The Bell Ford Bridge was built in 1868 in Jackson County. It will be moved to Geist Park on Fall Creek to serve as the centerpiece for the park. (Photo provided)
by
Fred Swift
Hamilton County Reporter
Hamilton County is probably the only county in America where the number of iconic covered bridges is increasing. Most areas have either a decreasing number of the wooden structures or none at all.
Locally, we will soon have three. That may not seem like many, but given the small number of these picturesque bridges still standing, it is remarkable. And, the way it happens is a tribute to local interest in acquiring the structures from other counties where they can no longer afford to be maintained.
The most recent acquisition is the Bell Ford Bridge from Jackson County built in 1868. It has been stored in a barn since it was taken out of service on the East Fork of White River near Seymour a few years ago.
County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt, who is acquainted with a commissioner in Jackson County, made the deal on behalf of Fall Creek Township and county park officials. The bridge will be moved in coming months to Geist Park on Fall Creek to become the historic centerpiece for the relatively new park.
“This bridge is the only combination post and truss bridge remaining anywhere,” Heirbrandt said Thursday. It has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The deal with Jackson County provides for a $25,000 donation to the Jackson County Round Barn Restoration Fund to enable that county to complete a move and restoration of a rare barn.
Potters Bridge just north of Noblesville was built in its present location in 1870 and is also now the focal point of Potters Bridge Park. Conner Prairie Pioneer Museum acquired another covered bridge several years ago. After repairs were made, it was placed on museum grounds over a small ravine as part of the Conner Prairie pioneer village.
(Editor’s Note: The covered Bell Ford Bridge is coming to Geist Park, a Hamilton County facility that has been around for many years….this is not related to the new park on Geist Reservoir planned by the City of Fishers)
Pasta Bowl winners honored by the school board (picture provided by HSE Schools)
This was a record-breaking year for the Pasta Bowl with more than 20,000 pounds collected, a 6,000 pound increase over the 2017 total. The pasta goes to local food banks and other nonprofit groups, distributing the food for those in need.
“PastaBowl provides students with an opportunity to give back by donating pasta at their school and helping stock the shelves of Fishers-area food banks, while raising awareness about food insecurities,” said long-time organizer and HSE School Board member John DeLucia. “We are thrilled that HSE Schools combined to set a new record donation this year.”
Here are the winners in the 2018 Pasta Bowl competition among HSE Schools:
Intermediate Winner and Overall Winner – Riverside Intermediate: 2,789 pounds Elementary Winner – Hoosier Road Elementary: 2,369 pounds High School Winner – Fishers High School: 2,096 pounds
NEW CATEGORY “Most Improved” – Cumberland Road Elementary: 2,166 pounds, up from 275 pounds in 2017 (+1,891)
Now that the Hamilton Southeastern School District Administration Building remodeling project is complete, and a new room has been constructed to hold school board meetings, the board approved a policy Wednesday on video live-streaming board meetings and making the recordings available for 45 days. The vote was 6-0. Board member Amanda Shera was not at the session so should could attend a ceremony where her daughter was receiving a major award.
Michelle Fullhart had voted no on first reading, because she objected to the 45-day limit on accessing past board meeting video recordings. She voted yes on final approval.
Board President Matt Burke tells LarryInFishers that Church, Church, Hittle & Antrim Attorney Seamus Boyce told board members the new board taking office in January should revisit the policy as the video program moves forward, making any changes needed along the way.
Artist rendering of proposed new Hub & Spoke Design Center
The Fishers City Council is set to vote on an incentive package for a new development planned in the area of 106th Street and the proposed Nickel Plate Trail. the Hub & Spoke Design Center.
The city is offering a 10-year tax abatement a waiver of fees for the developers of this project. The city is also making a commitment to lease space in the building.
The council vote is on the agenda for the Monday council session, scheduled to start at 7pm.
City officials say Hub and Spoke founder David Decker and president of OnPoint Real Estate Solutions Travis Tucker are heading-up the $14 million project that aims to provide maker space for hobbyists, entrepreneurs, and students.
Joe Burgess was Hamilton County’s super historian of the past century. History was his great interest and he knew it well, lived it and wrote about it for decades.
Joe died Saturday at the age of 98, I knew Joe well, and relied on him when I was with the Noblesville Ledger and later with county government.
Whenever a question arose about the people and events in the county’s past, I called Joe and he always had the answer. He was a lifelong Noblesville resident. Joe and his daughter, Cindy, lived in a modest home on the city’s north side, a home that was packed with historical materials.
He was a veteran of World War II, going to Europe shortly after D-Day and serving in the U.S. military occupation administration of Germany. He returned home and started a 35-year career with the Wainwright Abstract Company.
In the 1960s he authored a book, “Hamilton County in the Civil War,” which is recognized as the best account of local soldiers in the war. He was named the official County Historian and became a founding member and chairman of the County Cemetery Commission which located and maintained the county’s pioneer graveyards. He was relentless in the preservation and upkeep of the early cemeteries when many folks paid little attention.
He wrote another book in his later years entitled “My Memories,” which unfortunately has yet to be published. In it, he recounted 75 years of Noblesville history from the point of view of an eyewitness observer. Perhaps it can yet be published.
