2019 has been a very busy news year in Fishers.  In my nine years of news blogging locally, I believe I can say that was true for each and every year.

It is once again time to go back through the news stories of 2019 and try to find my Top 20 list.  Most news organizations have many meetings and tons of heated arguments for any top news story list.  For me, writing this blog alone, I can only have a debate within my own mind.

So, I’ve finally settled on a list.  Just so you know, there were several news stories that just barely missed.  Among them include Governor Holcomb choosing to announce his anti-vaping policy at Fishers High School, Bob McCutcheon’s resignation from his city post after many years of attracting acts to the city Amphitheater, the debate over creating a Geist Lake Conservation District, the creation of the Fishers Arts & Culture Commission, and the agreement between city officials and MetroNet on how to move forward with installing fiber cables in local neighborhoods.

Here is my listing of the top news stories for Fishers during 2019, from number 20 to the most important (in my view) as number 1.

20)  Arrests for Amphitheater American flag fire   A pair of 18-year-olds were arrested in connection with a fire set on an American Flag that had been placed on the wall of the city Amphitheater stage, the day after the 4th of July.

19)  Mike Bottorff resigns from the HSE School Board  Bottorff was the school board president at the time, but in a message to his fellow board members, cited family reasons for his decision to step down in late May.  Clint Wilson was selected by the board to fill-in the remainder of Bottorff’s school board term.

18)  HSE Schools install solar projects  Bob Rice is in charge of this program, which is already powering schools and more are scheduled to be added.

17)  Jeff Hill leaves the city, Jason Taylor assumes the job  With the large number of projects underway on Fishers streets and roads, the person directing the city engineering department is a key individual.  With the State Road 37 project getting underway in earnest during 2020, Jason Taylor, formerly the assistant to the director of engineering, assumed that post during 2019.  Hill left the city for a private sector opportunity.

16)  Mike Reuter retires  Mr. Reuter has been at the financial helm of the local HSE School District for about 25 years.  He will continue to contract with HSE Schools for financial services.

15)  Fishers men indicted on firearms charges  This story received a lot of attention locally and regionally because the U.S. Attorney’s office alleges the two men were conspiring to sell weapons to ISIS.

14)  HSE Schools explore flipping start times   School Superintendent Allen Bourff has been discussing the possibility of having elementary students start school earlier and secondary students reporting later.  This is the result of medical studies showing older students need more sleep.  The community meeting held to gather comments found a number of parents opposed to the change, but some voiced support.  School administrators plan to have a recommendation for the school board early in 2020.

13)  The Fishers Police Department begins deployment of body cams  Officers are being equipped to record themselves while on duty.  A civilian employee is included in the 2020 budget to manage the program and the massive amount of video recordings.

12)  HSE School Board issues an apology to the local community  The board said it has not upheld the school corporation’s normally strong reputation within the local community and around the state.  Acting board President Sylvia Shepler’s statement on behalf of the entire board acknowledges.  “…it appears our actions have further divided and brought unnecessary criticisms from the media, our community, our staff and our students.  On behalf of the board, I want to apologize.”  The statement was issued in June.

11)  Fishers City Clerk investigation  An outside law firm was hired by the city council to probe allegations of civil rights law violations against City Clerk Jennifer Kehl.  The investigation found no law violations, but did say there were “management issues” with Ms. Kehl, and the city has taken all duties away from the clerk that are not specified in state law.  The report itself has never been released publicly.  Jennifer Kehl denies all allegations of wrongdoing and/or management issues.

10)  The Yard & Fishers District begin to open  Slowly but surely, restaurants and other businesses in The Yard and Fishers District development are beginning to open for business.

9)  Rick Wimmer retires from coaching  The Fishers High School football coach started the program as the school first opened.  He won a state championship during his tenure.  Coach Wimmer will remain a physical education teacher at Fishers High School.  His replacement has not been hired yet.

8)  Todd Huston named Indiana House Speaker-Elect  It was announced that the member of the Indiana House representing Fishers will be the Speaker of House after the 2020 legislative session, replacing the retiring Speaker Brian Bosma.  Leah McGrath, leaving as Fishers Deputy Mayor, plans to run for the Bosma open seat in the 2020 election cycle.

7)  State Road 37 Project moves forward  The construction crews are hard at work with reconstructing the east-west intersections with State Road 37 in Fishers.  The first interchange to be built will be 126th Street, and the major construction activity is set to start in March, 2020.

6)    Reynolds Christmas light display donated to Conner Prairie  The family owning Reynolds Farm Equipment announced last July they would be donating their locally-popular Christmas light display to Conner Prairie.  Reynolds had offered the free display on their property for many years, but with continuing development in that area and construction nearby on State Road 37 underway, the family decided to donate the light display to Conner Prairie, which made it part of their Christmas program.

