The City of Fishers had a plan a few years ago to add art to the growing downtown area. That plan continued Wednesday morning as the city introduced new summer art facing I-69 on the Edge Building along 116th Street. “This mural celebrates Fishers in glorious summer with so many fun things to do,” said the project artist Kyle Ragsdale.
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness and artist Ragsdale were on hand for the unveiling ceremony.
You can see most of the murals below.
Fishers Police placed two men under arrest after a Tuesday morning situation that happened at the BP gas station and convenience store on 131st Street at State Road 37, which was apparently over allegations of stealing.
According to authorities, Steven D. Robinson, 23, residing in, Indianapolis, was accused of stealing a cigar at the store by a clerk. The store clerk, Ahmad Al-Rafie, 31, from Fishers, allegedly pointed a gun at Robinson in the parking lot as Robinson was leaving the store, based on information from police investigating the incident.
Robinson faces Theft and Driving While Suspended charges. while Al-Rafie has been charged with Intimidation with a firearm and pointing a firearm at another person.
Robinson drove away after the incident. He was located by Fishers police a short time later. There were no shots fired and no one was hurt.
Braden Business Systems is building a new structure just east of City Hall, which is starting to take shape, and the City Council Monday night approved additional parking spaces for the company. City officials say Braden has increased its investment in the new office building, leading to a recommendation to add parking and an enhancement in the economic development incentives, adding one year to the tax abatement.
In another economic development item, the council approved incentives for Knowledge Services, which plans to construct a 70,000 square foot, $6.7 million headquarters facility across from Navient near I-69. Council members put their stamp of approval on the 10-year real property tax abatement in the amount of 85% of taxes assessed on the building. The company estimates 800 new employees will call the new HQ building home, including some additional hires.
In other news items from the council session:
–Another Broken Egg, a restaurant soon to locate in the downtown Switch Building, entered into a formal written commitment and use agreement with the City for a three-way alcohol beverage license, after the council signed on to the agreement.
–The council acted to amend the city’s noise ordinance. Before the change, the Nickel Plate District would no longer be able to hold concerts and be in compliance with the local law. Anyone wanting to have a live entertainment event will be required to apply for a permit on a form provided on the City of Fishers website. City officials say this is an attempt to control the noise level of live entertainment events within the Nickel Plate District at a given day and time.
–In a work session before the main council session, Deputy Mayor Leah McGrath provided a one year update on the status of the city’s Comprehensive 2040 Plan. Council Member Brad DeReamer raised some issues in the Britton Falls neighborhood dealing with curbs, sidewalks and compliance with provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The iTown Church is looking to expand at a new location, 136th Street and Brooks School Road. According to a report on WRTV Channel 6, the pastor announced to the congregation Sunday that the iTown will not expand at the site originally targeted, near 126th Street and Brooks School Road.
Residents in the adjacent Gray Eagle neighborhood strongly objected to the church locating in that area, arguing it would take away green space and endanger the future of the Gray Eagle Golf Course.
The new site at 136th Street and Brooks School Road will not need to go through the approval process under Fishers City ordinances.
Father’s Day is special for me. I am so proud of my two adult daughters, Allison & Mary. Thanks for making every Father’s Day special.
There is always a tinge of sadness for me because I lost my Dad over 20 years ago. But I have so many wonderful memories of him, what he taught me and what I learned just by his example.
I hope Father’s Day is special for all of you!
by
Fred Swift
(Commentaries by Fred Swift are posted here as part of a partnership between LarryInFishers.com & The Hamilton County Reporter newspaper)
My lunchtime friends at Alexander’s so-called Table of Knowledge this
week were recalling the days when we had a Justice of the Peace in Noblesville.
Actually, we had three in Hamilton County. You don’t hear much about the JPs anymore. They were essentially legislated out of office in the 1970s.
The Justice of the Peace headed one of Indiana’s earliest courts of justice. Starting
right after statehood, the courts had considerable authority until well into the 20th
century when their powers were reduced to handle mainly traffic infractions.
