I moved to Fishers in 1991.  The 1990 census put the population for the Town of Fishers at about 7,500.  My wife Jane and I lived in a Sunblest Subdivision home initially.

At that time, Allisonville Road was a commercial center for Fishers.  We had Sahm’s Restaurant.  We had a Marsh grocery, now a name associated with the past once Marsh went out of business.

That was then.  Over the years, Fishers commercial development moved to downtown and eastern parts of the city.

Three years ago, Fishers officials commissioned an Allisonville Road Corridor revitalization study.  That document led to many actions.

Reporter Daniel Bradley did a deep dive into the city’s efforts to revitalize the Allisonville Road corridor.  This has resulted in a newly-opened roundabout at 96th Street and Allisonville, replacing the controversial Michigan Left constructed in 2012.

The River Place private development north and west of that intersection has been under construction.  It will feature residential and commercial activity.

The City of Fishers is expected to unveil plans for a new park along the White River in coming weeks.

There is a story to tell and Daniel Bradley does a nice job of using many sources familiar with the history and future of the corridor in order to put the whole issue into its proper context.

You can read Daniel Bradley’s story, featured on the front page of the November 8,2024 print edition of the Indianapolis Business Journal, at this link   (NOTE:  If you do not subscribe to the IBJ, your access to this story may be limited.  Once again, subscribe to your local media.  If you do not, it will go away)     

Fishers police arrested a 17-year-old juvenile early Saturday morning following reports of gunfire near the 12000 block of Sunrise Circle, just west of Lantern Road, in the Sunblest area.

Officers responded to a call of shots fired at approximately 1 a.m. Saturday. Police arriving on the scene observed a vehicle fleeing the area and initiated a traffic stop, detaining the driver, who was the sole occupant. The individual was identified as a 17-year-old male from Noblesville, and he was subsequently arrested.

According to the Fishers Police Department, the shots appeared to have been fired into the air and ground by individuals attending a party in the area. Authorities said there were no reports of injuries, and no one was targeted in the incident.

The juvenile suspect faces charges of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, resisting law enforcement, and dangerous possession of a firearm.

Detectives are continuing to investigate and are seeking any video footage of the incident. Anyone with information or relevant video is asked to contact Detective JP Smith at 317-595-3331.

Indiana State Representative Victoria Garcia Wilburn, with a district that includes a part of western Fishers, has just secured election to another 2 years in the General Assembly.  She is wasting no time getting back to work, with an event coming up at the Hamilton East Library in Fishers.

She is telling young people in her district “It’s okay to not be okay.”   It is a message that if you are battling mental health issues, there is help for you.

“We’re Listening: Youth Council on the State of Youth Mental Health” will take place on Monday, Nov. 18 from 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. at the Fishers Public Library (5 Municipal Drive, Fishers, IN 46038) in the Center Room. While the event is for middle and high school-aged youth, parents are of course encouraged to attend.

This will include:

• A free pizza dinner;
• An open dialogue with Rep. Garcia Wilburn on the mental health and well-being of you and your friends;
• Tools for advocating for more mental health support from the Indiana state government; and
• A workshop on how to cope and deal with mental health issues.

“This discussion and workshop is specifically for some of my youngest constituents – middle and high schoolers,” Garcia Wilburn said in a news release. “As a mom and  someone who works with kids all the time, I can see that your generation is struggling.”

Ms. Garcia Wilburn represents Indiana House District 32.

In the weekly Fishers area road construction report, watch for lane closures along 116th Street in downtown Fishers, as work continues on the Cafe Patachou sidewalk installations.  Rumors are that the restaurant should be opening late this year or early 2025.  In the meantime, watch for lane closures in the area.

Here is the full road construction update for the work week starting Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, as provided by the City of Fishers:

======= Continue reading Fishers area road construction update for the work week starting Monday, November 11 →

The election is over and Leila Kheiry joins me in this podcast discussion about the election, roundabouts and much more in this podcast.

The Hamilton Southeastern School Board will be asked to approve a $15 million bond, funding 12 new classrooms at Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate and Junior High School (also known at the HIJH), along with additional cafeteria space.  The debt should come from other bonds being paid-off, keeping the school District’s tax rate stable.  School board member Ben Orr emphasized that the funds for this project come from a  pool of money apart from most staff salaries.  This HIJH project is not part of the 10-year plan in place to maintain district buildings, but Superintendent Patrick Mapes told the Finance Committee he and his staff are working on an updated 10-year plan, which will be presented to the board at a future date.

