Normally, LarryInFishers.com podcast recordings are done in person at my  insistence.  However, in the era of social distancing, I agreed to start conducting interviews via telephone.

My first such podcast featured HSE School Board President Michelle Fullhart and Superintendent Allen Bourff.  Both had a lot to say.

With school buildings closed and e-learning in full swing, after some initial glitches, the e-learning system appears to be running as well as could be expected.  As things stand now, teachers are delivering the e-learning lessons Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday each week.  Monday and Friday are treated as building closure days, with Governor Eric Holcomb allowing up to 20 such days for the remainder of the school year.  Dr. Bourff says systems are up Monday and Friday if students choose to do homework on Monday or Friday.

Fullhart praised the district’s teaching staff, which changed their way of teaching in a matter of hours.  Dr. Bourff says the administration is working on “hot spots” allowing Internet access to students without a home connection, with some already in place.

Hourly employees are being paid their regular wages, even though classes are not in session.  All hourly workers are on call during work hours and many have been called to work.  Bourff says this will continue as long as the district can support the policy financially.

What about the graduation ceremony scheduled for May 30th?  If it cannot happen on that date due to social distancing, Fullhart is in favor of having the graduation ceremony wherever it can be held, possibly in June, July or early August, in the football field facilities if needed.  She believes this year’s senior class deserves a chance to graduate with their friends after 13 years in the school system.

President Fullhart and Superintendent Bourff had a lot more to say in my podcast interview, which you can access using the link below.

Two people are dead following an hours-long standoff at the Woods of Britton Apartments, near 141st Street and State Road 37, based on a news release issued by the Fishers Police Department.

According to my news gathering partner, The Hamilton County Reporter, Hamilton County Coroner John Chalfin identified the two as Derrick Upshaw, 49, and Tiffany Plummer, 34.

Around 2:30pm Monday afternoon Fishers Police Officers were called to conduct a welfare check at the apartment unit located at the 13900 block of Ashlake Lane .  As officers approached the apartment building, police say a suspect began shooting from a second-floor apartment. Officers immediately took cover and secured the area.

Emergency Response Teams and Negotiators responded. Attempts to establish communication with the suspect were unsuccessful. Emergency Response Team members made entry to the apartment. Once inside, officers located the two bodies, both suffered injuries believed to be from a firearm. Both died at the scene.

Police say it appears to two found in the apartment knew each other.  The investigation confirms there is no threat to the community and officers are not searching for any suspects.

Fishers Police thanked the following nearby agencies for their assistance: Carmel Police Department, Noblesville Police Department, Westfield Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Indiana State Police.

This investigation remains active. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Robbie Ruble at 317-595-3319.

I suppose we should all become accustomed to doing things differently in this age of the novel coronavirus and social distancing, but this month’s Fishers City Council meeting was like none I had seen before.

There were only three city councilors in the council chambers Monday night, yet all nine council members were voting on every agenda item.  The remaining five were on a telephone setup, allowing them to vote and comment if they so desired.

Council members voted unanimously to approve two resolutions extending executive orders already issued by the mayor.  Under state law, such orders by a mayor may only last 7 days.  The City Council must vote in favor of extending the mayor’s authority to issue orders.

The council resolutions continue for as long as Governor Eric Holcomb’s orders remain in force.  The mayor’s actions include a travel advisory for what the order describes as unessential travel and a delay in storm water payment deadlines.

The council also unanimously voted to refinance city bond debt,  taking advantage of lower interest rates.

Today has been a very busy coronavirus day and it is not over yet.

Monday morning, the Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety held a virtual meeting…  Mayor Fadness was as City Hall, and the other two board members, Jason Meyer and Jeff Lantz, were on a speaker phone for the session.  City Attorney Chris Greisl was physically with the mayor at City Hall.

The board passed a resolution empowering the mayor to take certain actions that would normally require board approval.  Examples would be city contracts in excess of $50,000 or changing the hours of operation in city parks.  That doesn’t mean the mayor is planning either one of those actions now, the resolution simply gives Fadness the legal authority to take such action if the situation requires.

The resolution also requires the mayor to document any actions authorized by the resolution and report back to the board at a later date.

The Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety consists of the mayor and his two appointees.

Shortly after the virtual Board of Works session, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb issued a “stay at home” order.  Fadness posted a Twitter message shortly after the governor’s announcement in full support of the action.

“We must make individual sacrifices for the collective good of us all,” Fadness wrote in the Twitter post.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Proposed improvements for the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds will be revealed to county commissioners on Monday. Director of 4-H activities Susan Peterson has been working with county officials to plan various upgrades and expansion of facilities at the fairgrounds on East Pleasant Street in Noblesville.

Details on the plans were not available Friday, but will be reported when they are made public.