However, just like in the movies, the JP could perform marriages, administer oaths
and consider a few other civil matters. Justices were elected by voters of the township in which they resided. A JP did not have to be a lawyer, and most were not. This was of great concern to the state judiciary and was a major reason for the demise of the position.
Statewide there were probably few female JPs, but two of the three in this county
were women. Naomi Hunt was Noblesville’s longtime JP. She held court at her home at 612 S. 11th St.
Agnes Mitchell was the JP in Cicero who also operated out of her home.
The Justice of the Peace in Carmel was John Christy. He held court in a tiny cement
block building across the street from the old Carnegie Library.
County Court replaced the JP courts about 1980 where the judge was required to
be an attorney, but it was, in turn, replaced by a Superior Court in the 1990s.
Thus, with little fanfare, another chapter in Hamilton County history came to an end. Now, most folks either can’t remember or are too young to remember what a Justice of the Peace was.
A highly controversial new church building proposed at 126th Street & Brooks School Road may not be built in the location originally planned. iTown Church was moving toward constructing their new house of worship, but based on a story posted on the Indianapolis Star Web page, iTown has delayed plans for the new church.
Star reporter Andrew Clark quoted a statement from iTown Church saying the religious organization needs more time to consider its future plans. The church may be looking at another site not far from the original 126th Street & Brooks School Road site, to locate their new church building.
Many neighbors in the Gray Eagle subdivision, adjacent to the original proposed church site, have strongly objected to the church locating at 126th and Brooks School Road.
The Fishers Plan Commission unanimously approved plans for the new church and sent the proposal to the Fishers City Council for a final decision. The item was a part of the Fishers City Council agenda for the Monday, June 19th session, but will likely be removed from that agenda after the iTown Church’s decision to delay plans for a new church building.
iTown has been a rapidly-growing congregation and currently leases space at 126th Street and Cumberland Road. Pastor Dave Sumrall told the Fishers City Council in May that his church has been hunting for a location to build their own building for some time.
TigerONE’s main focus is supporting athletics at Fishers High School, but the club is also active in awarding college scholarships. Five $500 scholarships were announced recently from TigerONE, with all the winners sporting a 3.7 GPA or higher.
Below is a listing of the five winners, as provided by TigerONE:
Megan Bryant: Megan was a member of the National Honor Society, received a
leadership award in Cheerleading, was also a leader in the Show Choir, was active with Best Buddies and Unified Track and had the highest GPA of all of the female scholarship applicants.
Alyssa Chavez: Alyssa was a member of the National Honor Society, Student Athletic Council, Leaders for Fishers, played on the varsity Softball team all four years and was Captain for three seasons and was named All-Conference, All-County and Second AllState.
Cameron Grace Cameron was a member of the National Honor Society, Leaders for Fishers, a member of CRU, a three year letter winner in Track and Field and broke a school record in pole vault all while achieving Magna Cum Laude in the classroom.
Peter Werling: Peter was a member of the National Honor Society, earned seven
varsity letters in Track and Field and Cross Country, received the team Leadership
award his senior year, led his team’s bible study every week, was a state qualifier as a junior, had the highest GPA of all of the male scholarship applicants and in his spare time was an Eagle Scout.
Tyler Grace: Tyler was a leader in Student Government, a member of the National
Honor Society, Leaders for Fishers and CRU, a two year varsity letter winner in Track
and Field and Captain, participated in the State track meet and will graduate Magna
Cum Laude.
In May of this year, the TigerONE Board awarded approximately $40,000 in grants to the Fishers High School Athletic Department and numerous Fishers High School athletic teams.
Specifically, the FHS Athletic Department was awarded $21,000 in grants and 19 different athletic teams received grants totaling over $18,000.
Look out for flag workers on Fall Creek Road between 96th St. and Geist Rd. during the day beginning June 19th, as there will be road work limiting Fall Creek to one lane.
Below is the full listing of road work in and around Fishers for the work week starting Monday, June 19th:
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FALL CREEK ROAD
Weather permitting, Fall Creek Road between 96th Street and Geist Road will have lane restrictions starting Monday, June 19. Restrictions will be in place between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. with signage and flaggers directing traffic. Please drive with caution.
