Fishers Police are continuing to investigate a pedestrian struck and injured by a vehicle Saturday night on Olio Road.

The details are contained in the news release below from police officials:

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Fishers police are investigating a crash that occurred on Saturday evening in the 11700 Block of Olio Road.

The Nickel Plate District in Downtown Fishers has a reputation of being a little different, and you will find something there you will not find in most other cities: artwork on the traffic signal boxes.   Above you will find a map of where these signal boxes are located.  At the end of the reprinted news release below you will find a link with examples of the artwork.

Below is the news release announcing the project:

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The Fishers Arts Council and City of Fishers selected three Indiana artists to paint a series of six signal boxes in the Nickel Plate Arts District representing the city’s vision of a smart, entrepreneurial and vibrant community. Artists William Denton Ray and Marc Anderson from Indianapolis, and Fishers’ artist Jacque Hammonds began prepping and painting the signal boxes late last week.

Their original designs will be painted directly on utility boxes along 116^th Street and Commercial Drive. After being sealed with a graffiti-resistant coating, the artwork should last up to three years. All six pieces should be completed next week, weather dependent.

“The city partnered with the Fishers Arts Council two years ago to develop a Community Master Art Plan that better defines public spaces through public art installations,” said Lisa Vielee, president of the Fishers Arts Council.

This is the third public art installation as part of the Fishers Community Master Art Plan. The first, “INvisible Art” by Jessica Springman, was installed this summer on the sidewalks surrounding the Central Green using hydrophobic paint. The second installation is a series of banners on The Edge parking garage. The first set of seven banners, titled “Pursuing Innovation” by Rachel Johnson, was unveiled last week.

“Not only do these art installations interpret the entrepreneurial spirit and iconic elements of our community, they add vibrancy and a sense of discovery to the District,” added Vielee.

The signal box designs selected and their locations include:

• “Blue Balloons” by Marc Anderson—116th Street and Holland Drive
• “Birds (Watching Them Watching Us)” by William Denton Ray—116th Street and Regency Drive
• “Straight-On Monon,” by Jacque Hammonds—116th Street and Municipal Drive
• “Red Bikes” by Marc Anderson—116th Street and Lantern Road
• “Mille Bornes” by Jacque Hammonds—Commercial Drive and North Street
• “Face the Music” by William Denton Ray—Commercial Drive and Lantern Road

The artists were selected by a committee comprised of representatives from the Fishers Arts Council, the City of Fishers, the Fishers City Council, and Nickel Plate Arts. Each artist was chosen for his or her technical and artistic ability, experience working with local municipalities, and for demonstrating an understanding of the personality of the Nickel Plate District.

The Nickel Plate District in Fishers has experienced robust development in recent years. This growth includes mixed- use developments, offices, residential units, restaurants and retail uses. In addition to the high volume of pedestrian and cyclist traffic, 32,000 vehicles pass through the district daily.

About the Fishers Arts Council
Fishers Arts Council is the leading arts organization in the City of Fishers, Indiana. It partners with local organizations, artists, performers, students, and businesses for arts and cultural occasions that enhance our vibrant city. Run entirely by volunteers, the Fishers Arts Council envisions the arts as a genuine reflection of our community’s value and diversity, woven into the daily community life of the city. Find out more at fishersartscouncil.com.

See examples of the art at the link below.

fac-signal-box-art-2016-1

Those of us living in Central Indiana have endured a bombardment of political advertising.  This is not just happening on television, it’s also everywhere you go online.

It’s easy to tune out all campaigning because we have so many offices at stake.  The polsters measuring such things tell us voters have the highest negative views of both major party presidential candidates in the history of scientific polling.

Keep in mind that there are many other offices up for election this cycle.  County offices are on the ballot, along with members of the Indiana General Assembly, governor, state attorney general and United State Senate.  Just because you may have soured on the top race involving presidential candidates, keep in mind these other offices will have an impact on your life for the coming four years.

There are three county council seats on the ballot, and even if you vote a straight party ticket, you must still select county council candidates individually….for some reason, your straight party vote will not register for that office.

I don’t want to beat a dead horse on this, but your school board election is one of the most important.  For people living in Fishers, and some of the outlying rural areas, you will be voting on Hamilton Southeastern candidates from all three townships.  I recorded podcast interviews will all 9 school board candidates, and, so far, there have  been over 740 plays of all the 9 podcasts total.  For a local set of podcasts, that is a high number.  It tells me people are tuned-in to the local school board election.  That’s a good thing.  Just remember that the school board election is toward the end of the voting process.  Don’t skip over it as you record your vote.

