The first 2 construction projects on State Road 37 in Fishers will be at the intersections of 131st Street and 141st Street. That’s according to Fishers Engineering Department Director Jeff Hill. He was joined by Assistant Engineering Director Jason Taylor for a podcast that discussed State Road 37 and some other planned projects in the city.
You can listen to the entire podcast at the link below.
After I retiring from my regular job, one adventure I always wanted to take was hopping in the car, driving south the Daytona, Florida, and watching the 24-hour sports car race at the speedway there. That is exactly what I did in 2017, and took side trips to Orlando, the Kennedy Space Center and Fort Walton Beach.
The race was everything I expected and more. It’s hard to believe that after a full 24 hours of racing, so many cars were on the same lap at the end. The fastest of the four classes, the prototype division, actually had a very close finish. The weather wasn’t so great, rainy overnight and much colder than normal for that part of Florida. But I was very glad to be there.
I left January 25th and just arrived back in Fishers over the past weekend. I find several things have happened during my time away. Here are just a few:
–Kudos to the Fishers Police Department and other law enforcement agencies in the area for making an arrest of a 16-year-old Lawrence Township juvenile, charged with making threats on social media targeting Hamilton Southeastern Schools. Students and staff at HSE were lauded by Fishers Police Chief Mitch Thompson for playing an instrumental role.
–The Hamilton Southeastern School Board approved a method to hand out teacher performance awards on a 6-1 vote. Michelle Fullhart voted no. You can see the plan at this link. The board is also wrestling with some student population imbalances at the intermediate and junior high levels. The board is set to further discuss the imbalance issue at the February 8th meeting.
–John Tuohy of the Indianapolis Star posted a story January 30th about talk of turning the Nickel Plate rail line into a walking and biking trail, much like the Monon Trail running through north Indianapolis and Carmel. City officials had no comment. I wonder if that will be further revealed at the mayor’s State of the City address in March? We will see. You can read the Star story at this link.
–I was sad to learn that local restaurateur Bill Smythe was unable to successfully sell his Claude and Annie’s location in Fishers. Bill is now lobbying the Indiana General Assembly. You can read Lindsey Erdody’s story at this link.
We’ve told you about it before, but here is another reminder about the Game Day event coming to Conner Prairie February 24th. This is the biggest annual fund-raising event for the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation.
This normally sells out, so if you want to be there, don’t wait to buy your tickets.
Below is a foundation news release with the details:
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The event of the year is returning to Hamilton Southeastern Schools! The education celebration, known as Game Day 2017, will return to Conner Prairie on Friday, February 24, 2017 in hopes of scoring big for local teachers.
Game Day is the primary source of innovation funding that brings teacher led ideas to fruition and is the only event that serves all 21 HSE Schools. This year, participants can compete for a chance to win a big screen TV or $500 cash while enjoying a delicious dinner and drinks. Event Chair Sneha Shah elaborates, “Game Day is such a fun evening for parents, teachers, and community leaders to unite for our schools. Our focus this year is to tell the story of innovation from our student’s perspective. We’re adding an adult makerspace, student produced auction items and impact board so families can really see the difference they are making!”
Supportive businesses, families, and individuals can ensure all students win by purchasing tickets, providing sponsorships, or bidding on auction items. Indeed, the silent auction is expected to be the largest in the area reaching over 30,000 subscribers and attracting exceptional, one of a kind experiences.
Grab your jersey and come as an individual player or bring your whole team. Tickets, which are $75, are now on sale at www.hsefoundation.org and include a $50.75 tax deductible donation. Guests must be 21 and over to attend.
More work and changes are coming to the I-69 & Campus Parkway construction site. That’s one of three projects on this week’s list of road projects around Fishers.
Below is the listing, provided by the City of Fishers:
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I posted a story January 23rd after the Fishers Board of Works and Safety meeting about the planned rerouting of traffic on 116th Street east of I-69. I received a summary in that meeting, and have had many questions about how traffic will be closed, detoured and rerouted during this year’s HSE spring break.
Fishers City Engineering Department Director Jeff Hill provided more details on what will happen during this project. Eastbound traffic lanes will be closed. The eastbound lanes will be shifted to the westbound lanes during this work. Westbound traffic will be rerouted north on Cumberland Road and turned onto Exit 5 Parkway. The city plans to adjust the timing on the traffic signals allowing the westbound vehicles to have “through movement” even though it is a detour. The city plans to put together more detailed graphics and issue news releases, along with social media updates, as spring break is closer in time.
This work is required to allow Marathon Pipeline time for removal of the existing 111 feet of casing around their existing 8 inch pipeline, which runs underneath 116th Street.
Hamilton Southeastern Schools Spring Break will be March 31 through April 7th this school year.
Here is my podcast conversation with Hamilton Southeastern School Board President Matt Burke
The 2016 Game Day was a sellout – and you can now buy your tickets for the 2017 celebration. This is one of the major fund-raising events of the year for the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation. The foundation supports the school districts students and teachers.
Here are some of what is planned for this year’s Game Day, set for February 24th, 6:30pm-9:30pm, at Conner Prairie:
Tickets are $75, and $50.75 of that total is considered a charitable contribution for tax purposes. You can buy your tickets at this link. Remember, last year’s Game Day was sold out in advance.
Motorists will be facing a traffic challenge during spring break this year, as some traffic on 116th Street from Cumberland Road to Exit 5 will be re-routed. This will be required to allow Marathon Pipeline time for removal of the existing 111 feet of casing around their existing 8 inch pipeline, which runs underneath 116th Street.
In order to remove the casing, the City of Fishers has agreed to detour traffic from the eastbound lanes of 116th Street for a period of 12 days, which the city says will allow the work to be done quickly and efficiently. Once this work has been completed, traffic will be allowed back on the eastbound lanes of 116th Street.
A detour will be setup taking traffic from Cumberland Road to 121st, then back north to 116th Street near Exit 5. City Engineering Department Director Jeff Hill says there will be publicity detailing this project, allowing drivers to consider alternative routes during this work.
Hill says the project will extend over two weekends, beginning with the Hamilton Southeastern School’s scheduled spring break. The cost is not to exceed $175,000 and will come from the 116th Street bond proceeds.
The Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety unanimously approved the resolution.
The news contained in John Tuohy’s Indianapolis Star piece posted online January 21st should not come as a surprise to anyone, but it is sad nonetheless. The Indiana State Fair Train will not likely run for a second straight year in 2017.
The Hoosier Heritage Port Authority has the responsibility to maintain the tracks stretching 37 miles. The Authority says $5 million in track repairs are needed to bring back the train service for a number of programs, the Fair Train being the largest.
The Port Authority has now put out a request to establish a new operator. The Indiana Transportation Museum had operated that stretch of train track for a number of years.
The Port Authority president is quoted in the Star story about “serious infighting” within the museum’s organization. That apparently led to the announcement that a new operator must be found to bring the track up to safety standards.
It will take time to select a new operator and even more time for that group to make the necessary repairs, allowing the Fair Train and other activities to once again start.
It is good that the Hoosier Heritage Port Authority is moving forward. Let’s hope this gets the 2018 Indiana State Fair train back on track.
Fishers City Councilman At Large Rich Block talks about a variety of issues in this podcast