Fishers will be announcing the 37 Thrives program Tuesday, which will keep local residents and businesses updated on the State Road 37 construction project.  The work is scheduled to begin late this summer.

For that, and other road construction updates around the Fishers area, see the latest information below, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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STATE ROAD 37 

126TH STREET
Work has begun on intersection improvements for 126th Street and Parkside Drive. View the Fact Sheet to learn more about this project.

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.  

OUTSIDE OF FISHERS
The Indiana Department of Transportation have begun work on the northeast quadrant of I-465. Contractors will work to patch and repave segments of I-465 and I-69 from U.S. 31 all the way down to I-70. To learn more about this project click here.

by

Richie Hall

Sports Editor

Hamilton County Reporter

The Hamilton Southeastern baseball team has already gone further in the IHSAA
post-season tournament than any other Royals team in the history of the program.

Now, the only thing standing between Southeastern and its first appearance at state
is a group of Cavemen.

The Royals (21-8) will take on Mishawaka (25-6) in the Class 4A north semi-state
Saturday at Plymouth. That game will see its first pitch around 3:30 p.m., following
the 1A game between Rossville and Washington Township.

“We were at Plymouth earlier in the year, however, we didn’t play very well in
the Plymouth Invite,” said Southeastern coach Jeremy Sassanella. The Royals
dropped both games at that invitational in early May; the coach believes his team is
“looking more at redemption at that site from earlier in the spring,” rather than the
familiarity of having been there.

Southeastern earned its semi-state spot after beating Fort Wayne Carroll last Saturday to win the Lafayette Jefferson regional.

The Cavemen beat Lake Central to take the La Porte regional, but that game was delayed
to Monday due to weather. That allowed the Royals a chance to see Mishawaka play.

Sassanella called the Cavemen a “bunch of quality ball players with a very competitive spirit.” He noted that 10 of the players on the Mishawaka team were on the Cavemen’s football team that reached the semistate last fall.

“They are a physically big team of grinders, we’ll have to be at our best,” said
Sassanella. “Their pitching staff is strong with three quality right handers that have
been very good for them all year. They’ve got some quality bats at the top of the order
and have also been able to manufacture runs as they’ve needed.”

Junior Donovan Snyder is Mishawaka’s leading hitter, with a .433 average. He is the
co-leader for the Cavemen in runs scored with 27. Snyder shares that place with senior
Grant Jablonski, who also has 27 runs scored. Jablonski is batting .368 and leads
Mishawaka in hits with 32 and runs batted in with 26. Jablonski is also the Cavemen’s
best pitcher with an 8-0 record and a 0.41 earned-run average; he has struck out 78 this
season.

Greyson Droste is on top of Southeastern’s batting list with a .407 average. Droste
also leads the team in hits with 33 and in doubles with 11. He is tied with Matthew
Buckingham for most RBI with 25; Buckingham has scored the most runs with 21.
On the mound, Tyler Schweitzer (8-2) and Michael Dillon (8-1) have been the dominant pitchers, with Schweitzer compiling a 1.21 ERA and 85 strikeouts. Dillon has
struck out 63.

Sassanella said that as the post-season begins, a coach looks for his team to be
business-like and focused, but at the same time not too tight.

“They’ve really grown over the course of the year and they’re a group that played
together a long time,” said Sassanella, who said his team knows what is at stake and
what needs to be done. “Our preparation has been sharp and focused this week and I’m
hopeful and confident we’ll be ready to play.”

Thompson Thrift Retail Group (TTRG), on behalf of Fishers District, the Fishers Arts and Cultural Commission, and Nickel Plate Arts is soliciting artist proposals for four prominent outdoor wall murals to be installed at the new Fishers District located on 116th and IKEA Way near IKEA and Top Golf in Fishers, Indiana. Artists may propose designs for one or more of these murals.

The murals are intended to be representative of Fishers and should embrace the city’s SMART | VIBRANT | ENTREPRENEURIAL spirit. The goal is to create murals that offer an “Instagramable” moment for the residents and visitors to Fishers District.

