When the Edge Building’s parking garage was finished, the city began setting aside the east side of the structure for works of art.  A new artist’s work will be featured at that location for the next 12-18 months.  Seasons Nouveau is now on display in the heart of the downtown Fishers Nickel Plate District.

“I’m excited to see the progress that we’ve made in arts and culture in our community,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in a city news release. “We still have a long way to go, but actions like this reaffirm our commitment to making Fishers a dynamic and vibrant place to live.”

Indianapolis-based artist Tasha Beckwith, a graduate of Herron School of Art and Design, was inspired by the Art Nouveau movement, the work of Czech painter Alphonese Mucha, and Fishers Arts & Culture Master Plan when creating this one-of-a-kind series for the city.

“When proposing this specific design for Fishers, I looked at the master plan for Arts & Culture and I noticed that they had core values, specifically the core value of inclusiveness,” said Seasons Nouveau artist Tasha Beckwith. “I decided that it would be important to present a design that tackled inclusivity and diversity.”

Seasons Nouveau was funded by Fishers Arts & Culture Commission.

“It is important to the Fishers Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Fishers to be diverse and give the people that live and work here representation,” said David Decker, Chair of the Fishers Arts and Culture Commission.

The city produced a video about the project, which can be viewed at this link.

The Fishers Plan Commission has had the same president for about 30 years, Warren “Butch” Harling.  But Mr. Harling died this week.  So, the question was, who would replace Warren Harling with the Plan Commission gavel?

Commission members made more history with that selection, local attorney Howard Stevenson was voted unanimously as the commission’s new president, the first African-American to hold that post.

“I want to thank my colleagues on the board for the confidence they have in me,” Stevenson wrote in a Twitter message following the meeting. “I also want to thank my predecessor, the late great Warren Harling. There’s no way I can fill Warren’s shoes, but I’ll walk the path he paved to make our great city even better.”

The commission members had a moment of silence in memory of their long-time president, Warren Harling.

Stevenson was appointed to fill out a term on the Hamilton Southeastern School Board, but narrowly lost election to Mike Bottorff in 2016.  Mr. Bottorff resigned his school board seat before his term ended.

Stevenson was voted to remain on the Fishers Board of Zoning Appeals.  Fishers City Councilman Pete Peterson was elected Plan Commission Vice President.

The commission voted a favorable recommendation on two projects Wednesday night.

Mann properties is proposing a senior living project located on the east side of Parkside Drive, between 126th and 131st streets, at 12915 Parkside Drive.  Mann is asking a text amendment to the Planned unit Developed, amending the parking requirements and minimum unit square footage. Mann is also requesting an amendment to the landscaping requirements that apply to the entire development.

The Marina Village development near the Geist Waterfront Park requests a text amendment, allowing for a future restaurant, and other site improvements, including the relocation of the existing entrance to align with the City’s Geist Waterfront Park on Olio Road.  Commission members asked petitioner Gordon Byers to address parking, fencing and potential noise issues with the city planning staff before the request is considered by the Fishers City Council.

After many months at the Level 4, or red, the highest COVID community risk level, Fishers is now lowered to Level 3, or orange, based on an announcement Tuesday evening by the Fishers Health Department (FHD).

“It’s definitely been a long winter where we saw huge spikes in (COVID) cases, case incidence rate and other metrics,” said FHD Epidemiologist Joshua Robinson in a video update posted late Tuesday evening.  “Thankfully, rates have been declining over the last few weeks, and this is definitely due in part to your continued support following public health mitigation strategies.”

Robinson urges Fishers residents to continue the mitigation strategies of wearing masks, social distancing and hand washing.  He says the major metrics have been going down over the past few weeks.

Over the past 14 days, 133 new COVID cases have been reported in Fishers.  Testing remains available within a day, with test results coming back in less than two days.

The health care capacity numbers continue to be favorable, according to Robinson, with hospital bed usage in our geographic area declining.

You can view the entire video message at this link.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Janus Developmental Services has named Yolanda Kincaid as its new Chief Executive Officer. The Janus board of directors made the announcement, which is effective March 15.

Kincaid

Ms. Kincaid, a Noblesville resident, replaces Christina Sorensen who announced her retirement in December. Kincaid comes to Janus from Carey Services, a job placement firm which, among their services, specializes in finding positions for handicapped individuals.

Janus is Hamilton County’s sheltered workshop for adult individuals with disabilities. The non-profit corporation also operates Hamilton County Express, the county’s public transportation service.

Kincaid, who holds a degree from Notre Dame, served as Chief Operations Officer for Carey Services.

Janus operates from facilities at 1555 Westfield Road, Noblesville, and serves clients from throughout Hamilton and Tipton counties. The organization is in the process of planning an expansion of its facilities.

by

Richie Hall

Sports Editor

Hamilton County Reporter

CARMEL – Basketball fans found some familiar and welcome sights at Carmel’s Eric Clark Activity Center Tuesday night as play began in the Class 4A Sectional 8 tournament.

