Hamilton Southeastern finished the regular season on a spectacular note Thursday, shocking Class 4A No. 2 Lawrence North 51-49 at the Wildcats’ gym and running its win streak to 13 games.
The 4A No. 9 Royals held the lead for most of the first half, going up 15-8 by the end of the first quarter, then leading 28-17 with 2:30 left in the second period. The Royals led 30-20 early in the third, but the Wildcats made a 17-6 run to regain the lead at 37-36 with two minutes left in that quarter. LN led 39-38 at the end of the period.
Vinny Buccilla and Elliot Robinson made back-to-back 3-pointers to get HSE up by seven early in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats made another run to take the lead, going up 49-46. Kole Hornbuckle then converted a three-point play with 1:01 left to tie the game at 49-49.
Southeastern got a defensive stop with under a minute and held for the last shot when Robinson was fouled with 18 seconds left. Robinson made both free throws to put the Royals up by two. Lawrence North got one more chance, but missed a last-second 3-pointer.
“Great team win,” said HSE coach Brian Satterfield.
Hornbuckle finished the game with 13 points. DeAndre Rhodes dominated the boards with 12 rebounds, while Hornbuckle, John McCall and Mabor Majak each collected five. Buccilla handed out four assists.
The Royals finished the regular season 17-5 and will play Carmel in the first round of the Noblesville sectional at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
As Fishers has grown from the small town I found when moving here in 1991 to a city with a current population estimated at nearly 95,000, we have also seen growth in the number of not-for-profit organizations formed in our city. Even with the number of these organizations growing, the demand for services for Fishers families and young people grows even faster.
A group of Fishers nonprofit leaders began to meet last year and explore ways to work together. That has resulted in the launch of the Fishers Non Profit Coalition. The Coalition has met four times so far, with the first gathering in July of 2019, and the next session set for April, 2020,
“As we have looked at data sets from the state and other organizations over the past few years we have seen a lot of disparity in numbers making it difficult for organizations like ours to serve the needs of our target population,” said Dr. Jody Britten, co-founder of the Fishers-based non-profit Early Learning Alliance Network, in a Coalition news release.
The Coalition says it is being founded to “identify needs, cultivate community, and curate data sources to support the social infrastructure of our growing community.” The idea for the coalition started with Alison Gatz, Executive Director of Youth Mentoring Initiative (YMI).
“We started the Coalition to identify Fishers nonprofits who want to gather for conversation,” Gatz said. “There is power in collaboration and just understanding the landscape of support and expertise for the non-profit community.”
If you are involved with a Fishers nonprofit group and would like to be a part of the Coalition, fill out the contact form at this link.
For more information about the Coalition, access their Web site at this link.
Whenever I need an update on the latest news in local high school sports, I go the Hamilton County Reporter Sports Editor Richie Hall. In this podcast, we cover swimming, diving, football, girls basketball and preview the upcoming Noblesville boys basketball sectional.
One of my favorite people in the Hamilton County family of public servants is the “park guy,” Al Patterson. Unfortunately for the county, Al is retiring after 28 years of building our award-winning county park system to become the best in the state.
Many counties have maybe one small park, some have none administered by the county. Hamilton County had a small park system consisting of about 190 acres in 1992 when Al became parks director. Some of that land was not yet developed for park use.
In a county such as ours, it was obvious that the ideal land was going fast for residential and commercial development, so acquiring land with park potential was a “now or never” proposition.
Al took the lead in getting most of the current 1,600 acres of parkland. About half that land came through working with the estate of the late Dan Taylor who owned the historic farm we now know as Koteewi Park at Strawtown.
Development of Cool Creek Park near Westfield with its widely acclaimed nature center and summer concerts came under Al’s direction.
While serving as assistant to the county commissioners, one of the most memorable phone calls I got was from Jesse Cox in 1998 when out of the blue Jesse asked if Hamilton County would be interested in having his farm as a donation. I called Al, and he took it from there.
The county accepted the generous offer, and Jesse and his wife also gave a very large amount of money to develop what became Coxhall Gardens on 116th Street.
Al Patterson came to us from Connersville where he had directed city parks. With support from county commissioners, council members, and the assistance of deputy director Chris Stice and staff, we now have a group of 13 parks with great attractions ranging from bird watching to ziplining that is the envy of the state.
Al and his wife, Laura, are moving to Wisconsin where they have family, including a new grandson.
Al deserves our sincere thanks for a job well done. We will miss him.
Construction contracts have been awarded on two new interchanges on State Road 37, and work has begun at the 126th Street intersection with 37. This is the first of a massive plan to upgrade 37 to a freeway style highway without stop-and-go signals from Noblesville to Interstate 69.
Reith-Riley Construction has begun work at 126th on a project that will necessitate closing access to 37 from the west next month. When work is completed on the west lane of the new roadway later this year, access from the east will then be halted temporarily.
