Once again, the list of road projects is long in the Fishers area for the work week starting Monday, May 23rd.

Note the road closures for the May 21st Geist Half Marathon.

The listing is below, provided by the City of Fishers….

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CURB REPAIRS

A contractor will be repairing curb ramps in Bluff and Links at Grey Eagle through the coming weeks. Please anticipate periodic lane restrictions in those areas.

FALL CREEK TRAIL

Fall Creek Trail reconstruction work continues; the pedestrian bridges and section of sidewalk along the trail have been removed. Pedestrians should not use the trail within the sections that have been removed. In addition, there will be periodic lane closures along the project throughout the week of May 16th. Please travel with caution, construction barrels have reduced the existing northbound lane width.

GEIST HALF MARATHON CLOSURES

The Geist Half Marathon will be running its course route on Saturday, May 21st. During that time various road restrictions and partial road closures will be in place to ensure participant safety. Please visit their website for a complete list of affected roads.

I-69 AND CAMPUS PARKWAY

Milestone Contractors plan to begin mobilizing cranes and other equipment and setting a temporary concrete barrier wall along I-69 at Campus Parkway Exit 210 beginning Wednesday, May 11th. 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.ugove or 1-855-463-6848.

I-69 TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS

INDOT is overseeing an overnight closure on multiple traffic lanes on I-69 overnight this week to continue demolition of the 106th Street overpass bridge. Weather permitting, lane closures and rolling slowdowns of traffic will begin after 9 p.m. and are expected to end before 6 a.m. the next day. Construction schedules and traffic restrictions are subject to change, and questions should be directed to INDOT at indot.carsporgram.org, 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or 511 from a mobile phone.

PAVING

A contractor will be paving streets on Lantern Road from 131st Street to Harrison Parkway and Conner Knoll throughout the coming weeks. Please anticipate periodic lane restrictions in those areas.

STATE ROAD 37

Various geotechnical work has begun along the State Road 37 corridor. Work will take place starting at the 126th Street intersection.

96th STREET AND CUMBERLAND ROAD

The Hamilton County Highway Department has closed 96th Street and Cumberland Road for 100 calendar days in order to construct a roundabout at this intersection. Anyone with concerns about this project should call 773-7770. Please visit www.Fishers.in.us/DriveFishers to view a detour map. The tentative completion date for this project is June 30, 2016.

96th STREET AND LANTERN ROAD

Contractors will begin clearing the right-of-way around the intersection of 96th Street and Lantern Road. Lane restrictions are only expected for eastbound 96th Street, east of Lantern Road at this time, but please drive carefully through the entire work area.

106th STREET INTERCHANGE

• INDOT has begun work on the 106th Street interchange. A lane shift is currently in place on I-69 and 106th Street is closed as construction continues. Additional details about this project will be released through INDOT and shared on the weekly construction update. Please be advised the speed limit from 82nd Street to 116th Street has been reduced to 55 mph and there are lane shifts on I-69. Please travel with caution and pay close attention to signage in the area.
• The eastbound ‘thru’ lane of 106th Street at the intersection of Hague Road remains restricted until early May. Stay tuned for updates on this project.

116th STREET

There may be short-term lane restrictions on eastbound 116th Street between USA Parkway and Exit Five Parkway while utility work is being completed.

126th STREET

• Continuing the week of May 23rd, there will be intermittent lane restrictions for westbound traffic just west of Promise Road. These restrictions will allow the contractor to construct the entrance into Granite Ridge subdivision. Advance warning signs will be in place including a directional arrow board, as needed.
• Temporary lane restrictions will be in place on 126th Street between Cyntheanne Road and Atlantic Road in order for should work to be completed. Please drive with caution in the area.
• Please drive with caution around 126th Street and Reynolds Drive. Contractors will be working off of the road, lane restrictions not expected.

Many years ago, I covered a county council meeting in a southern Indiana county, where the local sheriff and the president of the council were clearly at odds over a specific budget item the sheriff very much wanted approved.  The council president was very much opposed to that specific spending item.  All was civil during the meeting.  It was after the session ended when things became more intense.

The sheriff and council president began to raise their voices.  They weren’t screaming, but the exchange became loud.  There were gestures.  The two men were clearly very angry with each other.

When I went back to the radio station and wrote my story, I described the conversation as a “heated exchange” between the two.  The next day, the sheriff and council president were contacted by me for a followup and both could not understand why I would call their conversation a “heated exchange.”  Everything was fine, they assured me, all is well and their budget dispute was settled.  Too bad that was before the days of YouTube and viral videos.  Such a video record would have verified my account of their exchange.

That came to mind when I read a story posted Friday morning online at the Indianapolis Star Web site.  Reporter Chris Sikich describes an unannounced visit to the Lockhart Cadillac dealership in Fishers at 126th Street and State Road 37 by County Commissioner Steve Dillinger.  Sikich uses the phrase “heated exchange” in writing about what happened next at the auto sales complex.

