New traffic changes at 96th Street and Keystone Parkway are underway, and they’re expected to last through 2019.
Drivers will not be able to turn left onto 96th Street going northbound or southbound due to newly constructed lanes. The traffic light at the intersection is being removed and replaced with two roundabouts.
Carmel already has 125 roundabouts – more than any other city in the country. These new ramps will allow the parkway to be elevated up and over 96th Street.
The hope is that once construction is complete, getting around the city will be safer and faster, but there will be some rerouting in between.
“During the overnight hours, construction crews will begin changing traffic and remove the signal at 96th and Keystone. So that will cut access off across 96th Street, but it will also make Keystone Parkway free flowing north and south. And you’ll also be able to access 96th Street by turning right,” said city engineer Jeremy Kashman.
This is the last construction project on Keystone Parkway to 146th Street.
INDIANAPOLIS – The strategy couldn’t have been more simple for Hamilton Southeastern as the Class 4A state championship baseball game was heading towards its conclusion.
The game was tied at 2-2, with the Royals to bat in the bottom of the seventh inning. The plan was about as basic as it could get: Get on, get in, walk off with the trophy.
Southeastern did just that, scoring the winning run in dramatic fashion to claim a
3-2 victory over Columbus East. The Royals thus won the school’s first-ever baseball
state title in a game that didn’t start until 9:50 p.m. on Monday and didn’t finish until after
midnight on Tuesday due to weather delays that disrupted the earlier 1A game.
“I was pretty confident, although the weather was a little sketchy today,” said Southeastern coach Jeremy Sassanella. “I knew playing at Victory Field with their full grounds crew and with the tarp, and per Mr. Faulkens saying, ‘We’ll play late,’ I was okay. We walked in the door and I said ‘Hey, we’re prepared to play at 3 o’clock in the morning.’ He says, ‘I like to hear that.’ So we don’t want to come back. Thankfully the weather broke enough for us to get the game in.”
Southeastern started its final drive to the championship with perfect defense in the sixth and seventh innings. In the sixth, two Royals players made spectacular catches for
outs in foul territory, starting with Greyson Droste nabbing a foul ball for the first out.
After Tyler Schweitzer got a strikeout, Cam Bolling stepped up with another big foul catch to end the inning.
“Well, that’s huge. Making those foul outs and getting the hard plays,” said Droste.
He noted that if a foul ball isn’t caught, the batter can come back and get a huge hit.
“Taking pressure off the pitcher is huge,” said Droste. “Getting outs on tough plays
and everybody really played great defensively today, and that really helped out the
pitchers. It made us only have to put up a couple runs to win the game.”
Minutes later, the Royals played probably the best seventh inning of any baseball
team in Indiana this season. In the top of the inning, pitcher Tyler Schweitzer faced the
top of the Olympians’ order. No problem: He struck out the side, one-two-three.
“I was all in the moment right there,” said Schweitzer. “I didn’t hear anything
around the crowd. It was just me and Jack.”
That would be catcher Jack DeWolf, and Schweitzer credited him with doing a good
job calling the game.
With the top of the inning finished, HSE brought up the top of its order in the bottom
of the seventh. With one out, Anthony Eggers got on base with a single. That
brought up Brayton Harrison, and he reached on error, moving Eggers to second
base.
Greyson Droste was up next, and he sent a 1-1 pitch into the infield. Columbus East
tried for a double play, but while the Olympians got the out at second, they overthrew
to first base. Meanwhile, Eggers had already passed third, and he was soon home to score
the winning run.
“I rounded it just to look where it was at because I was running to third hard, because I don’t know why I thought the ball was going to three,” said Eggers. “It wasn’t. But I just rounded. I saw it go by, and then everything just went silent. I just scored. I turned around, like, did we even win? It was just so, so quiet. I didn’t even feel like we won, because I thought it was a delay of game or something, until my whole team just came and tackled me. It was just crazy. I’m happy the way it ended. It couldn’t have ended any better.”
