The weekly road construction report for the Fishers area is out early this week to warn motorists of road closures for the Gobblers Jog & Wishbone 4K events.  Also, on Monday, November 27th, watch for a sidewalk closing on the northeast side of Municipal Drive and 116th Street.  Crews will be installing a new sign for the restaurant using the site that once contained LouVino….the new restaurant set to open in December at that location is Cooper & Cow Steakhouse & Bourbon Lounge.

For all the details, check out the latest road construction report below, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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To learn more about the State Road 37 Improvement Project and sign up to receive text updates, visit 37Thrives.com. 

STATE ROAD 37 AND 141ST STREET
A pre-construction phase at SR 37 & 141st Street is currently in place. During this phase, 141st Street will be a Right-In-Right-Out (RIRO) traffic configuration. 
This is not the permanent configuration. This will allow for traffic to flow more freely along SR 37 until the next phases of construction can be activated. This will eliminate backups along SR 37 that have caused dangerous stops to the free flow traffic and backups on the 146th Street interchange. Again, this is not the permanent configuration for 141st Street. The full timeline for the 141st Street interchange will be provided after project bids are accepted in the Spring 2024. View detour routes here. 

View how to merge safely onto Northbound SR 37 from 141st Street here and onto Southbound SR 37 from 141st Street here. To navigate the merge, remember:

• Use the accel lane to gain speed, not stop
• Use your mirrors and pay attention
• Look for a gap in SR 37 traffic and safely merge

To learn more about the Clear Path Improvement Project and sign up to receive text and email updates, visit clearpath465.com 

I-465 & I-69
Drivers will see an increase in construction along the I-69 corridor in the coming months. This work will focus on reconfiguring the interchange at I-465 and I-69. New ramps will provide direct movements from eastbound I-465 and northbound I-465 to northbound I-69. Binford Blvd. will also be reconstructed to separate local traffic from traffic entering and exiting I-69 and I-465. Access to I-69 from Binford Blvd. will remain open. 

In the coming weeks, drivers on WB I-465 can expect to see traffic being shifted onto new pavement between I-69 and Allisonville Road. Traffic will also be shifted onto new pavement for SB I-69 onto WB and SB I-465.

If you frequent the area of 116th Street and Municipal Drive in downtown Fishers, you may have noticed a sign signaling a new restaurant set to open in December, at a location that once housed a small-plate operation.

Cooper & Cow Steakhouse & Bourbon Lounge is to open in December, but no precise opening date was revealed in a news release.  The release says the eatery “pays homage to the skilled craftsmen known as COOPERS, who have shaped the bourbon industry for centuries.”

“It’s exciting to bring Cooper & Cow to our neighbors in Nickel Plate District and surrounding northside area,” says Matt Bauer, General Manager of Cooper & Cow. “This restaurant, which is well aligned with the city’s vision, is another keystone to the growth and development in the Nickel Plate District. We’re looking forward to quickly becoming a community partner.”

Cooper & Cow is owned by Endeavor Restaurant Group in Louisville, Kentucky.

When it was time for community comment at the end of the Monday Fishers City Council meeting, a young man named Skyler Braun stepped up to the microphone.  He recently started an e-mail newsletter (www.FishersDigest.com) focused on Fishers news with a bit of an irreverent bent, aimed at a younger audience.

Skyler wanted to provide results of a poll he conducted among his readers – should the city look into a contract with one trash removal company?  There were 220 responses with 89% saying they want a city-wide trash contract with one company.  The reason provided most often in the comments, according to Skyler, wasn’t cost, it was centered on service issues.

The most common complaint cited was having the trash collection truck miss picking up a resident’s trash.

Mayor Scott Fadness said he has tasked his Chief of Staff, Jordin Alexander, with preparing a work session presentation to the City Council, explaining the steps that must be taken to explore the possibility of such a contract.

Ten years ago, the Town of Fishers went through the process, but public comments were heavily against the idea of a city-wide trash collection contract.  With only two trash collection firms offering service now, it is possible the public mood has changed.

Fadness added that he recently spoke with one Homeowners’ Association (HOA) president that said his neighborhood will pay 45% more to renew their trash collection contract for the same amount of service.

Mike Janes has been a police officer for 23 years, 20 of those with the Fishers Police Department.  The Fishers City Council honored Major Janes Monday night for his 20 years of service to the the city.

“Mike has always been a very honest person through those 20 years of knowing him,” said Police Chief Ed Gebhart.  “He’s always put the agency, the community and the profession first, and his decision-making always exemplified that.”

Janes began as a patrol officer with the Fishers Department in 2003.  He was the first certified paramedic police officer in the Fishers force.

The major is a member of the dive team and now commands that local team.  He teaches “dive” throughout the nation, per Chief Gebhart.

Congratulations in serving the Fishers community the past 20 years, Major Mike Janes!

Fishers Police report there was a shooting in the area of Saxony Beach at about 4:15pm Sunday.  The shooting victim went to a Fishers hospital and was transported to a hospital in Indianapolis.

Police did not disclose the extent of the gunshot wound.

Authorities say this does not appear to be a random act and there are no ongoing threats to the community at this time.  Police describe this as an active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Smith at 317-595-3331 or smithjp@fishers.in.us

We have a local election in the books with the final results now certified, although the results were clear on election night.  There will be other faces changing in Fishers in addition to the election.

First, the new faces coming to the Fishers City Council.  John DeLucia, former member of the local Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board, will be a new addition to the Council in 2024.  Tiffanie Ditlevson will assume her seat on the Council next year.  Bill Stuart will be a new face at Council meetings next year as well.

