by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton County Commissioners on Monday approved $3.4 million in requests for financial assistance to community non-profit organizations. The public funds were approved earlier by the County Council, but commissioners tabled another $427,310 of council approved funds because the council had reduced and in some cases eliminated funding requests for 11 social service organizations.

Commissioners said they were uncertain why the reductions had been made, but want time to consult with council members or consider what action to take. The difference between council members’ and commissioners’ opinions over grants to the non-profits is the latest in a number of disputes between the two bodies.

The funds approved by commissioners Monday included $2.1 million in state-prescribed funding for Aspire, a mental and behavioral health program, $750,000 to Janus Developmental Services for general operations and $428,495 for Hamilton County Express, the public transportation service operated by Janus.

Requests tabled included funding for PrimeLife Enrichment, Prevail, Chaucie’s Place, Cherish Center, Trinity Free Clinic, Meals on Wheels, the Hope Family Clinic, Hamilton County Leadership Academy, Good Samaritan, CIRTA, Conner Prairie and Salvation Army.

The funds going to community non-profits are not the sole source of revenue for the organizations, but supplement their efforts which officials say would otherwise either not be provided or fall entirely to local government.

Commissioners also approved distribution of $150,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant money, which is administered by the Noblesville Housing Authority.

You may recall a crash from June 30th of this year when police say a car collided with a man riding a bicycle along Brooks School Road, near Broadmoor drive.  That incident took the life of the bicyclist, Robert Lackey, 61, from Fishers, Indiana.

Tuesday, Hamilton County authorities issued an arrest warrant for Deborah Sundstrom, 59, from Indianapolis, in connection with that June 30th crash.  Sundstrom faces one felony count of Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death and a misdemeanor charge of Operating While Intoxicated Endangering a Person.  Sundstrom turned herself into law enforcement has been released on bond.

There are times you sit through a meeting and feel exhausted once the session is done.  I felt that way as I walked away from the newly-remodeled Hamilton Southeastern Schools Administration Building Tuesday morning.

I was not a participant, I was covering the meeting as a reporter, but the discussion was revealing and often pointed.

The subjects were Equity and Inclusion and the discussion was led by Dr. Erica Buchanan Rivera, Equity & Inclusion Officer for HSE Schools.

Ms. Buchanan Rivera spent time explaining to board members how she helps teachers with questions on how to handle specific situations they need to handle in their classrooms related to equity and inclusion.

There was a lively discussion about gender equity, treatment of transgender students and how to address the academic performance of many minority groups in the HSE Schools student population.

The school district must be quick to respond when an incident happens, but Buchanan Rivera says HSE Schools need to be more proactive in handling such situations.

Buchanan Rivera presented an action plan for meeting certain goals, and reviewed the groups and committees throughout the school corporation that are working on equity and inclusion issues now.

I am sure many of the board members and HSE staff at this work session felt a little exhausted too, but much was accomplished during the meeting.

The Fishers City Council was busy honoring people at the Monday night session.

Diplomas were handed out to graduates of the first summer Citizens Academy class.

The donors that made four new Pickleball courts possible at Cyntheanne Park were recognized by Council members.

Jamie Follis, teacher at HSE High School, was honored by the council for winning the award of Educator of the Year.

The 3-member City Council NonProfit Committee announced the organizations the city will support in 2019.  The committee members are Pete Peterson, Brad DeReamer and Cecilia Coble.

Peterson  announced the groups the committee voted to fund at Monday night’s City Council session.  The organizations are:

Youth Mentoring Initiative                                                         $48,200

JANUS Development                                                                   $12,000

HSE Schools Foundation                                                           $26,300

Hamilton County Youth Assistance Program                   $65,000

Conner Prairie                                                                               $100,000

“We feel that making sure some of those folks who are out in our community effecting a lot of residents, in other words, it’s substantive, and will have an impact, guided our decisions,”  said Peterson.

The City of Fishers has a roughly $108 million budget in place to fund city operations for 2019, now that the City Council has unanimously voted in favor of the spending plan.  Council members also approved a bond issue funding the first phase of the Nickel Plate Trail.

There were people in the audience with Save The Train signs objecting to the funding of the trail, backing a plan to have a train and trail side-by-side, but that is not part of the plan approved by the council.  One lady with a Save The Train sign asked the council if she could speak before the vote was taken on the Nickel Plate Trail, but Council President Todd Zimmerman denied the request.  The Council held a public hearing on the budget at the September council session.

The $15 million bond issue approved by the council will fund the trail and several road projects around the city.

An area of Lantern Road, just north of the downtown Fishers, will now be subject to a 25-miles-per-hour speed limit during school hours following action Monday by the Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety.

