In the early period of my news blog, I kept hearing about this new intersection design during Fishers Town Council meetings.  It was called the Michigan Left, and was planned for the intersection of 96th Street and Allisonville Road.

I looked at the plans and saw the Michigan Left, at least as it was designed at that time, just did away with traditional left turns and replaced it with u-turns controlled by traffic signals.  The town council members and town staff at that time emphasized the need for a public education program, so people knew how to navigate an intersection design rarely seen in this area.

The intersection opened with the Michigan Left in April of 2013.  I was new at blogging and using video, so I tried something I had never done before…placed my cell phone in a stationary position in my car and drove the Michigan Left (although all the construction wasn’t complete, the Michigan Left was there).  To this day, that is the most-watched YouTube video I have ever posted, with just under 18,000 views.  The video wasn’t even of great quality, but if you would like to watch it, use this link.

The reaction to the redesigned intersection were decidedly mixed.  There were lots of complaints but some loved it.  At the time, my wife worked near 96th & Keystone.  When we would meet for dinner after work at Sahm’s Restaurant on Allisonville Road, she often used that Michigan Left and liked it.

Why am I going over this history?  Because Thursday, CRG Residential announced a $98 million development northwest of 96th Street and Allisonville Road.  But the biggest buzz connected to that announcement was the redesign once again of the 96th & Allisonville intersection, this time with a roundabout.  I suppose that means Fishers has determined the Michigan Left needs to be scuttled in favor of a roundabout.

There was also some public comment about the CRG development plans, because a development in that same area years ago, RiverPlace, never did get off the ground.  The City of Fishers has plans for 98 acres acquired north of 96th, along the White River, which will likely end up being some sort of city park.  That clearly was a factor in CRG’s decision.

So, as always, we will wait and see how this plays out.  The new social media question is – at a very busy intersection like 96th & Allisonville Rd., will a roundabout work?  I suppose we will find out.

Fishers is welcoming Indiana’s Poet Laureate, Matthew Graham, to The Reserve in Fishers.  He will visit our fair city at 1:30pm, Friday, February 18.

Graham’s 2-year appointment as Indiana’s Poet Laureate began in 2020.  He is the author of 4 books, including his  latest, The Geography of Home (Galileo Press, 2018).

Graham has lived in Southern Indiana for 35 years and recently retired from the faculty of the University of Southern Indiana (USI).

New COVID guidelines issued by the Indiana Department of Health Thursday resulted in changes to be implemented next week by Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools.

Per those new state guidelines, schools will no longer be required to contact trace. In addition, quarantining is no longer required for unvaccinated students or staff.

This update will go into effect for Hamilton Southeastern Schools next week. As a reminder, all schools will be mask optional beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 22. However, masks are still required to be worn on the school bus per a federal mandate. If your student rides the bus, we encourage you to pack an extra mask in the event one is misplaced.

In addition:

• Families are encouraged to continue to monitor for COVID-like symptoms and stay home when sick.
• Positive students and staff must isolate for 5 days and may return on Day 6 (regardless of vaccination status) if fever-free for 24-hours without the use of medications and symptoms are resolved or improving.
  • Students and staff are encouraged to wear a mask when around others from Day 6 to Day 10.
• If there is a positive case in a household, students and staff may come to school if symptom-free.

School nurses will continue to track positive cases,  monitoring for potential outbreaks.

These updates will be reflected in HSE’s Return to In-Person Instruction Plan on Friday.

The area of 96th Street and Allisonville Road, on the far south end of Fishers, has seen a number of stops and starts in development over the years.  The recent announcement of the city’s purchase of land there along the White River provided the possibility of future development.  For CRG Properties, the future is now.

Thursday afternoon, the City of Fishers announced a $98 million CRG Residential mixed-use development at the northwest corner of 96^th Street and Allisonville Road. This project is expected to include multi-family housing, townhomes, and commercial retail space, situated next to the recently announced 98-acre parkland to the west. The City of Fishers, in close partnership with CRG, also announced the reconstruction of the Michigan Left intersection at 96th & Allisonville into a roundabout.

