Here’s the video of Verizon’s donation to the Domestic Violence Network

The local Domestic Violence Network has $20,000 as a result of a donation by Verizon.  The announcement was part of the opening of a new “smart store” in Carmel, on Greyound Pass.

The donation will help domestic violence victims throughout the area.

Hamilton County Commissioner Christine Altman was there, and sounded a positive note on efforts to build a domestic violence shelter in Hamilton County.  The site selection and funding for the project are both being determined.

The “smart store” concept for Verizon in Carmel is the first in Indiana.  It allows customers to sample available technology.

I was tied-up with another project when news broke of a new medical facility in the Fishers part of Saxony.

Indianapolis Business Journal reporter Lindsey Erdody did a great job reporting this story, so I will defer to her and urge you to read her story at this link.

The media spokespeople for the local city government and the schools talk about the work they do…

Fishers Police announced the arrest of three suspects from New York, being held on Fraud charges, who are possibly tied to what police describe as a multi-state crime spree.

It all started when a Fishes officer saw a vehicle in the local Wal-Mart parking lot that appeared suspicious, followed the car and stopped it along I-69 on alleged traffic violations.  That led to the discovery of material in the car, leading to the Fraud charges.

Below is the Fishers Police Department news release with the details:

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Yesterday, while patrolling the 8300 block of 96^th Street, a Fishers police officer observed a white Chevrolet Malibu, with Georgia registration, driving around the Wal-Mart parking lot. The officer observed a male and female exit the car and walk into the Wal-Mart. A third passenger remained in the car hunched down in the backseat. A short time later the officer observed the male exit the store and several minutes later the female followed. The officer followed the Malibu as it exited the Wal-Mart parking lot and traveled northbound on Interstate 69. The officer conducted a traffic stop after observing the driver commit multiple traffic infractions and nearly causing a crash with another motorist.

During the traffic stop the officer discovered these individuals were in possession of multiple cloned credit cards and a card skimming device. Officers also met with Wal-Mart Loss Prevention and learned the suspects had committed ten fraudulent transactions using cloned credit cards. All three suspects were taken into custody and transported to the Hamilton County Jail without incident. 

This continues to be an active investigation and additional charges may be filed in the future. Anyone with information regarding these suspects is encouraged to contact Officer Greg Weesner at 317-595-3300.   

Media Personnel – Please direct any further questions, regarding this case, to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office.

Suspect:       Clifford Cerisier

                        28 years old

                        Springfield Gardens, NY   

Charge:         Fraud Level 6 Felony (10 Counts)

Held:              Hamilton County Jail

Suspect:       Kevin Rivera

                        26 years old

                        Brooklyn, NY

Charge:         Fraud Level 6 Felony (10 Counts)

Held:              Hamilton County Jail

Suspect:       Chanique Richardson

                        28 years old

                        Brooklyn, NY

Charge:         Fraud Level 6 Felony (10 Counts)

Held:              Hamilton County Jail

The Hamilton Southeastern School Board heard a lengthy report from administrators on the final stages of finishing the College and Career Centers (CCAs) at the two high schools. The biggest issue discussed was tied to technology in presentation rooms.  The board was told the wireless connections are not working due to Apple’s constant upgrades and failure to support older systems.  School staff is testing a wired system that will allow the presentations in these rooms.

Superintendent Allen Bourff told the board when the buildings opened in August of 2015, the “punch list” of unfinished building items filled a large binder, and now the lists are down to two pages for each high school. The punch list for Fishers High School can be accessed at this link.  The HSE High School list can be found at this link.

The board approved changes in the custodial services contract with Executive Management Services (EMS) after the school administration notified the firm that, in the view of the school administration, it was in breach of contract.  A new contract will allow EMS until January 5th of 2017 to show it can perform up to the standards in the contract. The contract amendment is available at this link.

In other news from the July 13th board meeting:

–Lucas Oil Stadium will be the site of the next high school graduation ceremony.  The event will then go back to the Fairgrounds Coliseum after 2017.

–The school staff will now undergo criminal background checks every 5 years, with 20% of the school system employees undergoing the checks each year.  Board President Karen Harmer suggested that school board members also undergo periodic criminal background checks.

–Dr. Bourff told board members he has received the ISTEP results for the school corporation.  He would like to share how local students performed, but he indicated he does not know yet.  He did say the scores were not as high as last year in several grade levels, but he has no idea what that means, since no state averages are available and there are appeal processes yet to be determined.  Bourff said he has asked the state for more information, but so far the Indiana Department of Education is unable to provide any.  Bourff expects more specific information should be ready by September, but with the issues surrounding this testing cycle, Dr. Bourff said he wouldn’t count on any date provided.

Fishers City Council President John Weingardt is recommending that all 9 council members discuss proposed changes to the compensation of local elected officials.  Council members currently are paid $12,000 annually with no other compensation.

As a member of the City Council Finance Committee, Weingardt leads a subcommittee looking at elected officials compensation.  That subcommittee was due to report a recommendation on compensation to the Finance Committee.

Weingardt had suggested council members be reimbursed for expenses they incur when conducting council business, with a system where councilors would only be reimbursed for verified, specific expenses.

“I’m a little concerned that I’m making a charge up a hill that I don’t have folks behind me that are wanting to do this,” Weingardt told the Finance Committee.  “I think we need to talk about it here in this committee, or have, probably a better discussion at work session (with the full council) so we can talk about council salaries and what folks want to see out of this.”

The full council work session on elected officials compensation may happen in August.