I have covered just about all levels of government in Indiana, first during the 1970s into 1983, then the last four years covering Fishers in this news blog.  One theme always rings true – it makes a difference when you cast your vote.  These office holders will be making decisions impacting your day-to-day life.

Bottom line, your vote makes a difference…a big difference.  We have had past elections in the old town of Fishers decided by margins as small as 4 votes.

The long lines at the early voting venues in Hamilton County illustrate that people care about this election.  That’s a good thing. but the local election board needs to look into expanding the early voting venues and finding ways to shorten the wait times for future balloting.

I plan to be in Noblesville n election night to cover results of our local school board election.  I also have an early morning commitment on Wednesday, so if things go really late (and they may) I will have to retire early and post final results early Wednesday morning.

I’m still in catch-up mode after being out of town a few days.  While I was away, Fishers had a very serious traffic accident on Brook School Road during the morning rush hour of November 2nd.  The take-away for me is this:  we are a growing suburban city with a lot of 2-lane roads.  When driving, be careful out there.

Also, the new Kroger store on Olio Road (read more at this link) is making progress and the grocer is touting what they describe as “a new business model.”  After the Fishers Town Council originally did not support the new, expanded store, Kroger began meeting with residents in the area and slowly moved many of them to support the new concept on Olio Road.  Over time, the city went along with Kroger and the new facility will soon be complete.

Finally, there is more this month to promote the mental health stigma-free campaign.  If you suffer from heart disease, your friends and family will sympathize and encourage you to get medical treatment.  If you suffer from a medical condition related to mental health, too often the stigmatization of mental health prevents people from seeking the treatment needed.  Do your part in removing the unfair stigma often tied to mental health conditions.

Monday, November 7th, starts a new work week….and with that, more road construction around Fishers.

Below is the latest list of projects as provided by the City of Fishers:

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Lane closures will continue November 7-10 along I-69 at the 106th Street construction site.  State contractors will need to close lanes overnight to continue work on the new interchange.

If there is a bit of good news, the interchange is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

Below is the news release from the Indiana Department of Transportation:

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Skimmers are back in Fishers, this time hitting a bank machine on Allisonville Road. There are more details in the Fishers Police Department News Release below:

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On the morning of October 28, 2016 two subjects drove up to an ATM located at 11684 Allisonville Road, the First Financial Bank, where they placed a skimming device. The subjects also placed a hidden camera on the ATM which was focused directly at the keypad. The subjects first arrived at the ATM driving a silver in color, Mazda 6 and later returned driving a silver in color, Honda Odyssey minivan. Anyone with information regarding this case or these suspects is asked to call Detective Dean Mucha at 317-595-3300.

This may be the month of November, but it signifies the start of Movember and a local campaign to remove the stigma from mental health treatment.

To get the word out, the Fishers Mental Health Task Force is encouraging local men to become clean-shaven, then add a mustache.

For more information, see the news release below from the City of Fishers:

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Throughout the month of November, community members of Fishers’ mental health task force are encouraging Fishers residents, businesses and community partners to join us as we participate in Movember to raise awareness of the #StigmaFreeFishers initiative. #StigmaFreeFishers is an appeal to Fishers residents to reject stigmatizing attitudes toward mental health and pledge to be stigma-free instead. In doing so, residents agree to learn more about mental health, see the person, not the illness and take action. To join the #StigmaFreeFishers Movember network, visit http://monetwork.co/StigmaFreeFishers. Be sure to join us on Nov. 1 for a photo of all cleanly-shaven participants at 6 p.m. at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater. Even if you’re unable to actively participate in Movember by rallying a team or growing a great ‘stache, please help us to spread the #StigmaFreeFishers message. Residents can take the pledge and share personal stories about mental health at stigmafreefishers.com. No one should have to suffer with mental health challenges in silence.

My commentary in this week’s Current in Fishers focuses on why it is important to pay attention to the Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation election.

You can read the commentary at this link.

One of Fishers’ most high-profile high-tech businesses is Cloud One, housed in the new Switch Building near City Hall in the Nickel Plate District.  The company’s CEO John McDonald has been one of the big cheerleaders touting Fishers as a place for high-tech companies to locate.

Cloude one has been recognized by a major publication.  Details are contained in the news release below:

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