When I covered the May, 2014 Republican primary election, there was one common theme I heard from nearly every candidate for office – Fishers needs a comprehensive plan (later renamed Fishers 2040).  Whatever you may have thought about the town form of government, having seven people making all the major decisions makes it difficult or impossible to agree on something like a comprehensive plan to help govern decision making.

Once Fishers became a city, Mayor Scott Fadness appointed committees on Land Use, Transportation, Housing and Parks.  Fadness chaired the Steering Committee overseeing all Fishers 2040 committee work.

On December 14th, there was a gathering at Launch Fishers to lay out the findings of all the committees.  A comprehensive plan, by its nature, is comprehensive, therefore very detailed.

Rather than try to summarize the plan, I invite you to review the lengthy PowerPoint presentation at this link.

Now that the committee work has been completed, what happens next?  The city council needs three readings, meaning it must be considered at three separate council sessions. After council’s first reading, there will be several steps before approval.  This will include a Plan Commission hearing and vote, as well as community open house sessions to discuss the plans with the public.

A comprehensive plan like Fishers 2040 needs community input and support to have an impact on how our city grows.  I would encourage you to stay informed and attend one of the upcoming public meetings on this plan.  And I will continue to report on this right here at LarryInFishers.com

Elementary students in the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools will begin using iPads in August of 2016.  The school board received a progress report on the HSE21 1:1 program to rollout iPads to all HSE students.

A group of HSE teachers and administrators began using the iPads in 2012.  Intermediate students were issued the iPads in 2014.   High school and junior high students began iPad usage in 2015.

Assistant Superintendent Jan Combs told board members the test groups for elementary iPads have had a very positive experience, paving the way for the full rollout during the next school year.

You may review the PowerPoint presentation Dr. Combs gave to the school board at this link.

In other school board news from the December 14th session…

The board approved a bond issue of roughly $10 million to finance building renovations and replace aging technology.  HSE CFO Mike Reuter told the board the bonds should be paid-off within a year, although the legal posting allows up to 3 years for payment of the debt.

A firm specializing in advising companies on how to maximize economic development incentives will be moving its office from Keystone at the Crossing on Indy’s north side to downtown Fishers.  Ginovus plans to enter into a 10-year lease to use space in the Switch complex now under construction near Fishers City Hall.

The company’s Managing Director Larry Gigerich told the Fishers Redevelopment Commission he was drawn to Fishers by general business climate in the city.  He also was impressed by the amount of “young human capital” that Fishers has to offer.

The Redevelopment Commission unanimously approved the lease.

Ginovus will occupy roughly 4,800 square feet of office space.  The firm has 10 employees.

This space had originally been earmarked for employees of the Fishers Parks and Recreation Department.  Now that Ginovus will be occupying that space, it would appear the Parks Department workers will remain in their current space at 116th Street and Brook School Road, at least for now.

The lease calls for payments of $8,010 per month the first five years, $8,210.25 per month in years 6 & 7,  and $8,410.50 each month in years 8-10.

In the economic development agreement with Switch developer Loftus-Robinson, the city leases the commercial space from the developer and the city subleases the commercial space in the complex.  The Fishers Redevelopment Commission acts as the landlord, handling the contracts for leasing space for Ginovus, along with other tenants such as Purdue University and Cloud One.

If you want to learn more about Ginovus, check out their Web site at this link.   

Did the RFRA controversy during the 2015 Indiana Legislative Session have any impact on Fishers’ deal with the state to upgrade State Road 37?  I ask that question in my latest Indiana Forefront Commentary.  You can my commentary at this link.

With the announcement this week of an agreement to move forward with upgrades to State Road 37, I’ve been hearing questions from local residents about other street projects on the Fishers city schedule for the next few years.

Here’s information from the City of Fishers:

First, a roundabout is scheduled for construction at 96th Street and Cumberland Road. Work is set to start in the spring of next year.  The intersection will be closed 75-90 days.

Next is the new interchange to be constructed at 106th Street on Interstate 69. Construction is to start in the spring of 2017, with completion expected during the summer of 2017.

116th Street eastbound, just east of I-69 is to be widened beginning in June of 2016.  That work should be complete in the summer of 2017.

A roundabout is coming to the intersection of 106th Street and Cumberland Road, with work to begin in the fall of 2016.  Look for that intersection to close for about 100 days.

96th Street and Lantern Road will be getting a roundabout, with construction scheduled to begin in the spring of 2017 and completion expected in the early summer of that same year.

