The Fishers Fifty Club provides help to the families of police and fire officers who die or become disabled.  Hear more about this club in this podcast.

Construction appears to be on schedule as the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools Administration Building renovation and expansion marches forward.

The plan is to move Administration Building employees from their current space into the new structure in early summer.  That will allow construction crews to begin the task of renovating the current work area.

School Superintendent Allen Bourff says the entire project is scheduled to be completed by October of this year.

A tour of the construction area was provided Tuesday to two school board members and LarryInFishers.com.

This is part of a ten-year plan approved by the school board to renovate and upgrade buildings throughout the school district

The new Yard culinary development, now with a residential component, is starting to get construction underway, but an old issues are coming back on drive-through windows.

A coffee shop proposed for The Yard says it needs a drive-through in order to locate there but the city has taken control over those issues in that area of the city.  Any drive-through must be approved by the Fishers City Council.

The council voted Monday night to allow the coffee shop drive-through, with one no vote from Councilman Brad DeReamer.   Council member Rich Block abstained from that vote due to potential conflicts of interest with his private sector work.

The council also approved an economic incentive package for Flexware, a company already located in Fishers, to build a new headquarters building on the north west end of the municipal complex, behind the Amphitheater.  Councilman DeReamer questioned why the tax abatement is front-loaded with the largest part of the incentive in the early years.  DeReamer voted no on the economic development package, and Council Members Pete Peterson and John Weingardt abstained from voting due to possible conflicts of interest tied to their private sector work.

Council members also approved an economic development package for Thyssenkrupp, an industrial firm that plans to create a number of high-paying positions in Fishers.

At the public comment period at the end of the meeting, former Fishers Town Council Member Mike Colby expressed concern about the bad conditions on privately owned streets near commercial areas in the neighborhoods close to 116th Street and Allisonville Road.  Mayor Scott Fadness replied that the legal issues surrounding this issue are complex and the city is working on holding the private parties responsible for maintaining those streets.  The mayor added that he would not allow private roads in such commercial areas again, instead keeping those roads under the city’s jurisdiction.  Fadness described the situation as a “sin of the past.”

04-07-2018 Subway Robbery Video

Fishers Police are investigating an armed robbery at the Subway Restaurant on Olivia Way, near Hamilton Town Center, and need help from any citizen with information.  The robbery was reported at 9:40pm on April 7th.

Officers established a perimeter and unsuccessfully  searched for the suspects.  Police believe they fled the area before authorities could establish a perimeter and begin the search.

The clerk reported to detectives that he was mopping the floor, near the front of the store, when he saw two people, dressed in dark clothing, standing outside near the front door. Shortly thereafter one of the individuals, believed to be a male, entered the store, displayed a handgun, and demanded money. The clerk complied and was not injured.

Anyone with information regarding this robbery is asked to call Detective Edgar Holmes at 317-595-1430.

Police provided a video, the link is at the top of this story.

As the May 8th primary election draws closer, several candidate endorsements have been announced, according to my news-gathering partner at The Hamilton County Reporter .

Here are endorsements provided in the April 18th edition of the Reporter:

–Paul Ayers endorses Christine Pauley for County Council, describing her as a conservative with backbone who will be “beholden only to the taxpayers.”  Ayers currently serves on the County Council

— Rick McKinney is endorsing Mark Hall for County Council, citing Hall’s business background and his understanding of the need to be independent.  Mckinney also currently serves on the County Council.

–Former Fishers Police Chief, now retired, George Kehl endorses Jeff Heinzmann for Judge of Hamilton County Superior Court 1.  Kehl says Heinzmann is “a public servant who is a proven and trusted decision-maker. “

Fishers Police Chief Mitch Thompson went before the City Council Monday night to present two officers with their 20-year service awards.

Officers Bradley Myers and Tony David received the honor at the regular Monday evening council session

The Fishers City Council had a lively work session Monday evening with talk of a possible bicycling ordinance and discussion of the local sign rules.

After a local resident asked the city to consider an ordinance dealing with cycling, city staff began researching.  Lindsey Bennett outlined what state law says about cycling.  That statute says cyclists may not ride more than two abreast, are required to have both hands on the handle bars and there are other requirements for lighting on the bike.

