It was more than one year ago when  IKEA announced plans to begin construction on a new Central Indiana store here in Fishers.  The work on that facility is underway and should be finished less than a year from now.

After the 2015 formal announcement ceremony, Mayor Scott Fadness indicated a “go slow” or careful approach to development in the area around IKEA.  In other localities, big box developments have normally sprung-up around IKEA locations.

The mayor had other plans for Fishers.  First, he recommended, and the city council enacted. more restrictive zoning requirements in that IKEA area of the city.  The vision was to do something creative with that part of town.

On December 15th, The City of Fishers announced what it describes as a “culinary and entertainment center” at 116th Street and IKEA Way, just east of Interstate 69, called The Yard.  The $40 million project will be developed by Thompson Thrift.

Based on all the information released so far, it appears the city is putting together a kind of Launch Fishers for food and restaurants.  Fadness appeared on Gerry Dick’s Inside Indiana Business television program, and said he expects 8-13 restaurants to be in place once the complex is complete.  But he’s most interested in the city master leasing two 1,500 square feet buildings to be used as a culinary and/or restaurant accelerator, allowing creative culinary experiments to be housed there.

Because IKEA will be a regional draw for Fishers, Fadness clearly is envisioning The Yard to draw people from the entire central part of the state.  The way this development has been described, there is nothing else like it in Indiana.

The news release refers to entertainment as part or the complex, but there is no clear indication what kind of entertainment is expected to be developed.  I suspect that more details on that part of the development will be better known as the project moves along.

Tax Increment Financing will be utilized as an incentive for the private developers to sign-on to the plans.  That means property tax money will be diverted for a number of years to pay-off bonds for The Yard.  It should be noted this land will need to be annexed into the city and rezoned from residential to another use.  Thompson-Thrift bought the homes currently on this property to demolish the structures, clearing the way for this project.

The plan will also require a waiver of impact fees.

Construction could begin as early as the summer of 2017.

When I interviewed Mayor Fadness and his Community Development Director at the time, Tom Dickey. as the downtown Depot construction was about to begin, they both made clear they had a vision.  They wanted Fishers to become a destination, much like Mass Ave, Fountain Square or Broad Ripple, but with a different twist.  They wanted a family destination.

Bringing IKEA to Fishers, and building on that with plans for The Yard, Mayor Fadness is moving forward with that vision.  Let’s be honest, there are risks involved with a development as ambitious and different as The Yard.  But we all should also keep in mind that doing nothing brings its own risks.  Time will tell whether this gamble pans out for Fishers.

The half-days teachers have for professional development will not be a part of the 2016-2017 school year.  Those student half-days built into the school calendar will be eliminated in the next school year.

Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Superintendent Allen Bourff recommended a new teacher professional development schedule at the December 14th session.  The board approved the proposal 6-1, with Howard Stevenson voting no.

The new schedule calls for teacher professional development to be done for a 45-minute period on most school-day Monday afternoons.  This would be done by expanding the teacher work day by 25 minutes and reducing student time by 20 minutes.  For more details on the new schedule, use this link.

Dr. Bourff told the board several groups were surveyed, including parents and teachers. After looking at all the results, and other factors, the proposal was made for Mondays.

This will extend the teacher work day by 25 minutes each Monday when professional development is scheduled.  “I’m fully aware that there are some concerns about what you do in this length of time,” Dr. Bourff told board members.  “No one wants to have their day extended, mandated by a government body, but what I am suggesting right now is that we step out there and do this.”

HSE Education Association President Janet Chandler said her group has been talking to the administration for a number of months about this professional development schedule. Although she expressed appreciation for Dr. Bourff’s willingness to listen, the teachers making up the membership of her association clearly want to keep the current half-day system for professional development, based on a survey done last year.

“There are definitely feelings out there that, we bargained a contract, and then all of a sudden they (school officials) increase our hours, there’s no pay to go with that, and how does that work out,” Chandler told the board.

Chandler did thank administrators for making some modifications of the professional development times.  “I know that an afternoon time (for professional development) will certainly be beneficial to teachers with families,” Chandler said.

Board President Karen Harmer said this proposal “didn’t satisfy anybody, so everybody got little pieces but nobody got what they really wanted.”

December 14th marked the final regular Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board meeting of 2016, and was also the final session for two school board members.  Karen Harmer and Howard Stevenson took the opportunity to say their goodbyes to their board duties.

Mr. Stevenson talked about the 16 years his wife has been a teacher in the HSE System and his three sons, who received top-notch educations at HSE Schools.   “I wanted to pay it forward to be on the school board,” Stevenson told his colleagues.  “For no other reason.”

He said all he wanted to do with his school board service was to give back to the school district.  “Hopefully, I’ve been able to do that since I’ve been on the board.”

Stevenson lost in the last school board Fall Creek Township election to Mike Bottorff by 41 votes out of more than 29,000 cast in November.

Board President Karen Harmer chose not to run for another term after more than 20 years on the board of trustees.

“Thank you for 20 wonderful years,” Harmer said.  ” I’ve learned so much and had the privilege to be a part of so many great programs, but most of all, I have grown, through the many outstanding people I have had to honor to get to know.”

Larry reviews a film unlike most releases found this holiday season – La La Land

A new commercial development is coming aimed at providing more restaurant choices in Fishers.

The Indianapolis Business Journal posted the story Thursday morning.  The reporter is Lindsey Erdody.  You can read the story at this link.

Comcast plans to close its call center in Fishers, but is devising a plan to allow the workers to handle customer service phone calls from their homes.

Lindsey Erdody of the Indianapolis Business Journal reported the story.  You can read her piece at this link.

School districts surrounding Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) saw their ISTEP scores drop, and school corporations around Indiana saw a drop in test scores, just as HSE experienced in this latest round.

“We’re not an outlier,” according to Assistant Superintendent Jan Combs.  “We fared better than many.

The bottom line scores are all As and Bs, but there were concerns about certain subgroups of students, such as African-American and Hispanic students.  Board Member Howard Stevenson expressed concern about the large gap between white students and the small subgroups.

HSE Superintendent Allen Bourff told Stevenson his concerns are well-founded about the gap shown for some minority groups, but emphasized that HSE received high grades from the state because “we don’t have that many people pulling our averages down just because the numbers aren’t there.”

You can view the entire ISTEP report presented to the school board at this link.

The Taco Bell on Allisonville Road, south of 116th Street, was robbed Saturday night, according to Fishers City Police.  No one was hurt.  Police set-up a perimeter in the area but could not find a suspect, described only as a black male in his mide-to-late teens wearing dark clothes.

Below is the full release from Fishers Police:

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The Fishers Police Department is currently investigating a robbery that occurred on Saturday evening at the Taco Bell Restaurant, located at 11425 Allisonville Road.

According to employees, as they were preparing for closing a male approached the counter, displayed a handgun, and demanded money. The employee complied and was not injured. The suspect was last seen running out of the restaurant.

Officers quickly responded to the area and set a perimeter. An extensive search of the area was conducted, however the suspect remains at large. Anyone with information regarding this robbery or the identity of this suspect is encouraged to call the Fishers Police Department at 317-595-3300.

Suspect Description

Black male

Mid to late teens

Wearing dark clothing

You may know Jim White is Transportation Director for Hamilton Southeastern Schools.  But did you know he has traveled the world as a military pilot, and handled the cockpit for Air Force One?  Hear that and more my podcast interview with Jim White.

A musical event in Fishers, the Christmas Extravaganza, is reviewed in this podcast.