The Fishers City Council “Council Connect” series continues Thursday night with a stop at the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Administration Building located on Cumberland Road.

The meeting starts at 6:30pm, and runs until about 8pm.  Do not arrive too early…the doors will not open until 6:20pm, ten minutes before the start.

Council Connect was created by Council President Rich Block and Council Vice President Eric Moeller earlier this year as a way for residents of Fishers to discuss any issue with the council members.  In Thursday evening’s session, HSE School Board Members Julie Chambers and Janet Pritchett have committed to attend, and other board members have been invited to join-in.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board has a new board president, but two no votes were cast in the process.  Michelle Fullhart was elected board president with Sylvia Shepler and Brad Boyer voting no – Fullhart, Julie Chambers, Janet Pritchett and Clint Wilson voted yes.  Board member Amanda Shera did not attend Wednesday’s board meeting due to a family emergency, Shepler said before the vote.  Based on this vote, Fullhart will serve as board president for the remainder of 2019.

Acting board president Shepler opened the meeting and indicated that Fullhart was seeking the board presidency, but Shepler was also looking to serve as permanent board president for the rest of this calendar year.

“Because we, as a board, have had our struggles in the past months unifying and finding common ground, I would strongly urge my fellow board members to wait to make this decision until all board members can be present,” Shepler said at the start of the board meeting.

Then, the newest board member, Clint Wilson, said he appreciated Shepler’s comments, but wants a full slate of officers, so Wilson nominated Fullhart as president, and the 4-2 vote approving her as president followed.

Janet Pritchett will serve as board secretary, as part of that 4-2 vote.

Shepler was vice president when board President Mike Bottorff resigned in late May.  She has served as acting board president since Bottorff’s resignation up until Wednesday night’s vote placing Fullhart with the president’s gavel.

(Note:  I made a math error in the original story….I wrote the vote was 5-2, but with six board members present, that is mathematically impossible.  The vote was 4-2)

In a move long-rumored around Fishers, the popular long-time Reynolds Farm Equipment holiday light show will be moving to Conner Prairie.  The move was announced in a joint news release issued by Reynolds & Conner Prairie.  That news release is reprinted below in its entirety:

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Conner Prairie, Reynolds Farm Equipment, the Reynolds Family and the festival title sponsor Conner Prairie Alliance surprise Central Indiana residents with an early Christmas gift this year by announcing a sparkling, new addition to the previously announced A Merry Prairie Holiday festival arriving later this year. This new event promises to deliver endless opportunities for winter fun!

“Winter is always a special time at Conner Prairie thanks to our 40 year plus tradition of holiday festivities,” said Norman Burns, President, and CEO at Conner Prairie. “This year it will be even more so as we bring new experiences to the holiday season and carry on a time-honored family tradition by displaying the Reynolds Christmas lights donated by Gary Reynolds and his family across the grounds as part of the new A Merry Prairie Holiday Festival.”

The new A Merry Prairie Holiday festival at Conner Prairie debuts on November 29 and runs through December 31. A vast majority of 400 Reynolds Christmas light structures will be on display during all nights of the festival.

“Our Christmas light display was born out my father’s love for Christmas and our community,” said Gary Reynolds, owner and chairman of Reynolds Farm Equipment. “Transitioning our Christmas lights display to Conner Prairie ensures this tradition of celebrating Christmas with lights continue as part of Conner Prairie’s new A Merry Prairie Holiday festival.”

Founded in 1955 by farming husband and wife “Mac” and Arline Reynolds, Reynolds Farm Equipment is a regional John Deere retailer serving farmers, homeowners, landscapers and golf course operators throughout the Midwest. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ind., the company operates seven retail locations in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.

The company is a long-time supporter of Conner Prairie. It is currently the title sponsor of the Museum’s 1859 Balloon Voyage and has donated more than $ 1million to the organization.

The arrival of the Reynolds Christmas Lights at A Merry Prairie Holiday is just one way members and guests can create new memories with their families while getting into the holiday spirit during this brand new festival.