The money is in place to begin the engineering work on the State Road 37 project to transform traffic signals along the highway in Fishers to roundabouts with underpasses underneath, similar to Keystone Avenue in Carmel.  Based on Sikich’s story, Dilinger had the “heated exchange” with a Lockhart manager days after the May 3rd primary election.

I won’t go into all the details, but suffice it to say that Lockhart, along with Honda of Fishers (both located along State Road 37 in Fishers) donated campaign money to unsuccessful County Commissioner Candidate Bill Smythe.  His opponent, incumbent Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt, was and is a big supporter of the SR37 roundabout project.  Smythe opposed it, and organized a coalition of businesses along the highway to oppose the roundabout proposal.  The business coalition failed, as the Hamilton County Council approved funding for the the roundabouts, allowing the project to move forward.

The description of that “heated exchange” at Lockhart differs a bit depending on which side is telling the story.  Sikich points that out in his article.

The IndyStar features a number of points we’ve covered on this blog before….that Fishers wants to work with area businesses on the construction phase and the final design of the roundabouts. Mayor Scott Fadness and Bill Smythe are both quoted in the story.

Mayor Fadness does not want businesses along SR37 to suffer or fail during this construction period.  When large highway projects have been under construction in Carmel in recent years, businesses along the highway have paid a price.  A few of them even failed.

Part of the final action by the Hamilton County Council provided at least $250,000 to market the businesses along the highway in Fishers.  The city may match part or all of that.

I expect State Road 37 to be an issue locally in the coming years, all the way through the final construction phase.  Stay tuned.

To read the Indianapolis Star article, use this link.  (NOTE:  If you are not an IndyStar subscriber, you will be limited in the number of online articles you may access each month)

Fishers Police Captain Ed Gebhart noticed something when addressing a group of his patrol officers…they were all on their cell phones just before the meeting started.  He wondered whether he could harness that cell phone technology in a way to help his officers and the public.  He reached out to John Wechsler, founder of Launch Fishers, who hooked him up with a weekly meeting of app code geeks, which led him to Auri Rahimzadeh.

Their collaboration over a year and a half led to the FishersCrimeWatch App.  It works like this….you see something that is not an immediate emergency, but looks suspicious.  You can send a picture and a short text message to police immediately through this app.  That allows a police officer to read your message and look at your picture.  That is immediate, invaluable information to an officer in deciding how to follow up on a lead like that.

“Thirty of our police officers have been trained and will begin using the tool on patrol today. So much time and effort has gone into it and I’m thankful of Auri’s partnership and commitment to serve the community,” said Captain Gebhart.

“We must be vigilant in constantly evolving and always seeking ways to be better for our community. This app is a smart solution that will lead to improved community for our residents, and I could not be more proud of FPD for this achievement,” said Fishes Mayor Scott Fadness.

Rahimzadeh donated his time to write the code for this app.

Here’s a video of the news conference (sorry about the wind interference on the sound

Fishers Police Captain Ed Gebhart had an idea for a new law enforcement phone app…Aurie Rahimzadeh found a way to make it happen….here is their story

The typical heroin user in Fishers is a 29-year-old white male, according to Fishers Assistant Police Chief Mitch Thompson.  He briefed city council members on heroin and the drug scene in Fishers during a May 16th city council work session.

Local police officers normally encounter heroin along Interstate 69.  “If we didn’t have I-69, we would have very little contact with heroin at all,” Thompson told the council.

He described heroin is the most addictive of drugs, with one dose typically resulting in addiction.

Thompson provided the latest data from the department’s annual narcotics assessment. In 2015, there were 3 overdose deaths in Fishers….2 due to heroin and one due to a combination of heroin and cocaine.  He provided another statistic to provide context…during the period of 2010-2015, Fishers experienced 45 suicides “by other means.”

Marijuana is the most encountered drug by Fishers Police, Thompson said, although his officers are beginning to see a decrease in that drug.  Next most encountered drug locally is heroin, followed by prescription opiates.

The numbers police have from Hamilton and Marion County addiction treatment centers from 2013 to 2015 show alcohol addiction as number 1, followed by marijuana, with opiate addiction (heroin is included in that mix) coming in third.  In 2013-2014, those treatment centers show a 98% increase in opiate addiction treatments….2014-2015, there was a 161% increase on top of that.  Thompson said Fishers Police are not seeing that kind of increase in their contacts.

Fishers Police officers are now being trained in using Narcan, the antidote drug for heroin overdose.  That program should be implemented within 30 days, according to Thompson.

City Councilman Brad DeReamer said he had asked that the heroin issue be added to the work session agenda.  He talked to a group of recovering heroin addicts and asked them what government can best do to help.  According to DeReamer, they cited the treatment center, their halfway house and the Hamilton County Drug Court.

“Jail doesn’t do anything,” said DeReamer.

Mayor Scott Fadness told council members he is concerned about addictive behavior. Heroin is the drug now, and it could be something else next year.  The core of the problem, the mayor says, is the addictive behavior.

