Picture this summer, a band playing live atop the Depot parking garage, with 2,000 people on hand.  Fishers Director of Parks & Recreation Tony Elliot told the Parks Advisory Committee that such an event is being discussed with the Depot management.

Elliot told the board to expect the Tuesday and Friday night music concerts at the downtown Amphitheater to continue this summer, but the city is looking at some new ideas for the summer of 2016.

“We’re kind of mixing it up,with a lot of new things downtown this summer,” Elliot said.  “We’re looking for some different venues at the Switch and the Depot (2 properties located on the city complex, near the Amphitheater), including bands at some different locations.”

Elliot told LarryInFishers the full schedule of events slated for the Amphitheater, as well as other venues downtown, should be released early in April.

In other items before the Advisory Committee, there was a lengthy discussion of usage for the athletic fields.  There was also an extensive discussion about the lack of parking at Brook School and Harrison-Thompson Parks.  Elliot said the city engineering department has some recommendations to make, that will be discussed at the next meeting.

Drinking locally produced beer at Four Day Ray’s new downtown Fishers building could come as soon as this summer.  More than half of the 20,000 square foot facility will contain a production facility for craft beer and a restaurant in the Nickel Plate District,  with the remainder of the capacity earmarked as office space.

“The addition of Four Day Ray to the Nickel Plate District adds to the vibrancy of our downtown” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in a city news release.  “Seeing this team of local entrepreneurs break ground on this project is very exciting for the City of Fishers. Not only will the new destination offer locally sourced food and craft beer, but the additional office space in the Nickel Plate District is in high demand and much needed.”

The company news release describes Four Day Ray:

Four Day Ray Brewing is the brainchild of award winning homebrewer Brian Graham, who teamed up with Fishers entrepreneurs and fellow craft beer enthusiasts Chris Welsh and Matt Troyer to come up with a game plan to bring a craft brewery to downtown Fishers. Mitch Ackerman, formerly of Thirsty Dog Brewing, Akron, Ohio and Mudshark Brewing, Lake Havasu City, AZ rounds out the founding team with an accomplished history in production brewing. FDR’s planning has been in the works for more than two years.

Imagine relaxing quietly in your easy chair, ensconced within your Fishers home.  You receive a phone call with the shocking news that there is a warrant out for your arrest.

You are then told this can all be handled with a $2,000 pre-paid credit card.  Sadly, there have been some residents of Fishers victimized by this latest phone scam.

Fishers Police issued a news release today telling local residents that law enforcement agencies do not call the “wanted person” prior to serving a warrant.  Warrants are issued by a court of law and the only way to resolve it is to appear in court.

Police want you to simply hang up the phone when calls like this are received.  If you believe you have been victimized,  immediately contact the Hamilton County Dispatch Center, at 317-773-1282, and request to file a report with a Fishers police officer.

We’ve seen a lot of discussion and commentary on how much America needs tax reform.  But one prominent economist is not so sure.  It’ the subject of today’s One Guy Talks about Taxes  .

Although I write about Fishers on this blog, I also am a tax professional.  As a result, I will be producing a regular Podcast about taxes.  I will provide links on my blog for those interested.  If you’r not, just go on the next item here.

After covering education at the local level for a number of years, one thing I have learned is just how important school principals are to the success of any individual school.  A very good principal normally translates into a hard-working, motivated teaching staff.

This news blog centers on Fishers news, but Amy Beverland Elementary in Lawrence is not very far from Fishers.

I cannot count the number of times I have watched a teacher or principal escort students to buses at the end of the school day.  Susan Jordan was doing just that when a bus lurched forward, killing Mrs. Jordan and injuring several young students.

We have been hearing people working for and with Susan Jordan sing her praises. This is clear evidence that she was one of the really, really good building principals.

Authorities continue to investigate the cause of this tragedy, in an effort to see that it doesn’t happen again.  Let’s not get ahead of ourselves on what caused this to happen until those investigations are complete.

The saddest part is that Mrs. Jordan’s family has lost her, and her family at school, her staff at Amy Beverland Elementary, has lost a beloved leader.

Allow me to express my personal condolences to all those touched by the tragic death of Susan Jordan.

Our elected officials at the Indiana Statehouse need to remember they are talking about basic human rights when making decisions on the state’s civil rights laws.  Here’s my Indiana Forefront commentary   

The iTown Church at 126th Street and Cumberland Road is now in compliance with city zoning standards after the Fishers Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance for their parking situation.  The church was in compliance with the requirements for the number of parking spaces when it first opened, but with the growth of iTown in recent years, the parking spaces on the property are not enough to be in compliance.  The church has an agreement with nearby businesses to use their parking lots during Saturday and Sunday services.  The board voted unanimously to grant the variance.

In another matter before the board, the Geist Yacht Club on Fall Creek Road was granted a variance from building setback standards to complete a renovation now underway at their facility.