Holiday activities include:

• Step into the wonder of the season as you stroll through Reynolds Christmas Lights display.
• Journey around Clowes Common where you will find holiday treats and eats, artisans working on their seasonal crafts, and special photo ops.
• Visit the North Pole Village.
  • Enter the toy workshop and make a holiday gift with the help of Santa’s elves.
  • Zoom down the Polar Bear Plunge dry snow tubing hill.
  • Test your skill at the Reindeer Games Midway.
  • Visit the Claus’ Cabin where you can visit with Mrs. Claus and drop off your letter to Santa.
  • Hop aboard the Kringle’s Carousel to take a ride.
• Enjoy local entertainers and musicians performing throughout the evening on Blitzen’s Bandstand while you enjoy some fresh, warm holiday treats and beverages, under the glow of holiday lights on the Conner House and Animal Encounters Barn.
• Visit Prairietown where you will be wrapped in the warmth of Holidays through History:
  • You can visit the 1860’s Hoosier Homefront, and Soldiers Camp to learn how they are celebrating the season during the troubling times of the Civil War.
  • See classic Conner Prairie by Candlelight favorites, like Dr. Campbell’s Soiree, the disgruntled Mr. Fenton, and Mr. Whitaker’s Store, and the Curtis family making Christmas preparations.
  • Witness the power of a second chance with a live reading from Charles Dickens a Christmas Carol and enjoy the sounds of Christmas Carolers.
  • Sit down and warm up a spell while you hear holiday stories told through the use of historic Crankies.
• Climb aboard the Winterland Wagon Ride across Conner Prairie’s Historic Grounds through thousands of twinkling lights.

In addition to A Merry Prairie Holiday, family favorites such Breakfast and Dinner with Santa, Storytime with Mrs. Claus, and more are returning this winter season!

The Conner Prairie Museum Store will also be open during this time for all holiday gift-giving needs.

Visit connerprairie.org for more information on upcoming A Merry Prairie Holiday dates, ticketing pricing, and other upcoming events.

The Hamilton East Library in Fishers is normally a very busy place, so I talked with two leaders of the local library system for more on what is happening.  Here is my podcast with Beth Meyer and Edra Waterman

If you want an example of how valuable working smoke alarms are for your home, just talk to a family of 5 that escaped a blaze overnight with no injuries.  The fire was in a home located at 12260 Shady Knoll Drive, just south of Southeastern Parkway and 126th Street.  Fire personnel responded to the call at 2:25am Wednesday.

Fishers fire officials say they worked hard to keep the blaze from spreading to other homes in the neighborhood, leading to minimal damage to homes next door.  It took firefighters about 40 minutes to bring the fire under control.

Fire investigators remained on the scene early Wednesday morning.  No dollar amount of the damage is available, but fire officials say the home structure and contents were a complete loss.

You can sense the excitement in Bob Rice’s voice as we walked among the solar arrays, nearly completed just south of HSE Intermediate/Junior High School (HIJH), at Cyntheanne Road and Southeastern Parkway.  Rice, Energy Management Director for HSE Schools,  says the solar operation there will begin powering the HIJH school building in the next 2-3 weeks.

The next project will provide another array, providing electricity for Sand Creek Elementary and Intermediate Schools.

The HSE School Corporation entered into a contract with Ameresco Inc. in January of this year, to install the $2.8 million solar project.  The work is being financed by a four-year bond issue which is not expected to trigger a tax increase.

At the time the school board approved the plan, Rice projected the solar arrays will pay for themselves in 11 years through electricity cost savings.

Students will be able to use the solar arrays as part of their science curriculum.

“Our partnership with Ameresco has already allowed us to invest in projects that directly benefit our students and create a more sustainable learning environment at our schools,” said Dr. Allen Bourff, Superintendent of Hamilton Southeastern Schools, in an Ameresco news release. “The curriculum Ameresco provided will help our teachers educate their students about the latest innovations in renewable energy technology and the importance of sustainability for the future of our environment.”

Once the arrays at HIJH and Sand Creek are completed, it will consist of 4,800 solar panels.

The new Southeastern Elementary is ready to accept students for the first time when all Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools open for classes August 7th.  But this building did not have an easy road to completion.

First, the required voter referendum authorizing the funds for this school was passed in 2013 with just under 68% of those voting casting a yes ballot.  But that referendum contained funding of $22 million, which would easily fund an elementary school in 2013, but is less than would normally be needed to fund a school today with inflation factored-in.

School officials knew there would be challenges to construct this school within the budget parameters of that 2013 referendum.  But working with architect Jim Funk of CSO, and Hagerman Construction, HSE Schools officials were able to complete the building within the $22 million budget.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was held inside the gymnasium Tuesday morning, allowing more people to watch the event.  Current and past school board members were in attendance.

“Southeastern Elementary is, in some ways, a dream come true,” said HSE Schools Superintendent Allen Bourff.

Superintendent Bourff asked those in the crowd to think about the “soaring spaces” as they walked around the school building.

Assistant Superintendent Jan Combs tells LarryInFishers that no portable classrooms will be used at Southeastern Elementary this school year.  Enrollment is higher than projected due to a larger-than-expected number of kindergarten students.