“Everything happened so fast,” said Sassanella. “The kids had a tremendous amount of grit all year long. In our league, we just have to fight. We had some hardfought wins early, and I said ‘Guys, this is going to pay dividends and I’m really proud of you for doing that.’ It’s fitting that we had rain. It’s fitting that it went down to the wire. And we’re just blessed, more times than not this year we’ve come out on the winning side of these tight ball games. I’m incredibly proud of the kids.”
Here’s one more reason to be proud of the HSE players: During the trophy presentation, they made sure that Ken Seitz was the first one to take hold of the trophy. Seitz has been with Hamilton Southeastern for 44 years – he was the head baseball coach for 25 years, and also served as the athletic director for 25 years. Seitz came out of retirement to be an assistant coach for the Royals in 2010, and it is his jersey that will be on display in Victory Field for the next year.
The Royals also scored one run each in the first and third innings. In the first, Cole DeWael smacked a double on the very first pitch. He moved to third on a passed ball, then got home on a single by DeWolf.
Columbus East scored in the top of the third, but Southeastern responded with a run in the bottom of the inning. Harrison singled on to first, stole second, and was batted in by DeWolf; it was DeWolf’s second RBI of the game. The Olympians scored again in the fifth inning, and the game stayed in a 2-2 tie until the Royals’ walk-off score.
Southeastern totaled seven hits, with DeWolf going 2-for-3 at the plate.
“It was certainly an awesome experience, different from any other baseball game
I’ve ever played in,” said DeWolf.
Schweitzer came in during the fifth inning, relieving Michael Dillon. The starter
Dillon pitched well in four innings, with three strikeouts against four hits. Schweitzer
finished the game, tossing five strikeouts.
Southeastern finished the season 23-8.
The Royals also won their 12th state championship in school history. Add that to the HSE girls basketball team winning state in February, and it’s the second time the Royals have won two state titles in the same school year. Southeastern won boys swimming and softball state championships in 2007.
Hamilton Southeastern does the traditional dogpile after winning the Class 4A state championship.Longtime Royals baseball coach Ken Seitz will have his jersey displayed in the trophy case in Victory Field for the next year.
Board candidates talk before the meeting (Left to Right) Clint Wilson, Jason Lantzer, Peter Griffin & Travis Brown
Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board members spent time Tuesday afternoon asking questions of the 4 finalists to fill the remaining term of Mike Bottorff, now the board must come to a decision on which candidate to select. However, board members are still uncertain how to go about deliberating.
Board attorney David Day said the law is not clear on whether school boards may discuss candidates to fill board vacancies in a private executive session or open public session. At first, board members were leaning toward scheduling an executive session to meet in private to discuss the four candidates, filling the term for the Fall Creek Township at-large seat.
Day did tell board members there is nothing in the law preventing private one-on-one discussion between two members of the school board.
After a lengthy discussion, the board left open the possibility of scheduling an executive session to talk about the four candidates vying to fill the vacant seat, but did not schedule one. The board will vote on who will be selected at the June 26th regular meeting.
Here is a synopsis of what each board candidate said in answering questions and providing a brief opening a closing statement. All four appeared before the board at the same time, sitting at the same table as each spoke to the board.
Clint Wilson
His family has lived in Fishers 6 years. He has three children. Wilson is an agent with State Farm Insurance.
Wilson’s involvement as a volunteer for the Youth Mentoring Initiative and participation in the Finance Academy motivated him to seek this board seat. He has observed many of the challenges students face in school these days. He understands he will be one of seven members of the board.
As an insurance agent, Wilson collaborated with other agents to establish programs bringing potential clients into the office to discuss what is needed in each individual case.
The greatest challenge for public education, in his view, is figuring out which challenge is the greatest one. Even with the many positive parents in the HSE Schools, students face challenges in dealing with social media. He has found that students learn much differently compared to when Wilson was in school. He says critical thinking is very important for students to learn.
In his final statement, Wilson said his experience will add value to the board.
Jason Lantzer
He moved to the HSE School District 11 years ago. He has two children in local schools. He is a professor at Butler University, working in the admissions office and the honors program
He sees HSE grads and students from other schools through the Butler admissions office, but does not want the local school district to just be a pipeline for the university system. As a board member, he would be focused on results.
