Many years ago, I covered a county council meeting in a southern Indiana county, where the local sheriff and the president of the council were clearly at odds over a specific budget item the sheriff very much wanted approved.  The council president was very much opposed to that specific spending item.  All was civil during the meeting.  It was after the session ended when things became more intense.

The sheriff and council president began to raise their voices.  They weren’t screaming, but the exchange became loud.  There were gestures.  The two men were clearly very angry with each other.

When I went back to the radio station and wrote my story, I described the conversation as a “heated exchange” between the two.  The next day, the sheriff and council president were contacted by me for a followup and both could not understand why I would call their conversation a “heated exchange.”  Everything was fine, they assured me, all is well and their budget dispute was settled.  Too bad that was before the days of YouTube and viral videos.  Such a video record would have verified my account of their exchange.

That came to mind when I read a story posted Friday morning online at the Indianapolis Star Web site.  Reporter Chris Sikich describes an unannounced visit to the Lockhart Cadillac dealership in Fishers at 126th Street and State Road 37 by County Commissioner Steve Dillinger.  Sikich uses the phrase “heated exchange” in writing about what happened next at the auto sales complex.

The money is in place to begin the engineering work on the State Road 37 project to transform traffic signals along the highway in Fishers to roundabouts with underpasses underneath, similar to Keystone Avenue in Carmel.  Based on Sikich’s story, Dilinger had the “heated exchange” with a Lockhart manager days after the May 3rd primary election.

I won’t go into all the details, but suffice it to say that Lockhart, along with Honda of Fishers (both located along State Road 37 in Fishers) donated campaign money to unsuccessful County Commissioner Candidate Bill Smythe.  His opponent, incumbent Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt, was and is a big supporter of the SR37 roundabout project.  Smythe opposed it, and organized a coalition of businesses along the highway to oppose the roundabout proposal.  The business coalition failed, as the Hamilton County Council approved funding for the the roundabouts, allowing the project to move forward.

The description of that “heated exchange” at Lockhart differs a bit depending on which side is telling the story.  Sikich points that out in his article.

The IndyStar features a number of points we’ve covered on this blog before….that Fishers wants to work with area businesses on the construction phase and the final design of the roundabouts. Mayor Scott Fadness and Bill Smythe are both quoted in the story.

Mayor Fadness does not want businesses along SR37 to suffer or fail during this construction period.  When large highway projects have been under construction in Carmel in recent years, businesses along the highway have paid a price.  A few of them even failed.

Part of the final action by the Hamilton County Council provided at least $250,000 to market the businesses along the highway in Fishers.  The city may match part or all of that.

I expect State Road 37 to be an issue locally in the coming years, all the way through the final construction phase.  Stay tuned.

To read the Indianapolis Star article, use this link.  (NOTE:  If you are not an IndyStar subscriber, you will be limited in the number of online articles you may access each month)

Fishers Police Captain Ed Gebhart noticed something when addressing a group of his patrol officers…they were all on their cell phones just before the meeting started.  He wondered whether he could harness that cell phone technology in a way to help his officers and the public.  He reached out to John Wechsler, founder of Launch Fishers, who hooked him up with a weekly meeting of app code geeks, which led him to Auri Rahimzadeh.

Their collaboration over a year and a half led to the FishersCrimeWatch App.  It works like this….you see something that is not an immediate emergency, but looks suspicious.  You can send a picture and a short text message to police immediately through this app.  That allows a police officer to read your message and look at your picture.  That is immediate, invaluable information to an officer in deciding how to follow up on a lead like that.

“Thirty of our police officers have been trained and will begin using the tool on patrol today. So much time and effort has gone into it and I’m thankful of Auri’s partnership and commitment to serve the community,” said Captain Gebhart.

“We must be vigilant in constantly evolving and always seeking ways to be better for our community. This app is a smart solution that will lead to improved community for our residents, and I could not be more proud of FPD for this achievement,” said Fishes Mayor Scott Fadness.

Rahimzadeh donated his time to write the code for this app.

Here’s a video of the news conference (sorry about the wind interference on the sound

Fishers Police Captain Ed Gebhart had an idea for a new law enforcement phone app…Aurie Rahimzadeh found a way to make it happen….here is their story

The typical heroin user in Fishers is a 29-year-old white male, according to Fishers Assistant Police Chief Mitch Thompson.  He briefed city council members on heroin and the drug scene in Fishers during a May 16th city council work session.