Joe was a member of the Friends Church, American Legion, 40&8 Society and the state and county historical societies.
He made a great contribution to his community. He will be sorely missed.
On Friday, police investigated a threat to Noblesville High School after what school officials described as an ugly, derogatory racial statement referencing a school shooting this coming Monday was found on a bathroom wall.
Police were made aware of the situation at approximately 11 a.m. Friday, and by evening, a suspect had been detained, according to a news release provided by Noblesville Schools.
Noblesville Schools also announced that the suspect had been removed from school grounds and expulsion proceedings were underway.
Noblesville Schools Director of Communications Marnie Cooke said, “We are sickened that we are facing this situation once again and will aggressively address hatred and threats to the safety of our students and community. We’ll continue to provide our parents updates and plan for school Monday.”
NHS will be in session Monday with increased police presence, and weekend activities will continue as scheduled.
Noblesville Schools wants to ensure parents that police began investigating the threat in question immediately and extra safety precautions were taken.
Noblesville Schools Superintendent Dr. Beth Niedermeyer released the following statement Friday evening:
“The cruelty, hatred and ugliness that we’ve seen in our community is heartbreaking, and as a school district and community we are better than this. We must stand together against violence and racism. We have engaged our Noblesville Diversity Coalition (NDC) and NHS student leaders to join us tomorrow for an important conversation about ensuring all our students and staff feel safe, respected and included in our community. Community members are invited to attend this conversation from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17 at Ivy Tech in Noblesville. The event will be a time to share and listen to one another, think about ways we can stand together to show our love and support of all people, and discuss ways we can help to unify our community. Noblesville Schools counselors will also available at the event for those who need support.”
Hamilton Southeastern ran its record to 6-0 on Friday, beating host Franklin Central 83-29 in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference opener for both teams.
The Class 4A No. 4 Royals led 32-4 after the first quarter and 53-11 at halftime. Four HSE players reached double figures, led by Sydney Parrish’s 27 points. Malea Jackson scored 14, Amaya Hamilton added 13 and Tayah Irvin scored 10 points.
Southeastern doubled up the Flashes on the boards, outrebounding FC 32-16. Molly Walton cleared eight rebounds, while Hamilton collected seven. Walton and Parrish both dished out four assists, while Parrish and Irvin each had four steals.
The Royals are back on the road today with a game at Fort Wayne Carroll.
Fishers’ Katie Burton goes up for a shot while being guarded by Westfield’s Jessica Castor (32), Ava Henson (23) and Alyssa Crockett (20). (Photo by Kirk Green)
by
Richie Hall
Sports Editor
Hamilton County Reporter
Friday’s girls basketball game at the Tiger Den was about as big as a game could get: Two undefeated teams playing their Hoosier Crossroads Conference opener.
Fishers hosted Westfield, and the game was hard-fought for the entire 32 minutes. But the Tigers used two big runs to take control, eventually winning 51-40. Fishers remains unbeaten at 6-0, while the Shamrocks are now 4-1.
Westfield got the first point of the game on a free throw by Ava Henson. The Tigers scored six straight points to go ahead 6-1, with Lydia Stullken scoring off a steal by Audra Emmerson, then Katie Burton and Tamia Perryman both made jump shots. Westfield quickly tied the game up after Shipley made a free throw, Gigi Eldredge hit a jumper, and Jade Shipley made a layin.
But after a quick timeout, Fishers turned it up, scoring 12 unanswered points in a run that stretched into the second period. Kaitlynn Feagan got hot, making a 3-pointer, then hitting another ‘3’ while getting fouled. Feagan made the subsequent free throw to convert a rare four-point play.
“That’s what I continue to be impressed by with us, is that on any given night, we can have any kid step up,” said Tigers coach Lauren Vail. “And tonight, Kaitlynn Feagan hit some big shots for us. It’s fun when you have that many kids that can contribute.”
Burton’s 3-pointer finished the run and put the Tigers ahead 18-6. Regan Dimond got Westfield going in the second with her own ‘3,’ and that helped the ‘Rocks to stay close through the period. Fishers led 22-13 at halftime.
Alyssa Crockett opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer, brining Westfield within 22-16. The ‘Rocks then got as close as 24-20, after Henson scored on a putback and Eldredge made a lay-in.
But the Tigers embarked on their second big run of the game, outscoring Westfield 12-2 to take a 36-22 lead. Burton, who scored on a layin earlier in the quarter, contributed six points to the run, while Feagan drained another 3.
“I feel like all night Westfield had runs in them,” said Vail. “We would hit a big shot and then they would hit a big shot. We would hit a big shot and they would hit a big shot. I feel like we did get a couple of times where we could get out and run in transition and that really broke it open for us.”
“I think they shot the ball incredibly well,” said Shamrocks coach Ginny Smith of Fishers. “We were out of sync. That match-up zone certainly gave us some problems. Not something we see every day or play against every day. Those Fishers kids, they just play so hard. Now our kids played hard too, we just didn’t do some of the little things down the stretch.”
