At this time of year, it is good to take a look back and begin counting our blessings.  I have too many blessings to count.  With all the family and friends I enjoy being around on a regular basis, life is very good for me.

I would especially like to express a holiday greeting to all the readers of this blog and listeners of my podcasts.  When I began attending Fishers Town Council meetings in January, 2012, I had fairly low expectations on how the enterprise would do.  Perhaps a few government geeks like me would read it and maybe I would provide a service to those folks.

What has happened over the past six years has been a big surprise to me.  Reviewing my analytics on the number of people visiting this site reminds me of how many local people rely on my news blog for the latest on what is happening in Fishers.  It is quite humbling for this retired civil servant that spent about 10 years in journalism early in my working life, to see those analytics numbers on the number of accesses to this site.

After nearly six years of writing this blog, I did begin to explore winding down some of my volunteer activities (as you can see, there are no ads here, this blog and the podcasts are a labor of love).  When I wrote a short piece saying that this news blog could come to an end, I was bombarded with messages asking me to continue.

I knew how many people were reading and how often people were checking my blog, but I never knew how much people cared, until that moment.  I had no choice but to continue this blog and my podcasts.  I appreciate all the messages received urging me to continue.

One last thing – I am blessed to have a wonderful wife and two outstanding daughters.  I can assure you there would be no LarryInFishers.com without the full support of my lovely wife Jane.  She even covered an important event when I was under a contractual obligation to be out of town.

Thank you Jane, Allison & Mary for brightening my life for yet another Christmas season.  And thanks to all of you for reading and supporting LarryInFishers.com.  2018 looks to be another busy year for Fishers.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter 

(NOTE: This is a commentary written by Fred Swift of the Hamilton County Reporter. The views expressed are those of Fred Swift and do not necessarily reflect the views of LarryInFishers.com.  This opinion piece is posted here as part of a partnership between the Reporter and LarryInFishers.com) 

The recent hysterical demands for political correctness in dealing with our nation’s historical figures is getting close to home. Neighboring Madison County has now succumbed to this righteous indignation by giving up plans for a statute of former President James Madison for whom that county is named.

Never mind that Madison was instrumental is getting our Constitution adopted and responsible for composing the Bill of Rights. The current problem for Madison, 200 years after the fact, is that he was a slave owner.

The political correctness craze also demands men from history who engaged in brutality to American Indians, disloyalty to their wives or were insensitive to industrial employees should be dishonored generations after their misdeeds. Never mind that they may have contributed greatly to our current way of life.

If we pursue this line of revisionist thinking further we find examples right here in Hamilton County.

William Conner was complicit in removing the Indians, including his own wife, from central Indiana.

General Phil Sheridan, for whom Sheridan is named, thought the only good Indian was a dead Indian.

And Cicero, the ancient Roman politician, was a slave owner. (The town, however, was probably named for a local boy who perhaps had the fortune or misfortune of being named for the martyred Roman.)

In addition, Washington, Jackson and Clay townships are named for slave owners.

And, then there’s the question of whether the Strawtown monument to Chief Straw is an honor or a political no-no.

Should we discredit these men by changing the names of communities or removing monuments because of things they did many years ago, deeds that are now regarded as dishonorable?

Of course not. They made history for vastly different and more honorable pursuits and should continue to be remembered for them.

And, thank goodness nobody will be after us to remove the portrait of Alexander Hamilton’s from the courthouse. He was not a slave owner.

Local film critic Christopher Lloyd fills us in on the best in film for 2017.  Adam & Larry review two films – Star Wars: The Last Jedi…and 3 Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

It is once again that time of year when we look back at what has happened since the previous January 1.  It has been quite a year in Fishers with no shortage of news items to cover.

It has been a number of years since I have attempted to try something like this.  Why have I not done this?  Because it is hard.

A project like this normally consumes a newsroom for a number of days as reporters and editors argue endlessly.  Here’s my problem – I have no staff.  I just have me.

