The Fishers Plan Commission gave unanimous approval to a primary plat which will transform 30 single family parcels of land known as Spring Dale Estates into the commercial culinary development named the Yard.  The commercial plan will be developed by Thompson Thrift.

This is an effort by Mayor Fadness and the city to energize the local restaurant scene.  Fadness has said many times one of the most often-mentioned issues by residents of Fishers is the lack of choices for eating out.

The residents of Spring Dale Estates hired an attorney to negotiate the sale of their properties to Thompson Thrift.  The 17 acres that will soon become The Yard is being rezoned from residential to commercial.

The Plan Commission action Wednesday night brings The Yard one step closer to reality.

The Hamilton Southeastern Schools have been an integral part of the Mental Health Initiative launched by Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, and that cooperation was on display at Riverside Intermediate School (RSI) Wednesday night.

The event was called “Journey of the Heart, Mind & Soul.”  It featured tables staffed by area organizations.  There were also breakout groups of parents discussing issues such as Suicide Prevention Social Media.

Mayor Fadness spoke to the entire group, explaining how his initiative is aimed at combating depression and preventing students from harming themselves while suffering from mental illness.  Fishers Fire Chief Steve Orusa talked about his role in spearheading the city’s mental health program.

Continue reading Mental Health Awareness is the Focus of RSI Event →

Hamilton County voters once again supported their local schools….below is my Indiana Forefront commentary on the latest round of balloting….you can find my commentary at this link

I have volunteered to be a practice judge for the HSE High School “We the People” team the past few years and have loved every minute of it.  “We the People” is a program aimed at civic education, based on students’ knowledge of the United States Constitution.

The students prepare a 4-minute verbal presentation, then take questions from the judges. Both Fishers and HSE High Schools have We the People teams that are very competitive on a state and national level.

This school year, Fishers Junior High School teacher Mike Fassold started a new “We the People” team.  His group won the state championship, earning them the right to compete at the national level in Washington DC

The Fishers Junior High team went from the first round of competition, and performed well enough to compete in the finals held Monday, May 1st.  At the awards ceremony, Mr. Fassold’s team of students beat teams from places like Virginia, Florida and Oregon to take first place.

It was my honor to play a very small role in helping the team prepare for competition as a practice judge.  My work with them showed me they are a very special group.  The national judges in our nation’s capital agree with me.

My sincere congratulations go to Mike Fassold and his entire group of students competing in the national finals.  This is just another reminder of how special Fishers is, with the best students and teachers one can find anywhere.

The weather forecast this week calls for below normal temperatures, but the city is going full speed ahead with outdoor activities.

The first event this week features the first Concert on the Central Green at the City’s Municipal Complex, Wednesday, May 3rd, noon to 1pm.  Kelly Isenhower will provide the musical entertainment.

On Friday night, May 5th, the Movies in the Dark series continues at the downtown Amphitheater.  At dusk, the film The Secret Life of Pets will be shown.

A very popular spring/summer Fishers weekly event, the outdoor Farmers Market, will make its 2017 debut May 6th, 8am to noon.  Plenty of fresh food will be on sale, just as has been the case the past several years.

The Mira Awards are setup to honor people working locally in the tech world, sponsored by Techpoint.  At the 18th annual awards gala in downtown Indianapolis Saturday night, several people and organizations from Fishers were honored.

Julie Alano, the teacher of the year for Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools, was honored as the Tech Educator of the Year.  Mrs. Alano has been key in developing computer science classes at HSE Schools.

The Fishers Police Department received an honorable mention under the Tech Service of the Year category for the CrimeWatch Phone App.  The cell phone application allows citizens to report suspicious activity and include a picture.  Tech developer Auri Rahimzadeh and Assistant Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart were instrumental in launching the app.

“It’s exciting to see Fishers so well represented at the Mira Awards with both nominees and winners,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in a city news release. “We’re truly a smart, vibrant, and entrepreneurial city and it shows with tonight’s representation. And I’m proud that this spirit transcends traditional assets to inside City Hall. Assistant Chief Gebhart’s idea came to life with Auri’s development skills to solve a community problem. To me, that’s smart government.”

The Fishers-based Internet of Things company Clear Object received the Scale-up Company of the Year Award.  The firm, headed-up by CEO John McDonald, was also honored for Best Tech Event, the  IndyIoT Symposium.

