There were only a few empty seats for the Friday Veterans Day ceremony at Fishers City Hall.  The Fishers Junior High School Choirs performed (scroll down to access the videos of their performances).  Those assembled were military veterans and others in attendance just to honor those veterans of America’s Armed Forces.

Mayor Scott Fadness expressed his gratitude to all that have served.   He said that the Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day city observances are a way of showing the city’s “unwavering appreciation for all that they have done.”

El Ahlwardt was the Mast of Ceremonies for the Veterans Day event.  In attendance were members of the Fishers City Council, State Senator Victoria Spartz, State Representative Todd Huston  and Jordan Isaacs, representing Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly.

Fishers Junior High School Choir (Part 1)

Fishers Junior High School Choir (Part 2)

A Fishers-based firm, Hubbard Development, is planning a senior housing complex in the area of 126th Street and Hoosier Road.

Lindsey Erdody of the Indianapolis Business Journal wrote the story which you can read at this link.

As winter begins to settle into the Fishers area, road construction is slowing down, but some continues.  Below is the listing for the work weed beginning Monday, November 13th, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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141ST STREET  

Lane shifts will occur on 141st Street west of SR37 to allow for the construction of a turn lane along the north side of the roadway. Barrels and cones will be in place to direct traffic through the shift.

116TH STREET   
Periodic lane restrictions will occur on 116th Street east of Allisonville Road as the contractor repairs concrete curbs and ramps and begins resurfacing work on the roadway. Restrictions will be in place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Please note that overnight work will occur while traffic volumes are reduced. The City greatly appreciates residents’ patience with construction noise.

I-69   

Improvements are currently underway to rehabilitate existing bridges, pavement and drainage structures along the 15-mile stretch of interstate. Two lanes of traffic in each direction of I-69 are currently shifted to accommodate construction of the additional travel lanes. Signs direct large trucks to use the left lane while traffic is shifted toward the right shoulder through the work zone. The speed limit is reduced to 60 mph and further reduced to 50 mph when workers are present.

I-69 is expected to open to three lanes in each direction between State Road 37 and State Road 38 before the end of this year. Questions about this project should be directed to INDOT at eastcentralin@indot.in.gov or 1-855-463-6848.

STATE ROAD 37   

Geotechnical drilling began along the State Road 37 corridor in May as part of the final design phase of State Road 37 Improvement Project. Lane and shoulder restrictions will be active through November as crews finish drilling.

The State Road 37 improvement project is a $124 million joint project between Fishers, Hamilton County, Noblesville and INDOT. Questions or concerns may be directed todrivefishers@fishers.in.us.

OUTSIDE OF FISHERS   

Cyntheanne Road between 146th Street and 156th Street will be closed until December 1, 2017 to replace the bridge over Keiser Drain. Please contact Hamilton County Highway Department at 317-773-7770 with any questions.

After 13,500 online survey responses, the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board discussed the school calendar Wednesday night but reached no decisions.

Here are some takeaways from the data compiled from the survey results, based on a presentation to the board by Director of Educational Technology Jeff Harrison:

–56% of those responding prefer a longer summer with shorter breaks, as opposed to shorter summers and longer breaks during the school year.

–65% preferred a 3-day Thanksgiving break (Wednesday, Thursday & Friday)

–A plurality of respondents (43%) disagreed with the statement that HSE should have a school calendar consistent with other Hamilton County School systems.

–Given four possible options for calendars, 33% voted to keep the current calendar, while 30% voted in favor of the current calendar with one important change…a full week off for Thanksgiving.

The board discussed moving fall break forward one week at the quarter break so students would not have homework.  But there are issues with the timing of teachers submitting grades.

The 2018-2019 school year calendar has not been approved by the board.  School administrators will be holding discussions with the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association about the calendar.  Superintendent Allen Bourff says he will provide the board with a recommendation for a school calendar for 2018-2019, and some future school years as well, in December.(

(NOTE:  Earlier versions of this story incorrectly shows 65% wanted a Wednesday, Thursday & Friday Fall Break.  Also, that earlier version showed 33% voting for the current calendar and one week off for Thanksgiving.  The data in the story above includes the corrected figures)

With the announcement that the Fishers Freedom Festival will no longer be staged by the nonprofit group that has put this event on since 1989, The City of Fishers is now stepping forward to sponsor the event in 2018.

The satement by the Festival Board was made late on Wednesday.  Thursday, I talked with two people with differing views on the situation.  Don Dragoo is President of the Fishers Freedom Festival Board…..Brad DeReamer is a member of the Fishers City Council.

