For the 38th time, the Fishers Police Department is offering local citizens an insight into the local law enforcement operation with the Citizens Academy.

The academy is scheduled for 13 weeks and offers “police style” training to our citizens. Some of the training will include: Crime Prevention/Neighborhood Watch, Bicycle Patrol, Police Intelligence, Criminal Law, Police Canine, Traffic Stops, Weapons Familiarization, Criminal Investigations, Evidence Collection. The instructors will be police officers from the Fishers Police Department. Participants in the Citizen’s Academy are eligible complete a ride along with an on- duty Fishers Police Officer.

 The spring 2020 Citizen’s Police Academy will be held at the Fishers Police Department every Wednesday night from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. starting February 26, 2020. The academy will be open to individuals who reside or are employed in the Hamilton Southeastern School District.  You must be sixteen years old or older to participate in the Citizen’s Academy.

It is the police department’s goal to build on the relationships established in the community. The Citizen’s Academy consists of classroom and hands on training that will allow citizens to interact and become more familiar with the tasks that are assigned to a police officer. The Citizen’s Academy will give community members the opportunity to ask questions about law enforcement and other related activities.

Apply online at this link or apply in person at the Fishers Police Department.  Applications will be accepted until February 17, 2020.  If you have any questions, contact Officer Chris Owens at owensc@fishers.in.us or (317) 595-3300 ext. 8011.

When the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools planned the last round of redistricting, estimates of how many students would be attending the new Southeastern Elementary building were off, meaning more students entered the school than had been expected.  At Wednesday night’s HSE School Board meeting, leases for four portable classrooms were approved for Southeastern Elementary.  The portables will be located on the north end of the building, near the staff cafeteria.  It is expected the portables will be needed beginning in the 2020-2021 school year and will be in use for two full school years, until the planned new Wayne Township elementary school is completed and in operation.

In other news from the school board session:

–Cecilie Nunn, Chief Financial Officer for the school corporation, told the board the current operating referendum, approved in a 2016 vote, will be expiring in a few years.  If the school board decides to keep the referendum rate as is, or proposes a change, the referendum would need to be on the ballot as part of the May primary election in 2023 and become effective in 2024.  The 2016 approval of the referendum allowed HSE Schools to increase the number of teachers, generally decreased class sizes and provided funds to increase compensation for the teaching staff.

–The board was told continued construction along Lantern Road will impact access to Fishers Elementary School, but the city hopes to complete much of that work over two weekends in February, including one 3-day weekend.  Those accessing the elementary will be using a gravel road for at least a few months.  All work will be weather dependent, but the long term forecast appears promising.

–Executive Director of Secondary Education Matt Kegley told the board talks continue with the new Hub & Spoke operation to involve HSE students in programs related to the building trades.  The ribbon-cutting ceremony for Hub & Spoke is set for April 1st, Kegley said.  There is also a committee looking into partnering with Purdue Polytech.  There were no announcements of any agreements at this time.

–Superintendent Allen Bourff asked for a moment of silence to honor Kora Abbott, a Fishers Junior High School 8th-grade student who recently died.

Every year, the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation goes before the school board and announces the winners of grants handed out by the nonprofit organization.  In 2020, the foundation handed out 31 grants for projects throughout the local school district.

Foundation Executive Director Justin Hirnisey told the board there were four themes in making grant decisions this time around – the four themes were:

–Virtual Reality

–Mindfulness

–Connecting cultures

–Innovation in STEM

Of all applications submitted by teachers and students, 86% were approved.  Grant decisions were made by a selection committee consisting of  staff, educators, student board members and community members.

A full list of the grant recipients is show below

Continue reading HSE Schools Foundation passes out grants →

School Superintendent Allen Bourff says he will have a recommendation on school start times for the next Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board regular meeting scheduled February 12th.  Administrators will have options for board consideration, including implementing a version of the 3-tier bus transportation system in the 2020-2021 school year.

“We will be presenting (the board) with….an option to flip our start times as early as next fall,” Bourff told board members. ” But if you chose not to do that we would present you with another alternative to introduce you to a new transportation system that could be a 3-tier system.”

Answering a question from board member Sylvia Shepler, Bourff said there is no “drop-dead date” on making a start time decision for the 2020-2021 school year.  “Once you get beyond February and March, it’s hard to make those decisions.  So, we would like to try to make that decision in February,” the superintendent said.  One complicating factor is this – there is only one regular board meeting scheduled in the month of February, and that is on the 12th.

Board President Michelle Fullhart clarified that, at minimum, there would most likely be a school start time change as a result of moving from a 2-tier to a 3-tier bus transportation system.  She described the possibility of flipping start times between elementary and high school students as “another possibility.”

In 2018, there were just over 9,500 residents of Fishers over the age of 65.  In 2040, that number is projected to exceed 23,000.  That has spurred the city to formulate an age-friendly action plan.

“The Age-Friendly Fishers Action Plan is the next step in creating a vibrant community where all ages and abilities can thrive,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in a city news release. “This project showcases how our community can come together to share ideas and work collectively to improve our city.”

The plan focuses mainly on a 2-year period, 2020-2022. The Age-Friendly Committee, comprised of community stakeholders and City staff, was established to guide the creation of this Action Plan. To create the plan, the committee gathered feedback from the community through public input sessions, community events, and a digital feedback form on the City of Fishers website.