Here is a listing of local Mira award nominations:

Community Champion of the Year 

Eleven Fifty Academy Outreach Team

Best New Tech Product

FUZIC

Tech Service of the Year

Emplify

New Startup of the Year

Fuzic

Company Culture of the Year

BLASTmedia

Flexware Innovation

If you frequent LA Fitness or Kroger at 116th & Cumberland Road, be prepared.  Road construction will close those entrances for two weeks, beginning May 1st.

Here is the full list of road construction projects around Fishers for the work week starting Monday, May 1st:

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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.

Beginning May 1, for two weeks, the entrances to Kroger and LA Fitness on 116th Street just west of Cumberland Road will be closed to allow the contractor to work on the signal poles and entrance drives into these businesses.  Access into both of these commercial areas will be off of Cumberland Road.  116th Street will remain open during this time, however there will be lane restrictions in the area.

GEIST ROAD

Geist Road between 106th Street and 111th Street will have possible lane restrictions while contractors perform shoulder work along the west side of Geist Road.

USA PARKWAY

There will be periodic restrictions on USA Parkway while crews construct turn lanes for IKEA.

ALLISONVILLE ROAD

There will be lane restrictions on northbound and southbound Allisonville Road from 126th Street to 131st Street between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. all week. There will be flaggers and barrels onsite to help direct traffic. Please drive with caution.

I-69 AND CAMPUS PARKWAY

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 a.m. Lane closures may recur 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.

The Campus Parkway interchange at Interstate 69 Exit 210 will be shifted into a double-crossover diamond traffic pattern starting on or after May 8. Shifting traffic into the double-crossover diamond pattern is intended to improve traffic flow during the remainder of construction of the permanent interchange improvements.  For more information about the project, please visit http://www.in.gov/indot/3441.htm.

126TH STREET

There will be 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.

106TH AND CUMBERLAND ROAD ROUNDABOUT

There will be possible lane restrictions around the roundabout while the contractor finishes up work.

STATE ROAD 37

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 the June 30.

Motorists will see staked locations along the corridor starting with the 141st Street intersection. The geotechnical drilling will cause lane restrictions from 131st Street through 146th Street through June 30. Southbound restrictions will not begin until 9 a.m. daily and northbound restrictions will be done daily before 4 p.m. to allow for maximum traffic flow during peak 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 Co, Noblesville, and INDOT. Questions or concerns may be directed to drivefishers@fishers.in.us.

Indiana state lawmakers took no action on short term home rentals in the 2017 session, and Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness says the local committee formed to look at the issue will not likely be meeting anytime soon.  Legislation introduced at the Statehouse earlier this year died, with no action this legislative session.

Fishers’ neighbor to the west, Carmel, is regulating short term home rental activity, mostly fueled by a popular online tool, Airbnb.  Fishers, however, has no ordinances or regulations on such short term rentals.

Fadness told LarryInFishers Friday that the short term home rental issues in Fishers are not a priority for him at this time.

So, at least for now, your short term rentals will not be under a microscope in the City of Fishers.

Citizens State Bank christened its new presence in the the Nickel Plate District of Downtown Fishers Friday morning with a ribbon cutting ceremony.  The new branch is located in the Switch Building, near City Hall.

Mayor Scott Fadness told those at the bank Friday that this is part of the smart, vibrant and walkable urban core local officials envisioned for Fishers.

“You were willing to take the leap of faith with us and locate right here in the heart of our city and I hope it bodes well for you and your business as you move and continue to grow,” Fadness told those on hand for the event.

Citizens State Bank’s home office is located in New Castle, Indiana.  The financial institution has 15 locations in Indiana.

The City of Fishers took action Friday morning allowing its continued legal authority in regulating utilities, such as telecommunications companies, and their placement of equipment, such as cell phone towers.  Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness says a compromise measure enacted in the waning hours of the Indiana General Assembly’s 2017 session allows localities to continue this authority, but the legislation requires local governments to enact the procedures with a May 1st, 2017, deadline.

Fadness says he’s been told that roughly 100 local communities throughout the state will be enacting the same procedures Fishers enacted Friday by the May 1st deadline.  The Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety passed the resolution.  The board consists of Mayor Fadness and his two appointees, Jason Meyer and Jeff Lantz.  Fadness and Meyer voted in favor of the resolution…Lantz was unable to attend the special meeting.

The resolution sets up waiver procedures when a telecommunications company wants to place a new utility pole or cell phone tower.   The city continues to be involved when residents have objections to the placement of these utility structures.