Bennett told council members the city could, if the council chooses, supplement the state laws.  Police Chief Mitch Thompson explained what his officers deal with regularly such as cyclists weaving in and out of traffic and riding more than two -abreast.  On the other hand, vehicle drivers are sometimes in the bicycle lanes or turn in front of the bicycles.

Any proposed ordinance would attempt to deal with the rights and responsibilities of both cyclists and motorists, according to Mayor Scott Fadness.

One proposal would call for a $35.50 fine for motorist violations and $20 for cyclists running afoul of a city ordinance, city officials said.

Chief Thompson told the council he wants an even-handed ordinance dealing with both bicyclists & motorists.

“The incidents we deal with, with bicyclists and motorists, are almost always road rage incidents” said Chief Thompson. “The bicyclist does something that upsets the car, the car then retaliates, and we’ve had collisions, we’ve had fist fights.”

One idea is to have a three-foot ring surrounding a bicycle as a safe zone where a vehicle is not to encroach, but Thompson says that provision is very difficult for his officers to enforce unless new technologies come on line to help.

There was a discussion of how difficult it can be for motorists to deal with cyclists on the narrow former county roads that are common on the east side of Fishers.

Councilman Brad DeReamer said his constituents want some roads where cycling is not allowed, such as 136th Street, due to the dangers involved.

Mayor Fadness told council members he will instruct his staff to prepare a draft ordinance for their consideration.

On the issue of signs…..City Attorney Chris Greisl briefed the council on a recent Supreme Court case stemming from a measure passed in the municipality of Gilbert, Arizona.  That decision severely restricted local government’s ability to limit the content of a sign.  Greisl said the city has been eliminating any local sign ordinance provisions relating to content and limiting any regulation to number and size of signs within certain areas.

Then, Greisl explained a new state law enacted by the General Assembly last year.  It says 60 days before an election, even ordinances governing size and number of signs cannot be enforced during that 60 day period, and 6 days following the election.

We are within 60 days of the May 8th primary election now, so unless there is a public safety issue on certain signs, the city should not be enforcing the size and number ordinance.  This applies to private property and neighborhoods, according to Greisl.

Greisl emphasized that the state law applies to private property only.  The ruling on the Hamilton County ordinance by Judge William Hughes does not set a legal precedent, according to Greisl.

Fishers does not regulate content on signage within the city right-of-way.

“We have a public safety standard that says there are no signs to be allowed in our right-of-way,” said Greisl.  “I think, from that standpoint, we’re still going to be okay going forward.”

When the City of Fishers removes a sign in the municipal right-of-way, city staff will dispose of the sign.  This policy began in the previous election season.  Before that, the confiscated signs were kept and the owners were allowed to retrieve them.

The magic date for downtown Fishers is June 1st…that is the projected date when all the renovation work on the Fishers Downtown Amphitheater is supposed to be completed.

As of April 16th, you can begin to see progress being made, despite the unseasonably cold weather this spring.

The upgrades include a larger and more functional amphitheater stage, the addition of The Cube is a meeting room with additional rest room facilities and a sloped green area, which will allow better viewing further back from the stage.

In May of 2016, the Fishers City Council approved plans for a Starbucks Coffee Shop near 116th Street and Olio Road – now the shop is under construction and set to open in August.

Stephen Zinkan, of Zinkan & Barker Development, tells LarryInFishers in an e-mail message that the Starbucks is under construction at the site and is scheduled to be open for business on August 8th.

The Fishers City Council wanted assurances that the traffic signal just west of Olio Road on 116th Street was installed before approval of the plans.  That traffic light has been in operation for a while.

The Fishers Redevelopment Commission passed a resolution Monday evening,  funding additions to The Yard complex that add $6 million to the project’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) debt.  The commission held its second public hearing, with no members of the public offering to speak on either occasion.

The original TIF debt to construct just the culinary center, which has already been enacted, is $9.2 million, according to the city’s bond attorney Rick Hall.  The $6 million in additional TIF debt will be used to finance a parking garage, which will be needed with the addition of multi-family housing s part of the plan, Hall told LarryInFishers.

The financing plan approved by the Redevelopment Commission must still go through more approvals before the decision on the additional TIF debt is  final.