CRG Residential is  committing to a land donation required for the roundabout and an additional 25 acres of non-floodplain land to increase the size of adjacent parkland, totaling 123 acres for the White River passive nature park.

“This project will enhance the southwest corridor of our community in multiple ways,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in a city news release. “The new park, and now the additional buffer zone donated by CRG, will serve as a key amenity for our city and region, providing expanded public access to one of our community’s greatest natural assets—the White River. And as we bring the roundabout intersection online, the additional vehicular traffic will be able to better access the local businesses in the area as a gateway to our city.”

This CRG development plan includes 380 multi-family units, 66 townhomes for sale and 35,000 square feet of new commercial retail space. It will also include infrastructure improvements to support the City’s new park.

“We are excited about the opportunity to invest in this important corridor of the city and to enhance its value to the community,” said CRG President and Fishers resident Christopher Reid. “There are so many dynamic pieces to this development, particularly the park and greenspace along the White River which will provide access to the overall community. We look forward to working with city officials, Councilors, key partners and the community to develop a project that instills pride in the community.”

The Fishers City Council will vote on a project agreement with CRG at the February 21st meeting.  The council will consider allowing CRG to use Tax Increment Financing, utilizing the property taxes generated as collateral on the bonds to finance the project.  The $23 million bond will be developer debt, with the city holding no liability on the 25-year bond payments, according to city officials.  The bond will fund land and infrastructure costs.

The City of Fishers completed its acquisition of the areas of Fishers previously served by HSE Utilities on December 31, 2021.  If you had been making payments to HSE, particularly automatically online, please be aware of changes you need to make.

For more details, see this Facebook post from the City of Fishers:

Many of you may be aware of Allisonville Road closing Wednesday afternoon for a traffic crash.  The accident claimed one life and sent others to the hospital.

Dead is Brent Jameson, 47, from Anderson.  Hospitalized were:  Peter Monn, 47, from Indianapolis – Sharmarke Jama, 44, from Fishers – Devon Detling, 26, from Muncie – and Abdirizak Hassan, 44, from Fishers.

Police were called to the scene, on Allisonville Road between 126th Street and Orchard Boulevard, at 12:30pm.  Officers found 3 vehicles involved in the crash.

Based on evidence collected at the scene by Fishers Police, and witness statements, officials say it appears a Jeep, driven by Monn, was heading northbound on Allisonville Road when it traveled left of center, striking a Chevrolet vehicle with Jameson the driver, and a Nissan, driven by Jama. Investigators say the crash remains under investigation.

When I wrote the story about the Hamilton Southeastern School Board work session held Wednesday night, I tried to cite the referendum tax rate.  What I found was a bit of complexity that merits some explanation.

When HSE Schools held its first operating referendum in 2009, it was approved and added 10 cents per $100 of valuation to the the local property tax rate.  When the school board decided to ask voters again for an operating referendum in 2016, the board added 12.75 cents to the tax rate in its ask to voters. That referendum was overwhelmingly approved with more than 70% of the vote.  That increased the HSE operating referendum rate to a total of 22.75 cents, where it stands today.

The current operating referendum expires soon, so the HSE Board of School Trustees will determine the rate to be requested.  As reported previously, HSE board members will be deciding whether to place the referendum on the ballot in the May primary or November general election in 2023.

The board could simply ask voters to keep the referendum tax rate where it is, increase the rate or lower the rate.

As to why HSE requires an operating referendum, the state now provides most of the cash funding teachers and other staff.  According to HSE CFO Katy Dowling, HSE receives the 4th lowest per-student support from the state with money for the education fund, providing money for teachers.  Also down on that list with us are other suburban school districts, such as Carmel & Zionsville.

The last operating referendum put before Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District voters was in 2016.  That referendum expires at the end of 2023 and HSE plans to have another referendum vote in 2023.

What is not yet known is whether the referendum will be placed on the May primary or November general election balloting.  Fishers and other localities in Indiana will conduct city & town elections in 2023.