So, I am giving this a try.  I do not claim perfection are any license to do this, I am just doing it because I am not sure anyone else will.  Perhaps someone or some news organization will take this on, but who knows in this juncture of the news business?

So, with that in mind, I present to you the top 15 news stories gleaned from items posted on my news blog during 2017.  If you disagree with some or all of the list, fine, at least I’ve sparked some discussion.

15.  Fishers Mental Health Initiative This was Mayor Scott Fadness’ very first project once he assumed the office.  He has been persistent in continuing the initiative.  It received a major boost when the Hamilton Southeastern School District, using funds from an approved operating tax referendum, began providing enhanced mental health services into all the district’s school buildings through a contract with Community Health.

14.  Important Retirements Three key people announced retirements this year, all at the center of development in Fishers.  Indiana State Senator Luke Kenley announced his retirement after years of service and holding a key committee chairmanship.  The Republican Caucus elected Victoria Spartz of Noblesville to fill-out the remainder of his term.  Part of that Senate District includes a section of Fishers.  Jim White retires at this end of 2017 after managing the Transportation Department at HSE Schools.  Jim will be missed.  Finally, Lynda Carlino is retiring after serving as Executive Director for the local youth sports program S.P.O.R.T.S.  Lynda led the nonprofit group during massive growth in participation.

13.  Long-Time Businesses Close Two businesses that had been a part of Fishers for a very, very long time closed their doors during 2017.  Archers Meats decided to retire and call it quits at their downtown Fishers location.  Ben & Ari’s entertainment center had been the site of many birthday parties for youngsters growing up in Fishers, but the owners decided it was time to end the operation and sell the land to a car dealership.

12.  Upgrades Coming To The Amphitheater Mayor Scott Fadness said the Amphitheater has been an example of the city being the victim of its own success.  The massive crowds showing up for the concert events strained the rest room facilities with long lines at many popular events.  The city is finalizing a plan to spend $6 million to expand the stage and improve the area between the Amphitheater and City Hall.  The final plans should be known in early 2018, with a completion date set for May or June of 2018.

11.  Southeastern Elementary Ground-Breaking  If the demographer is correct in his projections, this will be the final school building Hamilton Southeastern Schools will need to build in a long time.  Ground was broken late this year and construction is underway at the site on Cyntheanne Road near Southeastern Parkway.  This will allow elementary students to no longer need mobile classrooms.

10.  New Geist Park  The city is proposing a new park located on Geist reservoir.  Land acquisition is continuing.  It would be the first public space on the water of the lake.

9.  Money Mag Lists Fishers As Best Place To Live In America  If you read my blog regularly, you know I am skeptical of most listing of cities, citing them as good or bad places.  But the Money Magazine list is the one most people recognize.  This was a major feather in the city’s cap.

8.  Road Construction  There has once again been plenty of road construction and much of it was in 116th Street in preparation for IKEA, Portillo’s and Top Golf.  But I-69 has been a hassle with continued construction of the additional lanes going north and south.  Also, drainage work has limited lanes on State Road 37 as crews continue to prepare for the big remake of 37.  Major construction is set to start in 2019, with a lot of questions still unanswered on how State Road 37 work will unfold.  Stay tuned.

7.  $2.1 Million Lilly Grant For HSE Schools  Foundations such as Lilly seldom make big grants to suburban school systems, but HSE must have blown Lilly Foundation officials away with a top-notch application.  This grant will be used to find creative ways to provide counseling services for local students.

6.  2,500 New Jobs  Mayor Scott Fadness was beaming when appearing on Gerry Dick’s Inside Indiana Business television program in early December.  He told anchor Dick that Fishers had created 2,500 jobs during 2017 and 4,500 since he became mayor in 2015.  The mayor also said during that same TV appearance he expects the jobs momentum to continue in Fishers into 2018.

