by

Hamilton County Reporter

http://www.indianaforefront.com/what-senator-kenleys-retirement-means-for-his-senate-district-residents/

We’re headed to the middle of July, the peak of the summer construction season, which means road work is continuing in and around Fishers.

Here’s the listing, as provided by the City of Fishers, for road construction scheduled for the work week starting Monday, July 10th:

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113TH STREET

Beginning the week of July 17th, 113th Street will be closed between Ashford Pointe and Ringer Road for the installation of a storm sewer across the roadway. Through traffic on 113th Street will detour to 116th Street and down Ringer Road. Access into Ashford Pointe will be open from Olio Road. This closure will last approximately one week.

136TH AND PRAIRIE BAPTIST ROAD

Starting on or after July 5, the Hamilton County Highway Department will be closing the intersection of 136th Street and Prairie Baptist Road to allow the contractor to reconstruct the intersection. The closure is scheduled to last approximately 60 days. Please follow signs for detour routes. Questions regarding this project may be directed to the Hamilton County Highway Department at 317-773-7770.

96TH STREET

Construction has begun on the new roundabout at 96th Street and Lantern Road. 96th Street traffic between Kincaid Drive and Fitness Lane/Pinecreek Drive will be reduced to one lane in each direction throughout the summer.

BROOKS SCHOOL ROAD 

The Brooks School Road bridge over Interstate 69 is closed as Milestone Contractors rebuild the bridge deck. During the closure, traffic will be detoured to Promise Road via 126th and 136th streets. The bridge will remain closed until August.

116TH STREET

There will be lane restrictions on 116th Street between I-69 and Cumberland Road throughout the summer in order for the contractor to make improvements to 116th Street.

113TH STREET

Lane restrictions will occur on 113th Street from Olio Road to Florida Road throughout the summer in order for the contractor to resurface and make improvements to the roadway.

126TH STREET

Expect periodic lane restrictions between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on 126th Street between Allisonville Road and Lantern Road while the contractor installs passing blisters near Reserve at Lantern. Flaggers will be on site to direct traffic during the restrictions.

I-69 AND CAMPUS PARKWAY

The Campus Parkway interchange was recently shifted into a double-crossover traffic pattern. The interchange will remain under construction through July, when it is expected to be fully open to traffic in its permanent configuration.

Multiple traffic lane shifts will be required to complete construction of the new interchange design. Each phase of remaining construction will bring the interchange closer to its final traffic configuration and capacity. For more information about the new traffic pattern, please visit http://www.in.gov/indot/3441.htm

Milestone Contractors has begun mobilizing cranes and other equipment and setting a temporary concrete barrier wall along I-69 at Campus Parkway Exit 210. Work will require alternating lane closures on northbound and southbound I-69 between 9 p.m. and 6 p.m. Lane closures may reoccur each night through the end of the week depending on weather and progress. Questions about this project should be directed to INDOT at eastcentralin@indot.in.gov or
1-855-463-6848.

STATE ROAD 37

Contractors have begun work a $1.5 million drainage structure construction project on State Road 37 between 146th Street and Greenfield Avenue in Noblesville.

The first phase of construction will shift two lanes in each direction toward the right shoulders to provide room for construction in the median. The second phase will shift traffic toward the median to allow construction to be completed along the outside shoulders. All work on the project is expected to be complete this summer.

Starting May 1, geotechnical drilling will begin along the State Road 37 corridor as part of the final design phase of State Road 37 Improvement Project. Lane and shoulder restrictions will be active through July 31.

The geotechnical drilling will cause lane restrictions on SR 37 from 131st Street to 146th Street through July 31. Lane closures are expected to continue for the 131st Street intersection through July 23, and lane closures will commence at the 146th Street intersection on or after July 10. Southbound restrictions begin after 9 a.m. daily and northbound restrictions will be completed daily before 4 p.m. to allow for maximum traffic flow during peak rush hours.

State Road 37 turn lanes will not be affected during lane closures and crews will maintain a minimum of one through-lane at all times.

The SR37 improvement project is a $124 million joint project between Fishers, Hamilton County, Noblesville and INDOT. Questions or concerns may be directed to drivefishers@fishers.in.us.

OUTSIDE OF FISHERS

The City of Carmel has closed 116th Street and Hazel Dell Parkway for the construction of a roundabout. This closure is expected to last for 75 days. Questions and updates about this project should be directed to the City of Carmel at 317-571-2400.

State Senator Luke Kenley has decided to retire at age 72.  He has served Noblesville and adjacent areas in the Indiana Statehouse since 1992.  It has been well known for some time that if you wanted something funded at the General Assembly, getting Luke Kenley on board was a key part of that strategy.

Now that the senator has served in his last legislative session, with his retirement effective September 30 of this year, there are two big questions in the air.

The first is who will succeed Senator Kenley and serve the remainder of his term? Republican precinct officials in his senate district will vote on that issue.  Whomever replaces Senator Kenley in that caucus vote will have a big leg up in the next election round.  How many candidates come forward should be interesting to watch.

Secondly, the leadership in the Indiana Senate will be making a decision on who will replace Senator Kenley in the powerful post of Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman.  That is something important to watch.

Senator Kenley has served his constituents well during his 25 years in the Statehouse.  Whether you agree or disagree with his policies, it is clear he always called the issues as he saw them.  You must respect him for that.

by

Hamilton County Reporter

A retired Hamilton County Sheriff’s Detective and former Arcadia Town Marshall,
now Chief of Security at Riverview Health, Mitch Russell has announced his candidacy
for Sheriff.

