The Fishers City Council issued a statement Monday night on June as Pride Month.  Councilwoman Crystal Newmann read the proclamation on behalf of the council.

“In 2016, we (the Fishers City Council) acted by claiming Fishers as a community that would not stand for discrimination of any kind, stemming from a person’s sex, race, color, nationality, origin, religion, disability, age or gender identity,” the statement says in part.  “That dedication continues today from standing alongside students and parents to advocate for comprehensive anti-discrimination policies within our school system to instilling these policies into city’s operations.”

In other items from the Monday Fishers City Council meeting:

–Retiring HSE School Superintendent Allen Bourff thanked the city for the many partnerships with the school corporation.  Dr. Bourff retires at the end of June.

–The council recognized the Unified Track Team.

–Fishers Police issued service awards to the following officers:

Dan Tucker – 30 years
James Alvis – 20 years
Samuel Ralph – 20 years
Charles Yeager – 20 years
Ryan Pack – 20 years

–Council gave final approval to a new building  setback standard, from 25 feet to 50 feet.

–The city’s comprehensive plan, named the 2040 Plan, was recently updated and all the changes were given final approval

The Fishers City Council has only one standing committee that meets regularly, and that is the Finance Committee.  The Non Profit committee meets a few times during budget consideration to decide which tax exempt groups will receive funding from the city.  There have been other committees formed on an ad hoc basis in the past.

The council voted Monday to form a task force charged with studying the current committee system and how it might be changed.  The group will meet with City Attorney Chris Greisl to come up with recommendations for full council consideration in August.

The task force will consist of council members John Weingardt, Selina Stoller, Cecilia Coble and Crystal Neumann.

This discussion started at a recent council retreat when a proposal was raised to create a city council rules committee.

It was about one month ago, in a podcast interview, when I asked Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness about what may be going into the former Fry’s Electronics building just north of 96th Street, along I-69.  It was yet another “big box” chain that went out of business nationally.

Let’s say the mayor was concerned about what type of tenant might be leasing that structure.

“There’s a lot of interest in the (Fry’s) building and that’s got me concerned about finding the right use that sets the tone,” the mayor said.  “That’s the gateway to Fishers, so what kind of use makes sense in that building is important.”

The mayor added he will be “having conversations” with the city council about the issue.  That conversation, and action, began at the Monday night council session.

Council members began a process, at the request of Mayor Fadness, to enact a change in the city’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) requiring more scrutiny and review of tenant changes in these “big box” vacant spaces.  This new standard would give City Council the authority to approve and add conditions to changes in tenants, providing the  city with criteria for reviewing these tenant changes.  This would impact structures  with a floor area of 25,000 square feet or greater, but would not apply to facilities with medical, office, and industrial/manufacturing use.

The proposal received first reading Monday night, where only one vote is required to move forward.  The Fishers Plan Commission will hold a public hearing on July 7, vote a recommendation, then the City Council will take a final vote on the measure July 19.

You can read the entire text of the proposed text amendment to the UDO at this link.

You may know that large grassy and wooded area located on the southwest corner of 126th Street and Cumberland Road.  That will be the home of Stevanato, an Italian firm dealing with pharma. In Fishers, the firm will be manufacturing medical vials and syringes.

Monday night, the Fishers City Council voted for an economic development package that lured the European firm to the city.  Economic Development Director Megan Baumgartner told the council Stevanato plans to have 250 people working in the new facility with an average wage of $70,000.  The firm commits to a $140 million investment in the Fishers location.

In exchange, the city will buy land from Sunbeam Development and transfer just under 36 acres for the Stevanato complex.  The council authorized a 15-year, 100% personal property tax abatement and a $2.4 million commercial property grant.  The state of Indiana also has an incentive package, based on the actual number of jobs working in the Fishers Stevanato operation.

Stevanato wants to begin construction in Fishers during fall of this year, but could wait until spring of 2022 if needed to begin the project.

Katie Culp of KSM Location Advisors handled the site location process for Stevanato, and once Stevanato decided to locate in Indiana, the process of selection was “extremely competitive” as many communities around Indianapolis vied for the Stevanato plant.

