The dreary, rainy 41 degree March day did not dampen the spirits of Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness.  He was smiling ear-to-ear as he looked over a tent full of people involved in the new Events Center that will begin construction near the Navient building, close to I-69 .  He used words like “exciting” and “momentous” to describe the new center projected to open in November of 2024.

He had members of the City Council on the stage with him.  After all, they approved the financing package for the center, including a Food & Beverage Tax.  He went down the line thanking those on his staff and other stakeholders that brought the city to the Friday ground breaking ceremony.

The Events Center, which will hold as many as 8,500 people, is expected to host the graduation ceremonies for both local high schools.  The Mudsock basketball games, where boys and girls teams from HSE and Fishers High Schools square off, will be played in a venue large enough to hold fans from both schools in this new venue.  School officials have told me there are plans to petition the IHSAA, asking to host the Sectional basketball tournament there.

But the biggest tenant for the Events Center will be the Indy Fuel minor league hockey team.  Owner Jim Hallett said 36 regular season games will be played at the center, with playoff games always a possibility.

It is also expected that there will be musical acts and other performances booked into the Events Center by ASM Global, which does this work around the world.

This is part of an expansion of the Fishers District, with Thompson Thrift as the developer.

It may have been cold, rainy and crowded in that tent where the ground breaking ceremony was held.  Despite all that, I suspect Mayor Fadness is still smiling.