by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

For motorists using Noblesville’s Logan Street Bridge, it may have seemed that the reconstruction of the structure would never be done. But, after nearly a year, there is light at the end of the bridge.

Official dedication and ribbon-cutting has been set for Jan. 6. The multimillion-dollar project involves widening the span over White River to accommodate sidewalks on both sides and a new deck.

Total cost is slightly over $4.2 million, according to County Highway Director Brad Davis. This includes an “overlook” on the southside, lighting and other aesthetics. The city of Noblesville is paying for these extra improvements which amounts to upwards of a third of the total cost.

Since it is a major bridge, county government is responsible under state law and therefore the project’s lead agency even though the bridge is within Noblesville city limits.

The project is designed to give safer access across the river especially for pedestrians going to and from the new Federal Hill Commons on State Road 19 between Logan and Conner streets.

Davis said the delay in completion was mostly due to the rainy spring weather which caused a high river level. Originally completion had been scheduled for summer or fall of this year.

December will see a blend of two different types of art in Fishers…music and paintings.  It all happens at City Hall December 13th, 6-9pm, with a reception with light hors d’oeuvres from 6-7:15 pm followed by a Fishers Community Choir concert at 7:15 pm.

There are two art exhibits. The first entitled, “Winter Wonderland,” runs from December 4th thru December 28th and includes art work reflective of the winter season. Featured artists are Margot Bogue, Krista Darrow, Jacque Hammonds, Angie Jones, Antonio Menendez, Trudy Rister, Brenda Stewart, Marie Williams and Angee Walberry.

The second exhibit opens our new Alcove Gallery and features serigraphs by David O’Dell. This is first extended exhibit in The Art Gallery at City Hall, running from November 1st through the end of the year. It is an homage to David’s father.

David is a master printmaker who creates limited editions of various subjects. Serigraphs are prints created from fabric, stencils and ink. His goal is “to create art that makes you stop and look at things from a new and different perspective that is fun and entertaining.”

Sam DeLong has been spending time sleeping and being around her family since election day.  After Thanksgiving, Sam plans on beginning her preparations for serving on the Fishers City Council.  Here is my post-election discussion with Sam DeLong.

Fishers got an early jump on the Hoosier Crossroads Conference race, as the
Tigers beat county opponent Westfield 59-42 Friday night at The Rock.

The game was close through the first half. The Shamrocks were ahead by one
point, 10-9 after the first quarter, with Fishers edging ahead 20-19 by halftime.

But the Class 4A No. 6 Tigers took control in the third period, pouring in 26 points while allowing Westfield just nine.

“We just kept telling our kids to keep doing what they were doing defensively,”
said Fishers coach Lauren Votaw. “We’re very deep and we have a lot of players
that we can run in and out. We kept defending. And then when you hit shots, it
loosens everything up a little bit, too.”

Burton scored 11 points in the third quarter, while Kaitlynn Feagan nailed three 3-pointers in that period. Feagan added another 3 in the fourth quarter, giving her four for the game.
Burton finished with 15 points, while Feagan scored 13. Freshman Hailey Smith contributed 12 points.

“We’re very deep, we’re well-balanced and these guys are playing unselfish basketball right now, and that’s about all I can ask for,” said Votaw.

Lydia Stullken led the Fishers rebounding with eight, while Tamia Perryman blocked two shots.

Ashtin DeCraene scored 12 points for the Shamrocks, including three 3-pointers. Alyssa Crockett and Ava Henson both collected four rebounds, with Crockett blocking two shots.

“They came out with a lot of energy,” said Westfield coach Ginny Smith. “We
just got lost on defense a few times, momentum shifted and they capitalized on
it.”

The win keeps Fishers unbeaten at 7-0, and the Tigers return home Tuesday for another HCC game against Zionsville.

Westfield is 3-2 and is also back in action on Tuesday, traveling to McCutcheon.

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern entered Hoosier Crossroads Conference play with a win, beating Franklin Central 57-46 Friday at the Royals’ gym.

Class 4A No. 7 Southeastern led 12-8 after the first quarter, then extended its advantage in the second period, taking a 30-17 lead into halftime. Sydney Parrish had another incredible game, scoring 32 points.

Parrish wound up with a double-double, as she pulled 10 rebounds, and also had four steals, four assists and two blocked shots. Jackie Maulucci came close to a double-double, with nine assists to go along with her 14 points.

The Royals are 4-1 and play another home game this afternoon, welcoming Fort Wayne Carroll in a 2:30 p.m. varsity tipoff.

If you have traversed State Road 37 lately, you can see some of the work has begun reconstructing the highway.  Watch for more lane restrictions.

Also, be in the lookout for lane restrictions on 131st Street between Parkside and Cumberland Road.

In additional, the closure on Lantern Road continues  and watch for the ongoing work on parts of 96th Street.

For the details, here is the weekly road construction update, as provided by the City of Fishers.

