Moms Demand Action is a national organization that argues for gun safety.  June 3rd is the normal time of year for their gatherings, but recent mass shootings have put an emphasis on their work.

At Fishers City Hall, the group gathered Friday night for one of the events happening throughout the state and nation.  It is always tricky to estimate, but I would guess there were 50-60 supporters of Moms Demand Action on hand to support the orange shirts.

During the speeches, it was noted that Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard and Westfield Mayor Andy Cook both issued proclamations in support of Wear Orange.  Although Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness did not issue a proclamation or similar statement, the speakers noted that the city allowed the Wear Orange group to gather at Fishers City Hall.

I recorded a brief video with Wear Orange spokesperson Patricia Rettig, and she explained why the color orange has so much meaning for Moms Demand Action.  View the video at the link below.

The City of Fishers has released its weekly road construction update.  There are a number of projects already announced and several ongoing construction work  listed this week.

Note that 116th Street between Brooks School and Olio Roads will have westbound lanes closed starting Tuesday, June 7 at 6 p.m. and is expected to reopen Wednesday, June 8 at 6 p.m., allowing for for concrete joint repair work by DPW.

Below is the complete listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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Summer weather is here and road construction season is in full gear.  Some major news is coming up on the biggest, longest-running road improvement project in Fishers – State Road 37.  However, one segment of that project yet to be started may have hit some complications.

The interchange at 126th Street and SR 37 has been open for some time, with SR 37 north-south traffic traveling unobstructed with an underpass at 126th Street.  126th Street features an overpass roundabout for handling east-west traffic.  So far, that improvement appears to be getting high marks from Fishers motorists.

There are two major construction projects that continue and are expected to open after the summer season.

131st Street & SR 37 is expected to be completed and open for traffic in September or October this year, according to Hatem Mekky, Assistant Director of Engineering for the City of Fishers.  The design is similar to the 126th Street interchange.  Once that is completed, 135th Street, which currently uses a traffic signal to control traffic at SR 37, will become a right-in right-out design.

SR 37 and 146th Street is also scheduled to be completed at about the same time as 131st Street, according to Mekky.  This is a much different design, featuring a north-south underpass for SR 37 vehicles, but will not have a roundabout on the east-west overpass, as in 126th & 131st Streets.  This design will feature traffic signals on 146th Street, much like the interchange of Allisonville Road and Interstate 465 in Indianapolis, just south of Fishers.

As of the fall of 2022, only one Fishers SR 37 interchange will be left to complete – 141st Street.  In a podcast interview recorded and posted May 6th, Jason Taylor, Director of Engineering for the City of Fishers, said the bids have been opened for the work at 141st & SR 37, and they were way above the estimates.  The bids came in so much higher than expected that Taylor said his staff will be sifting through the bids to find a path forward.

Once Taylor’s Department recommends where to go from here on 141st Street & SR 37, he will report to both the Fishers City Council and Hamilton County elected officials (the SR 37 project is a joint effort including city, county and state funding).

So, two major parts of the SR 37 plan will see completion later this year and the final project is on hold due to bids submitted much higher than estimates.

It will be interesting to see what happens next.

With all the media attention on how the police in Uvalde Texas did (and perhaps did not) handle the deadly elementary school shooting there, Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart was clear.

“The first man or woman on scene must go in and is required a solo response,” Gebhart told Mayor Scott Fadness in a Wednesday night Webinar.  After the Columbine High School shooting, police departments planned a mass response, but according the the Chief, experience in mass shootings of all types has resulted in the assumption that a Fishers officer on the scene will respond at the scene.

Mayor Fadness scheduled the school safety Webinar to update the local community on how local law enforcement constantly trains for situations such as school shootings.

Gebhart emphasized that the responding officer must be trained and equipped to handle an emergency such as a school shooting.  Fadness had witnessed such training and said it was “an impressive thing to see.”

The mayor also asked about how police evaluate threats and Gebhart said all threats are evaluated and the response is tied to the level of that threat.  His officers, the Chief said, have been known to awaken parents at 2am if there is sufficient cause to look at a potential school threat.

Gebhart reminded the community that all School Resource Officers (SROs) are sworn officers, part of the Fishers Police Department.  Officers in his department compete for SRO position openings.  There are also patrol officers in the area of school buildings prepared to respond quickly if needed.

Fishers Police have two leaders on the scene of any incident to support the officers responding.  Gebhart said he has expectations of leadership among his uniformed staff and officers.

The mayor provided a hypothetical situation where an employer is planning to fire an employee and there is some concern that the worker being let go may have a violent response.  Gebhart replied that his department is notified of such situations all the time and arrange for what is needed based on the level of possible threat.  It could just mean an officer is parked in the business parking lot while the firing happens.

Fadness emphasized that police officers are fathers and mothers as well and are being expected to go into a potentially dangerous situation if they are the first on the scene of a school shooting and must go in.  Gebhart replied that all officers understand the risks of the job.

Both Mayor Fadness and Chief Gebhart emphasized that the community plays a role in alerting authorities if there is a threat.  The city offers a High Threat Response program where businesses, churches and other parts of the community may receive training on responding to emergency situations.  To learn more about the program, use this link.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness takes on his second job as a talk show host Wednesday night, June 1, at 8PM.  The mayor plans to discuss school security with Police Chief Ed Gebhart.

It is sad that a horrifying incident like the one in Uvalde, Texas brings our attention to safety in our school buildings.  But the mayor intends to talk about how our local uniformed officers train for the worst and establish protocols for handling a situation such as a school shooter.

After all, it wasn’t that long ago that there was a school shooting in nearby Noblesville.

The Town Hall will be held online.  You can pre-register at this link

You may also send your questions in anytime before the Town Hall at this link

While attending the Fishers Memorial Day observance Monday, noting that it is always a somber ceremony for good reason, the perfect weather brought to mind how people living in this city are looking forward to the season.