“What I think sets Fishers apart was its economic development strategy,” Culp told council members.  “Rather than coming to the first meeting with a cookie-cutter solution, they listened to what the needs of the clients were.”

The city also will provide the infrastructure for Stevanato at the 126th Street and Cumberland Road.

The Italian owners of Stevanato were hoping to appear at Monday night’s council meeting, but COVID-related travel restrictions prevented that, according to Culp.

Mask wearing will be encouraged, but not required, for students and staff of Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools in the coming school year.  However, per federal regulations, masks will be required on school buses.

That language is contained in the “return to in-person instruction” draft plan released Monday by HSE Schools.  This plan is required in order for the local school district to qualify for a $2.9 million  federal grant.

The plan also shows new class start times and four e-learning days in the 2021-2022 school calendar.

The document calls for school officials to monitor guidelines issued by local, state and federal health authorities.

“HSE will continue to rely on data provided by the HSE Department of Staff and Student
Services, the Fishers Health Department (FHD), the Indiana State Department of Health and the Governor’s office,” the plan states.

Classroom visitors will be allowed but these visitors must wear masks.  No lunch visitors will be allowed.

There will be procedures for specific situations, such as passing periods, arts classes and recess.

The plan will be presented to the HSE School Board at Wednesday night’s regular meeting.

You can view the entire plan document at this link.

I feel compelled to write something on this blog each Father’s Day.  Maybe it’s because the first year I celebrated Father’s Day as a dad, my own dad had died just a few months earlier.  But my twin daughters were born a few months earlier as well.

Being a dad was then, and is now, one of the the greatest gifts God has bestowed upon me.  But I want to write about something a little different in 2021.

I know it is not Grandfather’s Day, but being a granddad is yet another precious gift.  This is the first Father’s Day when my son-in-law, Jacob Lewis, can celebrate this day as a father himself.

I marvel every time I am around grandson Dakota at what amazing parents my daughter Allison and Jacob are when with their son.  Whenever Jacob has been away, even for a short time, when Dakota sees his dad, that little boy’s face lights up.  That is a sure sign Jacob is handling his fatherly duties the right way.

I want to say that Dakota has a terrific set of parents and Jacob is a special dad.  For a grandfather, that is something special to know.

After 9 years of Catholic education and 3 years in public high school, I do not remember any mention of Juneteenth in any of my classes.  I was well into my college experience before the importance of this day became clear to me.  It took many more years of educating myself to understand the significance.

To put it simply, June 19th (known as Juneteenth) is the day slaves in Galveston, Texas, became aware that they were now free in 1866.  It is recognized as the day slavery ended in all of America.

June 19th has been recognized as a special day in most states.  For years, activists have pushed to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.  After laying all that groundwork, just a few days ago the Senate unanimously passed the measure creating June 19th as a federal holiday, with most federal workers getting the day off.  The House passed the bill shortly after the Senate action with only a handful of no votes.

Most experienced Washington observers did not expect a day off for federal employees this year, with the bill reaching the president’s desk just before June 19th.  But President Biden surprised everyone by quickly signing the legislation and declaring June 18, 2021, as the first Juneteenth federal holiday (with the 19th on a Saturday in 2021).

Ending slavery in America is a very good reason to declare a holiday.  I had a professor in college refer to slavery as a “peculiar institution.”  It is a stain on our national history.

Fishers Equity Awareness, a group of local students that describes itself as “an organization that strives to educate residents about the systematic oppression against black americans,” sponsored a Juneteenth celebration at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater, with music, commercial vendors and other booths, celebrating the Juneteenth holiday.

It is amazing that any legislation can be passed, in this day and age, unanimously by the Senate and overwhelmingly in the House.  It’s all because a dedicated group of activists worked for years to lay the groundwork and get this done.  It emphasizes one important fact – if you believe in something, never, ever give up.