5.  HSE School Board Controversies  The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board had no shortage of controversies to handle the past year.  Three come to mind.  The first was sparked when Board President Matt Burke and Vice President John DeLucia asked the firm hired to help with branding the district about changing the name of the school district.  After a firestorm on social media, that idea went away.  Second, Board Member Amanda Shera emotionally argued that her daughter should not be assigned the book Kite Runner.  Educators disagreed, saying it is useful for certain students in specific settings.  Finally, the board approved a school calendar for the next two years, starting school two days earlier and extending Thanksgiving Break by 2 days, on a 4-3 vote.  After yet another social media firestorm, the board reconsidered and voted 8-1 to keep the calendar largely the way it is now, consistent with the recommendation from school administrators.

4.  IoT Lab  Governor Eric Holcomb joined local officials to announce a new Internet of Things (IoT) Lab near Launch Fishers.  The hope is this lab will put Fishers and Indiana into play as IoT becomes more a part of our lives in coming years.

3.  Nickel Plate Rail Line  Fishers and Noblesville had announced prior to 2017 that the cities, along with support from the Hamilton County Commissioners, will be converting the Nickel Plate Rail Line into a trail.  Those wanting to keep trains running on that line continue to fight that move.  This year, the federal rail banking process, a long and bureaucratic system, continues.  “Save the Train” supporters plan to fight the rail banking process.  This story continued in 2017, but will almost certainly continue into 2018 (at least).

2.  Fishers Freedom Festival  The nonprofit organization that has run the Fishers Freedom Festival since 1989 lost its city funding and announced it would not be putting on the event in 2018.  The festival, held each year over a weekend in late June before the Fourth of July, requested funding from the city but was denied.  The nonprofit group still owns the rights to the name “Fishers Freedom Festival.”  The city says it will hold the festival and run the operation itself, perhaps with a different name.  The city promises a parade, fireworks, entertainment and more at the 2018 festival.

And the Number 1 Fishers news story in 2017 is…. 

Growth At Exit 5  I mentioned traffic earlier, and handling the vehicles with this area as the destination has been a challenge, but traffic has been moving.  We knew it was coming, but 2017 was the year that IKEA, Portillo’s and Top Golf became real in Fishers as all three opened their doors.  Plans are still in the works on what restaurants will occupy The Yard development in that same area, with only two of the eateries announced late in the year.  This area off I-69 is becoming a major commercial center, and 2017 was the year it started in earnest

As Sports Editor of the Hamilton County Reporter, Richie Hall is the best person to tap when you want the latest on local high school sports.  I talked to Richie for my pre-holiday LarryInFishers podcast.

You may recall that the Brixx Pizza restaurant in the Downtown Fishers Depot Building closed in November.  In an e-mail sent to a customer list, Brixx has announced it will be reopening the location at the downtown Depot building in early February.

According to the e-mail message from the corporate Brixx office, the eatery will open again with new owners and new managers.  The owners are Marc and Jenni Hammer, who already own two other Brixx locations in the Nashville, Tennessee area.

“We are big believers in the Brixx brand, and we’ve built Brixx into a destination for great food and hospitality in the Nashville area,” says Jenni Hanmer in a company news release.  “As we’ve gotten to know Fishers, we’ve been excited to hear from people who loved Brixx and were heartbroken by its temporary closure. We can’t wait to bring Brixx back for them. We’ll be personally involved in the management of the location and are looking forward to being active corporate citizens.”

Neil Newcomb, President of Brixx, is very pleased Brixx is back locally. “Fishers welcomed us with open arms when we opened in 2015,” said Newcomb. “When the previous owners elected to close, we knew Brixx still had a bright future ahead in Fishers,”

Anyone interested in working for the new Brixx operation is advised in to contact the company at the following e–mail address:  fishers@brixxpizza.com

The new owners say gift cards, vouchers and coupons will all be honored once the restaurant reopens in February.