Local police officers normally encounter heroin along Interstate 69.  “If we didn’t have I-69, we would have very little contact with heroin at all,” Thompson told the council.

He described heroin is the most addictive of drugs, with one dose typically resulting in addiction.

Thompson provided the latest data from the department’s annual narcotics assessment. In 2015, there were 3 overdose deaths in Fishers….2 due to heroin and one due to a combination of heroin and cocaine.  He provided another statistic to provide context…during the period of 2010-2015, Fishers experienced 45 suicides “by other means.”

Marijuana is the most encountered drug by Fishers Police, Thompson said, although his officers are beginning to see a decrease in that drug.  Next most encountered drug locally is heroin, followed by prescription opiates.

The numbers police have from Hamilton and Marion County addiction treatment centers from 2013 to 2015 show alcohol addiction as number 1, followed by marijuana, with opiate addiction (heroin is included in that mix) coming in third.  In 2013-2014, those treatment centers show a 98% increase in opiate addiction treatments….2014-2015, there was a 161% increase on top of that.  Thompson said Fishers Police are not seeing that kind of increase in their contacts.

Fishers Police officers are now being trained in using Narcan, the antidote drug for heroin overdose.  That program should be implemented within 30 days, according to Thompson.

City Councilman Brad DeReamer said he had asked that the heroin issue be added to the work session agenda.  He talked to a group of recovering heroin addicts and asked them what government can best do to help.  According to DeReamer, they cited the treatment center, their halfway house and the Hamilton County Drug Court.

“Jail doesn’t do anything,” said DeReamer.

Mayor Scott Fadness told council members he is concerned about addictive behavior. Heroin is the drug now, and it could be something else next year.  The core of the problem, the mayor says, is the addictive behavior.

Fadness says whatever the city does, it will be “substantive” and “systemic.”

“We do everything based on the numbers, based on what we’re seeing.” said Fadness.  “Anything we’re going to do, we’re going to make it of substance.”

The Fishers Police Department is continuing its series of “Coffee With a Cop” events on Wednesday, May 25th.  It starts at 9:00am and goes to 10:30am at Panera Bread on 96th Street.

This is being billed as a chance to sit down and drink some coffee with a local police officer.  There will be no speeches and no agenda, just a chance to talk and ask questions, according to local officials.

Fishers is about to get a new Starbucks Coffee Shop, this one near 116th Street and Olio Road.  The Fishers City Council voted to allow the store once an agreement was reached to install a traffic signal along 116th Street, allowing traffic to flow better with the number of vehicles the Starbucks is projected to attract.  The vote was unanimous.

Council members also voted unanimously to require city council approval for land use near I-69 along 116th and 106th Streets for 120 days, allowing time for the city to finalize the comprehensive plan, called Fishers 2040, that will provide rules for development in certain sections of the city.

The council gave unanimous final approval to an increase in park impact fees, charged to developers when a new home is constructed.  The new impact fees will be, for single-family detached homes: $1,667……Multi-family (apartment): $1,234.

In other council news from Monday night…

–Members of the Fishers City Government Academy received their diplomas after completing the program.

–Joel Cole of the Department of Public Works received a 20-year service award from the city.

–A rezone request for the new TopGolf location along I-69 just north of 116th Street received a first reading from the council…the item now goes to the Fishers Plan Commission.

–Gave final approval to refinance bonds used to build the Fishers YMCA.  The city issued the bonds originally.  This was part of the arrangement to bring the YMCA to Fishers.

–Recognized City Controller Oscar Gutierrez for the city’s new AAA bond rating from the bond rating agency, Standard & Poor.

The City of Fishers is set to save more than $1 million in bond interest expense now the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has upgraded the city’s bond rating to AAA, the highest rating.  Fishers is now the only city in Indiana with a AAA rating.  According to Fishers city officials, fewer than 2% of local governments qualify for this rating.

“Fishers continues to make fiscal responsibility a top priority and this designation is a testament to our proactive approach to financial management,” said Mayor Scott Fadness in a city news release. “If it wasn’t already well-known, this sends a clear message to businesses, investors and residents that Fishers should be at the top of their lists.”

In addition to receiving the AAA rating, the S&P report gave Fishers strong marks on the local economy, management, budgetary flexibility, and liquidity. The move toward a Fishers 2040 comprehensive plan also helped with S&P’s decision to bring this designation to Fishers.