Rita Moreno has had a long career in show business and has a whole room full of statuettes honoring her work.  But there is much more to her story.  She overcame so many personal and professional barriers in her career, and at age 87 continues to work.  So, is this documentary film about her worth seeing?  Here is my review.

Plenty of road construction work continues in and around the Fishers area.

Here is the latest, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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STATE ROAD 37 AND 146TH STREET
All left-turn lanes are currently restricted on SR 37 and on 146th Street with traffic moved to the interior lanes. Thru traffic and right turns on SR 37 and 146th Street will remain open. Drivers are encouraged to seek alternate routes for all left turn access. View an alternate route map here. 

Northbound and Southbound SR 37 is currently restricted to one lane in each direction, North of 146th Street. This restriction will be in place for approximately 2-3 weeks, as work progresses at this interchange.

There is currently a single lane closure for Northbound Herriman Blvd. between 146th Street and the Circle K/Shell gas station driveway and is anticipated to reopen in June.

STATE ROAD 37 AND 131ST / 135TH STREETS
The westside of 131st Street at SR 37 is currently closed as work progresses on the interchange. SR 37 will remain open both north and southbound. SR 37 southbound left and right turns onto 131st Street will be restricted. Westbound left turns onto SR 37 will also be restricted on 131st Street. View the detour map here.

The Northbound SR 37 right turn lane onto 135th Street is currently closed from 131st Street to approximately halfway to 135th Street for Phase 1 construction. This portion of the dedicated turn lane will not reopen to regular capacity until the interchange is complete.

Please drive with caution through this area. To learn more about the State Road 37 Improvement Project and sign up to receive text updates, visit 37Thrives.com.

The City of Fishers started construction on the Nickel Plate Trail pedestrian tunnel beneath 116th Street on Tuesday, June 1. The closure is anticipated to last 60 days. During the construction, 116th Street will be closed from east of Municipal Drive to west of Maple Street. All local business and public parking access will remain open.

106th Street will serve as the detour route, with the detour beginning at Hague Road for eastbound thru traffic and Lantern Road for the westbound thru traffic.

Portions of the Nickel Plate Trail are now open, including the paved portion from 131st Street to North Street, and from South Street to 106th Street. The 116^th Street tunnel will complete the trail connection through downtown Fishers, joining South Street and North Street, and establishing a full connection from 131^st Street to 106^th Street. While the tunnel is under construction, a pedestrian detour route will provide access through downtown between the north and south sections of the trail. View the pedestrian detour map here.

To learn more about the project, view construction images and project renderings, and find detour maps, visit https://www.playfishers.com/284/Nickel-Plate-Trail

The annual Spark! Fishers festivel returns with a weeklong celebration June 22-26 in the downtown Nickel Plate District. Road closures and parking restrictions will be in effect around the District beginning the evening of Wednesday, June 23. Get the full lineup at https://sparkfishers.com/road-closures/

Beginning on Tuesday, June 22 at 6 a.m., Westbound 116th Street between Hoosier Road and Cumberland Road will be closed as DPW performs joint repairs and is anticipated to reopen on Wednesday, June 23 by 6 a.m. The official detour route will direct drivers to sue Hoosier Road to 126th Street to Cumberland Road to 116th Street. View the detour map here.

Indianapolis DPW currently has Admirals Pointe Drive closed through midsummer 2021 to replace the timber bridge over Geist and the north fork of Dry Branch. The detour will consist of Old Stone Dr. East to Carroll Rd. / 700 W., South to E. 79th St., West to Oaklandon Rd.

ADA ramp and curb reconstruction has started as part of the 2021 Resurfacing Project. After ADA ramp and curb reconstruction is completed, those areas will be restored with topsoil and seed. It is the responsibility of the homeowner to water the seed for the seed to germinate. Prior to road resurfacing, residents will be notified via street signage for street parking restrictions.

Fishers has tried to work with private sector partners twice to create a community center for the city, but both failed in the end.  Mayor Scott Fadness appointed At-Large City Councilman Todd Zimmerman to lead a local group of people in proposing a center for the city.  So, where is the group in their work?  Todd sat down with me to update us on his group’s progress.