Chief Financial Officer Tim Brown told the committee his office is looking into “creative ways” to hold down the spiraling cost of health insurance.  Insurance premiums are set to increase $2 million for the district in 2025, but increased use of high-deductible plans could bring that increase down to about $500,000.  Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) can be used to handle costs not covered by a high-deductible health plan.  HSAs have tax incentives for employees.  More details on that should be known once bargaining is completed between the school administration and the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA).  Mr. Mapes told the committee bargaining sessions with HSEA are scheduled for Monday and Friday next week.  If no agreement is reached by November 15, the state process begins with mediation and possibly fact-finding, where a contract could be imposed on both parties.

Superintendent Mapes told the committee the district is working on adding scoreboards and video boards to each high school gymnasium.  He expects most or all of the expense would be covered by commercial sponsors over time.  This could be installed over the winter school break.  Also, a phone app is in the works that would not provide a video feed of sports contests, but would update scores and time left, with commercial sponsorship on the screen.

A new day care center is planned for Cyntheanne Road and Southeastern Parkway, and the Fishers Plan Commission voted 9-0 Wednesday night sending a favorable recommendation to the City Council for a rezoning proposal.

The Kid City development needs the rezoning of 2.669 acres of land on Cyntheanne Road, adjacent to Cynteanne Park.  The next stop will be the Fishers City Council to formally approve the rezoning.

City planning staff told commission members this day care does not match
the 2040 Comprehensive Plan of Suburban Residential but it does fit within the context of providing small scale vital neighborhood services.

In Tuesday’s general election, Republicans continued to control offices in Hamilton County.  County Commissioners Steve Dillinger and Mark Heirbrandt were unopposed.  In the at-large County Council election, GOP incumbents Brad Beaver, Sue Maki and Steve Nation all won re-election.  The only Democrat in the mix, Kelly Gladieux, was not able to garner enough votes to win a council seat.

Republican Gary Duncan won his race for County Surveyor, defeating Democrat Thomas William Davis.  County Auditor Todd Clevenger and County Treasurer Susan Byer, both Republicans, were unopposed.  All county judgeships up for election were unopposed.

In Indiana Statehouse races, Democrat Victoria Garcia-Wilburn won another term in House District 32.  Speaker Todd Huston was unopposed.  Republican Alaina Shonkwiler won House District 29, Chuck Goodrich’s former district.  Scott Baldwin was the winner in Indiana Senate District 20.

In Hamilton County, Indiana and nationally, it was a good night for the Republican Party.

The three women on the ballot all came up at-large election winners for Hamilton Southeastern School Board in the 2024 general election.  Latrica Schooley won over Greg Lannan in Delaware Township with just over 54% of the vote.  Suzanne Thomas won re-election against former board member Terry Tolle in Fall Creek Township with just under 61% of the ballots cast.  Sarah Parks-Reese earned a second term on the board, defeating John Stewart in Wayne Township with just over 58% of the vote.

All voters within the Hamilton Southeastern School District voted in each race, but each candidate ran in their home townships.

In this case, the 3 best-funded candidates were losers, based on pre-election finance reports.

“To all our supporters, you guys are the best of the best,” wrote Latrica Schooley in a social media post.

“Wow Hamilton Southeastern Community, I am once again humbled by your support and faith in me,” wrote Sarah Parks-Reese in a Facebook post. “I am honored and grateful to serve another 4 years!”

“While the outcome of the election was not what we had hoped, I want to extend my sincere congratulations to Sarah Parks-Reese on her reelection to the Hamilton Southeastern School Board,” wrote John Stewart in a Facebook post. “I know she works tirelessly and is committed to representing the families of Wayne Township.”

The Hamilton Southeastern Education Association endorsed the 3 winning candidates.  “HSEA congratulates Sarah Parks-Reese, Suzanne Thomas, and Latrica Schooley on their election to the school board!,” said the local teachers’ union in a social media post. “As we look to the future, we are excited to work with these women and the current members of the school board to do what is best for students and teachers!”

Fishers One, a conservative group locally, won 2 years ago, placing 4 candidates it backed on the board.  In this round, all 3 Fishers One endorsed candidates lost.

The three winning candidates will begin their 4-year terms in January of 2025.