There was a nice-sized crowd. Student sections were back. And the games were exciting, too. The first contest saw Hamilton Southeastern tough out a 44-40 victory over rival Fishers. In the second game, Westfield put on a blistering long-range shooting performance to beat Zionsville 61-47. Both teams advanced to the Friday semi-finals, where the Royals will play host Carmel and the Shamrocks will take on Noblesville.

WORKING FOR IT

Southeastern led for most of the opening game, but the Tigers made their district-mates work for it. The two teams traded the lead four times during the first quarter, which began with baskets by the Royals’ Dalton Retzner and Vinny Buccilla for a 4-0 advantage.

“We talked about two things,” said Southeastern coach Brian Satterfield. “One was getting off to a great start and I thought we did that, just being locked in. At the defensive end, I thought we did a pretty good job of that for the most part tonight.”

Jeffrey Simmons got Fishers on the board with a 3-pointer, then Myles Stringer’s rebound basket put the Tigers in front 5-4. The back-and-forth continued for the entire quarter: Southeastern scored four straight points, including a 3 by Isaac Bowman, and Fishers answered that with four consecutive points; Bryce Williams’ layin put the Tigers ahead 9-8.

Matt Brewer’s two free throws gave the Tigers an 11-9 lead with 54.6 seconds left in the period. But the Royals would begin a 7-0 run that stretched into the second quarter. The first period finished with a basket by Loudon Sundling to tie the game, then John McCall’s free throw finished the quarter. Southeastern led 12-11 and would never trail again.

Sam Jacobs started the second quarter by scoring four consecutive points. Later, the Royals’ Dalton Retzner made a layin to give HSE its biggest lead of the game at 21-14, then a Jacobs basket put Southeastern ahead 23-16.

The first half finished with two free throws by Charlie Smith, getting the Tigers within 24-20 at the break. The two teams traded baskets for the first part of the quarter, with a McCall floater giving the Royals a 30-24 lead. Simmons and Smith made layins to cut the lead to 30-28, which Retzner answered with two free throws.

A Williams basket was the last score of the period, which finished with Southeastern up 32-30. Williams scored again to open the fourth quarter, and the score was now tied at 32-32. Buccilla got the Royals back in front with a floater, and the Royals would stay in the lead until the final buzzer. Fishers got within 36-35 during the middle part of the period, but a 6-0 run put the Royals up 42-35, matching their largest lead of the game. McCall made two baskets and Buccilla hit a layin.

“We’ve got guys that have been in there and put in all the time and the effort,” said Satterfield. “It’s a special group and the season’s been a little up and down with a lot of things that have gone on. We were able to find a way tonight.”

The Tigers made one last push, getting to within 42-40 with 7.5 seconds remaining. But Fishers had to foul, and Alex Totton clinched the game by making two free throws.

Retzner finished the game with 13 points, while Buccilla and McCall both scored 10. Retzner and McCall both collected five rebounds. The Royals, now 12-10 for the season, assisted 14 of their 15 baskets, with Buccilla dishing out five and McCall handing out four.

Williams led the Tigers with 12 points, followed by Simmons with 11 and Smith with 10. Smith also had six rebounds and five steals, while Simmons pulled five rebounds.

Fishers finished its regular season 14-6. The Tigers were relatively young, with two returning starters and a handful of players with varsity experience, and had to learn a new system without the benefit of summer practices. First-year coach Garrett Winegar said he thought “this group was really resilient in what we were able to do.

“We ended the regular season 14-6 and had a really nice run there, winning 10 of our last 12 games after being quarantined twice,” said Winegar. “I’m proud of those guys for how they worked and how we defended. I think we defended well most of the season. Just got to find a way to score a little more.”

March 2nd was sunny with a temperature in the mid 30s and a brisk breeze.  A typical early March day in Fishers, Indiana.

This was not a typical day for me.  It marked the day I received my first COVID-19 vaccination.

I had visited the former Marsh grocery location in 116th Street, just east of Brooks School Road, at the opening day January 25th.  I am still amazed at the work done by city crews to remodel the space for this large vaccination facility.

Walking up to the building, there are many large signs reminding those entering you must have an appointment to receive your shot in the arm.  I walked-in, was immediately greeted by a smiling gentleman verifying that I do, indeed, have an appointment.

Then there were a series of screeners, all smiles, checking my body temperature and asking a number of necessary health-related questions. Registration was short and simple with another smiling face.

Once that was done, I was ushered into a cubicle with a lady preparing to provide the injection of the Moderna vaccine.  She verified my data, and before I knew it, the needle was in my arm and it was over just like that.

I was then directed to an area where I could sit for 15 minutes, ensuring there were no immediate reactions to the vaccine.  I had none.