The crowd for the ceremony nearly filled the Southeastern Elementary gymnasium 

Before I start this piece, be aware that no one involved is speaking on the record, and much could change before all is said and done, but it certainly appears that two giant newspaper companies, Gannett and Gatehouse, are working on a merger.  If that does happen, the newly-merged corporation will own one out of six local newspapers in the United States, 265 total (plus USA Today).

Why is this an important local story?  Because Indiana’s largest newspaper, the Indianapolis Star, is owned by Gannett.  But that’s not all.  Gannett owns four other newspapers in the Hoosier state.  They include:

–The Journal and Courier in Lafayette

–The Star Press in Muncie

–The Palladium-Item in Richmond

–The Evansville Courier & Press

Gatehouse Media owns the following local newspapers in our state:

–South Bend Tribune

–Times Mail of Bedford

–Evening World of Spencer

–The Herald Times of Bloomington

–The Hoosier Topics of Cloverdale

–Reporter-Times of Martinsville

–Mooresville-Decatur Times

If this transaction happens, it is clear that some employees will lose their jobs in the administrative staffs if and when the companies are combined.

Rick Edmonds, writing in Poynter.com, reports this:

“Savings will come as corporate and backroom functions are consolidated, with many on the business side of Gannett losing their jobs. Both companies have editing and production hubs that can be combined, and events businesses that are likely to grow.”

The big question in my mind is – what will happen to journalists working at the Indianapolis Star and the other four newspapers owned by Gannett in Indiana?

If this business deal happens as reported so far, Gatehouse will essentially acquire Gannett.  Claire Goforth of DailyDot.com is not optimistic about a giant Gatehouse Company in terms of jobs for journalists.  Here is what she wrote:

“GateHouse is notorious for acquiring media companies, even profitable ones, and stripping them of assets and staff. In May, the company laid off at least 159 employees nationwide in a series of cuts that the CEO referred to as ‘not material.’ Gannett has also experienced waves of layoffs and buyouts, most recently in January.”

I have written in the past about how the Indy Star is a shell of what it once was in terms of journalistic staff levels.  However, the reporters now working at the Star are good people and excellent journalists.  I know many of them and they are dedicated to their work.

I especially worry about the four smaller newspapers in Indiana and how their staff levels could be drawn down by Gatehouse.  Those papers have already endured many layoffs by Gannett.

I am no expert in the business of newspapers, but anyone can see the business model of today is not working.  Print subscriptions are down and digital has not come close to closing the revenue gap.

But I do know this.  There is a tremendous demand for local news.  I look at my analytics for this local Fishers Web blog and my podcasts – I know there are plenty of people hungering for news about their local community.

Of course, I am a volunteer journalist with few expenses so I do not charge for subscriptions, and that adds to the number of people reading this blog and listening to my podcasts.  I have no idea how many readers & listeners I would have if there would be a subscription fee.

If the quality of the journalism goes down due to staff cuts, it will be harder to sell subscriptions, print or digital, for the newspapers in this new company.

There is a big difference between journalism and stenography.  Journalists work hard to get at the facts and find the truth, putting stories into context for the readers.  With fewer journalists on the job, there will sadly be more stenography (just reporting what people say and write) and less genuine journalism.

If this deal is consummated, my thoughts will go to the many journalists concerned about a possible pink slip once this is done.  Too many local newspapers have gone out of business in the last few years.  Too many good journalists have lost their jobs already.  My hope is that a business model is found to maintain and (in some cases) restore local journalism.

Friday was a very hot day, but that did not deter the arts crowd from convening around the Nickel Plate District of downtown Fishers Friday night in the first of three Crawl events on the 2019 calendar.

There were plenty of artists, musicians and even one magician showing their artistic talents.

The next Arts Crawl dates in Fishers are August 16th & September 14th.

Here are a few pictures I was able to round up from the Arts Crawl:

Continue reading Heat didn’t stop the Fishers Arts Crawl →

The thermometer is not the only thing heating up around Fishers – road construction is reaching a peak now that we are into late July.

Below is the road construction listing, as provided by the City of Fishers, for the work week beginning Monday, July 22nd:

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ALLISONVILLE ROAD
Southbound and northbound traffic on Allisonville Road has moved onto the newly constructed pavement as part of Phase 3 of the project. The posted speed limit remains 30 mph. 

96TH STREET
Utility relocation is beginning on 96th Street as part of the road widening project, resulting in periodic lane restrictions over the coming months. For more information about the 96th Street road widening project, view the Fact Sheet.