Hamilton County Reporter

Fishers held off a comeback by Muncie Central Thursday night to beat the Bearcats
62-56 at the Muncie Fieldhouse.

The Tigers played a strong defensive first quarter to lead 18-6, then kept that
momentum going to move ahead 37-19 at halftime. Muncie Central began to make a
run in the third quarter, cutting Fishers’ lead 46-34.

The Bearcats continued to roll, tying the game at 54-54 with two minutes left. But the
Tigers outscored Muncie Central 8-2 in those final two minutes. Willie Jackson
helped out with eight points in the fourth period.

Jackson led Fishers with 19 points, including an 8-of-9 effort from the freethrow
line. Luke Hernandez came off the bench to score 10 points, with Jordan Jones
and Jeremy Szilagyi both adding nine points.

The Tigers are now 3-4 for the season and are off until Saturday, Dec. 30 when
they play two games at the Grace College Classic. Fishers takes on Valparaiso at 11
a.m., then plays Warsaw at 7:45 p.m.

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern used a strong second half to take care of Plainfield 39-23
in a Thursday night road game.

The Class 4A No. 6 Royals trailed the Quakers 9-7 after the first quarter, then came
back to tie the game at 14-14 by halftime. Southeastern then sailed through the second
half, outscoring Plainfield 25-9.

Tayah Irvin scored 12 points for HSE and pulled seven rebounds. Amaya
Hamilton also corralled seven rebounds, with Molly Walton and Shelby Ford both
grabbing five. Walton also made four steal. Southeastern is now 13-2 for the season.

The Royals will play two games at the North Central Classic next week: HSE takes on
Springboro (Ohio) at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 28, then will play the 4A No. 1 Panthers at
2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 29.

Hamilton County Reporter

Fishers took on the No. 1-ranked team in Class 4A Thursday,
welcoming North Central to the Tiger Den.

The Panthers beat the Tigers 62-50. North Central led Fishers 12-10 after
the first quarter and 34-15 at halftime. The Tigers had a great third period,
cutting NC’s lead to 43-34, but the Panthers
held on in the fourth quarter to get
the win.

Skylar Fulton made four 3-pointers on her way to 17 points, followed by Toni
Grace scoring 12 points. Tamia Perryman collected nine rebounds, with Grace
getting eight boards. Lydia Stullken had another solid defensive game, blocking
five shots.

Fishers is now 8-7 for the season. The Tigers are off until next Friday, Dec. 29,
when they travel to Hanover to play in Southwestern High School’s annual
Rumble on the River. Fishers will play the winner of a first-round game between
McCutcheon and Salem at 6:45 p.m. Friday evening, then play two more games
on Saturday, Dec. 30.

Motorists traveling along Allisonville Road near 106th Street should be on the lookout for lower speed limits when construction crews are doing their work.  The normal speed limit along that stretch of road is 40 miles-per-hour.  The Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety acted Thursday morning to allow a lower speed limit of 25 miles-per-hour in that area when construction is underway.  The construction is related to a sewer project that has already started , and the 25 MPH speed limit in constructions areas will continue until the work is complete.

In other board of works actions:

–The city approved changes in stop & yield signs, as well as speed limits.  The speed limit listing is in the Britton Falls area. You can view the entire list at this link.

–OurHealth will be replacing QuadMed as the provider for the city employee health clinic and will begin occupying QuadMed’s space in the Meyer-Najem building after January 1st.  Other OurHelth clinic’s in the Indianapolis area will also be available to city staff members.  The new contact spans a three-year period.

— The board approved a new contract for janitor services in city structures, expanding the scope of cleaning services.

–A&F Engineering will continue to provide on-call engineering services to the city.

–A not-to-exceed $2.69 million bid was accepted for construction of a roundabout at 136th & Southeastern Parkway, near St. Vincent’s Hospital.  The bid was awarded to the contractor Crider and  Crider.  Construction on the roundabout is scheduled to begin this spring or summer.