96TH STREET
Construction has begun on the new roundabout at 96th Street and Lantern Road. 96th Street traffic between Kincaid Drive and Fitness Lane/Pinecreek Drive will be reduced to one lane in each direction throughout the summer.
BROOKS SCHOOL ROAD
The Brooks School Road bridge over Interstate 69 is closed as Milestone Contractors rebuild the bridge deck. During the closure, traffic will be detoured to Promise Road via 126th and 136th streets. The bridge will remain closed until August.
116TH STREET
There will be lane restrictions on 116th Street between I-69 and Cumberland Road throughout the summer in order for the contractor to make improvements to 116th Street.
113TH STREET
Lane restrictions will occur on 113th Street from Olio Road to Florida Road throughout the summer in order for the contractor to resurface and make improvements to the roadway.
USA PARKWAY
There will be lane restrictions on USA Parkway while crews are resurfacing the roadway. Flaggers will be in place directing traffic.
126TH STREET
Expect periodic lane restrictions between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on 126th Street between Allisonville Road and Lantern Road while the contractor installs passing blisters near Reserve at Lantern. Flaggers will be on site to direct traffic during the restrictions.
I-69 AND CAMPUS PARKWAY
The Campus Parkway interchange was recently shifted into a double-crossover traffic pattern. The interchange will remain under construction through July, when it is expected to be fully open to traffic in its permanent configuration.
Multiple traffic lane shifts will be required to complete construction of the new interchange design. Each phase of remaining construction will bring the interchange closer to its final traffic configuration and capacity. For more information about the new traffic pattern, please visit http://www.in.gov/indot/3441.htm
Milestone Contractors has begun mobilizing cranes and other equipment and setting a temporary concrete barrier wall along I-69 at Campus Parkway Exit 210. Work will require alternating lane closures on northbound and southbound I-69 between 9 p.m. and 6 p.m. Lane closures may recur each night through the end of the week depending on weather and progress. Questions about this project should be directed to INDOT at eastcentralin@indot.in.gov or 1-855-463-6848.
STATE ROAD 37
Construction contractors plan to shift State Road 37 traffic lanes this weekend for a $1.5 million drainage structure construction project between 146th Street and Greenfield Avenue in Noblesville. Northbound lanes are scheduled to be shifted on Friday night, and southbound lanes are scheduled to be shifted Saturday night. Single-lane closures in each direction will be scheduled between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The first phase of construction, which is currently underway, will shift two lanes in each direction toward the right shoulders to provide room for construction in the median. The second phase will shift traffic toward the median to allow construction to be completed along the outside shoulders. All work on the project is expected to be complete this summer.
Starting May 1, geotechnical drilling will begin along the State Road 37 corridor as part of the final design phase of State Road 37 Improvement Project. Lane and shoulder restrictions will be active through the June 30.
Motorists will see staked locations along the corridor starting with the 141st Street intersection. The geotechnical drilling will cause lane restrictions from 131st Street through 146th Street through June 30. Southbound restrictions will not begin until 9 a.m. daily and northbound restrictions will be done daily before 4 p.m. to allow for maximum traffic flow during peak hours.
State Road 37 turn lanes will not be affected during lane closures and crews will maintain a minimum of one through-lane at all times.
The SR37 improvement project is a $124 Million joint project between Fishers, Hamilton Co, Noblesville, and INDOT. Questions or concerns may be directed to drivefishers@fishers.in.us.
OUTSIDE OF FISHERS
The City of Carmel has closed 116th Street and Hazel Dell Parkway for the construction of a roundabout. This closure is expected to last for 75 days. Questions and updates about this project should be directed to the City of Carmel at 317-571-2400.
The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board voted unanimously Wednesday night to extend the contract of Superintendent Allen Bourff through June 30, 2020.
Dr. Bourff will receive a 3.04% pay hike for the year beginning July 1, 2017, to an annual salary of $185,982. He will also receive $12,382 in incentive compensation in line with his current contract with the school corporation, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017.
Allen Bourff has been superintendent of HSE Schools since January of 2015. Before that, he was superintendent of the school corporation in Richmond, Indiana.