Lantzer collaborated with others at Butler to establish a program where students traveled to Germany and received credit for the trip, including observing what is left of the Berlin Wall. He pointed to the effectiveness of his work establishing an honors program by dealing with virtually all parts of Butler University.
There are a number of challenges facing public education, with the technology gap being a major one. Lantzer added that public education often does not do a good job telling its own story to the public.
He would invite parents to become a bigger part of their child’s educational experience. He believes one thing local schools could do better is communicate with parents and the general public.
His family moved to Fishers because of the HSE School District and he has never regretted that decision.
Peter Griffin
Griffin retired as a classroom teacher in HSE Schools just two weeks ago. He has a large family, including adopted kids, and has children in the HSE Schools.
He believes one of the greatest parts of teaching is having an influence on the lives of kids. He is a big believer in “feedback loops.” When asked about collaborations, he described marriage as an important exercise in collaboration. He also pointed to the collaborative nature of his service on nonprofit boards.
Griffin pointed to his experience in handling diversity. He has children that are gifted and talented, as well as in special education programs. He taught in an urban school system before moving to Fishers. He describes social justice as a part of his family growing-up.
As to the greatest challenge facing public education, Griffin also believes the greatest challenge is picking the one greatest challenge. He is concerned about the pace of life and the challenges to get students to read. In his view, reading and writing are critical skills for students to learn, along with the value of resiliency and grit.
In his closing remarks, Griffin said education is in a unique place in time. He believes his skills are what the board is seeking in a new member. He would focus on relationships as a board member.
Travis Brown
His family moved to Fishers 6 years ago from Lafayette. He and his family chose to live within the HSE School District. He specializes in communications
He was motivated to apply for this board opening because he is a minority and wants to be a part of making changes in the school system, bringing a unique opportunity for diversity on the board.
Brown related a story about a speech he gave at a school – a student came up to him afterward and said Brown saved his life, because that student had planned to take his own life the next day and his speech turned his thinking around. Changing school culture over time is something he believes is important.
Although Brown is African American, he believes all diversity is important to HSE Schools. With 3 biracial children, he says he lives with that each day.
He finds one of public education’s biggest challenges is equity, not equality. Equity is more about providing everyone with what is needed to be successful
Brown believes that in many ways the HSE District is “getting it right,” but you cannot know that until school officials actually know what’s going on. He also believes HSE Schools can do a better job of telling its story to the local community.
In closing, Brown said he was inundated with phone calls once the process for replacing Board Member Mike Bottorff was announced. He believes he has the qualities the board needs.
Whether or not the board decides to discuss this issue in executive session, when the vote is conducted June 26th, it will take four votes to select the new board member. If no candidate can muster at least 4 board votes. Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge Paul Felix would make the selection, based on Indiana law.
The issue of law enforcement officers wearing body cameras has been in the national spotlight for some time. As Fishers officers begin the process of using this technology, the Police Department is offering the public a look at local plans. The session is set for Thursday, June 20th, 5:00pm-6:00pm at police headquarters at the municipal complex.
Local officers will receive training and technical help during the day on the 20th from the vendor, CNA Analysis & Solutions.
The Fishers Police Department has been involved in what it calls an “intensive study” of body cams over the past few months.
Some of the subjects to be discussed in the public session Thursday include:
A local school will be able to have 4 goats on the premises following action Monday night by the Fishers City Council. Riverside Intermediate School will house and care for the goats on school property, but needed an exemption from city ordinances.
Last month, Councilman Pete Peterson was concerned about the ordinance change proposed because he had concerns about what unintended consequences could follow. The exemption from the animal control ordinance approved Monday night was specific to the plans at Riverside.
Crew Car Wash received the zoning variance the firm was seeking, allowing plans to move forward and locate the company’s headquarters to a facility near 116th Street & I-69. A car wash operation will be part of the complex.
Monday night, the Fishers City Council passed the final step in allowing the rezoning for the Crew Car Wash plans.
