2015 has been a year to remember in Fishers. Now is the time to look back on 2015. What were the major local news stories of the year?
There are dangers in composing a Top 10 list. Most news organizations have long meetings and big arguments over what the top stories were, and how to rank them 1-10.
The only arguments I have are with myself, since this is my news blog and I am the only person writing for it. Having a debate in your own mind can still be a challenging intellectual exercise.
So, here is my Top 10 list of Fishers news stories for 2015:
10. Major Drug Arrests in Fishers
Last July, local police announced the biggest drug bust in the history of Fishers.
9. Governor Pence Visits Harrison Parkway Elementary School
The governor took time to visit with administrators, teachers and students at Harrison Parkway Elementary School. I learned one important fact. Governor Pence loves talking about his pet snakes before a group of fourth-graders.
8. City Elections
Fishers elected officials served a 1-year term in 2015 as part of the transition from a town to a city. Selina Stoller won reelection in a GOP primary contest with former Town Councilor Mike Colby. Former Greenfield Mayor Brad DeReamer defeated long-time office-holder Stuart Easley in the same Republican primary. Greg Purvis was the only Democrat running in the General Election and was not successful in his campaign for a city council at-large seat. All elected city officials will serve 4-year terms, beginning in 2016.
7. HSE School Funding
Indiana lawmakers provided a funding reprieve for Hamilton Southeastern Schools. Even with the added help from the state, the school board is expected to hold a tax referendum in the May, 2016 election.
6. George Kehl Announces His Retirement Plans
If you can find a police chief anywhere in Indiana that has hired every officer on his force other than Fishers, please let me know. George Kehl has done just that in Fishers. After a long stint as the top police officer in Fishers, Chief Kehl announced his plan to retire in September of 2016. However, he will not be taking it easy once he retires. Kehl has also announced plans to be a candidate for an at-large seat on the Hamilton County Council.
5. Downtown Development Projects
The Depot development on the grounds of the city complex completed construction, with commercial tenants in place and a strong demand for the available residential apartments. The Switch development construction continued, with a completion date planned for spring, 2016. Since Tax Increment Financing (TIF) was involved in these projects, there was some controversy. However, the election results have shown no large opposition to the projects among voters.
4. Mental Health Initiative
One of Scott Fadness’ first actions as mayor was to appoint a task force on mental health in Fishers. After months of effort, a cross-section of community leaders has put together a plan to attack mental health issues in our city. Time will tell how successful this effort will be, but it is ambitious.
3. Economic Development
IKEA was the big economic development news for Fishers in 2015, even though the store won’t open for two more years. The city reached a deal with the airport authority to develop currently unused tracts of land for future development. State laws delayed the big Sun King development, but the micro-brewery did open a tasting room on 96th Street. The Saxony sports complex is on hold after the developers ran into trouble firming up financing, so this project is in limbo for now.
2. Road Construction
The biggest announcement of the year centered on planned upgrades to State Road 37 in Fishers, but the actual construction is not expected to begin for 2-3 more years. The new interchange at 106th Street and I-69 will begin construction, as will work on I-69 to add another lane of traffic each direction. The exit 210 interchange on I-69 will be improved and the deck on the Brook School Road bridge over I-69 will be replaced, closing that road for up to a year once work begins (2016 or 2017). All in all, road construction remains in the news every year for a growing community like Fishers.
1. First Year as a City
Fishers has just completed its first year as a city, and based on what’s been accomplished by the mayor so far, it appears voters knew what they were doing in 2012. That was the year the referendum passed transforming Fishers from a town to a city with a strong mayor’s office. Tom Dickey left his post as head of the Community Development Department, returning to the private sector. Leah McGrath was hired as the city’s only deputy mayor in a reorganization of the city staff. One of his department heads once told me the most difficult part of working for Scott Fadness is keeping up with him. That was certainly true in 2015 and 2016 should be no different.
So, there it is. My Top 10 Fishers news stories in 2015. There were several items that just missed the list. But as some point, you must make a decision and this is the result of all the arguments I conducted in my own mind.
I expect 2016 to be a busy year in Fishers. I plan to be here on this blog to write about it.