5)  Hamilton County enacts 911 tax   An income tax increase of one-tenth of one-percent will be levied on all Hamilton County residents following the approval of the tax by the sufficient number of municipalities in the county satisfying state law.  The money will be used to pay for 911 emergency services.

4)  $160 million development along 116th Street downtown  Preliminary work is already underway for a large development along 116th Street in downtown Fishers, near the municipal complex.  First Internet Bank will be moving its headquarters there, and Browning investments will be building commercial, residential and hotel facilities.

3)  Nickel Plate rail tracks removed, making way for the trail   After much planning and controversy, the railroad tracks along the Nickel Plate were mostly removed, making way for the construction of the Nickel Plate Trail.

2)  HSE Schools enact a nondiscrimination policy  This policy update had been stuck in a policy committee for over three years, but when it finally emerged, there was much controversy over whether to name protected classes of students, such as those transgender.  The first reading left the named classed out, but a group of local citizens calling themselves HSEqual organized and worked to change school board members’ minds.  The second and final reading saw the passage of an amendment including protected classes of students from discrimination.

1)  Local city elections  The Republican primary election for city officials in Fishers saw no surprises, with incumbent Mayor Scott Fadness defeating challenger Logan Day by a wide margin.  City Clerk Jennifer Kehl and some incumbent members of the city council won nominations over challengers.  In the general election, history was made as two Democrats won seats on the Fishers City Council, Jocelyn Vare and Samantha DeLong.  Losing their council seats were Republicans Rich Block and Eric Moeller.

So, that’s my list.  Feel free to disagree, argue or take issue with this listing to your heart’s content, because this is my list and my list alone, no one else put it together.

But, allow me to wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2020!

The Fishers Arts Council will kickoff 2020 at the Art Gallery in City Hall by displaying the work of Jeanette Pomeroy Parssi, beginning January 4th.  The exhibit will be titled – Dreaming in Color.

There will be a public reception Friday, January 10th, 6-8pm at Fishers City Hall.

Ms Parssi say she is aiming to stimulate emotions through mostly oil paintings on canvas.  “Experts tell us that colors stimulate emotions,” Parsii said in an Arts Council news release.

Jeanette Parssi has traveled extensively to many locales in Europe to hone her craft, sometimes alone, at other times as part of a group, but always with the goal of becoming a better artist.

One Fishers family will not have a Merry Christmas after a fire erupted in their home, but one piece of good news – there were no injuries.  The home is located in the Haig Point neighborhood, just southwest of 116th Street and Hoosier Road.

Firefighters received the call a little after 9:00pm Christmas Eve. According to Fishers Fire officials, heavy flames from the attic were showing when fire crews arrived.  Firefighters quickly attacked the blaze and contained the brunt of the fire to the attic area.

Investigators believe a bird nest atop a flood light may have been the cause.   No damage estimates are yet available.

Mayors and city councilors throughout Hamilton County have been in talks to come up with a solution to the dispute over distribution of Local Option Income Tax (LOIT) funds within the county.   That distribution formula is set by state law.

State Representative (and Speaker Elect)Todd Huston tells LarryInFishers.com that most state legislators are not sympathetic to solving Hamilton County problems.  But, if all parties agree to a new distribution formula, state lawmakers would likely go along and enact that statute.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness said earlier this year that his city is losing about $21 million this year to Carmel, when both municipalities have roughly the same population.  That amount of money would pay for the entire Fishers Fire Department and a good portion of the police force, according to Fadness.

“I have a proposal ready that would go back and make necessary changes, but from my understanding with the local elected officials, they’re working to resolve it themselves,” said Huston in a podcast interview recorded with LarryInFishers.com December 23rd.

An effort was made to change the formula near the end of the 2019 legislative session, but Huston says concerns were raised about possible unintended consequences for other parts of Indiana, scuttling the proposal.

“I think (the Hamilton County cities are) going to resolve it locally,” Huston said. “There’s an acknowledgment that if they don’t, I will have my own plan and that probably won’t benefit all the cities.  Hopefully, they can resolve it.”

You can listen to my entire podcast interview with Todd Huston at this link.

It has been traditional the past few years for Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness to sit down with me on a podcast, talking about the past year and what’s to come in 2020.  Here is that discussion

Todd Huston has represented Fishers in the Indiana House since 2012.  Now, Representative Huston is the Speaker-Elect of the Indiana House, taking over the gavel as as Speaker at the end of the 2020 legislative session.  Here is my talk with Speaker-Elect Houston.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

(NOTE: This is a commentary written by Fred Swift of the Hamilton County Reporter. The views expressed are those of Fred Swift and do not necessarily reflect the views of LarryInFishers.com.  This opinion piece is posted here as part of a partnership between the Reporter and LarryInFishers.com)

It hardly seems possible that Noblesville’s Ivy Tech is in its sixth year of operation. The vocational college opened in August of 2014 in facilities at 300 N. 17th St., which originally housed Noblesville High School.

