The list of road construction projects in Fishers is starting to become shorter as we enter the winter months (despite the unseasonably warm temps lately).  Below is the list for the work week beginning Monday, December 14th, from the City of Fishers ……

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FALL CREEK ROAD

Survey crews will be out on Fall Creek Road beginning on December 14th. Please travel with caution in the area.

LANTERN AND COMMERCIAL INTERSECTION

Our crews are working hard, but Lantern Road between 116^th Street and Commercial Drive will continue to have lane restrictions in place. Please pay attention to signs displayed in the area and use caution while traveling.

116^TH STREET

Lane restrictions will continue between Cameron Drive and Wainwright Drive for fence replacement. Motorists are encouraged to use caution while approaching lane restrictions and construction crews.

I had to be out of town for the big State Road 37 news conference on Thursday, December 10th.  But after reading the news release and Lindsey Erdody’s story on the Indianapolis Business Journal Web site, there is a lot we know now that wasn’t clear before.

The Fishers part of the project will cost $124 million, with the state, Hamilton County and the City of Fishers all agreeing to share the cost.  The stretch of road from 146th street north into Noblesville is not part of this plan, but is expected to be added in the not-too-distant future.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness was able to get Governor Mike Pence to allow the city to control the construction period, then hand off the highway to the state once the road is completed.  This allows Fishers to control access for businesses along State Road 37 that will be impacted during the construction period, which is expected to last for at least 3 years.  Construction is not expected to start until 2-3 years from now.

Fadness clearly has an interest to protect the businesses along the road.  There are many long-time business operations there, along with recent additions in places like Fishers Marketplace at 131st  Street.  The city has a stake in keeping those business locations viable and accessible during the construction period, and Mayor Fadness received a major concession from the state allowing his administration to be in charge of the construction phase.

Bill Smythe, owner of Claude & Annie’s restaurant and bar at 141st & State Road 37, has been trying to organize business owners along the highway to have a say in the plans.

Both the Fishers City Council and the Hamilton County Council must approve the funding. Fadness told IBJ he will propose issuing bonds backed by property tax revenue to finance the city’s $12 million part of the cost, saying only a “minimal” tax increase, at most, would result.

In the years to come, State Road 37 will look more like Keystone Avenue in Carmel.  The highway engineers say this will help address the added traffic yet to come from future growth and keep 37 moving during the rush hours.

Public hearings are required by law for a project of this size. I would also expect a number of meetings with residents to happen as the construction plans move forward.  Stay with
LarryInFishers for the latest.

Local businesses have been contacted for donations to the Fishers Fire Department, but officials say there is no fund raising campaign going on now.  The department warns businesses and residents to check carefully if solicited for a donation.

Here is part of the Fishers Fire Department news release…

Should your company or residence be contacted, firefighters suggest noting the number being called from and then provide all information to the Fishers Police Dept. and never provide your credit card information over the phone. 

 While Fishers Fire Department does accept donations from many generous businesses and citizens through the Fishers Fire Foundation, we are not actively soliciting donations.

The Hearst Foundation names only two Indiana delegates to the Senate Youth Program, and this time around, HSE High School Senior Brooke Hanes will be one of them.  Brooke will head to Washington DC during March of 2016 for an all expense paid trip, which will likely include meeting some very important people.  Brooke will also receive a $5,000 college scholarship from the foundation.

Her resume is too long for listing here, but some of the highlights include being a member of the We the People team and the Law & Government Academy.  She is on track to earn an AP Capstone diploma upon graduation this spring.  She is a member of the National Honor Society.

Brooke started her own business, Brookie’s cookies, where she earned money at a farmer’s market baked goods stand.

I’ve been out of pocket for a few days, and there has been a lot of news while I’ve been away.

The biggest story was broken by Lindsey Erdody of the Indianapolis Business Journal December 2nd with news that the upgrade to State Road 37 in Fishers will be announced December 10th.  No one from the city or the governor’s office commented, but some Hamilton County elected officials did talk publicly after being briefed on the plans.  Later that day, Chris Sikich of the Indianapolis Star posted a story online about the planned project and it made the print edition the next day.  Lindsey followed up later on December 2nd with an update on Claude & Annie’s owner Bill Smythe’s plan to organize businesses along the State Road 37 corridor to deal with the State Road 37 construction.

One big surprise was the decision not to include the section of State Road 37 along Noblesville in the upgrades.  One wonders what happened there.  Nick Natario of WISH-TV News did post a story this week on the Noblesville angle of State Road 37.

Another big event was the opening of Flat Fork Creek Park, on 101st Street in the Geist area.  Last winter, city officials had to plead with local residents not to use the 60-foot, ADA compliant sledding hill because the park was still under construction.  There are no such problems now.  The park includes:

• Trails for walking and hiking
• A 1.25 progressive mountain bike course
• A fishing pond
• Three tree houses, one completely ADA accessible
• 59 acres of green space

Finally, Fishers Police sent out a message warning residents to beware of a fake police car roaming I-69 in the city.  Police later rescinded that message, saying there was confusion over a help vehicle for stranded motorists.  I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Long time Indiana Senator Luke Kenley will have at least one opponent in the GOP primary election set for May of 2016.  Scott Willis, a Westfield businessman and colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves, announced late yesterday (November 30th) his intention to become a candidate for the District 20 Indiana Senate Seat.

District 20 includes most of Noblesville and parts of Westfield, Carmel & Fishers.  The district contains a portion of northwest Fishers.  You can access a map at this link.

Willis says his campaign will focus on three main areas – funding of schools, strategic economic development, and supporting local leaders in Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville and Westfield to address the challenges of their cities.

He also plans to emphasize how the state funds local school districts.

“Hamilton County has seen tremendous growth in the last two decades in large part due to our great schools” Willis said in a news release.  “Our schools have consistently been asked to do more with less as our tax dollars are redistributed throughout the state.  The current school funding formula has made it extremely difficult for our schools and puts education in Hamilton County at risk.”

Today, Tuesday, December 1st, 2015, is officially Giving Tuesday (known on Twitter as #GivingTuesday) and there are several local Fishers charities urging you to support them.

One is the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation, which provides support to local schools and teachers.  They are running an “un-selfie” campaign again this year.  You can find out more, and donate if you so desire, at this link.

Another local charity looking for your support this Giving Tuesday is the Youth Mentoring Initiative, a program providing adult mentors to youth in our area.  You can find out more about their Giving Tuesday campaign, and also donate, at this link.

There are other local organizations working in our community every day to make Fishers a better place to live.  If you know of such an organization, today is the day you should made a contribution to that group.