96th Street is due to be widened east of Lantern Road.  That work should begin in the spring of 2017, with completion expected in early 2018.

A roundabout is coming to 131st Street and Cumberland Road in the summer of 2017.   Crews are expected to be done with that project in time for the start of school.

The intersection of 126th Street and Allisonville Road is scheduled for improvements. That work is to start in the spring of 2018, with completion due the following fall.

Finally, the infrastructure improvements to State Road 37 are to begin construction in the spring of 2018.

And that calendar doesn’t even mention the extra lane being added to State Road 37, interchange improvements coming to the I-69 exit 210,  and the work set to be done on the Brook School Road Bridge over I-69.  The bridge will close during the construction period.

Check the flyer below produced by the City of Fishers…

The list of road construction projects in Fishers is starting to become shorter as we enter the winter months (despite the unseasonably warm temps lately).  Below is the list for the work week beginning Monday, December 14th, from the City of Fishers ……

==================================================

FALL CREEK ROAD

Survey crews will be out on Fall Creek Road beginning on December 14th. Please travel with caution in the area.

LANTERN AND COMMERCIAL INTERSECTION

Our crews are working hard, but Lantern Road between 116^th Street and Commercial Drive will continue to have lane restrictions in place. Please pay attention to signs displayed in the area and use caution while traveling.

116^TH STREET

Lane restrictions will continue between Cameron Drive and Wainwright Drive for fence replacement. Motorists are encouraged to use caution while approaching lane restrictions and construction crews.

I had to be out of town for the big State Road 37 news conference on Thursday, December 10th.  But after reading the news release and Lindsey Erdody’s story on the Indianapolis Business Journal Web site, there is a lot we know now that wasn’t clear before.

The Fishers part of the project will cost $124 million, with the state, Hamilton County and the City of Fishers all agreeing to share the cost.  The stretch of road from 146th street north into Noblesville is not part of this plan, but is expected to be added in the not-too-distant future.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness was able to get Governor Mike Pence to allow the city to control the construction period, then hand off the highway to the state once the road is completed.  This allows Fishers to control access for businesses along State Road 37 that will be impacted during the construction period, which is expected to last for at least 3 years.  Construction is not expected to start until 2-3 years from now.

Fadness clearly has an interest to protect the businesses along the road.  There are many long-time business operations there, along with recent additions in places like Fishers Marketplace at 131st  Street.  The city has a stake in keeping those business locations viable and accessible during the construction period, and Mayor Fadness received a major concession from the state allowing his administration to be in charge of the construction phase.

Bill Smythe, owner of Claude & Annie’s restaurant and bar at 141st & State Road 37, has been trying to organize business owners along the highway to have a say in the plans.

Both the Fishers City Council and the Hamilton County Council must approve the funding. Fadness told IBJ he will propose issuing bonds backed by property tax revenue to finance the city’s $12 million part of the cost, saying only a “minimal” tax increase, at most, would result.

In the years to come, State Road 37 will look more like Keystone Avenue in Carmel.  The highway engineers say this will help address the added traffic yet to come from future growth and keep 37 moving during the rush hours.

Public hearings are required by law for a project of this size. I would also expect a number of meetings with residents to happen as the construction plans move forward.  Stay with
LarryInFishers for the latest.

Local businesses have been contacted for donations to the Fishers Fire Department, but officials say there is no fund raising campaign going on now.  The department warns businesses and residents to check carefully if solicited for a donation.

Here is part of the Fishers Fire Department news release…

Should your company or residence be contacted, firefighters suggest noting the number being called from and then provide all information to the Fishers Police Dept. and never provide your credit card information over the phone. 

 While Fishers Fire Department does accept donations from many generous businesses and citizens through the Fishers Fire Foundation, we are not actively soliciting donations.

The Hearst Foundation names only two Indiana delegates to the Senate Youth Program, and this time around, HSE High School Senior Brooke Hanes will be one of them.  Brooke will head to Washington DC during March of 2016 for an all expense paid trip, which will likely include meeting some very important people.  Brooke will also receive a $5,000 college scholarship from the foundation.

Her resume is too long for listing here, but some of the highlights include being a member of the We the People team and the Law & Government Academy.  She is on track to earn an AP Capstone diploma upon graduation this spring.  She is a member of the National Honor Society.

Brooke started her own business, Brookie’s cookies, where she earned money at a farmer’s market baked goods stand.