Shots were fired at the Speedway gas station on 116th Street, just west of Allisonville Road, Wednesday afternoon, with WTHR reporting one woman has died.

For more from WTHR, use this link.

The Hamilton County Highway Department announced lane restrictions on 146th Street at the construction site at Allisonville Road.  The restrictions start at 7pm June 28th and will end at 5am June 30th.

Here is the text of the announcement:

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Please be advised, beginning on or after Wednesday, June 28 between the hours of 7pm and 5am, 146^th Street between Saville Road and River Road within the existing construction limits, will be under lane restrictions for the placement of a temporary barrier wall. The estimated restriction completion date is by 5am on Friday, June 30, 2023. Only one right-hand lane, eastbound or westbound, will be restricted at a time, while crews complete this wall installation.

Please use extreme caution while driving through this construction zone.

When Geist Waterfront park opened this summer, one amenity offered is kayaking on the lake.  The Fishers Parks & Recreation Department offered an outing to a group of senior citizens from Lake Meadows Assisted Living.  With the cooperation of Wheel Fun Rentals, these seniors were able to have a fun day in kayaks.

I suppose I am technically classified as a senior citizen, although often accused of not acting my age.  These seniors are obviously more adventurous than I.

The City of Fishers shared with me some photos of the Monday kayaking excursion, and I have posted a few here.

Based on the discussion at Monday night’s school board work session, the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools will likely ask voters to approve a reduced operating referendum rate when the proposal appears on the November 7 ballot.  The current referendum rate of .2275 was approved overwhelmingly by voters in 2016.  That referendum expires at the end of 2023.

The board is expected to vote on the rate and exact language to appear on the ballot at the July 12 board session.

Referendum Consultant Steve Klink and HSE Schools Chief Financial Officer Katy Dowling presented 3 scenarios on which rate to place on the ballot.  One would reduce the current referendum rate by 10%, the second by 12.2% and the third by 15.8%.  Dowling recommends the board consider the second option and most board members appeared to agree, although no vote was taken.

That option would ask voters to approve a referendum rate of .1997, resulting in a reduction in the amount generated by the referendum of $1.737 million annually.

LarryInFishers asked Ms. Dowling if her recommended scenario would result in staff reductions, she responded that at this time, it would not impact the teaching staff.  However, an internal committee would study ways to save money and increase efficiencies in other areas.

Referendum consultant Klink told the board if this referendum vote fails in November, the board must wait 2 years to attempt another operating tax rate, unless a petition is filed successfully, allowing another vote in 1 year.

It should also be noted that there is a capital referendum rate established in 2013 when voters approved the funding for the College and Career Academy buildings in each high school.  That referendum rate is .1077 and is not subject to a renewal vote.

I have attended the summer festival parade in Fishers for many years, going back to the days of the Freedom Festival.  The 2023 Spark Fishers Parade drew the largest crowd I have seen, at least from my vantage point this year on 116th Street near Municipal Drive.

When the city looks back on how this parade went, there was one clear problem with this year’s parade.  Public address announcer Tom Britt, and officials along the parade route, politely asked attendees to stay off the street, on the south sidewalks and not watch the event from the median.  There were way too many people way past the sidewalk into the street and on the median.  The city will need to figure out how to enforce the rules for the safety of the crowd.

But, that aside, here is my attempt at providing video highlights of this year’s parade.  My apologies for some of the video glitches, this was my first time attempting a video editing job of this magnitude.  Also, my sincere apologies to the HSE High School marching band, I had a catastrophic technical issue.  I thought I had your performance recorded, but once reviewing it, found it missing.

Again, this video features highlights, not the entire parade.  So be kind in critiquing this video attempt, warts & all.

There was no rain, some clouds and the temperature was likely hotter than many would like, but there was a big crowd for the Spark Fishers Festival Street Fair Saturday.

Here are a few images I captured at the Street Fair:

Another busy summer work week for road construction crews in and around Fishers in the coming week.

Here is the full listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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To learn more about the State Road 37 Improvement Project and sign up to receive text updates, visit 37Thrives.com. 