The new speed limit signs will be installed showing the lower speed limit during school hours  160 feet north of 121st Street, impacting both directions on Lantern Rd to 435 feet south of Turin Court.  Since this is for a private school, there will be no flashing lights during school hours, just signs facing both directions.

Fishers Chief of Police Ed Gebhart administered the oath of office to three new officers Monday morning.  They are Kevin Starkey, Keith Benbow, & Nick Smiley.  According to Fishers Police all three are certified law enforcement officers with several years of experience.

If you live within the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District, when you cast your ballot this election cycle, even when using the straight-party ticket choice (voting all at once for candidates of either major party), do not forget to continue.  The Hamilton Southeastern School Board is electing a majority of the board, 4 of the 7 members, in this year’s voting and school board elections in the state of Indiana are non-partisan.

So, if you vote all for one party, ensure you will be be casting a vote in the school board election.  Why is that important?

First, the quality of the local schools impacts the quality of life for everyone living within the boundaries of the school district.

Second, high quality schools lead to high property values.

Finally, keep this in mind.  The City of Fishers is planning on a total municipal budget for 2019 of around $108 million.  The Hamilton Southeastern Schools plan to spend just under $243 million next year.  Our city is important but our schools are responsible for wisely spending a much bigger chunk of public funds.

In the 2018 round of HSE school board elections, there are 4 districts.  You only vote for the group of candidates residing in the district where you live.

A map of the districts is available at this link 

That map is sometimes hard to read, so if you want a definitive look at which is your district and which group of candidates you must choose from, go to this link  and use the link “check voting status” to review your sample ballot.

When I told people active in local schools that I planned to invite all the HSE School Board candidates for podcast recording sessions, many were skeptical that I could do it.  Well, I invited all 10 candidates spread all through the 4 districts, and they all accepted the invitation.

Once you determine in which school board district you reside, I encourage you to listen to my podcast interviews with the candidates in your district.  This should help you make a decision on which candidate you prefer.

Below are links to those podcasts, by district:

DISTRICT 1

Josh Richardson

Ben Elsbury

Brad Boyer

DISTRICT 2

Frank Whelan

Janet Pritchett

Matt Molter

DISTRICT 3

Michelle Fullhart

Jennifer Reardon McSoley

DISTRICT 4

Brad Banks

Julie Chambers

The Hagerman Group is a firm with a long-time connection with the Fishers community, with its headquarters building located along Allisionville Road.  According to my news-gathering parter, the Hamilton County Reporter, the construction company has announced a list of hiring and promotion activity:

Kevin Sexton has joined Hagerman’s Fishers office as a project estimator. Sexton will work closely with the chief estimating officer and preconstruction manager.  Sexton has 21 years of similar experience and has managed a full spectrum of projects, services and functions in the construction industry. His alma mater is Vincennes University where he obtained a degree in Building Materials Technology.

Elisa Meredith has joined Hagerman as a project coordinator based in the Fishers office. Meredith’s responsibilities include working closely with project managers and project executives to prepare action plans, including resources, timeframes and budgets. Meredith majored in Electrical Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and recently worked at Gaylor Electric as a project administrator.

Lee Emenhiser has a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management Specialization with a minor in Organizational Leadership and Supervision from Purdue University. Emenhiser is based in Hagerman’s Fort Wayne office and serves as a project engineer. As a project engineer, Emenhiser will support the project manager on contract administration matters related to trade/subcontracts. He will also prepare trade/subcontracts, administer change processes, maintain and update schedules and communicate with the designer. Additionally, he will prepare RFIs, administer progress payments, assist in implementing quality control procedures, manage the submittal process, and initiate claims management controls.

Maranda Taylor serves as business development coordinator and works out of the Fishers office. Taylor is responsible for new business, as well as coordinating BD efforts with the director of business development. Taylor obtained a Bachelor of Corporate Communications from IUPUI in Indianapolis and most recently worked for a local developer.

Nick Kortepeter, a Purdue University graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction Management, has joined Hagerman as an assistant project manager. Having worked in the construction industry for the past 20 years, Kortepeter is well-versed in contract negotiations, project estimation, document preparation, building codes and regulations, material purchasing, site management and CPM scheduling.

Trent Meyer has joined Hagerman as a project engineer and is based out of the Fishers office. Meyer is a 2016 graduate of Ball State University with a minor in Business Administration and a major in Construction Management. As project engineer, Meyer will work in the office and on-site to assist the project manager with construction administration.

Hagerman’s senior estimator of just over a year, Steve Meier, has been promoted to pre-construction manager. Meier is responsible for overseeing projects, evaluating the site, developing itemized expense lists based on personnel and materials and collaborating with owners and designers to explain cost findings. Meier has nearly 20 years of experience in the construction industry.

Hagerman is a privately-owned construction company that has been around for 110 years.  The firm has offices in Fishers, Fort Wayne and Louisville, Ky.