After all, the last summer like this was 2019.  We have all been dealing with COVID every summer since.  Last year was much better, but for some reason, the anticipation for summer 2022 is very high.

It should be noted COVID is not over and the Fishers Health Department recently upped the local COVID-19 community level from low to medium.  Fortunately, the Omicron variant version spreading locally is not resulting in serious illnesses overall, based on the last Health Department update.  The high level of local COVID vaccinations may be playing a part in this as well.

With that aside, there is plenty to foresee in this Fishers summer.  There will be free Amphitheater concerts on Tuesdays and some ticketed concerts on Fridays and other times ($20-$25 is a cheap ticket in this day and age).  I expect Fishers parks to be as busy as ever.  The swimming pool in my condo community opened on Memorial Day to a packed crowd.

The Spark Fishers Festival is coming later in June.  The Fishers Parks and Recreation Department (view the calendar of events at this link) has plenty of activities all summer long.

On Sunday, June 19th, join two high school clubs in celebration of Juneteenth at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater.  The Fishers High School’s Future Black Leaders Club joins forces with the Hamilton Southeastern High School’s Black Student Union for an event that will feature food trucks, bounce houses, face painters, entertainment and more.  Join the festivities 2pm-6pm.

By the way, this will be the last summer for the building we know as Fishers City Hall.  The structure is sinking into the ground and engineers have told the city the building cannot be saved and will require a lot of money just to keep it above ground.  Therefore, our City Hall will be subject to the wrecking ball this fall, with a new Arts Center & Municipal Complex to be constructed on that site.

This is just a small sampling of summer in the city for Fishers in 2022.  I will be writing about more as we get closer to the actual events.

We all have been through a lot since early 2020.  COVID-19 has been a stress on all of us.  Let’s give ourselves a break, take some time to enjoy a summer in Fishers with plenty of enjoyable things to do.

Thanks for reading.

A heavily traveled corridor in Fishers will be closed for a few days in June, allowing the replacement of what is described as “a large pipe.”

Cumberland Road, from 96th Street to 106th Street, is scheduled to close June 6 and reopen late in the day June 10.

Below is the text of the announcement from Hamilton County:

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Please be advised, beginning on or after Monday, June 6, Cumberland Road between 96th Street and 106th Street will be closed to all thru traffic for the replacement of a large pipe. The estimated project completion date is end of day Friday, June 10. 

Local traffic will continue to have access to their homes north and south of the hard closure (which is approximately 2,150’ north of 96th Street), while thru traffic is asked to utilize the posted detour route of 96th Street, Lantern Road, and 106th Street.

It was a perfect sunny early summer day – Memorial Day, 2022, in Fishers.  People were out walking the Municipal Complex and the Nickel Plate Trail.  The birds were singing among the trees near City Hall.

But the large crowd had assembled at the Municipal Complex for a very specific reason – to honor America’s war dead on this Memorial Day.  I have been attending these Fishers Memorial Day commemorations for about 10 years, and this year’s observance drew the largest number of people ever.

The event was planned by the recently-formed Fishers Armed Services Commission.

The featured speaker was a Fishers resident, retired Brigadier General Don Canaday, speaking about how the nation of Luxembourg remembers war with a group of 100 people each year at this time.  Europeans have experienced war on their land and they do not forget.  They also have not forgotten the Americans that perished in European wars.

He remembered friends in uniform that served in Vietnam with him but did not return.

Canaday reminded those assembled that whenever America is threatened, young people are willing to make the sacrifices to defend the nation.

Emcee El Ahlwardt reminded the crowd that it is not a good idea to wish anyone a happy Memorial Day.  “This is not a happy day,” he said.

Ahlwardt also recognized Wayne Caldwell, a veteran that had spoken at many Memorial Day observances in Fishers.  Mr. Caldwell died last February and his widow accepted an award on her deceased husband’s behalf.

Mayor Scott Fadness spoke about the sacrifices Americans have made in war time.

“I don’t think they sacrificed their lives and their futures for the political discourse we see in our country today,” said Fadness.  The mayor said those sacrifices were made so their sons and daughters can become part of a community like Fishers, and be willing to be part of a community that is much bigger than themselves.

Brigadier General Canady had the most telling remark of the day –  “There’s no such thing as a good war.”

Here are more photos from Monday morning’s ceremony:

Continue reading Large crowd gathers for Fishers Memorial Day ceremony 2022 →

The Fishers Health Department has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases locally, leading to a change in the Community Level.  Below is the latest COVID information from the Fishers Health Department:

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We have moved our CDC COVID-19 Community Level from Low to Medium, driven by the increased spread of COVID-19 in the local community. While we continue to observe an increase in reported cases due to more transmissible Omicron subvariants, there is no evidence yet of increased severity of the disease. New COVID-19 cases per 100,000 individuals increased from 158 to 203. New COVID-19 admission per 100,000 increased from 4.7 to 5.8 and the percent of staffed beds occupied by individuals with COVID-19 increased from 1.3% to 1.5%. 

Additional guidance with the CDC COVID-19 Community Level at Medium: Talk with your healthcare provider about appropriate precautions if you are at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19. If you live with or have social contact with someone at high risk for severe outcomes, consider self-testing for COVID-19 before making contact and consider wearing a mask when indoors with the individual. 

Practicing mitigation measures for yourself, your family, and our community is important, including staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines. See the full metrics report.

The intersection at Cyntheanne Road and Southeastern Parkway will be closed beginning May 31 through the end of July, allowing the construction of a roundabout.  That is one of many construction projects starting and ongoing as the summer road construction season gets into high gear.

Below is the full road construction listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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