If you drive to the new Launch Fishers Building, you will pass a vacant structure along Visionary Way.  The site was once a Charles Schwab regional client center, but it has been vacant for a very long time.

There was a hint at the Fishers City Council meeting Monday night that there is some serious interest is someone making use of that vacant office building.   Council members unanimously approved a resolution designating the property as an Economic Revitalization Area (ERA).  That clears the way for the council to act quickly on a tax abatement should a deal be reached for a business interest to occupy the building.

City officials say the recent declaration of the area by the State of Indiana as a Certified Tech Park has renewed interest in the property.  The designation allows up to $5 million in state tax revenue generated in the area to remain in the area for infrastructure improvements and other uses.

When asked after the council session if an announcement for a new tenant in the former Schwab building is expected before the next council meeting one month from now, the mayor said, “Potentially.”

There was no indication from any city officials as to who may be interested in the building.

All we can do now is wait and see what happens next.

David George sat down and talked to me about his time on the Fishers Town Council and City Council.

Fishers Police have released the name of the victim in an accident early Saturday morning. Sarah Burgett, 27, of Fishers died after being struck by a vehicle at 131st Street and State Road 37.  Police say Burgett was apparently trying to cross State Road 37 when the accident happened.

Below is the news release from the Fishers Police Department:

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On Saturday morning at approximately 5:30am Fishers police officers were dispatched to a crash involving a pedestrian and two motor vehicles. The crash occurred at the intersection of 131^st Street and State Road 37. Officers arrived to find a pedestrian had been struck by a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban. Immediately following the initial crash the pedestrian was struck again by a 2006 Dodge Caravan.

Paramedics from the Fishers Department of Fire and Emergency Services arrived a short time later and pronounced the victim deceased. According to evidence and witness statements, it appears the pedestrian was attempting to cross State Road 37 at 131^st and both the Chevrolet and the Dodge were traveling northbound on State Road 37 at the time of the crash.

“Indiana – The Musical” opened in Fishers on July 16th….here’s my review

The annual Fishers downtown Arts Crawl drew a good crowd Friday night with a gorgeous summer evening filled with music and a lot of independent artwork.

Describing it doesn’t do the event justice, so here are some pictures, and a video of one musical act.

The Indianapolis Airport Authority has voted to allow the City of Fishers to move forward with developing 211 acres of land at Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport, located near 106th Street and Allisonville Road, per a story published on the IBJ Web site.

Susan Orr of the Indianapolis Business Journal wrote the story.  You can read it at this link.

Here’s the video of Verizon’s donation to the Domestic Violence Network

The local Domestic Violence Network has $20,000 as a result of a donation by Verizon.  The announcement was part of the opening of a new “smart store” in Carmel, on Greyound Pass.

The donation will help domestic violence victims throughout the area.

Hamilton County Commissioner Christine Altman was there, and sounded a positive note on efforts to build a domestic violence shelter in Hamilton County.  The site selection and funding for the project are both being determined.

The “smart store” concept for Verizon in Carmel is the first in Indiana.  It allows customers to sample available technology.

I was tied-up with another project when news broke of a new medical facility in the Fishers part of Saxony.

Indianapolis Business Journal reporter Lindsey Erdody did a great job reporting this story, so I will defer to her and urge you to read her story at this link.

The media spokespeople for the local city government and the schools talk about the work they do…

Fishers Police announced the arrest of three suspects from New York, being held on Fraud charges, who are possibly tied to what police describe as a multi-state crime spree.

It all started when a Fishes officer saw a vehicle in the local Wal-Mart parking lot that appeared suspicious, followed the car and stopped it along I-69 on alleged traffic violations.  That led to the discovery of material in the car, leading to the Fraud charges.

Below is the Fishers Police Department news release with the details:

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Yesterday, while patrolling the 8300 block of 96^th Street, a Fishers police officer observed a white Chevrolet Malibu, with Georgia registration, driving around the Wal-Mart parking lot. The officer observed a male and female exit the car and walk into the Wal-Mart. A third passenger remained in the car hunched down in the backseat. A short time later the officer observed the male exit the store and several minutes later the female followed. The officer followed the Malibu as it exited the Wal-Mart parking lot and traveled northbound on Interstate 69. The officer conducted a traffic stop after observing the driver commit multiple traffic infractions and nearly causing a crash with another motorist.

During the traffic stop the officer discovered these individuals were in possession of multiple cloned credit cards and a card skimming device. Officers also met with Wal-Mart Loss Prevention and learned the suspects had committed ten fraudulent transactions using cloned credit cards. All three suspects were taken into custody and transported to the Hamilton County Jail without incident. 

This continues to be an active investigation and additional charges may be filed in the future. Anyone with information regarding these suspects is encouraged to contact Officer Greg Weesner at 317-595-3300.   

Media Personnel – Please direct any further questions, regarding this case, to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office.

Suspect:       Clifford Cerisier

                        28 years old

                        Springfield Gardens, NY   

Charge:         Fraud Level 6 Felony (10 Counts)

Held:              Hamilton County Jail

Suspect:       Kevin Rivera

                        26 years old

                        Brooklyn, NY

Charge:         Fraud Level 6 Felony (10 Counts)

Held:              Hamilton County Jail

Suspect:       Chanique Richardson

                        28 years old

                        Brooklyn, NY

Charge:         Fraud Level 6 Felony (10 Counts)

Held:              Hamilton County Jail