The $22 million project will be followed by a reconstruction of the 146th and 37 intersection, also to be undertaken by Reith-Riley at a cost of $29.8 million, according to County Highway Director Brad Davis.
Work at the 146th Street site will get underway this summer.
Davis said bids were reasonably close to estimates and reports of giving up a full interchange at 141st Street to save money is only an option should future bids exceed estimates.
The overall 37 upgrade will proceed for the next three years. Total cost was originally estimated to be about $125 million. The State of Indiana has committed to pay $100 million of the cost.
Davis appeared at Monday’s county commissioners meeting to report on progress on various highway projects. Commissioners decided to postpone replacing the bridge deck on the Carrigan Road bridge until fall after business owners in the area asked for a delay.
A contract with DHA Consultants for planning improvements to 236th Street from U.S. 31 to Deming Road will be signed soon, Davis said. The improvements include widening traffic lanes by about two feet, lowering elevation on a hill, constructing paved shoulders and a paved pathway for pedestrians and bicycles.
Construction is already underway on this type of improvement east of Deming Road. The 236th upgrade will allow safer travel from 31 to Cicero. At 31 and 236th the Indiana Department of Transportation has scheduled a modern interchange without stop-and-go signals, Davis reported.
Commissioners are preparing to proceed with construction of a three-level parking garage in downtown Noblesville. It will be located entirely on the north side of Clinton Street between 8th and 9th streets.
This is a change from original plans for bridging Clinton Street and having a two-level structure on both sides of Clinton. The change allows cost savings and more future options for the county property on the south, according to Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt.
The parking garage is part of a downtown redevelopment plan that involves selling county parking lots on the south side of Conner Street to developers J.C. Hart and other interests who plan a multi-use development there.
It is estimated the county will get $4.5 million for the land.
Fishers’ Bryce Williams goes up with the ball during the Tigers’ game with North Central Tuesday at the Tiger Den. Fishers won 66-60 on Senior Night, playing its first home game in over a month. (Reporter photo by Kirk Green)
by
Richie Hall
Sports Editor
Hamilton County Reporter
For the first time in 39 days, the Fishers boys basketball team played at the Tiger Den.
Fishers hosted North Central on Tuesday, and it also happened to be the Tigers’
Senior Night game. Fishers was stunned by the Panthers’ hot shooting in the first
quarter, but the Tigers got themselves together and took the lead in the third, then
played solid in the fourth period for a 66-60 win.
“I think Senior Nights are always tough because there’s a lot of emotion attached to it,” said Fishers coach Matt Moore. “And I thought they came out just guns a-blazin’.”
North Central’s Mike Elliott hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the game. Add to that five points from Leland Walker, and the result was an early 11-5 Panthers lead.
The Tigers cut it to 11-10 thanks to a three-point play by Jeffrey Simmons and
a basket off a steal by Dominic Castellani. But North Central finished the quarter on a 12-4 run to lead 23-14.
North Central led 36-23 midway through the second period, after which Fishers went on its first big run of the game, scoring 10 unanswered points.
Isaac Farah started it with a layin, and Simmons added four points sandwiched between a triple by Alex Szilagyi. Charlie Smith’s free throw got the Tigers within three, but Walker’s two free throws put NC up 38-33 at the break.
“The thing I liked about our guys is, I think we got down 13 and we just continued to stay n the rock, as we say,” said Moore. “Played with some poise, showed some ch racter, got it back under seven. And then we chipped away and chipped away. And I told them, once we get the lead, I’m going to call a timeout, we’re just going to reset.”
Fishers used a 9-0 run to take a 46-42 lead late in the third quarter. The Tigers were down five, but Szilagyi made consecutive baskets, then Simmons nailed a 3. Sure enough, Moore quickly called the timeout, “and it was about getting stops at that point,” said the coach.
Simmons scored another basket to complete the run and get Fishers up four. Walker made 3 of 4 free throws in the final minute of the third to keep the Panthers within 46-45 going into the fourth quarter.
The start of that period featured some back-and-forth, with North Central taking the lead twice, both times after baskets by Elliott. His second basket put NC up 51-49, but the Tigers used a 6-0 run to take the lead for good. Farah scored on a layin,
Drew Turner hit a pair of free throws, and Simmons scored. The Panthers fought to
the end, but Fishers was always able to hit a basket or make free throws in response. Simmons and Szilagyi made free throws in the game’s final 35 seconds to close it out.
“I thought late, you saw who we are,” said Moore. “We passed the ball, we made the simple play, which led to easy baskets. It’s a fun way to go out at home here, getting a school-record 18th win.”
Simmons scored 23 points to lead the Tigers scoring, while Szilagyi hit four 3s on his way to 20 points.
Fishers finished the regular season with an 18-6 record. The Tigers will play at the oblesville sectional next Tuesday, taking on Zionsville. It will be a re-match of a recent game, a contest Fishers won 58-39 just this last weekend.