I have an appointment in early April to receive my second dose of Moderna vaccine.  Once that is done, I wait for the full impact of the treatment to sink-in.

My thanks to the Fishers Health Department for providing such a seamless experience.  If you are at or near the time for your vaccination, do not fear.  The process is simple and, hopefully, there will be no adverse reactions.

For me, there were no problems.  Once eligible, get your appointment and get the vaccine!

When a town, later a city, grows economically, there are key people in that community steering the way.  For Fishers, Warren Harling, known as Butch to his friends, was a key player in the massive growth Fishers has seen ever since I moved to Fishers in 1991.

Warren Harling died today, per a Twitter message posted Monday evening (see above) by Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness.

I worked, on and off, as a local news reporter for many years.  In the 1970s and early 80s, that’s how I made a living.  The past nine years I have reported on Fishers news as a volunteer.  I have attended numerous public meetings as a reporter, and Warren Harling knew how to run a meeting.

Mr. Harling was a man that cared enough about his community to spend untold hours toiling on the local Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals.  These are two governmental bodies that do not normally receive a great deal of publicity, but both have been instrumental in the economic expansion Fishers has experienced.

After sitting through many a meeting chaired by Mr. Harling, I can tell you he was in charge and was a master of moving the proceedings along while giving everyone at a public hearing a fair hearing.

I recall one Plan Commission meeting where he chastised a prominent local attorney representing a developer for not providing the guarantees the city should have in the arrangement.  He had seen so many shiny, nice looking projects never come to fruition.  Warren Harling was determined to protect the interests of the city and its taxpayers.

I was honored to be the Master of Ceremonies at one of the annual dinners the city hosts in honor of volunteers, passing out awards to the many local citizens donating their precious time to the city and local nonprofit groups.  Mayor Scott Fadness chose that night to award Warren Harling the Key to the City, a well deserved honor.

During a podcast interview with the Mayor Fadness, I brought-up Mr. Harling’s name and the mayor spent several minutes listing the many contributions Warren Harling had made to the Fishers community.

There are some “movers and shakers” within any city that would be hard to replace.  Warren Harling will be hard to replace, but there are others that will step forward and learn from the example Warren Harling has set.

I had many off-the-record discussions with Mr. Harling.  He had so many stories and so much institutional knowledge about Fishers that I did my best to file away in memory what he taught me.

This is a sad time for Fishers.  I have a tear in my eye while writing this.

My sincere sympathies to the family of Warren “Butch” Harling.

One year ago, Fishers did not have its own health department.  Now, Fishers is one of only three cities in Indiana to have its own city health department.  Monica Heltz was hired to head the department and has been in that job ever since.

Ms. Heltz talks about how the department was created and reviews how her department is handling the COVID pandemic.

A public notice (shown above) posted by the City of Fishers has created lots of online chatter the past couple of days. This is a requirement under state law to give the city an option to increase a tax rate, but does not mean the city in now proposing a rate increase.

The same Notice was posted this time last year and no rate was raised as a result.

According to Ashley Elrod, spokesperson for the City of Fishers, the Notice simply provides the city with a maximum potential tax rate for 2022.

“This does not mean we are raising taxes,” Elrod tells LarryInFishers. “The tax rate for 2021 has been set.”

As stated in the Notice, a public hearing will be held on the matter at the next Fishers City Council meeting, March 15, at 7pm.

The Hamilton Southeastern School District has faced a number of challenges in recent months.  There have been issues on race relations.  The district must find $5 million in budget savings in the coming school year due to a COVID-related drop in student numbers. Like most school districts around the nation, trying to have in-person classes while protecting the health of students and staff during a pandemic has been a challenge.

There are more I could list, but the most important decision school board members face is the hiring of a new superintendent.  The current superintendent, Allen Bourff, has announced his intention to retire at the end of June this year.  The board has announced a new superintendent should be named at the March 24 meeting.

The seven board members have been gathering the past two weeks in executive session to interview candidates for the opening.  State law allows this be be done in private.

In a board session February 23rd, Board President Janet Pritchett said she was pleased with the candidates and expects the board will be faced with “a difficult choice.”

The board has one more executive session set for March 4th, presumably aimed at discussing the new superintendent.  Once the board decides on a candidate, a contract must be agreed upon before the decision is finalized.

Pritchett said the board will “hopefully” announce the new superintendent at the March 24th board session.

In the Indiana legal code, under “General Powers and Duties of School Corporation,” the first one listed is to appoint the superintendent of schools.  The board also has the responsibility to evaluate the superintendent.

The decision being made now by our Hamilton Southeastern Board of School Trustees will have a major impact on our community for many years to come.  The decision on appointing the person to lead our local school system, the 4th largest in the state, will tell us a great deal about how education moves forward in Fishers and the outlying areas served by the HSE School District.