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STATE ROAD 37 
There will be lane restrictions on northbound SR37 for several hours this Sunday, November 24.  There are also lane restrictions on southbound SR37 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily. Southbound restrictions are expected to last for approximately 2 – 3 weeks. To learn more about the State Road 37 Improvement Project and sign up to receive text updates, visit 37Thrives.com.

131st STREET
There will be lane restrictions on 131st Street between Parkside Drive and Cumberland Road on Tuesday, November 26 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. There will be flaggers directing traffic.

On Monday, December 2, 131st will be closed to traffic for one day from Parkside Drive and Cumberland Road beginning at 7 a.m. Residents of Sterling Green will have access from the east to Cumberland Road.

LANTERN ROAD 
Lantern Road is closed to through traffic, beginning south of 116th Street to Fishers Pointe Boulevard, as part of the Downtown Infrastructure Improvement Project to improve the sanitary sewer underneath Lantern Road. Access to Lantern Road remains open from the north (via 116th Street) for local residential, business, and Fishers Elementary School traffic. The closure for this portion of the project is expected to last approximately 90 days. Check out the project Fact Sheet to learn more.

Hamilton County Reporter

On Tuesday, emergency personnel from the Noblesville Police Department, the Noblesville Fire Department and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of an injured person in the 100 block of North 8th Street.

According to police, Ryan Scott Herring, 21, fell while installing holiday decorations on a city light pole. Herring was a contract worker from Winterland Inc., the company hired to install decorations around the courthouse square.

According to the Noblesville Police Department, several sheriff deputies working security at the Judicial Center, as well as several citizens, immediately began providing aid to Herring until paramedics arrived.

Herring was transported to Riverview Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

A statement issued by the Noblesville Police Department on Wednesday indicated the investigation is ongoing and detectives are assisting the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office.

Fishers loss will be Noblesville’s gain, as Lindsey Bennett has been named the new City Attorney for the City of Noblesville by mayor-elect Chris Jensen, according to my news-gathering partner, the Hamilton County Reporter.  Bennett has served the past several years as Assistant City Attorney for the City of Fishers.

Before coming to Fishers, Ms. Bennett served five years as an associate city attorney in Fort Wayne, as well as having a broad background in contracts, real estate and utility issues. She received her JD degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law, is a Noblesville resident, and volunteers with the Hamilton County Youth Assistance Program and the Youth Mentoring Initiative.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness has made it clear that he has been focused on attracting high-tech firms to Fishers, and the city announced Thursday that PerceptIn, a company currently located in Santa Clara, California, is moving its headquarters to Fishers.  The firm plans to launch an autonomous vehicle pilot program and create up to 50 new well-paying jobs by 2022. PerceptIn will establish its headquarters at the Indiana IoT Lab located in  Fishers in preparation for the launch of its pilot program in early 2020.

Perceptin and the City of Fishers jointly announced the move Thursday morning.

”When we launched the Indiana IoT Lab in 2017, a company like PerceptIn is exactly who we had in mind to propel our city even further as a leading city for tech,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness. “Fishers is a city made for entrepreneurs, and today we are happy to support the future of transportation technology through this pilot program and in support of our newest Fishers company, PerceptIn.”

A pilot program is planned to establish a transportation between Launch Fishers. IOT Lab area and downtown Fishers.  The service will be available 10:30am–2:30pm daily,  supporting short trips to restaurants and meetings in the downtown area. Routes are will expand pending results of the pilot program.

“We’re extremely excited to relocate our headquarters to Indiana,” said Shaoshan Liu, chief executive officer of PerceptIn. “Indiana’s commitment to growing and enhancing its technology sector, along with its business-friendly environment and collaborative industry partnerships, is why we chose to locate here. Additionally, we look forward to deploying our autonomous microtransit services in Fishers, and increasing our presence throughout the state, setting an example for the rest of the nation on utilizing advanced technologies to improve public transportation systems.”

PerceptIn will use the Indiana Headquarters Relocation tax credit program, which provides incentive for the relocation of small, high-growth companies to the state.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered PerceptIn up to $3.5 million in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim incentives as Hoosiers are hired. The Fishers Redevelopment Commission will consider approval of an agreement between the Indiana IoT Lab and PerceptIn on November 25, 2019.

Hundreds of teachers from the Hamilton Southeastern school district joined thousands of teachers from throughout the state of Indiana at the Indiana Statehouse for Red for Ed day.  The educators converged at the state Capitol building to express their views on how state lawmakers should enact changes in the way the state handles public education issues.

The president of the local teachers union, the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA), is Janet Chandler, and she joined local teachers in downtown Indianapolis Tuesday.

“Teachers who participated indicated they had not done anything like this before,” said Chandler in an e-mail message to LarryInFishers.  “They also felt extremely inspired!  It was truly amazing to see the swell of people as we began our march around the Statehouse.”

Many teachers did not have a personal day to expend but were there in spirit, according to the HSEA president.

“We appreciate everyone’s support as we gathered to bring attention to compensation, I-Learn testing, and the 15 hour externship requirement,” added Chandler.

Externship hours are state mandated requirements for teachers to retain their teaching licences,