Also, council members members voted Monday for a rezoning of a house located near 126th Street and Olio Road, to be utilized as an insurance agency office. The vote was 7-1 with Pete Peterson casting the no vote. Peterson said this use is not part of the 2040 comprehensive plan and he is concerned about how this will impact the area in the future.
The Fishers City Council approved an apartment project at Lantern Road and Fishers Point Boulevard Monday night, over the objections of three council members. Scannell Properties intends to build the $29 million multifamily development with a tax increment bond to be financed by Scannell. The developer will receive fee waivers from the city as part of the 180 unit project agreement.
Scannell says this development will be an important gateway to the Nickel Plate District and the Fishers downtown.
The council approved the project agreement with Scannel by a vote of 5-3, with Councilors David George, Todd Zimmerman and Cecilia Coble voting no (Councilman Eric Moeller did not attend the meeting). George said he has concerns about building apartments at that specific location, because the apartments could limit the development possibilities north the the development, heading toward 116th Street.
Jason Taylor is the Director of Engineering for the City of Fishers and Hatem Mekky is the Assistant Director. They both took time out and provided an update on road construction in and around Fishers for this podcast.
In February of 2016, I tried an experiment. Podcasting was gaining interest, so I thought, why not get into the game myself?
So, I produced my first podcast, an interview with Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, in February of 2016. I have been producing podcasts on a fairly consistent basis ever since.
If you haven’t listened to my podcasts for a while, here’s a reminder of what I have to offer.
First, I try to post regular conversations with local people with something important to say. Recently, there have been LarryInFishers podcasts about the upcoming Spark Fishers Festival, efforts to help businesses and residents when the big State Road 37 construction begins later this summer, and an interview with Sophie Foley, Fishers High School grad who won a second place prize from C-Span for her short documentary film on the Constitution and freedom of speech. I even recorded a conversation with my wife Jane about our recent trip to New York City. I have posted podcasts with political candidates and election officials, as well as others key to what is happening in and around Fishers.
Then there is the long-running podcast series I call the Arts&Fishers podcasts. It consists mostly of film reviews, although I do occasionally review local arts events as well. Lately, I have posted reviews on films such as Late Night and Rocketman,
Finally, there is the film review series with my podcasting partner Adam Aasen, which we call “Hamilton County Goes To The Movies.” We started that podcast series in the summer of 2017, but needed to push the pause button in 2018. I was preparing to travel the state teaching for Indiana University and Adam was about to become a father for the first time. Adam was also a Carmel City Council candidate. Adam’s beautiful daughter was born last December and he is enjoying his first Father’s Day as a dad himself. He won the Republican nomination for the City Council seat in the May primary election.
Adam and I may have paused the podcast last fall but we decided to come back. We may not post every week, but we will as film releases warrant.
So, check out my podcasts. They are available a a variety of platforms where you can find podcasts. I have had tens of thousands of “listens” (times were a person has listened to most or all of a podcast) since February of 2016. I would appreciate you sampling what I have to offer.
Also, if you listen on iTunes, take a moment to rate the podcast and write a brief comment or two. I would appreciate it.
Here are links to a few of the places where you can find my podcast.
Hamilton Southeastern’s Greyson Droste is the leading hitter for the Royals, averaging .410 at the plate, along with 34 hits, 25 runs batted in and 11 doubles. Southeastern will travel to Victory Field on Monday to take on Columbus East in the Class 4A baseball state finals. (File photo)
by
Richie Hall
Sports Editor
Hamilton County Reporter
When the Hamilton Southeastern baseball team began practices this week, coach Jeremy Sassanella noticed that there were “an awful lot of smiles” that day.
There’s a reason for all the Royal smiles: Southeastern is getting ready to play for a state championship. The Royals will play Columbus East for the Class 4A state title on Monday at Victory Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
“They’re focused and approaching the week with great anticipation, excitement, and pride,” said Sassanella, who guided the Royals to state in his first year as HSE’s head coach. Sassanella said he believes his players understand the task at hand, as well as what it means to be the first Southeastern team to go to the baseball state finals.