The school board appears to be moving toward hiring a consultant to help run the referendum.  In 2016, a Political Action Committee, Advance HSE, was formed to raise money and conduct the campaign in favor of passing the referendum, with local parent Sneha Shah as a volunteer chair.  HSE administrators and a majority of school board members appear to favor hiring a consultant in 2023.

It will be up to the school board to decide what rate to request and when to place the referendum before voters in 2023 – May or November.

In May of 2016, the HSE Schools operating referendum passed with 71.42% of those casting a ballot voting yes.

The board expects to form a committee with the task of interviewing candidates to be the referendum campaign consultant.  Board President Julie Chambers, when asked why a consultant is needed in 2023 when no consultant was used in 2016, responded that this “is a different time.”  She pointed out the increased importance of social media now compared to 2016.

A recommendation is expected for a board vote in late spring to name the consultant.

HSE Chief Financial Officer Katy Dowling provided a history and background of how the referendum money dovetails with the various funds the state establishes for local school districts and explained the many changes enacted by state lawmakers in the past 7 years.

Dowling also pointed out state law changes in how referendum language shown on the ballot is different under state law.  Dowling described the latest state-mandated ballot as a response for too many local school funding referendums passing.  For example, in the new required ballot language, the word “increased” is used multiple times.

Here is an example of how the 2023 referendum ballot language would be worded, with X as a placeholder for the tax rate, as provided by Dowling:

“Shall the Hamilton Southeastern Schools continue to impose increased property taxes paid to the school corporation by homeowners and businesses for eight (8) years immediately following the holding of the referendum for the purpose of funding daily educational operations, academic, and support programs, including the reduction in class
sizes, and for any other educational needs of the school corporation.  The property tax increase requested in this referendum was originally approved by the voters in 2016 and originally increased the average property tax paid to the school corporation per year on a residence within the Hamilton Southeastern Schools by XX.XX% and originally increased the average property tax paid to the Hamilton Southeastern Schools per year on a business property within the Hamilton Southeastern Schools by XX.XX%.”

In 2016, referendums had a duration of 7 years.  State law changes say school referendums now last 8 years.

No decisions were made at the Tuesday evening board work session.

The good news continues to flow from the Fishers Health Department (FHD).  In his latest video update, Epidemiologist Josh Robinson says, “We continue to see quite a precipitous drop in the number of COVID-19 cases.”

The numbers tell the tale. The most current 7-day reporting period shows a total of 210 Fishers reported COVID cases, compared to a peak of just under 2,000 recorded at the height of the Omicron wave in mid-January.  Overall cases are down 90% since the peak of the Omicron wave last month.  Fishers is now seeing the lowest number of weekly reported cases since the beginning of November, 2021.

Here are more numbers.

–The Hamilton County unique individual testing positivity rate continues a downward trend, from 28.6% to 24.9% as of early Tuesday.

–The Fishers Testing Site positivity rate has gone from 21.3% down to 19.9%

–The 14-day case incidence rate has dropped from from 82.1 to 42.7.

–Hospital availability has continued to increase and FHD anticipates that trend to continue.

Now that the COVID cases have seen a dramatic downward trend the past few weeks, Robinson says the video updates will go from weekly to every-other-week.  The next video update will come in early March.

Below is the February Fishers COVID-19 update from Josh Robinson.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School will have a mask optional policy for students and staff starting Tuesday, February 22.  That announcement was made last Tuesday.

The district cites “a steady decrease in positive cases and quarantines across our district” as the reason for this change.  Masks will still be required on school buses per the federal mandate.

HSE will continue to follow the quarantine requirements as directed by the Indiana State Department of Health until the school district is provided with different guidance.

As for student instruction, the option to Zoom into the classroom during quarantine will no longer be made available. Teachers will continue to provide students with missing work as they do with any other absence. This may include, but is not limited to:

• Posting assignments in Canvas.
• Emailing work to students.
• Leaving instructional materials at the front office for pick-up.

Students with previously written IEP contingency plans may have Zoom as a method of instruction.

Here is a link to the video from HSE Superintendent Yvonne Stokes: