Hamilton County Reporter

Tigers like to run, and the Fishers boys basketball team ran its way to a Friday night
win.

The Tigers beat Avon 62-53 in a Hoosier Crossroads Conference game at the Tiger
Den. It was Military Appreciation Night, and the Fishers team wore special uniforms
honoring the Indiana National Guard.

The Orioles kept close with the Tigers early, until Fishers broke away in the later
stages of the first quarter for a 15-9 lead. Alex Szilagyi scored seven points, with
Jeffrey Simmons adding six. The Tigers then jumped ahead 30-18 by halftime, with
Josiah Matthews scoring five.

In the second half, Fishers led from anywhere between nine and 18 points. Avon
made some mini-runs throughout the half, but the Tigers were always able to respond with a big baskets or free throws when they
needed them.

“We spent a lot of time this week defensively trying to focus on what we need
to do to get better, just in terms of guarding the ball, being in help-side, being in gaps,” said Fishers coach Matt Moore. “I thought our coaches did a great job of being consistent weekly in practice about what we were going to expect tonight. I thought our guys for the most part did a good job through the first three quarters of living inside of that. They made their runs, but I think we made some good individual adjustments in terms of how we’re guarding. When we get
stops, we can score in transition. We didn’t score at a high rate tonight, but we get stops and we can push the ball down the floor, we’re going to get easy buckets.”
Fishers had balanced scoring, with four players in double figures. Matthews and
Simmons led the way with 14 points; Simmons went 6-of-6 from the free throw
line, while Matthews made a pair of 3-pointers.

Szilagyi added 11 points, while Willie Jackson scored 10.

The Tigers are 3-1 in the conference and 11-5 overall. Fishers is now off until next
Saturday, Jan. 26, when it hosts Franklin Central in another HCC contest.

All incumbent Fishers City Council members have officially filed for re-election, as expected, and at least one election rematch is assured in the May Republican primary election for Northwest District.

Selina Stoller filed for re-election, which sets the stage for another race with former Fishers Town Council member Mike Colby.  In Fishers’ first city election, held in 2014 for one-year transitional terms, Stoller won that Northwest District election by 12 votes.  In the 2015 election for four-year council terms, Stoller received 524 votes to Colby’s 329, a margin of victory totaling 195 votes.  Now, Stoller and Colby will face each other for a third time.

Rich Block officially filed his candidacy for another term as an at-large city councilman.  Block is expected to be elected as Fishers City Council President at the January 22nd session.  There are three at-large council members…Cecilia Coble, Todd Zimmerman and Block.  In the primary election, the three candidates with the most votes are placed on the general election ballot.

No Democrats have filed candidacy in the city primary election as of January 18th

With the latest filings, all incumbent Fishers City Council members are seeking another term in office.

No candidates have filed for Fishers mayor as of this writing.  Incumbent Mayor Scott Fadness has announced his plans to seek another term.  Logan Day has formed an exploratory committee for a possible Fishers mayoral candidacy.

Here is the list of candidate filings for Fishers City office, as of the close of business Friday, January 18th, according the the Hamilton County Election Office in Noblesville:

Fishers City Clerk (vote for 1)
Jackie Bowen (Republican) (1-9-19)
Jennifer L. Kehl (Republican) (1-11-19)

Fishers City Judge (vote for 1)
Daniel E. Henke (Republican) (1-10-19)

Fishers City Council, North Central (vote for 1)
Eric Moeller (Republican) (1-9-19)

Fishers City Council, Northeast (vote for 1)
Brad DeReamer (Republican) (1-9-19)

Fishers City Council, Northwest (vote for 1)
Mike Colby (Republican) (1-9-19)
Selina Stoller (Republican) (1-17-19)

Fishers City Council, Southwest (vote for 1)
David C. George (Republican) (1-9-19)

Fishers City Council, Southeast (vote for 1)
Pete Peterson (Republican) (1-14-19)

Fishers City Council, South Central (vote for 1)
John W. Weingardt (Republican) (1-14-19)

Fishers City Council, At Large (vote for 3)
Rich Block (Republican) (1-17-19)
Cecilia Coble (Republican) (1-9-19)
Todd Zimmerman (Republican) (1-9-19)

Four schools in the Hamilton Southeastern School System delayed dismissal Friday after authorities became aware of threats made by what was believed to be a student at Fall Creek Junior High, who was found and taken into custody Friday evening.

The four schools that experienced a 30-minute delay in dismissal were: Fall Creek Elementary, Fall Creek Intermediate, Fall Creek Jr High and Hamilton Southeastern High School.

The decision to delay dismissals was made jointly by police and school administrators, as officers searched for the suspect.

Police announced Friday evening that a suspect in this case has been taken into custody without incident, and has been taken to the Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Center.

Not many people now living in Fishers remember the old small block building located next to the old Archers Meat Market on 116th Street that served the old Town of Fisher for many years.  That building was replaced in 1991 by the Fire Headquarters building next to City Hall.

Now that the population of Fishers has grown to at least 92,000 based on the latest U.S. Census figures, the Fire Headquarters Building will need to be replaced.  After an independent engineering study, it was clear the Fire HQ structure is beyond repair.  The only option is to demolish the building constructed in 1991 and rebuild it from scratch.

In order to get that done, the Fire Department needs a new headquarters, as well as facilities and space for the fire crews working out of the headquarters station.  As a result, the city has arranged for a temporary station to be used at the Fuel Tank facility, located west of State Road 37, just north of 126th Street.

The move to the temporary location will begin on Friday, January 18th.

The city has expanded the fire and EMS services over the years to include a dive rescue team, specialty rescue, hazardous materials, Community Paramedicine, mental health emergency duty officer, as well as expanded medical and educational services.

“City and department officials’ primary concern and course of action is to assure the citizens of Fishers, specifically those within the response area of this station, that services will not be interrupted or unduly delayed,” said a Fishers Fire Department news release.  “Rather than move personnel to other stations and leaving a “hole” in the response area, Mayor Scott Fadness and Fire Chief Steven Orusa evaluated all possibilities to make sure the community and the crews needs will be met.  Through a partnership with Indy Fuel, those needs are being met and services the community deserves will continue during this process. City and department officials’ primary concern and course of action is to assure the citizens of Fishers, specifically those within the response area of this station, that services will not be interrupted or unduly delayed.  Rather than move personnel to other stations and leaving a “hole” in the response area, Mayor Scott Fadness and Fire Chief Steven Orusa evaluated all possibilities to make sure the community and the crews needs will be met.  Through a partnership with Indy Fuel, those needs are being met and services the community deserves will continue during this process.”

In March, the headquarters building demolition will begin and construction of a new, larger fire headquarters on the same site, will begin shortly after. Total construction of the Headquarters/Station 91 building is estimated between 16-20 months.

It appears there will be a contested Republican primary election for Mayor of Fishers in 2019.

Logan Day has established an exploratory committee to evaluate a run for Fishers mayor as a Republican, according to my news gathering partners at the Hamilton County Reporter.

“Fishers is a diverse and vibrant city, made up of more than 90,000 residents who reflect a collective desire to live in a strong and sustainable community,” said Day in a campaign news release. “It energizes me to interact with so many residents who possess deep enthusiasm to be involved in guiding the direction of their city. As a prospective candidate for mayor, I bring over 10 years of leadership, business and community service experience to help further the residents’ vision of what Fishers can be, now and in the future.

Scott Fadness has been the only mayor Fishers has ever had.  In 2012, a referendum passed overwhelmingly to make Fishers a second-class city under Indiana law.  In 2014, Fishers had it’s first city election after being a town.  Fadness was elected mayor in that primary with six candidates and had no Democratic opposition.  That was for a one-year transition in 2015.  Fadness had no opposition at all in the 2015 election when elected to his current four-year term, with that term beginning in 2016.

So, it appears we will have our first contested election for Fishers mayor since 2014, assuming Day officially files to run in this year’s GOP primary election.

Day is best known for his involvement in the effort to save the Nickel Plate railroad from being converted to a walking and biking trail.  Mayor Fadness and his administration are continuing the process to rail bank that line and build a trail.

It was a night of beginnings Wednesday for the Hamilton Southeastern School Board….four board members took the oath of office to begin their four-year terms, and the board elected a new president.

Mike Bottorff was elected to serve as board president for calendar year 2019.  The board president the past two years, Matt Burke, did not seek re-election to the board.

Sylvia Shepler will be board vice president and Michelle Fullhart will serve as secretary.  The vote to elect all three officers was unanimous.

New board members taking the oath of office Wednesday night included Julie Chambers, Janet Pritchett and Brad Boyer.  Incumbent member Michelle Fullhart was also sworn-in for her second term.

by

Rich Torres

Hamilton County Reporter

When the calendar flipped two weeks ago, so did the mentality for the
Carmel girls basketball team.

Stuck at 6-8 prior to the new year with eight games left on the regular-season
schedule, the Greyhounds’ resolution for 2019 was momentum, and so far they’re
right on track.

Winners of three straight, Carmel pushed its streak to four in row on Tuesday
night, defeating potential Class 4A Sectional 8 foe Fishers 68-41 to claim its fourth
victory in five games.

“It’s amazing what we’ve done this year, coming from a really good team last year,
and everyone doubting us and saying that Carmel wasn’t going to be as good without certain seniors that graduated,” Greyhounds senior Reagan Hune said. “I think we really bought into our roles and have really stepped up. Now, we’re just excited to finish the season out.”

The defending sectional champion Greyhounds (10-9) are upping the ante with the
state tournament two weeks away and the postseason draw this Sunday, and it starts with defense.

Up 8-0 to start against Fishers (11-9) before the visiting Tigers tied the game
11-11 by the end of the first quarter, Carmel applied the pressure to open the second quarter, leading to a decisive 18-0 run.
“When we faced them in previous years just like tonight, we focused on jumping on
them early and making a statement,” Hune said. “We just have to keep the ball rolling heading into the sectional season.”

Hune was one of three double-digit scorers for Carmel, which shot 50 percent
from the field and erupted for a 23-point second quarter and another 22 points in the fourth.

Sophomore Bridget Dunn had 13 points with three rebounds, and Hune posted 12
points with two steals and three rebounds. However, it was freshman Kate Clarke, who stands 6-0, that provided the spark.

A former starter that has cemented herself as the Greyhounds’ first reserve off the bench, Clarke contributed immediately, scoring seven points in the first 1:28 of the
second quarter en route to a game-high 14 points.

“Any more the sixth man is very underappreciated and not understood, and Katie
has come out from the bench and has really done a lot of good things for us. It’s not easy to be pulled from the starting lineup and understanding the reasoning for it and what we’re looking for,” Carmel coach Erin Trimpe said. “She came out tonight and really put on a show. We love seeing that from her.”

Clarke shot 6-of-11 from the field and hauled in six rebounds to go with three
assists. She buried a 3-pointer to kickoff the Greyhounds’ key run. Her second longrange dagger put Carmel ahead 27-11 as Fishers went scoreless the first five minutes of the second quarter.

Lydia Stullken ended the Tigers’ drought with a bucket at the 3:00 mark and
cut the Greyhounds’ lead 31-17 with three straight conversions in the paint. Stullken paced Fishers with a team-high 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Tamia Perryman had 11 points and five rebounds for Fishers, while Carmel’s
defense disrupted Tigers’ leading scorer Katie Burton, who entered averaging 12.6
points per game. Burton finished with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting.

“We knew she was a phenomenal player that not only creates for herself but for her
teammates. She does such a great job at that, so we really worked at practice the past few days on how to deny her the ball,” Trimpe said. “We kind of did it by committee.”

The Greyhounds’ defense kept the Tigers’ under 35 percent from the field and
forced nearly 20 turnovers.

A 10-3 run in the third quarter increased Carmel’s lead to 20 points. The margin
reached 27 points after a Lauren Gartenhaus 3-pointer late in the fourth.

“We let them fight back in the first quarter, which we talked about in pregame;
those runs are going to happen, and we withstood it,” Trimpe said. “We came out in that second quarter, and that was a very impressive effort by all of our girls. We
went deep into our bench tonight and asked a lot of our girls, especially on the defensive end.”

The result opened the passing lanes on offense with 14 assists overall. Sophie Bair
had six assists and three steals. Hune and Macy Berglund both has two steals. Mackenzie Wood added nine points and nine rebounds.

“We have really started to stress how that defensive end can turn into the offensive game we want to play,” Trimpe said.

“And it got us some really good transition opportunities.”
Fishers travels to Avon on Saturday, followed by consecutive home games next
week against 4A No. 10 Lawrence North and Franklin Central.

Carmel hosts 4A Pike on Friday night in a Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference
matchup before ending the regular-season on the road at Cathedral on Monday and at league rival Ben Davis on Jan. 25.

“We’re at a place that I love, and I told them, once we got through winter break
when we looked at our schedule and broke things down, how important it was going to be to roll into sectional with a couple of wins under our belt,” Trimpe said. “It’s been fun to see them buy into that and take that momentum.”

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern had a successful Senior Night, as the Class 4A No. 1 Royals
honored their five seniors, then beat 4A No. 10 Lawrence North 56-45.

Southeastern led 15-12 after the first quarter, then pulled away in the second
period for a 34-22 halftime lead. Jackie Maulucci hit two 3-pointers in the first
quarter, then senior Malea Jackson and junior Sydney Parrish each made two 3s in
the second.

Parrish had eight points in the second quarter, then added eight more in the third,
on her way to 24 points and four 3-pointers.

Jackson totaled three 3s for the game (she made one in the first quarter) and scored 10 points.

Senior Amaya Hamilton scored nine points. Hamilton said that even with it being
the Senior Night game, the Royals were playing for the team and as a family, just as
they do every game night.

Parrish pulled 10 rebounds for a doubledouble, while Hamilton had six rebounds
and four assists. Maulucci also handed out four assists. Royals coach Chris Huppenthal called the game overall a solid team effort, and was pleased with the ball movement in the first half.

Southeastern is 19-1 for the season and will play at Zionsville Friday night as part
of a Hoosier Crossroads Conference girls-boys doubleheader

The Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety enacted legal steps toward converting the Nickel Plate Rail Line into a trail.  The actions Monday came in three arts….first, a resolution declaring the city’s intentions under the National Trails System Act (view the resolution at this link) and an agreement under the National Trails System Act (available at this link). The second resolution declares the rail property as surplus  (see it at this link).

In other actions:

–The board approved three contracts for legal services.  Jennifer Messer will continue to handle economic development matters as well as provide general legal counsel to the city.  The law firm of Barnes & Thornburg will provide services on bond matters, and the Krieg Devault firm will serve the city on the legal side of  Planning & Zoning matters.

Messer will be paid a retainer of $20,000 a month, and will file monthly reports as in the past, with the following provision as part of the contract:

“Although the City will pay only the Retainer, consistent with past practice, Messer Law will continue to submit monthly invoices for services so that the City may track the services performed on its behalf. Further, if Messer Law’s semi-annual (January 1st to June 31st; or July 1st – December 31st) billings reflect an average, billable rate for the time period above One Hundred Eighty-Five and no/100 Dollars, the City may seek repayment of any amounts paid in excess of an average billable rate of One Hundred Eighty-Five and no/100 Dollars ($185.00), per hour. ”

–The city is contracting once again with the Hamilton County Humane Society to provide animal control services in 2019.

–Approval was given for dredging services in the area of the planned Geist City Park, to be provided by Citizens Energy.  The first phase cost of $100,000 will come from the bond funding the new park.

–Two change orders were approved for the Allisonville Road widening project from 126th Street to 131st Street.

–The city entered into a 3-year contract with the Kleenit Group to provide office cleaning services.  The cost was increased due to the increase in cleaning space added, including the new Police Headquarter, Pavilion, Parks and Recreation Basement, Waste Water Treatment Plant, Sewer Offices, Switch Garage, and the new Department of Public Works Operations Building.  Starting in 2019, the city will see a yearly increase in cost for office cleaning services of $212,016, taking the city’s original not to exceed contract with Kleenit Group, Inc. Starting in 2019, we will have a yearly increase in cost for these services of $212,016, taking our original not to exceed contract with Kleenit Group, Inc. from $334,115.00 to $514,131.00.  The additional cost was factored into the 2019 city budget.

Hamilton County Reporter

The Hamilton County Highway Department has a shortage of snow plow drivers this year.

With the county receiving nearly eight inches of snow this past weekend, it was all hands on deck, including Hamilton County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt (left) and County Councilman Steve Schwartz (right). Schwartz and Heirbrandt volunteered their time to help clear county roads.

If you have an interest in working as a snow plow driver, contact the Hamilton County Highway Department at 317-773-7770 or apply in person at 1700 S. 10th St., Noblesville.