Mayor Scott Fadness takes issue with assertion that the City of Fishers ended funding for the Fishers Freedom Festival because the event does not “fall within the city’s vision.”

In the news release issued by the Fishers Freedom Festival late Wednesday night, the festival board said the following: “In 2017, the city provided $45,000 and in-kind services. This August, the mayor and City Council decided to discontinue all funding, including in-kind staff service support, stating that the festival partnership does not fall within their city’s vision.”

The mayor is taking issue with that statement.  “I think that is a misrepresentation of what I think the conversation was about,” Mayor Fadness tells LarryInFishers.  “We’ve had lots of dialogue with the Fishers Freedom Festival about maybe evolving their event, or continue to adapt just like our city continues to adapt.  It was not in any way about ‘I don’t believe we should have festivals’ – nothing could be further from the truth.”

The mayor says any assertion that he doesn’t think events like the Freedom Festival and the parade should be a part of the local landscape is “wholly inaccurate.”

The mayor went on to say this – “I do take exception to their representation of my stance on this.  I think traditions and tradition building in our city is critical.”

The mayor envisions food and culinary components as part of the 2018 festival.  He wants to continue the traditions of offering entertainment, the parade and a fireworks display.  He wants to keep those traditions and add on to those offerings as the city evolves.

“It’s taking on the best of the tradition and adding on and supplementing…..as we evolve as a city and have new interests that these would be incorporated into it,” Mayor Fadness said.  “I think all those things are on the table and in the coming months we’re going to work hard, continue the tradition of a community festival that embraces who we used to be and who we are now and who we are hoping to be in the future.”

Mayor Fadness also expressed his gratitude to all the volunteers that helped with the festival in the past.

City Councilman Brad DeReamer said during a podcast recorded November 9th that the 2018 festival will take place at Holland Park and the downtown area simultaneously.

The City of Fishers released a statement Thursday morning, saying it is dedicated to honoring the Fishers Freedom Festival’s tradition in future events, including the annual parade.  The statement was issued after the festival committee announced late Wednesday night it will not have the financial resources to stage the mid-summer event at Holland Park in 2018.

The Fishers City Council formed a committee earlier this year as part of the budget process to review financial support the city provides to local nonprofit groups.  Nonprofit organizations were asked to apply for financial support, and the Freedom Festival submitted an application.

“Through the application process, (Fishers Freedom Festival) was unable to demonstrate fiscal independence, and the nonprofit committee felt it was best to allocate the grant dollars to benefit multiple nonprofits in an effort to help a greater number of residents,” according to the city statement.

“The Fishers Freedom Festival traditionally received half of the City’s nonprofit grant budget in addition to in-kind services, the equivalent to 10 percent of the Fishers Parks and Recreation budget,” the city said in its written statement.

The Fishers Parks and Recreation Department will take the lead on planning the summer event in 2018.  City spokesperson Ashley Elrod tells LarryInFishers the planning process for the 2018 event will begin now, in light of the festival committee’s announcement late Wednesday.

The city announced earlier this year that the financial support for nonprofit organizations would be allocated to the following groups:

Ascent 121 – assistance for survivors of human trafficking

·         Cherish – child advocacy and abuse intervention and prevention services

·         Conner Prairie Museum, Inc. – interactive history park and Smithsonian-affiliate museum

·         Geist Half Marathon – annual marathon fundraiser for youth health and wellness programs

·         Hamilton County Leadership Academy – a community leadership development program

·         Hamilton County Youth Assistance for Fishers Youth Assistance Program – develop and provide access to programs and services that promote positive growth experiences and enhance home and community relationships.

·         Hamilton Southeastern School Foundation – its mission is to bring the next best practices in education home to local students and teachers

·         Janus Developmental Services – provides adult individuals with disabilities the opportunity to participate and contribute within the community

·         Nickel Plate Arts – supports, promotes and provides outstanding arts experiences in Fishers

·         Spaceport Exploration – supports STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math) education that prepares America for the technologies that are shaping the world

·         Youth Mentoring Initiative (YMI) – provides mentoring for students by building and sustaining a mentoring community with the highest level of service, integrity, encouragement, and empathy.

·         City of Fishers Neighborhood Matching Grant – supports neighborhood beautification projects

·         City of Fishers Tree Matching Grant – supports neighborhood tree planting

The Hamilton Southeastern School Board unanimously approved a new contract with the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association Wednesday night.  The association, representing teachers in the school district, overwhelmingly ratified the pact earlier this month, with roughly 94% of teachers voting yes to the new agreement.

The contract runs from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2019.

For a summary of major provisions, use this link.

To read the entire agreement text, use this link.