The mural(s) must fit within the confines of the walls (site plans, renderings and wall dimensions are included herein). All mediums will be considered – paint, printed applique, dimensional, and other, pending the approval of the Developer and City of Fishers. Application must be durable and withstand inclement weather for up to 5 years.

If you are an interested artist, here are the details:

Continue reading Call For Artists →

Hamilton County Reporter

An updated Junk Ordinance will go into effect within the unincorporated areas of Hamilton County on Thursday, June 20. On Monday, May 13, the Hamilton County Commissioners approved the ordinance, which prohibits the accumulation of inoperable vehicles and junk on private property.

Dillinger

“It is in the best interest of the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Hamilton County to prohibit the accumulation of junk,” said Steve Dillinger, president of the Hamilton County Commissioners. “Not only are these yards unsightly, but they also reduce the property value of those living nearby. Some even create fire hazards, pollute surface water and attract rodents.”

The terms of the updated ordinance apply to all real estate privately owned in Hamilton County outside a city or town. The term “junk” refers to discarded, abandoned, or cast-off materials including, but not limited to, scrap metals, broken glass, building materials, automobile parts, furniture, mattresses and appliances. Also, disassembled, unlicensed, junked, wrecked, or other inoperable vehicles will not be allowed to remain on property for more than 15 days, unless the vehicle is in connection with a legally zoned automobile sales or repair business.

“This ordinance also addresses excessive numbers of vehicles – operating or not,” said Dillinger. “You are no longer allowed to park more vehicles outside your garage than the number of bedrooms, as shown on your county property record card for the residential lot, plus one. So if you have a four bedroom home, you should not have more than five cars parked outside your garage at any time.”

Anyone in violation of the new ordinance will be subject to fines. Once notified of a violation, by either the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office or the Director of the Hamilton County Planning Department, the homeowner will be given up to 60 days to rectify the problem. If the property is not brought into compliance, the homeowner can be fined up to $2,500 for the first offense and up to $7,500 for any future violations.

If the property continues to be a problem, the county may forcibly remove any or all materials that are in violation and assess the costs of the removal to the landowner.

In addition to Westfield and Butler star Ryan Pepiot, three other Hamilton County baseball players were selected in this week’s Major League Baseball Draft.

Matt Gorski, a Hamilton Southeastern graduate and junior at Indiana University, was taken in the second round as the 57th pick. Gorski, an outfielder, had a productive junior year, batting .271 with 61 hits, 58 runs scored, 46 RBI and 12 home runs. His fielding stats are even stronger, with 111 putouts and no errors for the entire season.

Harrison Freed, a Westfield graduate and junior right fielder at Butler University, was taken in the 13th round to join his teammate Pepiot. Freed had a sensational junior year, batting .376 with 82 hits, 73 runs batted in and 17 home runs.

University senior Reese Sharp was drafted in the 28th round. Sharp has committed to play at Indiana University.

When HSE School Board President Michael Bottorff resigned  his seat on the board last week, the question swirling around the local community was, how will the board go about selecting someone to fill the board seat?

After a Tuesday board executive session, we now know.  Residents residing in Fall Creek Township may apply through 4pm, Friday, June 7th.  To be eligible to apply, you must be at least 18 years of age, you must have lived in Fall Creek Township at least one year and have no record of a felony conviction.

The application must include the following:

· Name

· Occupation

· Relationship to HSE

· Brief description of why applicant wishes be considered

All applications must be submitted to this e-mail address: djustice@hse.k12.in.us

Candidates will be interviewed in public, with at least three finalists.  Those interviews  will be held Tuesday, June 18, 2019, at 3:00 p.m. in the Mudsock Room at the HSE Central Office.

The board plans to make a formal appointment at the regular board session, Wednesday, June 26, 2019.

The new First Internet Bank headquarters will start a skyline for the downtown area of Fishers.  That’s what a city official told me just before ground was broken in the new building, beginning construction on the project that is expected to be completed in about two years.