“Sectional’s always different,” said Moore. “The stakes are higher now, and there’s a lot more on the line. The first game, I thought we did some good things, and they’re going to adjust and we need to be ready to combat that.”
Artist rendering of the roundabout at 141st St. & SR 37, as plans stand currently
Based on my Web site analytics, a large number of readers have absorbed the February 21st post on State Road 37 and 141st Street. Based on the feedback I am getting from my readers, it appears most residents understand what is going on, but allow me to put the entire issue into some perspective.
It is clear members of the Fishers City Council are hearing from their constituents about my story. Todd Zimmerman recently posted on Facebook about the issue and Jocelyn Vare raised the subject on her live Facebook video Tuesday night.
I want everyone to know how I learned there were potential budget issues that could impact the roundabout plans at 141st & SR 37. It was a document posted on a Hamilton County Web site. It provided minutes of a recent Hamilton County Commissioners meeting when Commissioner Christine Altman mentioned, per those minutes, that Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness contacted her asking whether the county was “committed on 141st Street or not.”
When I asked the city for comment, the communications staff confirmed that the mayor had a conversation with Commissioner Altman, discussing contingencies in the event of cost overruns.
I attend city meetings regularly, including the City Council Finance Committee, the City Council and the Board of Works and Public Safety. It is clear to me that construction costs are rising at a clip not foreseeable when the $124 million budget was set for the SR 37 project in 2015. I understand staying within budget will be a challenge.
As a reporter, once I reviewed the commissioners meeting minutes, it was the first time there had been any public indication that the budget on this highway reconstruction could have a major impact on the 141st Street interchange.
As plans stand now, 141st Street will be a roundabout at State Road 37. As I wrote on February 21st, no decision has been made to change that interchange into a right-in, right-out design, with no way to cross SR 37 at 141st Street. It appears costs of construction, if continuing to climb, could be a problem.
I feared that many would not read the story carefully, but the comments I have received, via social media and blog comments, show me that most readers know this is a contingency plan. However, some are very upset that this is even being considered.
It will be a while before any decision is made on 141st Street at SR 37, and I sincerely believe city officials in charge of this project, and the county which has partnered on the funding, will do everything in their power to keep the roundabout design on 141st & SR 37 intact.
However, we all need to be aware that the budget could fall short. Since I live near this area, I have been getting plenty of comments from my neighbors. I understand the concern. But let’s wait for the decision. As your local volunteer blog reporter, I will be watching this and other developments as the SR 37 reconstruction begins in the coming weeks and months.
The Cyntheanne Meadows residential development near 126th Street and the Cyntheanne Park area, on the northeast side of Fishers, has been granted an easement from the city, but with one condition Mayor Scott Fadness insisted be included in the granting of that easement.
Cyntheanne Meadows asked the city for an easement on what is city property east of Cyntheanne Park for a drainage easement, allowing for a storm sewer outlet to a nearby pond. A 12 inch reinforced concrete pipe will be installed providing for the storm sewer.
Fadness raised concerns about whether this easement would limit city officials from developing that land in the future, possibly expanding sports fields for Cyntheanne Park.
City Engineering Department Director Jason Taylor and City Attorney Chris Greisl told the mayor the installation of the pipe would prevent any structures from being built over the easement, but would not prevent sports fields on that site.
The mayor included that condition in moving to approve the request, which was passed by the Board of Public Works and Safety Monday.
In one other action, the board approved language contained in agreements with local nonprofit organizations to accept contributions from the city. The City Council approved $255,000 funding local nonprofits as part of the 2020 city budget. Here are the organizations and amounts to be received from city coffers this year:
The chefs at the new Fishers Test Kitchen will be getting some additional help, based on an announcement by the City of Fishers Monday. The Test Kitchen, part of the Fishers District development near Ikea along 116th Street, will be partnering with local restaurateur Neal Brown and his hospitality company, Howe and Brown Hospitality Group, to advise the new chefs as they launch their restaurant concepts.
Brown and partner Greg Howe bring more than 30 total years of industry expertise to the Fishers Test Kitchen and will coach the chefs on creating successful business systems and integrating larger teams into their kitchen operations.
“Far too often restaurants can languish in the startup phase, so we will be helping these chefs build procedures and systems to standardize how they operate, creating cultures for success,” said Brown in a city news release.
The Fishers Test Kitchen is home to Korave Korean BBQ, Lil Dumplings, featuring global street food and Natural State Provisions, with Arkansas-inspired cuisine. Sun King brewery also has a stand at the Test Kitchen.
“We want to give these chefs as much support as possible as they begin their entrepreneurial careers in Fishers,” said Scott Fadness, Mayor, City of Fishers. “Neal and Greg have a demonstrated record of success as restaurateurs, and their expertise and mentorship will be invaluable to the startup culinary scene in Fishers.”
Brown said he is looking forward to mentoring fellow restaurateurs. “We are restaurateurs by trade, and we’re here to share what we know.”