In other items before the City Council Finance Committee:

–City Controller Oscar Gutierrez told committee members Mayor Fadness has told department heads to submit flat budgets for 2017, the only exceptions being increases in contracts with outside vendors up to 5%.  Gutierrez said public safety departments are asking for additional personnel.  The mayor will look at revenue projections before deciding on what to recommend to the council.

–The special census is winding down.  Gutierrez said the final figures are not yet available, but the numbers known now show the city’s population as at least 86,000.  That is enough to bring in about $2 million in extra revenue to the city and would allow additional liquor licenses in Fishers, according to the controller.  The 2010 official census population figure for Fishers was 76,794.

With all the businesses and new residents in the downtown Nickel Plate District, a new financial institution is set to be a part of the area.  Citizens Bank plans a branch in the Switch Building later this year.

The office will occupy 3,200 square feet and employ five people.

The city news release announcing the bank branch is below:

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Citizens State Bank announced plans to open a full-service bank branch in The Switch development located in the Nickel Plate District today. The expansion marks the first bank in the Nickel Plate District and is expected to open later this year.

“Fishers has been a part of Citizens State Bank’s growth strategy for some time,” said Dan Maddox, Citizens State Bank president. “We opened a loan office in 2013 with long-time Fishers resident John DeLucia at the helm and later hired another Fishers resident, Elliott Somers. As we looked at locations for a full-service bank, Fishers’ vibrancy made it a logical choice.”

Citizens State Bank has signed a five-year lease at The Switch, located on the corner of 116^th Street and Municipal Drive. The branch will occupy 3,200 square feet and plans to hire an additional five employees. In addition, Citizen State Bank’s mortgage loan officer, trust officer and treasury management officer will be available to meet with clients at this location.

“This is a great addition to the Nickel Plate District,” said Mayor Scott Fadness. “Citizens State Bank has already proven to be a great community partner through sponsorship of our Parks Department and Fishers Freedom Festival, and I welcome the expansion into our downtown.”

“A smart, vibrant and entrepreneurial city needs a bank in the heart of its business district. What is happening in Fishers is very exciting, and we are very excited to be a part of it,” said Maddox.

The new branch is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Artist Jessica Springman came up with the idea of creating “INvisible Art” along the sidewalks of the Downtown Fishers Central Green area, between City Hall and Liberty Plaza.  She utilized Hydrophopics, meaning you must add water to see the artwork.

Hydrophobic art has never been tried in Indiana, until now.  During the evening of Tuesday, July 12th, Ms. Springman demonstrated her artistic work, with the help of several water bottles.

Srpingman says the artwork could last as long as a year and a half, depending on wear and tear, along with the weather.

If you want to see her sidewalk art, bring some water, or stop by while it’s raining.

SteadyServe will occupy 8,600 square feet of second floor space in the Spur Building currently under construction in downtown Fishers, and the city is offering $84,000 in incentives over the four-year lease.  The structure’s first floor will feature craft brewery Four Day Ray.

Fishers Economic Development Director Brandon Dickinson briefed the Redevelopment Commission Tuesday evening on the project agreement to bring SteadyServe to Fishers.  Dickinson said the incentives amount to $2 per square feet of space to be occupied.  The incentives mitigate the costs of the firm to locate in Fishers.  He described competition to land this company, saying the incentives were offered to attract the firm to locate in Fishers.

SteadyStream was described as a high-tech company providing support to the fast-growing industry of brewing beer.  According to Dickinson, the incentives provide “a fantastic opportunity to bring a really great company that meets all of the demands of the types of companies we are trying to attract to Fishers – culture, intelligence, sense of community.”

The company projects having up to 150 employees by 2021.

If SteadyStream leaves this space during the four-year lease period and does not relocate in Fishers, the company will be responsible for paying the remainder of the lease payments on the lease.

The Redevelopment Commission approved a resolution okaying the project agreement.

In other Redevelopment Commission business:

–The commission acted to switch their bonds from being backed by County Option Income Tax (COIT) revenue to the city’s general fund.  With the city’s recent AAA bond rating, this will save money on interest payments, according to City Controller Oscar Gutierrez.

–The commission received a statement and fund balances for all Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts in the city.  You can see the full report at the link below.

Reporti07-12-2016 09;26;11PM

The Indiana State Fair Train has been a staple for a very long time, with Fishers being the place to board.  It has been estimated that 10,000 people took the train to the fair last year and more were expected in 2016.

A firestorm of controversy centering on the nonprofit group running the trains has resulted in a ban on those trains using the track.  If the Indiana Transportation Museum is unable to meet a specific set of conditions, there will be no 2016 State Fair Train.

WRTV Channel 6 has been following this story.  For a background on what has happened, check out their latest piece at this link.

Meanwhile, since downtown Fishers is the place to park your car and get on and off the train, Mayor Scott Fadness has weighed-in with a statement issued in the late afternoon of Tuesday, July 12th.  Here is the complete statement:

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The Fair Train has been a valued part of the Fishers community for many years. However, the safety and security of the riders is the top priority. Under no circumstance will the City of Fishers support the operation of the Fair Train unless the safety and regulatory concerns raised by the Federal Rail Administration are addressed in a responsible manner.

I support the Indiana Transportation Museum’s efforts to correct the situation and hope that a resolution to these challenges is swift for the sake of the residents, riders and employees.  

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The bottom line is this – the issues at the Indiana Transportation Museum are threatening the fair train for 2016.  Let’s hope those in charge of that group can get their act together, and soon.

Otherwise, there will be no Indiana State Fair Train in 2016