First Internet Bank CEO & President David Becker, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, representatives of Browning Investments and a number of others spoke before the crowd assembled for the ceremony.

This is part of a $157 million Browning Investment development along 116th Street in the downtown Nickel Plate District in downtown Fishers.

Sophie Foley and Laurent Higgenbotham decided to enter a C-SPAN documentary contest, with a First Amendment theme.  The ladies shared a $1,500 prize by coming in second-place nationally.  Lauren was unable to join us, but Sophie Foley talked about the project.  Also, you can view the 6-minute documentary film at this link.

When the summer season of activity was announced for the Nickel Plate Amphitheater in downtown Fishers, it was made clear more was to be announced later.

Later is now, as the Fishers Parks & Rrecreation Department has announced additional acts coming to Fishers.

Below is the full news released issued by the city Monday morning:

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Four new concerts have joined the entertainment lineup at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater this year.

The Fishers Summer Concert Series kicks off this week with free concerts on Tuesday and Friday evenings in the newly renovated Amphitheater, presented by IU Health Saxony. The series also includes free Wednesday lunchtime concerts on Central Green in front of Fishers City Hall, presented by Meyer Najem. The full lineup is available at npdamp.com.

In addition to the previously announced schedule, four new concerts have been added to the season.

Free Saturday Concerts
New this summer, Fishers Parks & Recreation will host two special shows on Saturday nights at 8 p.m. Concerts are free, and tickets are not required for entry.

On July 20, Fishers welcomes Chance McCoy, a virtuoso fiddler, guitarist, and banjo player best known as a member of Grammy Award-winning Americana powerhouse Old Crow Medicine Show. His debut solo album, Wander Wide, blends old-school bluegrass melodies with modern rock and roll arrangements and rich, atmospheric production.

High-powered funk, R&B and soul band Huckleberry Funk takes the stage on August 17. Based in Bloomington, Ind., their live shows have earned them a reputation as one of the most exciting and entertaining performances in the Midwest. At the heart of a Huckleberry Funk show, the audience can expect powerhouse vocals, face-melting guitar solos, a touch of east coast horns, and rock-solid grooves.

Lawn chairs and outside food and beverages are welcome at these concerts. Beer will also be available from Four Day Ray for purchase onsite during the show. Learn more at npdamp.com/Saturdays.

Ticketed Friday Night Shows
Fishers Parks and Recreation will also host two ticketed Friday night concerts featuring national recording artists. Shows begin at 8 p.m. and gates open at 6 p.m. Tickets will be available beginning June 10 at npdamp.com/Tickets.

In partnership with 92.3 WTTS, Jade Bird and Ruston Kelly will perform on August 9. The ‘tts tiny ticket will be available for $9.23.  Jade Bird is quickly becoming one of the most exciting new British voices in the alternative music world. With her debut release the Somewhere AmericanEP and 2018’s follow-up breakthrough single Lottery, Jade has performed on Later with Jools Holland, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, andThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Ruston Kelly, a Nashville-based artist debuting his first full-length album later this year, will also take the stage alongside Bird in August. While also penning songs for artists like Tim McGraw and Josh Abbott Band, he continued working on his own material, releasing his debut EPHalloween in 2017 and earning praise from Rolling Stone.

The final show of the season will take place on Friday, September 20 with Grammy Award-winning artist Van Hunt, whose melding of R&B, soul, funk, pop, and rock ‘n’ roll has garnered critical praise and success over his nearly 15-year music career.  A charismatic and engaging live performer, Hunt has toured both as headliner as well as alongside such diverse acts as Kanye West, The Roots, Coldplay, Mary J. Blige, and Dave Matthews Band. Tickets will be available June 10 at NPDamp.com/tickets for $10.

Four Day Ray and various food vendors will also be onsite at both concerts. No outside food or beverage is permitted at ticketed shows.

To learn more about the concert series and other events happening at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater, visit NPDamp.com.