“Receiving the AAA rating puts Fishers in an exclusive group and I commend city officials for their dedication to Fishers financial health,” said Fishers City County President, John Weingardt in the same news release.

State Highway contractors are nearly finished with demolition of the 106th Street overpass bridge over I-69.  That will clear the way for a new interchange at that location.

Here’s part of an update from the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT):

Crews will….begin construction of two new bridges over I-69 by driving steel piles to provide foundational support for the new bridges’ abutments and center piers.  People in the area may hear recurring loud impact noises as the pile driving equipment pounds the long beams deep into the ground.

The speed limit near the construction zone at mile marker 204 is reduced to 55 mph and may be reduced further to 45 mph when workers are present.  Motorists are advised to pay attention to work zone warning signs and follow posted speed limits.

INDOT awarded a $21.7 million contract to Walsh Construction Company to build a two-lane, oval-shaped roundabout on 106th Street over I-69 and ramps to and from both directions of the interstate.  Two separate two-lane bridges will each carry one direction of traffic. The bridge to carry westbound traffic on the north side of 106th Street is also designed to accommodate pedestrians.

Construction of the new Exit 204 along I-69 in Fishers is expected to be complete before the end of the year.

Fishers could be getting another Starbucks Coffee Shop if the city council okays a text amendment allowing the business to locate on the southwest area of 116th Street and Olio Road, between Walgreen’s and Fifth Third Bank.  Several members of the council previously voiced concerns about the need for an additional traffic light along 116th Street to handle the additional vehicles a new Starbucks would draw to that area of the city.  The Fishers planning staff recommends approval of the amendment to the Planned Unit Development with a very important caveat.  According to the report,  “Staff recommends that Council first resolve the outstanding question regarding who will be responsible for paying for a second traffic light, if it is needed in the future.”  So, the traffic light issue is still unresolved.  It’s now up to the city council to decide the fate of that proposed Starbucks.

Council members will also consider a temporary requirement to obtain council approval for any developments planned for areas near the 116th Street interchange with I-69 and and the 106th Street interchange with the interstate highway, currently under construction.  This added layer of approval would last about 120 days.  City officials says that time will allow the Fishers to finalize its  2040 Comprehensive Plan and establish zoning requirements for those areas of the city.

The regular council meeting is scheduled for 7pm, Monday, May 16th.

Several months ago, I met with a good (tech-savvy) friend I trust, who advised me on how to start my news blog.  I asked him whether I should start a Podcast.  It’s not a decision of yes or no, he told me, you must start a Podcast to complement your news blog.

So I began the journey of looking into the technical aspects, the equipment required to produce a quality Podcast and how to go about the whole process.

I started gathering the equipment slowly at the beginning of 2016, tested everything, working out the technical glitches (there were many) and started posting Podcasts in early February.

My thanks to Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness for agreeing to be my first guest on the LarryInFishers interview Podcast series.  As always, he was a great interview.  The concept of the LarryInFishers Podcasts is to allow local people a relaxed, long form venue to talk about what they are doing in the local community.  So far, it has been very popular

Also in early February, I started a daily Podcast called “One Guy Talks About Taxes.”  Since I have a tax background and still help instruct a tax practitioner institute for Indiana University in the fall, it seemed a perfect fit.  There was only one problem – nobody was listening.  Well, nobody may be a bit strong – let’s say I had a very loyal but very small group listening to that Podcast.  With the amount of work it took to produce that program Monday through Friday, with the small audience pool that wasn’t growing, I had to pull the plug on that project.  But I thank the small group that did listen.

Once the tax series ended, I asked myself what I should do to replace it?  I came up with the Arts&Fishers Podcast.  I did some film reviews years ago, so I attempted to clear out the cobwebs and try my hand at arts reviewing.  I try to review local arts events, but there are not always enough to keep the programs coming.  I expanded the scope to review films and some television programs.

The reason I am writing about my Podcasts now is that I have just surpassed 2,000 plays of my Podcasts.  That means since early February, there have been over 2,000 instances where someone has listened to one of my Podcasts.  For someone working on the local level of Fishers, that is an amazing number.  I never imagined clearing 2,000 plays just 3 months into this Podcasting endeavor.

This news blog started it all.  Allow me to thank each and every one of you reading this blog.  I also thank those listening to my Podcasts.  I may not be making any money on any of this, but I have the satisfaction of knowing people are reading and listening.  That’s a good feeling.