that site.  Look for upcoming lane restrictions on 146th Street in the coming days.

Here is the update, from the Hamilton County Highway Department:

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Beginning on or after the dates listed below, between the hours of 9AM and 3PM, our contractor will utilize a lane restriction for the delivery of materials in the work area. The lane restriction will take place in the left-hand westbound lane of 146th Street.

Upcoming Lane Restriction Dates:
Saturday, April 20th
Tuesday, April 23rd
Saturday, April 27th
Thursday, May 2nd

When Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness fashioned his 2024 city budget proposal, he included $500,000 to issue teacher grants for innovation.  The City Council went along and it is part of the current city spending plan.

Fishers announced Thursday that Mayor Scott Fadness surprised  3 local educators Wednesday with grant money.  They are:

• Lisa Harvey (third grade teacher at Fishers Elementary): $4500 to bring hands-on and experimental learning to the classroom through the LEGO Education SPIKE Program. LEGO Education engages students in hands-on investigations of STEM concepts. The lessons also include connections to real-world careers in STEM to inspire students to begin thinking about their future careers.

• Robyn Stout (fifth grade teacher at Sand Creek Intermediate): $3,600 to expand the STEM lab and robotics program with pneumatics kits to provide students with real-life applications as to how robots play a part in automating jobs in various industries. Prior to the launch of the project, Schroeder will partner with local industry leaders to get a “10,000-foot view” of what pneumatics looks like from an industry standpoint. Through the STEM Lab, students will learn how pneumatics work on a micro level and simulate jobs that occur in real-world manufacturing plants.

• Becky Schroeder (11th grade teacher, Hamilton Southeastern High School): $22,000 for a pilot program to bring virtual reality to high school students. The immersive virtual reality platform will allow students to experience a wide range of educational content in an engaging and interactive way. Students can explore historical sites, scientific concepts, and cultural landmarks from around the world in a safe and controlled environment. “By using VR technology, we can transport our students beyond the walls of our classrooms and provide them with meaningful, real-world experiences,” said Schroeder.

“It’s vital that we invest in our schools and empower our teachers with the tools to foster curiosity through hands-on learning,” said Mayor Fadness in a city news release. “This program celebrates the creativity and commitment of our educators and the spirit of innovation that makes Fishers unique.”

This round of grants totals $30,000, so there is money remaining in the city budget for this program.  A local educator wishing to apply may do so at this link.  There is no dollar limit for any one grant.

The applications are considered by a panel appointed by the city, consisting of what city officials describe as educators, community entrepreneurs, and HSE alumni.

The gym floor at Fishers High School is 15 years old, has been sanded once, and is reaching its period of useful life.  Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools Facilities Director Matt Rapp told the Facilities Committee Thursday morning that the project replacing the gym floor is expected to cost roughly $72,000.  Rapp plans to review the proposal with the school board Finance Committee before presenting to the full board.

In other items before the committee:

–Lantern Road Elementary will be getting $500,000 in new furniture.  The furniture for classrooms should be delivered and installed by start of school in August of this year, but furniture for other parts of the building may need to wait until months later.  The overall work at Lantern Road should be completed by the start of school as well.

–Construction work at Fishers Elementary is on hold, waiting for approval of required permits, but should not delay the completion of the work on time.

–New weight room equipment at HSE High School will cost $120,000, but $50,000 of that money will come from the Athletic Department.

The City of Fishers has set the day and time for one of the most popular events of the year for the younger crowd, Touch-A-Truck.  This year, it all happens Tuesday, May 21, 4:30-7:30pm at the downtown Nickel Plate Amphitheater (6 Municipal Drive).

It’s hard to find a city department not involved in this.  Included are the Fishers Department of Public Works, Fishers Health Department, Fishers Fire Department, and the Fishers Police Department, including K-9 exercises and road paving.  There will be plenty of kids’ activities and look for food vendors on site.

For more details on Touch-A-Truck, use this link.

The history of the Fishers version of a summer festival has an interesting one.

It all began with a one-day celebration the weekend before the 4th of July in 1989.  The population of Fishers was around 7,000, maybe a little less, at that time.  The event was named the Fishers Freedom Festival.  The community celebration was run by a local nonprofit organization.

That continued for a number of years, as a 2-day Saturday-Sunday festival at Holland Park.  I have fond memories of taking the stroller to the park, with my twin daughters, from our Sunblest home in the late 1990s.