With Russell’s announcement the Republican field for Sheriff has now grown to
three veteran law enforcement candidates: Russell, Jason Sloderbeck and Bill Clifford.

Russell’s law enforcement career spans 41 years.

A new political action committee has been formed with the title – Fiscal Conservatives of Hamilton County.  I talked with members of that committee…

A Fishers man police say was undergoing an emotional crisis is dead and police continue to investigate.  John A. Donadio, 51, reportedly threatened officers with a gun, police fired at him, then turned the weapon on himself.

Here is what happened in the 12000 block of Colbarn, in the Sunblest neeighborhood:

On July 3, 2017 at approximately 10:15am, two Fishers Police Officers responded to a welfare check on John Donadio, who was having an emotional crisis. A former in-law, who John had been living with, called 911 with concerns about Mr. Donadio’s mental health. Upon arrival, two officers made contact with Mr. Donadio, who was sitting in his parked vehicle on Colbarn Drive. After the officers made contact with Mr. Donadio, he displayed and then threatened the officers with a handgun. The officers responded to the threat by shooting at the suspect. As officers began shooting, Mr. Donadio turned the gun on himself. Mr. Donadio was pronounced dead at the scene.

Our investigators are currently conducting a thorough investigation by collecting all relevant information and evidence. At this early stage in the investigation, it is not possible to determine the cause of death. The investigation is ongoing.

Per our policy, both involved officers have been assigned to administrative duty pending the results of the investigation.  

It’s often hard to tell what stories on this news blog will get a great deal of interest and which ones get little attention.  When I wrote my story Wednesday night on the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board meeting, I knew one item would get more attention than most.  I had no idea how much people would read it.

It appeared to be a meeting like most others at first.  The companies recommended by the school administration to conduct a branding study and overhaul the school system’s Web site gave an overview of what they plan to do if awarded contracts by the board.

Once the presentations were complete, the first question from the board came from President Matt Burke – would this process look into changing the name of the Hamilton Southeastern Schools?  The answer was yes, if that is what board members want.

Board member John DeLucia then chimed in that there is often confusion from those outside our district, since we have one high school named after the school corporation (HSE) and the other high school named after the city within district boundaries (Fishers).

Another board member asked what the board would need to do if a name change was approved, and Superintendent Allen Bourff said there is a process but approval would likely be no problem.

Then Board member Sylvia Shepler asked where the money would come from for all this. HSE Schools CFO Mike Reuter said no tax money would be used.  The Coke Fund, money received for giving the beverage company exclusive rights in the school corporation, and other corporate sponsorship funds, would be tapped to pay for the branding and Web site projects.  Both projects total will cost roughly $98,000.

The board approved the contracts unanimously.

Once I posted that story, the hits just kept on coming.  Even as of this writing, the evening of July 2nd, a number of people accessed the article today.

Here’s what that tells me – this issue has struck a chord with local residents.  Let me be clear – there has been no decision made on a name change and we are a long way from that. There is no guarantee the board will change the name of Hamilton Southeastern Schools once the branding study is done, which could take up to 9 months.

The branding process includes looking for what image the school system wants to project. It can include visual components, such as a logo and Web site look.  But it can also incorporate a school district name change.

We are many months away from even a recommendation, much less a board decision on this matter.  In the meantime, I expect lots of local chatter on this subject.

In this week’s edition of Hamilton County Goes To The Movies,  Adam & Larry review the new film Baby Driver.  Amy Pauszek is the guest, talking about local independent films.

(Commentaries by Fred Swift are published in the Hamilton County Reporter newspaper and are posted here as part of a partnership between LarryInFishers.com and the Reporter)

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Even though many folks say they are sick of politics, the fact is there is already early
activity in the local political world gearing up for next year’s primary election, now
ten months away. And, whether everyone likes it or not, political choices are important
to the future of Hamilton County.

Here are a few things to watch.

Changes are likely in the local judiciary. Superior Court 5 Judge Wayne Sturtevant
has announced his retirement effective in November of this year. Superior 1 Judge
Steve Nation is seriously considering retirement next year. Circuit Judge Paul Felix
is being considered for a federal court bench. And Superior 6 Judge Gail Bardach
is up for election next spring. She is likely to run for re-election.

A vacancy created by Sturtevant’s retirement comes first and will be filled by
a governor’s appointment. At least two names have been mentioned as possible
candidates: Court Magistrate David Najjar and Carmel City Judge Brian Poindexter,
but neither has confirmed their interest.

Looking at the important, but often overlooked, County Council, a move to
change the factional lineup on the county fiscal body is said to be in the works. Currently,
very conservative members hold a 4-3 edge. Fred Glynn, one of the four and
president of the council, is up for election in the 2018 Republican primary. Reliable
insiders say a prominent Carmel woman will soon announce her candidacy against
Glynn.

Two candidates for sheriff came out very early in what is expected to be a
crowded field. Deputies Bill Clifford and Jason Sloderbeck have already said they
want to succeed retiring Sheriff Mark Bowen. Two, three or more others are expected
to enter the GOP primary race.

In a surprise announcement this week, Corrie Meyer, Carmel, said she will run
against conservative incumbent State Sen. Mike Delph who represents the Carmel
area in the General Assembly. Meyer heads the Carmel Redevelopment Commission.

And, potentially effecting next spring’s elections was this week’s announcement
that a new political action committee (PAC) has been organized at Fishers.
Called Fiscal Conservatives of Hamilton County, the group has as one of its principal
members Bill Smythe, who jumped into Republican politics in 2016, running
unsuccessfully for county commissioner.  He has said he wants to remain active in
local politics.