Leaving the Council will be Jocelyn Vare, Crystal Neumann and David Giffel.  My guess is that all three will continue to be involved in local civic affairs.

The City Clerk will continue to be Jennifer Kehl.  She has held that office ever since Fishers became a city in 2015.

Dan Henke was unopposed as City Judge and will begin his new term in 2024.

Mayor Scott Fadness was unopposed in both the 2024 primary and general elections.

There are other changes coming to local officials outside the realm of elective office.

Edra Waterman has announced she will be leaving the Director’s job at Hamilton East Libraries (including the libraries in Fishers and Noblesville).  She starts her new job in 2024 leading the Anderson Library.  The Hamilton East Library Board will be charged with hiring a new Director.

Nataki Pettigrew, Inclusion & Equity Officer, will be leaving HSE Schools to take a similar position for Marion County’s Washington Township Schools in 2024.  It will be interesting to see what the school board does with that position with Dr. Pettigrew’s exit.

One of the most important positions still open is that of HSE School Superintendent.  Dr. Yvonne Stokes resigned under a separation agreement with the school board in September. The application process closes soon and the school board, along with a consultant, will sift through the candidates.  It is expected that a new superintendent will be hired in the coming months, but no one knows an exact timeline.

One thing is for certain – there will be new faces in key positions around Fishers in 2024.  What that will mean remains to be seen.

Here is the weekly update on road construction in and around Fishers, as provided by the city staff:

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To learn more about the State Road 37 Improvement Project and sign up to receive text updates, visit 37Thrives.com. 

STATE ROAD 37 AND 141ST STREET
A pre-construction phase at SR 37 & 141st Street is currently in place. During this phase, 141st Street will be a Right-In-Right-Out (RIRO) traffic configuration. 
This is not the permanent configuration. This will allow for traffic to flow more freely along SR 37 until the next phases of construction can be activated. This will eliminate backups along SR 37 that have caused dangerous stops to the free flow traffic and backups on the 146th Street interchange. Again, this is not the permanent configuration for 141st Street. The full timeline for the 141st Street interchange will be provided after project bids are accepted in the Spring 2024. View detour routes here. 

View how to merge safely onto Northbound SR 37 from 141st Street here and onto Southbound SR 37 from 141st Street here. To navigate the merge, remember:

• Use the accel lane to gain speed, not stop
• Use your mirrors and pay attention
• Look for a gap in SR 37 traffic and safely merge

To learn more about the Clear Path Improvement Project and sign up to receive text and email updates, visit clearpath465.com 

I-465 & I-69
Drivers will see an increase in construction along the I-69 corridor in the coming months. This work will focus on reconfiguring the interchange at I-465 and I-69. New ramps will provide direct movements from eastbound I-465 and northbound I-465 to northbound I-69. Binford Blvd. will also be reconstructed to separate local traffic from traffic entering and exiting I-69 and I-465. Access to I-69 from Binford Blvd. will remain open. 

In the coming weeks, drivers on WB I-465 can expect to see traffic being shifted onto new pavement between I-69 and Allisonville Road. Traffic will also be shifted onto new pavement for SB I-69 onto WB and SB I-465.

(The video above was recorded Thursday, before the band went outside for practice)

The excitement has been building since April of 2022.  That’s the day the Fishers High School Marching Band members got the news they will be headed to New York City, marching in the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Thursday afternoon, the media had an opportunity to see the band in action, preparing for the big parade.  Band Director Chad Kohler had a news conference as the band rehearsed in the school parking lot.  Below is a link to the video of that news conference.

This local news blog is a one-man-band (me) so I cannot be everywhere all the time.  I was covering another story which resulted in my missing the Hamilton East Public Library (HEPL) board meeting Thursday.  The Indianapolis Star was covering it.

Reporter John Tuohy says the board revoked the controversial policy moving some books from the young adult section to the adult collection.  The vote was 5-1.  Micah Beckwith voted no and Tiffanie Ditlevson abstained from voting.

Ditlevson, who will be assuming a seat on the Fishers City Council January 1 of 2024, announced she will be resigning from the library board at the end of 2023.

There is much more to this story.  You can read the IndyStar piece on this meeting at this link.   If you are not an IndyStar subscriber, you may not be able to access this story.  Once again, I urge you to subscribe to your local media.  Online subscriptions to the Indianapolis Star are not that expensive.

People of different religious faiths must recognize their obvious differences and find areas where there is agreement, then build on that.  This was the message from Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, speaking before the Fishers Multi-Faith group Thursday morning at Launch Fishers.  The breakfast session focused on how a group of clergy, representing a number of belief systems, can come together on some issues and make a difference.

The mayor asked members of the group to give him ideas, and they did, on a wide range of subjects.  There was discussion of the suffering among the civilian population in Gaza.  One African-American minister expressed that young people in her congregation do not feel safe talking about race in their local high school.  There was talk of morality and how that plays into the discussion.

One member of the group said sharing a meal can be a way to start a conversation.  Perhaps having people gather and not talk about religious beliefs or politics, but get to know each other’s personal story and family first.

Mayor Fadness did say he tries to stay out of what he describes as “culture wars” despite weekly pleas from residents that he weigh-in in such issues.

According to the mayor, one area of life is the best way in Fishers to get to know other families – youth sports.  He talked about the friendships formed when attending youth sports events, getting to know other parents with children on the same team.

At the end of the session, Fishers Public Health Director Monica Heltz listed resources the city provides for members of their congregations in need of mental health assistance.

The mayor did provide one important piece of mental health data – the city has recently seen a spike in suicides among the senior citizen population.

The mayor promised to consider all the comments from this meeting and look for ways to move forward as a city.