The Legacy Bible Church received unanimous approval from the Fall Creek Board of Zoning appeals September 27th, granting a special exception allowing plans to move forward with their construction of a church along Howe Road, just north of the Fishers city limits.  However, Mike Henn, a resident in the area of the planned house of worship, is still unhappy with the decision of the board.

Henn told LarryInFishers most of the crowd at the meeting were part of the church congregation in favor of the zoning measure, but he said roughly 10 people from the neighborhood were also in attendance opposing the variance.

According to Henn, the city listed 7 elements that must be met to qualify for a special exception under the Uniform Development Ordinance.  In Henn’s view, the church did not meet all seven conditions.

Megan Schaefer from the Fishers City Planning and Zoning Department wrote the staff report on the request, which recommended approval by the board, as long as a list of conditions were met by the church.  Two of the major commitments made by the church include  not housing a daycare, school or preschool at the church facility.  Also, Legacy Church must  seek to preserve the existing vegetation as identified in a written concept plan.

LarryInFishers asked to speak with the Fishers City Planning & Zoning Department about this staff report, but the city did not respond to that request.

The Fishers City Council approved a new Unified Development Ordinance last August, allowing special exceptions in certain instances, such as houses of worship.  Legacy Bible Church requested the zoning variance under that provision of the ordinance.

The new proposed church building would be a 20,000 square foot structure with 300 parking spaces and a detention pond for storm water management.

Mr. Henn says he was not the only one at the zoning board meeting opposed to this project.  “I was glad to note that I wasn’t the only one that wasn’t for it,” Henn said.

Henn described the guidelines explained during the meeting as “pretty grey stuff,” particularly one dealing with excessive expense.

There are no plans to challenge the decision in court, Henn said, but he maintains that he and others in his neighborhood are not pleased with the process in this case.

Friday was ground breaking day for Central Indiana Orthopedics, as the firm joined Envoy Inc. and Fishers City officials for the ceremonial moving of the dirt.  This will add yet another medical facility to the Fishers corridor around the area of 136th Street and I-69, the Saxony neighborhood.

The new structure is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2019.

“The new medical center and MedTech Park will allow our doctors and staff to continue offering advanced training and specialized care to our patients, and encourage additional investment in the area,” said Dr. Nimu Surtani, President of Central Indiana Orthopedics, in a company news release. “The MedTech Park vision is to attract a critical mass of innovative medical service providers and ultimately be a regional destination for those in need of expert care.”

The new facility is described as state-of-the-art by the firm.  Expansion of Central Indiana Orthopedics’ services in Hamilton County will include a clinic, surgery center, imaging, and physical therapy–among other services. The medical-office building will house Central Indiana Orthopedics’ Fishers-based operations, currently located in St. Vincent’s Hospital.

“Central Indiana Orthopedics’ concept for an emerging medical services and technology corridor embodies the innovation-driven vision that has become synonymous with Fishers,” said City of Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness. “MedTech Park will be an economic driver, as well as a resource for health care for the entire region.”

Julie Chambers is running for Hamilton Southeastern School Board, District 4.  Here is my conversation with her…

HAND Incorporated is a Hamilton County nonprofit organization that works on affordable housing issues in our county.  I talked with Jennifer Miller and Andrea Davis about the work HAND does in local communities

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) 

Are voters more enthusiastic or more “turned off” by the upcoming general election which is now less than three weeks away? If absentee and early voting are indications, the answer seems to be they are much more interested than in most non-presidential elections.

The county elections office reports that walk-in traffic for early voting is averaging 500 per day. And, more than 5,000 voters have requested mailed ballots. The great interest is partially because of the increasing popularity of early voting coupled with particular interest due to national publicity over the importance of control of Congress.

In any event, Hamilton County does have an important local election with dozens of offices to be voted upon. This year is called an off-year election, but with all the offices at stake from U.S. Senate to township board, it has more implications for local residents than the presidential year election.

For example, voters will choose school board members who can alter the course of local school systems. Township officials will be elected who in some communities will decide the future of their fire and rescue services.

At the county level, races for sheriff, county commissioner and county council will determine whether or not there will be any major changes in public services ranging from law enforcement policy to highway improvement.

And, of course, at the national level, the outcome of our Senate race could possibly determine majority control and therefore future of national administration policy.

So, it is probably not wise to listen to cynics who may say elections don’t matter and politicians are all the same. Such statements are by and large not true. Elections do matter.

Both political parties, of course, know this and are working harder than in most off-year elections to get their voters to participate. Democrats, feeling there is a national trend in their direction, are working harder locally than they have in years. Republicans, knowing they have a challenge, are also working harder than they usually do in fall elections to maintain their advantage.

Adam Aasen & I had to go into hiatus with our weekly podcast Hamilton County Goes To The Movies, but we have produced a special edition.  Adam talks about films he has seen lately, and I talk with the filmmakers behind an Indiana-based movie, Bullitt County.

The Hamilton Southeastern Schools are in the process of changing the district boundaries for grades kindergarten through 8th grade.  The proposed boundaries in some of the proposals posted so far have created a lot of conversations with the families within the Hamilton Southeastern Schools.  I asked to speak with school officials about the process so far and how the redistricting timeline will work as it moves forward.

In this podcast, I spoke with HSE School Board President Matt Burke, HSE Schools Superintendent Allen Bourff and Interim HSE Assistant Superintendent Bill Carnes.

All schools within the Hamilton Southeastern School District recently received Gold Star recognition from the Indiana Department of Education.  According to my news gathering partners at the Hamilton County Reporter, that news was announced by local State Representative Todd Huston (R-Fishers).

Former Fishers Police Chief Mitch Thompson has pleaded guilty to one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person.  According to a news report from WISH-TV in Indianapolis, Thompson was sentenced to probation after entering his guilty plea.

The Fishers Police Department tells LarryInFishers former Chief Thompson officially resigned as a Fishers police officer earlier this week.  Mr. Thompson resigned as chief days after the July incident but left open the option of asking for reinstatement at a lower rank.  The former chief had been on paid leave while his criminal case was pending.

The WISH-TV story also says the former chief must also submit to random drug and alcohol testing, and avoid consuming alcohol for one year as part of the probation sentence.

The charge and now sentence stem from a July 2018 three-vehicle crash in the intersection of 96th Street and Keystone Avenue. At the time of the incident, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Thompson got behind the wheel, causing the crash.

In addition to 363 days of probation, Thompson’s license was also suspended for 90 days, retroactive back to Aug. 1. His license was restored on Oct. 16.

You can read the WISH-TV story at this link.

My series of podcasts featuring candidates for Hamilton Southeastern School Board continues.  This time, I talk with Brad Banks, on the ballot in District 4