STATE ROAD 37 AND 141ST STREET
A pre-construction phase at SR 37 & 141st Street is currently in place. During this phase, 141st Street will be a Right-In-Right-Out (RIRO) traffic configuration. 
This is not the permanent configuration. This will allow for traffic to flow more freely along SR 37 until the next phases of construction can be activated. This will eliminate backups along SR 37 that have caused dangerous stops to the free flow traffic and backups on the 146th Street interchange. Again, this is not the permanent configuration for 141st Street. The full timeline for the 141st Street interchange will be provided after project bids are accepted in the Summer of 2023. View detour routes here.

To learn more about the Clear Path Improvement Project and sign up to receive text and email updates, visit clearpath465.com 

I-465 & I-69
Drivers will see an increase in construction along the I-69 corridor in the coming months. This work will focus on reconfiguring the interchange at I-465 and I-69. New ramps will provide direct movements from eastbound I-465 and northbound I-465 to northbound I-69. Binford Blvd. will also be reconstructed to separate local traffic from traffic entering and exiting I-69 and I-465. Access to I-69 from Binford Blvd. will remain open. Drivers can expect to see significant activity on I-69 at the 82nd Street interchange.

The ramp from I-69 North to 82nd Street and the ramp from 82nd Street to I-69 North is currently closed through late 2023. For detour routes and additional project information, visit clearpath465.com 

To learn more about the Nickel Plate Trail, view the Capital Project Dashboard here.

NICKEL PLATE TRAIL
The City of Fishers is working on the completion of the Fishers portion of the Nickel Plate Trail. The remaining paving work from 96th Street to 106th Street is underway, and construction crews are currently working to clear and prep the area for paving. In the coming weeks, construction crews will begin the paving process.

Local roadways and access points will be impacted due to the Spark!Fishers festival happening through Saturday, June 24. Please find details about closures and restrictions here. Thank you for your patience during this time and hope to see you at Spark!Fishers!  

There are daily lane closures currently on Cumberland Road, just south of 126th Street for sanitary and water line work. The northbound right turn lane and the southbound passing blister will be closed.

Phase 2A traffic restrictions are currently in place. These restrictions will eliminate left turn movements from 146th Street onto Allisonville Road and reopen to two through lanes on eastbound and westbound 146th Street. Sowers Dr., Wellington Ct., and Kensington Dr. will be closed at 146th Street during this phase. 

Increased utility relocation activity is expected along Allisonville Rd. south of 146th Street. Flaggers will be present when lane or shoulder restrictions are necessary.

Construction crews will be working to complete the connection of Sowers Dr. to Allisonville Road. Saville Road will be closed at 146th Street for construction crews to construct the new frontage road and Saville Road access at 146th Street. Waterway MOT will be installed along the White River to allow crews to begin working on the White River bridges. 

The worksite speed limit will be 35 mph. Please exercise caution while driving through this construction zone.

For additional project information, visit Hamilton County website here. 

There is a sanitary sewer project currently taking place at Metro Airport at 106th Street & Allisonville Road. There are times where lane restrictions may be in place on Allisonville Road. Please use caution in this area.

Fishers firefighters responded to the report of a blaze on Old Oak Drive at the Britton Woods apartment complex Thursday night, near 141st Street and State Road 37.  Nine residents of the building were displaced by the fire but no injuries were reported.

The Fishers Fire Department says Fishers Police, along with investigators from the Indiana Homeland Security’s Stare Fire Marshal’s office, are looking into the cause of the blaze.

Every year I attend the Spark Fishers Car & Art Show, the crowd appears to be larger than the previous year.  That was certainly true in 2023, ith perfect weather.  This allows art lovers and car enthusiasts to come together on Municipal Drive, between 116th Street and the construction site for new City Hall.   I spent some time at the Thursday night event, and came back with the following photos:

Continue reading Spark Fishers displays cars & art →

As July 4 approaches on the calendar, Fishers Police are reminding local residents that there is a city ordinance all about fireworks.

Below is the full ordinance language:

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Continue reading FPD reminds everyone of the Fishers ordinance dealing with fireworks →