At their regular meeting, commissioners will also consider contracts with RQAW Engineering and C.H. Garmong Inc. for design and construction of a three-level parking garage to accommodate employee and public parking

The garage will be built on the north side of Clinton Street between 8th and 9th streets in downtown Noblesville on ground that is currently being used for surface parking.

The new facility which has been discussed for the past year is estimated to cost about $9.5 million. Approximately half the cost will be paid with funds from the sale of another county lot on the south side of Conner Street at White River. That ground will be developed into a large mixed-use development planned by a private developer.

The county has cash on hand to pay for the other half of the new parking garage, first of its kind in Noblesville. A date for start of construction has yet to be determined.

Highway construction is expected to start this spring on completion of the final mile of the upgrading of 146th Street from Shelborne Road to the Boone County line. County Highway Director Brad Davis said yesterday that contracts have been signed with Gradex Corporation for the work which will complete the dual-lane road from Interstate 69 to Boone County.

Commissioners will also hear from the County Clerk Kathy Williams on the possible need to change several polling places in advance of the primary election. Some nursing homes and churches have reported they cannot host voting due to the pandemic shutdown.

Voters will be notified if the changes affect their polling place.

Hamilton County Reporter

As everyone has heard, face masks are virtually impossible to find amid the coronavirus pandemic, and that has hospital officials around the country and Indianapolis concerned.

Navient employees have always shown concern for local communities, and that’s no different today. Navient’s Tony Huddleston, Facilities and Operations Director, and Joe Worley of Community Hospital North, loaded Worley’s SUV with 2,700 surplus N95 masks being contributed to the hospital, a neighbor of Navient’s Fishers site.

Navient maintains a supply of these masks for business resiliency purposes, but the company has more than needed for the current environment. Across the entire company nationwide, all excess masks are being donated to local hospitals, the American Red Cross, and other organizations because of the urgent need.

Many of us are in our homes avoiding the spread of coronavirus.  So, we are not going out to the movies.  With that, we are often looking for entertainment in our homes.  As a result, I sampled some offerings provided by Netflix and HBO.  If we are hunkered-down long-term, these sorts of reviews will continue until movie theaters and back open again.

Whether we like it or not, COVID-19 has most of us ensconced in our homes for an indefinite period of time.  If you are looking for something to do, try one of my podcasts, including the most recent conversation I had with Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness all about his actions related to the coronavirus.

There are many platforms where my podcasts may be found.  Here are some easy-to-access links:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify  

Stitcher  

Listen Notes  

As long as I can remember, the terms Chamber of Commerce and Merhoff have been connected.  That goes back to when Fishers had its own Chamber, before the merger with Carmel that created One Zone.  Now, based on reporting from my news-gathering partner, the Hamilton County Reporter, Mo Merhoff is retiring.

“Now in my 20th year, it seems like a good time to end this significant chapter in my life,” she said. “Unfortunately, current conditions preclude this from being a public announcement as planned.”

OneZone’s Chief Operating Officer Jack Russell will serve as interim president. OneZone’s board of directors will launch a regional executive search for a president in the next few weeks.

According to OneZone Board President Kathy Krusie, “Mo has been instrumental in creating an environment in which businesses thrive, that in turn has resulted in Carmel and Fishers being nationally recognized as outstanding communities in which to live, work, and play.”

After joining the Carmel Chamber in 2000, Merhoff championed numerous collaborative initiatives and established the organization as a source of information and education for businesses, entrepreneurs and non-profits, leading to exponential growth. In 2015, the Carmel and Fishers Chambers of Commerce merged to create OneZone representing more than 1,300 members, and that same year was recognized as the Indiana Chamber Executives Association’s Chamber of the Year. Most recently, she has facilitated an active public advocacy initiative on behalf of members and their businesses.

“The very best of my years with the chamber have been the incredible people I’ve worked with and gotten to know. These are the people with vision, commitment and spirit who have been the main ingredients in making our communities extraordinary, enviable places,” Merhoff said.

Prior to joining OneZone, Merhoff, spent 14 years with the United States Rowing Association, including serving as the executive director of the 1994 World Rowing Championships in Indianapolis.

Merhoff’s future plans include continuing to facilitate board planning sessions for not-for-profit organizations as well as traveling and spending more time with her husband, dogs and horse.

Hamilton County Coroner John Chalfin has ruled the deaths of two people in Fishers as a murder-suicide, according to my news-gathering partner, The Hamilton County Reporter.

Shortly after 1 a.m. on Wednesday, Fishers Police Officers responded to a family disturbance in the 12600 block of Ladson Street (near 126th Street and Cumberland Road). Upon their arrival officers located an adult female and an adult male both suffering fatal injuries from gunshot wounds.

Chalfin indicated Zachary Hileman, 20, shot Debra Hileman, 73, prior to killing himself.