“One of the great strategies about this plan is that we did not create it in a vacuum,” said Tish Biggs, a member of the Age-Friendly Fishers Committee and a volunteer with AARP. “It was created with the input of lots of folks around the City. We went to the Fishers Farmers’ Market and solicited input, we went over to Del Webb to meet with folks over there, we had a meeting at City Hall where we invited people to come in, and we just used those as listening sessions to hear what the community wanted.”

The plan focuses on five key strategies, including:

• Create innovative facilities, amenities, and resources that enhance the use of the park system for all ages and abilities.
• Promote aging in place efforts in housing development that allow residents to remain in their home and community as they age.
• Develop age-friendly strategies for transportation improvement and maintenance.
• Simplify access to healthcare and services.
• Increase access to information regarding community programs, services, and social events by providing a centralized location for resources.

You can read the entire action plan at this link. 

The commercial space in the Fishers District development on 116th Street continues to fill-up with the official ribbon-cutting for Massage Heights.  Owner Cristina Goebel, members of her staff, One Zone Chamber representatives and city officials gathered for the ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday afternoon.

The Fishers Arts Council is set to unveil a new exhibit, “Embracing Black Culture: A Visual Arts Celebration.”

Students from Fishers High School and Fall Creek Junior High School will be displaying visual art, including paintings, drawings, photographs and poetry.

There will be a free public reception and performances on Friday, February 7th from 6-8 pm at The Art Gallery at City Hall. Meet the artists and browse both levels of the gallery to enjoy the visual art that embraces Black Culture. The second hour is devoted to performances by the students. These will include poetry, original songs and stepping. Finger food and soft drinks will be provided.

Less than an hour after issuing a news release saying the Hamilton County Commissioners have rescinded the appointment of Lisa Charles as the County Veteran Service Officer (CVSO), the commissioners now say they have “temporarily” rescinded the action .

According to the commissioners, a three-member committee recommended the appointment of Charles, with the understanding that residency requirements for the position could be waived.  Indiana code IC 10-17-1-5 states that a county veteran service officer must be a resident of Indiana for at least five years immediately preceding their appointment. Charles moved to Indiana in 2018.

“We believe the interview process produced the most qualified candidate to help our county veterans,” Christine Altman, president of the County Commissioners said in the news release. “Unfortunately, we have learned the residency requirements cannot be waived.”

The three commissioners have asked Charles to continue working full-time in her current position while they sort out the details. Efforts are currently underway at the Statehouse that could change the residency requirements.

“We understand there is legislation going on downtown that could change these artificial residency requirements,” Altman says. “We will reserve the appointment of an official CVSO until we see what shakes out in the legislature this year.”

The Veterans Service Office has a full-time CVSO and two part-time positions. A military veteran and Carmel resident, Charles was an assistant to the Hamilton County Veteran Service Office prior to her appointment.

In a story published January 25th by the Hamilton County Reporter, Hamilton County Democratic Chairman Joe Weingarten accused the commissioners of not following state law in the appointment of Charles.

Hamilton County Reporter

The Indiana House of Representatives on Tuesday approved allowing Hamilton County to hire an additional magistrate.

“Our judicial officers are in serious need of an extra set of hands to help speed up the trial process,” Schaibley said. “It is encouraging to see the swift action in the General Assembly to help provide Hamilton County with this much-needed resource.”State Rep. Donna Schaibley (R-Carmel) said the new magistrate would preside over minor offenses and hold preliminary hearings for more serious crimes. Schaibley said Hamilton County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, which makes it more difficult for staff to keep up with the workload.

The most up to date data from the Weighted Caseload Measure shows Hamilton County has just one judicial officer for about 29,500 people. Schaibley said Hamilton County superior and circuit court judges, commissioners, council and prosecuting attorney support adding this position.

House Bill 1145 now heads to the Senate for further consideration. To learn more, visit iga.in.gov.

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)

Less than two weeks remain during which candidates may file for the May 5 primary election. Thus far few contests have developed for the county offices at stake in this year’s election.

The major exception is the competition for three at-large seats on the Hamilton County Council. Thus far seven candidates have formally filed and another one or more are expected.

Why so much interest in the council? At least part of the reason is the factional split on some issues between the seven incumbent councilors.

All members like to consider themselves fiscal conservatives, but some are more conservative than others. This splint probably leads to the number of candidates interested in the three seats.

Those filed thus far are: Brad Beaver, Lyneen Burrow, Jeff Hern, Sue Maki, Rick McKinney, Steve Nation, and former Noblesville mayor John Ditslear, who filed his candidacy on Tuesday. There are indications that others may join the field.

In the meantime, no contests have developed for county commissioner where Mark Heirbrandt and Steve Dillinger are running for re-election.

Similarly, County Auditor Robin Mills is thus far unopposed.

Former County Treasurer Kim Good now has an opponent for the Treasurer’s position. Susan Byer filed her candidacy on Tuesday.

Incumbent Surveyor Kent Ward is alone running for another term.

No Democrats have yet filed for any county office.

Dozens of candidates for precinct committeeman and state convention delegate have filed in both political party primaries.

The parties will hold reorganizational meetings this year, and both parties have state conventions with the GOP gathering shaping up to be the most interesting. Attorney General Curtis Hill will be opposed by Adam Krupp and John Westercamp.