“These kids are living up the moment and enjoying the ride,” said Sassanella.
While Southeastern is making its first-ever appearance in the state finals, Columbus East will be playing at state for the fourth time. The Olympians also reached state in 1979, 1987 and 1989, back when four teams played at that level. Columbus East lost in the semi-finals each time, so the Olympians are making their first appearance in the championship game as well.
Columbus East is 25-4 for the season. The Olympians won their first seven games before falling to Brownsburg, then won six of their next seven contests before dropping consecutive games to Columbus North and Floyd Central.
Since then, Columbus East has won 12 straight games – six in the regular season, six in the tournament. The Olympians won a tough sectional at East Central by beating Shelbyville 1-0, Bloomington South 2-1 and Columbus North 5-3.
Columbus East picked up two more close victories at the Evansville Reitz regional, first squeezing past Jeffersonville 8-7 in 10 innings, then beating Castle 5-1 in the championship. The Olympians then won their first semi-state in 30 years, traveling to Mooresville and beating Avon 10-3.
Two batters in the Columbus East lineup are batting over .400. Senior Julian Greenwell averages .421, while junior Dalton Back hits at a .404 clip. Both have the most hits on the team with 40, while Back leads in runs batted in (35), runs scored (33), triples (five) and is tied for first with six home runs. Greenwell and junior Cole Gilley both have nine doubles, while senior Nash Murphy also has cracked six home runs.
Gilley is one of three solid pitchers for the Olympians, with a 7-1 record; he also leads the team in strikeouts with 86. Sophomore Cole Taylor is 8-0 with a 1.09 earned-run average, while sophomore Kaden Wise is 7-1 with an ERA of 1.63.
While the Royals haven’t been able to see Columbus East play in person, Sassanella said they were able to speak with several teams that took on the Olympians.
“They’ve got some very quality arms and have been stout offensively,” said Sassanella. “Have some quality wins on the year and we know they’re a very competitive bunch who plays with a ton of confidence.”
The same could be said of Southeastern, which comes into state with a 22-8 record. The Royals are on a 10-game win streak that includes a regular-season finale sweep of Franklin Central, which helped Southeastern clinch the Hoosier Crossroads Conference championship.
Playing at the Noblesville sectional, HSE beat North Central 7-0, Westfield 1-0 and Carmel 7-1 to win its first sectional title since 2015. The Royals then cruised to a win at the Lafayette Jefferson regional, overwhelming Fort Wayne South Side 14-0 and Fort Wayne Carroll 6-1.
Southeastern then won its first-ever semi-state championship by beating Mishawaka 4-2. In doing so, the Royals are now the fourth HCC team to play in the state finals over the past six years, joining Noblesville (2014), Zionsville (2016) and Fishers (2018).
“I’d confidently put our conference up against any conference in Indiana as the toughest out there,” said Sassanella. “The teams are full of high quality players and coaches year in and year out. The teams are well prepared, well rounded, and well coached. Having so much quality talent in Central Indiana and in the HCC helps in a big way come post season play.”
Senior Greyson Droste is the Royals’ leading hitter with a .410 average; he also leads the team in hits (34) and doubles (11). Droste shares the top spot when it comes to RBI with Matthew Buckingham, as both have 25. Jake Stout and Jake Huston lead in runs scored with 21 each.
On the mound, the Royals have two great pitchers. Michael Dillon is 9-1 for the season with a 2.12 ERA and 74 strikeouts, while Tyler Schweitzer is 8-2, with an ERA of 1.43 and a team-leading 87 strikeouts.
“We’ve obviously been very pleased with the efforts of our staff this year and their development over the season,” said Sassanella. “I’m most impressed with their composure and execution in a ton of big games. So much focus on kids these days with big arms and not enough on kids becoming pitchers. I feel the most proud of how our pitching staff has executed their pitches and stayed composed against a gauntlet of our regular season schedule and post season journey. They’ve learned to compete at a high level which requires more than just being able to throw hard. They’ve also supported each other as a staff and done so with little regard for who gets the credit. They care for each other and just want to do their part to help the team win.”