Westfield continued to battle, but Fishers kept its double-digit lead for the entire fourth quarter. Perryman and Burton both had 3-pointers during the period. Burton led all scorers with 21 points – and she’s only a sophomore.
“I have to remind myself sometimes that they’re still young, and many of them playing in their first varsity season,” said Vail. But those young players are off to a great start.
“I’m really proud of just the way they carry themselves and the great teammates that they are,” said Vail.
Feagan, a junior, finished with 10 points. Perryman, Lydia Stullken and Cierra Tolbert all pulled five rebounds.
As for Westfield, Henson scored 11 points to lead the ‘Rocks. Crockett scored 10 and pulled seven rebounds, with Henson and Eldredge both collecting six.
“I felt like second half, we picked up and tried to get some stuff going for us offensively through our defense,” said Smith. “And still, it was just a struggle for us. All in all, that’s a pretty good lesson learned for us. It gives us a good idea about things that we need to get better at. And we’re just going to get back in the gym. That’s what we’re going to do, get better at some stuff.”
Westfield will go back on the road tonight, traveling to Kokomo.
“So we’ll turn around tomorrow, have a little bit of time to get in the gym,” said Smith. “We’ll get our film work done, some prep work and get on a bus and head over to Kokomo tomorrow night and see what happens.”
Fishers, meanwhile, is off until Tuesday, when it plays its second HCC game of the season at Zionsville.
“We’ll regroup tomorrow morning, get ready for Zionsville,” said Vail.
(NOTE: Raymond M. Adler is the Chairman of the Hamilton County Election Board. This commentary was published in the Thursday edition of the Hamilton County Reporter and is posted here through a news gathering partnership between LarryInFishers.com and the Reporter)
The Fall Election 2018 presented a variety of interesting issues to the Election Board members. Here is a sampling of the issues we faced on Election Day.
I wanted to remind voters that out-of-state driver’s licenses are not acceptable identification. Rejection of a voter without an in-state identification is not a race-related action but statutorily required. I also heard numerous complaints about the long lines. Voter turnout was exceptionally large this year. The County Commissioners need to balance the cost of the machines versus the limited use. Let them know if you would like more tax dollars to be spent to reduce the lines and wait time.
Almost 70 persons attempted to vote at the courthouse rather than in their own precinct. That is not permitted on Election Day, even though it is permitted during early voting. Registrations cannot be faxed in.
Not all yard signs had disclaimers printed on them designating who paid for the sign. This mostly happened in certain school board races, but not all school board races require the disclosure. It would certainly be helpful if all school board candidates, as well as all other candidates, had a disclaimer on their materials of who paid for it, as this is a recurring issue.
Many schools did not permit voting in the school due to recent concerns for safety. These locations are ideal as they solve the restricted parking issue, are well known to everyone, handicapped accessible and easy to administer. I would encourage you to contact your local school board and suggest they approve voting in the future at their school.
Finally, anyone with grievances can obtain a form from the Hamilton County Clerk, complete the information requested and return to the Clerk so that complaints may be dealt with expeditiously. Complaints this year mostly related to lack of disclaimers on yard signs or registration issues. If you register through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, make sure to bring your receipt to the voting booth as few errors have occurred.
Thank you everyone for a great election in Hamilton County.
Fishers will soon see a $14 million Hub & Spoke Design Center on 106th Street along what is planned to be the Nickel Plate Trail. A city news release describes this as “a center of activity for the home building and design industry alongside a one-of-a-kind Maker’s Space for hobbyists, entrepreneurs, and students to design and create.”
Hub and Spoke founder David Decker, president of OnPoint Real Estate Solutions Travis Tucker, and Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness jointly announced the project Thursday morning.
“Our goal is to show people the possibilities of success and growth in our industry through project and work-based learning. There is something magical that happens when you take an idea in your head and build it with your hands,” said David Decker in a city news release.
Initial tenants for the project include Battersby Danielson Azbell and Associates, Franklin Window & Door, A\Co, and OnPoint Real Estate Solutions include Battersby Danielson Azbell and Associates, Franklin Window & Door, A\Co, and OnPoint Real Estate Solutions.
“David and Travis’ entrepreneurial stories are inspiring,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness. “Hub and Spoke deepens Fishers’ commitment to entrepreneurs of all industries. We’re on a mission to connect residents to their passions, and David and Travis’ leadership in our community will help us bring that mission closer to fruition.”
Decker and Tucker say they intend to use Hub and Spoke’s Maker’s Space and Community Connect area to grow awareness around career paths in the skilled trade industry, where labor shortages abound.
Here’s how the city news release describes the experiences available in the planned structure:
· Retail showrooms, office space, and warehousing
· Maker’s space and Training Facility– this dedicated space will feature tools, manufacturing equipment, and art studio space where youth, adults, and entrepreneurs are empowered to create, discover, and innovate their passions alongside training and educational assistance.
· Community Connect – an interactive indoor-outdoor cooperative and agile work space for collaborative work to support industry connection and growth for entrepreneurs, innovators, students and community members.
· Event Space – leveraging proximity to the proposed Nickel Plate Trail, the event space will be a destination for entertainment and recreation at the unique indoor/outdoor space.