Fadness says whatever the city does, it will be “substantive” and “systemic.”

“We do everything based on the numbers, based on what we’re seeing.” said Fadness.  “Anything we’re going to do, we’re going to make it of substance.”

The Fishers Police Department is continuing its series of “Coffee With a Cop” events on Wednesday, May 25th.  It starts at 9:00am and goes to 10:30am at Panera Bread on 96th Street.

This is being billed as a chance to sit down and drink some coffee with a local police officer.  There will be no speeches and no agenda, just a chance to talk and ask questions, according to local officials.

Fishers is about to get a new Starbucks Coffee Shop, this one near 116th Street and Olio Road.  The Fishers City Council voted to allow the store once an agreement was reached to install a traffic signal along 116th Street, allowing traffic to flow better with the number of vehicles the Starbucks is projected to attract.  The vote was unanimous.

Council members also voted unanimously to require city council approval for land use near I-69 along 116th and 106th Streets for 120 days, allowing time for the city to finalize the comprehensive plan, called Fishers 2040, that will provide rules for development in certain sections of the city.

The council gave unanimous final approval to an increase in park impact fees, charged to developers when a new home is constructed.  The new impact fees will be, for single-family detached homes: $1,667……Multi-family (apartment): $1,234.

In other council news from Monday night…

–Members of the Fishers City Government Academy received their diplomas after completing the program.

–Joel Cole of the Department of Public Works received a 20-year service award from the city.

–A rezone request for the new TopGolf location along I-69 just north of 116th Street received a first reading from the council…the item now goes to the Fishers Plan Commission.

–Gave final approval to refinance bonds used to build the Fishers YMCA.  The city issued the bonds originally.  This was part of the arrangement to bring the YMCA to Fishers.

–Recognized City Controller Oscar Gutierrez for the city’s new AAA bond rating from the bond rating agency, Standard & Poor.

The City of Fishers is set to save more than $1 million in bond interest expense now the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has upgraded the city’s bond rating to AAA, the highest rating.  Fishers is now the only city in Indiana with a AAA rating.  According to Fishers city officials, fewer than 2% of local governments qualify for this rating.

“Fishers continues to make fiscal responsibility a top priority and this designation is a testament to our proactive approach to financial management,” said Mayor Scott Fadness in a city news release. “If it wasn’t already well-known, this sends a clear message to businesses, investors and residents that Fishers should be at the top of their lists.”

In addition to receiving the AAA rating, the S&P report gave Fishers strong marks on the local economy, management, budgetary flexibility, and liquidity. The move toward a Fishers 2040 comprehensive plan also helped with S&P’s decision to bring this designation to Fishers.

“Receiving the AAA rating puts Fishers in an exclusive group and I commend city officials for their dedication to Fishers financial health,” said Fishers City County President, John Weingardt in the same news release.

State Highway contractors are nearly finished with demolition of the 106th Street overpass bridge over I-69.  That will clear the way for a new interchange at that location.

Here’s part of an update from the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT):

Crews will….begin construction of two new bridges over I-69 by driving steel piles to provide foundational support for the new bridges’ abutments and center piers.  People in the area may hear recurring loud impact noises as the pile driving equipment pounds the long beams deep into the ground.

The speed limit near the construction zone at mile marker 204 is reduced to 55 mph and may be reduced further to 45 mph when workers are present.  Motorists are advised to pay attention to work zone warning signs and follow posted speed limits.

INDOT awarded a $21.7 million contract to Walsh Construction Company to build a two-lane, oval-shaped roundabout on 106th Street over I-69 and ramps to and from both directions of the interstate.  Two separate two-lane bridges will each carry one direction of traffic. The bridge to carry westbound traffic on the north side of 106th Street is also designed to accommodate pedestrians.

Construction of the new Exit 204 along I-69 in Fishers is expected to be complete before the end of the year.

Fishers could be getting another Starbucks Coffee Shop if the city council okays a text amendment allowing the business to locate on the southwest area of 116th Street and Olio Road, between Walgreen’s and Fifth Third Bank.  Several members of the council previously voiced concerns about the need for an additional traffic light along 116th Street to handle the additional vehicles a new Starbucks would draw to that area of the city.  The Fishers planning staff recommends approval of the amendment to the Planned Unit Development with a very important caveat.  According to the report,  “Staff recommends that Council first resolve the outstanding question regarding who will be responsible for paying for a second traffic light, if it is needed in the future.”  So, the traffic light issue is still unresolved.  It’s now up to the city council to decide the fate of that proposed Starbucks.

Council members will also consider a temporary requirement to obtain council approval for any developments planned for areas near the 116th Street interchange with I-69 and and the 106th Street interchange with the interstate highway, currently under construction.  This added layer of approval would last about 120 days.  City officials says that time will allow the Fishers to finalize its  2040 Comprehensive Plan and establish zoning requirements for those areas of the city.

The regular council meeting is scheduled for 7pm, Monday, May 16th.