By

Richie Hall

Hamilton Co

Hamilton County Reporter Sports Editor

The early part of the schedule has been busy for the Fishers girls basketball team, but it has also allowed the Tigers to go on a nice win streak.

Fishers won its third consecutive game Wednesday, beating Anderson 57-37 at the Tiger Den. The victory puts Fishers at 3-1 for the season, this after two wins for the Tigers at their own Fishers Classic last weekend.

“I feel like we’re playing pretty well,” said Tigers coach Lauren Vail. “Obviously we’re coming off two good wins over the weekend. We knew Anderson was going to be athletic, we knew they were going to be quick and I felt like after we adjusted to what they were trying to do, that we settled in and played pretty well.”

Fishers began to break away from Anderson late in the first period. The Tigers were helped out by a three-point play from Toni Grace; that was the last basket of the quarter and it gave Fishers a 15-11 lead.

The Tigers then scored nine straight points in the second period to lead 24-13. Balance was the order of that run, with Briana McGee making a layin, Grace converting two free throws, Kenedi London scoring on a layin and Ali Gerka draining a 3-pointer.

The Indians scored five points to end the half, but Fishers still led 24-18 at the break. The Tigers opened the second half with a 7-0 run; Gerka started it with another 3, her third of the game. Grace then stole off a steal and Lydia Stullken made a layin.

“We just talked at halftime about what they were trying to do,” said Vail. “They were really trying to get the ball inside and we talked about how we needed to do a better job of playing our defensive style, and I thought we came out and executed offensively right off the bat, too, to start the quarter, which never hurts anything.”

Another 7-0 run late in the third pushed the Fishers lead to 20 points, 43-23. Tamia Perryman got five of those points, with a 3-pointer and a layin. Grace made another layin as well.

Grace finished the game with 20 points, with Gerka scoring 13 and Perryman 11. Perryman reached double-double status with 14 rebounds.

“It’s great to have balance and I love that the three of them can do it different ways,” said Vail. “Ali was shooting the ball well tonight. Tamia, obviously, is very good in the open court, getting out and going, and Toni can get to the rim and shoot it from the outside. It’s always nice when you have balanced scoring, especially when they can do it in different ways.”

Fishers is back in action this weekend when it travels over to the Hamilton Southeastern Classic. The Tigers will play Lake Central at 1 p.m. and Valparaiso at 6 p.m. The Royals will also play those teams, taking on Valpo at 11 a.m. and Lake Central at 8 p.m.

The Fishers Freedom Festival will cease holding the summer festival, with the 2017 event the final one to be run by the nonprofit organization that has operated the festival since 1989.

In a news release issued by the festival late Wednesday night, the committee said, ” it (is) with great sadness that the Fishers Freedom Festival announces the immediate ceasing of the Fishers Freedom Festival event held annually that celebrates Independence Day.”

The City of Fishers, and the town government before that, had always financially supported the festival.  However, the Fishers City Council formed a committee to take a hard look at city’s financial support of all local tax-exempt organizations.  The Freedom Festival applied for continued cash and in-kind help from the city, but the committee did not include the festival and the full City Council passed a budget for 2018 without support for the Freedom Festival.

“We are very proud of the Fishers Freedom Festival’s positive community impact that contributed to Fishers’ overall quality of life,” said Festival Board President Don Dragoo, in a news release from the festival. “The decision to terminate the Fishers Freedom Festival was made after many considerations, but is unavoidable due to financial circumstances. We want to sincerely thank all of our past sponsors, donors, vendors, residents, city staff and volunteers that have supported us over the past 29 years.”

The festival committee says the city provided $45,000 of in-kind services (police, fire, parks, public works and other departments) during the 2017 festival, and annual cash support was $85,000.  In the release, the festival said it would not be able to fill the financial gap to hold the event in 2018.

According to the news release, it appears the festival committee will continue to support two other events it has been connected with in the past.   The annual Fishers Oktoberfest event will be entirely operated by Saxony with Freedom Festival volunteer support. The Christmas in October Craft Fair will be run by Fishers Freedom Festival volunteers alongside the Fishers High School Riley Dance Marathon Club, who will eventually take over the craft fair.

When the announcement was made in August releasing the list of groups to receive city support, and the Fishers Freedom Festival was not on that list, the City of Fishers released the following statement August 31st.  “If the Fishers Freedom Festival Committee chooses not to host the Festival next year, the City will fill that void. The City remains committed to bringing residents together by carrying on traditions such as the parade and others our residents love.”

Some city officials have expressed interest in holding the event itself, moving most of the activities from Holland Park to the downtown municipal complex.