The Fishers Freedom Festival did rely on the Town of Fishers, then later the City of Fishers, to provide financial and in-kind support from the Department of Public Works, Parks, Fire and Police Departments.  The Freedom Festival also depended on an annual cash contribution from municipal government.  The 2017 festival received $85,000 in cash support from the city.

In 2017, city officials decided not to fund the Fishers Freedom Festival nonprofit group.  Since the festival relied on that city support, the Fishers Freedom Festival was no more.

When that happened, the City of Fishers announced it would launch a new festival, at the same time of year, prior to the 4th of July, naming it the Spark Fishers Festival.

That has been the Fishers summer festival ever since, with one exception in the COVID year.  Fishers has announced the 2024 Spark Fishers Festival will be back, beginning Tuesday, June 25, ending with the parade on Saturday, June 29.

Last year’s drone show was a hit and will return following the Tuesday concert.  A fireworks display will follow the Friday night concert.

Here is the lineup for the 2024 Spark Fishers Festival, as provided by the City of Fishers:

Continue reading Fishers summer celebration back in June of 2024 →

This is not a Fishers story but there may be some Fishers residents interested in applying the jobs coming up at a new Meijer store set to open later this year.  The grocer is looking for 250 employees when the new facility opens later this year at 5956 Promenade Shops Boulevard, near Little Chicago and Westfield Roads.

Meijer plans a 90,000 square foot grocery, and is in the market for clerks, cake decorators, customer service workers, cashiers and meat cutters.  Meijer says it plans to offer starting pay that is “competitive” and based on specific skills and experience.

You can apply online at this link. You will find specific job by clicking the “search new store open jobs” button, entering “Noblesville” in the location field, then click “search.”  Hourly applicants apply by clicking the positions listed. Meijer will screen applicants with the next several weeks, with interviews coming in early May.

Meijer operates groceries in a total of 6 states.

Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart sang the praises of an officer in his department, Kevin Kolbi, as he was honored before the City Council Monday night for 20 years of service.

Also, a team from the Mayor’s Youth Academy presented their proposal on the sale of cannabis and Delta 8.  They argued that it would be difficult to ban the substances, but would support limiting the sale of these products and taxing their sale.

Changes are coming to Fishers Geist Waterfront Park.  The nonresident parking fee will be reduced from $50 a day to $25 a day this summer, and only levied during “peak times.”

As previously reported here, Fishers residents will no longer use the city cell phone app to enter the parking area for free, a driver license showing a Fishers address will suffice.  Mayor Fadness added at Monday’s City Council meeting that, for instance, out-of-town grandparents driving their grandkids to the park could provide some other identification, such as a student ID, and that his staff is working on that situation.

Also, nonresidents paying to park will no longer need advance reservations, they can just pay cash as they park.

Jake Reardon McSoley, the mayor’s staff person in charge of city parks, said last summer resulted in fewer park visitors than had been projected.  The Canadian Wildfire pollution and many cooler-than-normal summer days were partly to blame for the lower park attendance.  McSoley tells LarryInFishers park staff will review last year’s attendance data to help in forecasting “peak times” when nonresidents must pay the $25 parking fee.  The city is sorting-out how it will determine “peak times” and how that will be communicated to the public.

Councilor Bill Stuart said he feels the $25 daily fee for nonresidents is “still a little too high” but feels this is a step in the right direction.

The City of Fishers has received a bid of $37.6 million to construct a roundabout at 141st Street and State Road 37, in line with where the city wants the construction costs.  A previous round of bidding resulted in contractor proposals of over $40 million.

Mayor Scott Fadness told the City Council Monday night waiting to rebid the plan has saved the city “several million dollars.”  The State Department of Transportation must review and approve the project, but Fadness says this work can be completed this year.

When asked about the impact on traffic in the northwest part of the city with major construction underway at 146th Street and Allisonville Road, along with the construction at SR 37 & 141st Street, the mayor said his team is working with the Hamilton County Highway Department on that very issue.  Fadness expects Allisonville Road to be open once the construction at SR 37 & 141st begins.

The issue was raised as the Council approved debt financing for the State Road 37 & 141st Street construction, allowing the city of the option of debt financing at least part of the work or utilizing cash reserves.