Officially known as Ivy Tech College – Hamilton County, it is one of 30 Ivy Tech campuses in Indiana, and it’s here because of the foresight of Noblesville and Hamilton County leaders and no doubt some help from local state legislators.

City and county government invested about $18 million to buy and re-fit the building for its current use as an institution of higher learning. Daniel Lee Clark, vice chancellor in the state Ivy Tech system, heads operations locally.

The college’s two-year program offers associate degrees in courses designed to prepare students for entry into the county’s economic and growth sectors. That includes such subjects as building construction and automotive technology as well as general studies. Credits can be transferred to state universities.

A big advantage is the substantially lower cost of tuition than found at a major university campus.

Enrollment at Ivy Tech in Noblesville reached 2,722 by the end of 2018. Most students are from Hamilton County, but nearby residents are accepted. Clark says that figure is not capacity, and larger numbers can be accommodated. Registration for the spring semester is now open. Classes begin Jan. 14.

Ivy Tech facilities are not limited to the college. The Parks Department makes use of space there, along with food bank distribution, even some high school classes.

All in all, securing Ivy Tech in Noblesville has to be considered one of the major community accomplishments of the decade.

Hamilton County Reporter

Fishers freshman Olivia Smith has only been playing varsity basketball for less than two months, and she has quite a few big games ahead for her high school career.

But she will never forget her first Mudsock game. Smith hit a buzzer-beating layin to give the Tigers a 54-52 win over crosstown rival Hamilton Southeastern Saturday night at the Tiger Den.

Besides the Mudsock trophy, there was quite a bit at stake in this game.  Fishers freshman Olivia Smith has only been playing varsity basketball for less than two months, and she has quite a few big games ahead for her high school career.

But she will never forget her first Mudsock game. Smith hit a buzzer-beating layin to give the Tigers a 54-52 win over crosstown rival Hamilton Southeastern Saturday night at the Tiger Den.

Besides the Mudsock trophy, there was quite a bit at stake in this game. Fishers was putting its unbeaten record on the line. Both teams were undefeated in Hoosier Crossroads Conference play coming into the contest. And both are ranked in the Class 4A coaches poll,
with Tigers fourth and the Royals sixth.

“You try and try to tell your kids, ‘Look, it’s another game,’ and you try to prepare like it’s another game,” said Fishers coach Lauren Votaw. But the coach is aware that the rivalry is a big one and she was happy to see her team get the win.

“You just love it for your kids, too,” said Votaw. “They’re so much fun to coach every single day because they come in and they buy in. And they bought into the culture and they bought in to loving each other and doing things the right way. Right now I’m just so excited for them to get to experience the fruits of their labor.”

It was a close game the entire way. Southeastern led 16-13 after the first quarter, with Jackie Maulucci scoring seven points. The Tigers’ Katie Burton had seven points as well.
The Royals were up 30-28 at halftime, then led 44-40 after three quarters. Kaitlynn Feagan stepped up big for Fishers in the second period, scoring nine points. The Tigers held Southeastern to eight points in the fourth quarter, overcoming an early deficit in the period to tie the game at 52-52, then Smith stepped up and made the game-winning basket.

Fishers didn’t have anyone in double digits, but had three players score nine points: Feagan, Burton and Audra Emmerson. Tamia Perryman added eight points, while Olivia Smith and her sister Hailey Smith both had seven points.

Senior Lydia Stullken had five points; she and Feagan each collected four rebounds.

“This is so awesome,” said Stullken. “So happy we all stuck together, pulled
it out in the end.”

“We really only had yesterday morning to prepare fully, because we had a game on Thursday,” said Stullken. “We really locked in, we stepped it up and we did it.”

Sydney Parrish led Southeastern with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Maulucci finished with 15 points.

The Tigers are 4-0 in conference play and 14-0 overall, and are off until a Jan. 4 game at Fort Wayne South Side. The Royals are 4-1 in the HCC and 10-2 overall, and play this weekend at the North Central Classic, taking on Henderson County (Ky.) on Friday and Springboro (Ohio) on Saturday.

It is finally out in theaters – after much anticipation, the new Star Wars fil,. The Rise Of Skywalker, is in theaters nation-wide.  So, does this film measure up to the hype?

Here is my review.

The City of Fishers will begin work on a new roundabout at 126th Street and Ford Road, just west of State Road 37, in March of 2020, following the approval of a $1.69 million bid from Rieth-Riley Construction.  According to the city engineering department, the work on the roundabout should begin at roughly the same time as work begins in earnest to reconstruct the 126th Street interchange with State Road 37.

The roundabout is projected to be complete by early July of next year.

Property owners adjacent to the 126th Street intersection with Ford Road have hired a police officer to direct traffic during busy traffic times for a number of years, just to allow traffic to move in that area.  Officials say access for local residents and businesses in the area will continue during the construction period.

The bid was approved by the Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety at a Friday morning meeting.