After covering the Hamilton Southeastern School Board for nearly 12 years, I thought I knew a lot about our local school district.  But when I was selected to participate in the HSEngaged program, it opened my eyes to so much more happening within our local school buildings.  I had a very rewarding experience and learned a lot.

With a new school year starting in August, HSEngaged is looking for another group of local citizens to be a part of HSEngaged.  It does require you to be available during the day for the sessions, allowing you to get the feel of what a school day is like in HSE.

If you would like to learn more, and submit an application, use this link.  Do not delay, the number of people selected for this program is limited because only so many people can be accommodated at each session.

The last time the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board asked local voters to approve a referendum increasing property tax rates within the district boundaries, over 71% of those casting ballots voted in favor and the proposal passed overwhelmingly.  That referendum, adding .2275 cents (per $100 of assessed valuation) to the local property tax rate, expires at the end of 2023.

The school board has indicated through public statements that a majority favor placing the referendum on the November ballot, continuing the present referendum tax rate for another 8 years.

A consultant hired by the board to guide them through the process explained the situation during a Tuesday morning board work session.

Hamilton Southeastern receives the third-lowest per-student support from the state, with Zionsville receiving the least, then Carmel..  In fiscal year 2023, HSE Schools received $6,378 in state support per student.  The state average for per student support is $7,011.

The consultant explained the school district can have an approved referendum rate, but may review the rate and lower it once per year if the board so chooses.

The school district’s share of the local tax rate was 1.2616 in the first year of the current referendum, 2017.  In 2023, the rate has gone down to 1.1882.

The consultant provided an example of a home in the district valued at $100,000.  Once all deductions allowed for a principal residence are considered, the amount subject to the property tax rate is $33,800.  Based on those numbers, the impact on the homeowner o the .2275 referendum rate would be $6.41 per month in 2023.

There was also discussion of how the referendum would be worded on the November ballot.  State law prescribes some language, with some up to the discretion of the board.  For example, if the board decides to continue the current referendum rate, the ballot question would be required to say this vote would increase the property tax, under state statutes.

The board would also be required to submit to the state a Revenue Spending Plan, detailing how the revenue from the referendum rate would be spent.

At the July 12 session, members of the school board will be voting on placing the referendum on the ballot, what the rate will be (even if it proposes continuing the same rate) and the precise language to be used on the ballot, within the bounds of state law.

If you have driven along eastbound 116th Street near the Nickel Plate Trail, the latest piece of Fishers public art is something that likely caught your eye.  It is the work of the Wilkinson Brothers, Corey & Casey, both Fishers residents, as they won the contract among 22 submissions.

Chris Reid, CEO of CRG Residential, was the underwriter of the mural, which aims to depict the history of Fishers and include what is happening today.  It is located on the north end of 116th Street at the Nickel Plate Trail, on the site that will soon have a public plaza and a Cafe Patachou restaurant.

For the past few years, Fishers has celebrated Juneteenth.  In recent years, the establishment of a federal holiday in recognition of this part of American history has attracted more attention and a good crowd.

Monday’s 2023 event, sponsored by the Future Black Leaders, drew the largest Fishers crowd yet for Juneteenth.

Juneteenth marks the time at the end of the Civil War when the final group of slaves got the word in Galveston, Texas that they were free due to the Emancipation Proclamation.

Below are some photos from the 2023 Fishers celebration of Juneteenth, held at Conner Prairie:

Continue reading Big crowd at the 2023 Fishers Juneteenth celebration →

George Kehl basically created the Fishers Police Department, a force of just a handful of men initially, and retired as the city’s Chief of Police after seeing massive growth.  But George Kehl was not done with Fishers upon his retirement from law enforcement.  He then went to work handling inventory for the Fishers Department of Public Works (DPW,) which he continues to handle to this day.

At Monday night’s Fishers City Council meeting, DPW Director Eric Pethtel issued a certificate to Mr. Kehl honoring him for 45 years of service to the city.  George Kehl is the first person ever to have completed 45 years of service to Fishers.

Another Kehl was honored Monday night, this time Scott Kehl for his 30 years of service to the Police Department.  Barb Hathaway was recognized for 25 years serving the billing department in Emergency Services and then handling vital records for the Fishers Health Department

It is once again time to talk about the Spark Fishers Festival.  The 2023 version will so some changes in the final night and there is a new parade route.

I spoke with Marissa Deckert, Director of Parks & Recreation for the City of Fishers, about the summer festival and more in this podcast.

The Fishers City Council had a busy Monday night meeting, voting for two new developments on South Street downtown, plus approved funding for a new Community Center.

The Council voted for the $60 million funding package for the Community Center.  Councilor Jocelyn Vare moved to delay the approval process by one month and her motion was defeated on a 6-2 vote, with Vare and Crystal Neumann the two votes supporting the motion.  Councilman Pete Peterson abstained because his employer is involved in the project.

The final vote to approve the funding for the Community Center was 7-1 with Vare the only no vote.  Vare emphasized she is not against the project but wants more time to sift through the funding.

Video fly-throughs of an animated look at the Community Center are above and below this text.

The council also voted to move forward with incentives for two South Street developments in downtown Fishers.

The City View development is a residential rental project for the over-55 group.  Hageman is developing this plan with an incentive package.  Another South Street development, District South, with include roughly the same incentives from the city.  Both involve Tax Increment Financing (TIF), but HSE Schools will receive the property tax money from the school referendum.

Fishers Police arrested a woman early Sunday morning on an OWI charge, now identified as a Greenfield Police Officer.  Nicole Gilbert, 45, from Fortville, was driving in the area of 96th Street and Olio Road when a Fishers patrol officer found a vehicle with one missing headlight.  The officer also, according to Fishers Police, found the vehicle was “using unsafe lane movement.”

The vehicle driven by Gilbert was pulled over and, again, according to Fishers officers, “developed probable cause to believe the driver was operating a vehicle while intoxicated. The driver was arrested and transported to the Hamilton County Jail without incident.”

Gilbert faces a misdemeanor charge of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated (OWI).

Television station WTHR reports Gilbert is a 13-year veteran of the Greenfield Police Department.  She will be placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Fishers gained another notch in efforts to expand the presence of life-science businesses in the city. Pure Pharmacy executives announced their plans to expand to Fishers, including investing more than $2.5 million in capital and increasing their employee count by 50 by the end of 2027. The new jobs will focus on the compounding, compliance, dispensing, and support areas of the company.

“We are very excited to expand our operations to Fishers and appreciate the support that the city has given us,” said Ryan Hayes, co-owner of Pure Pharmacy, in a Fishers City news release.

Pure Pharmacy is currently valued at $3.4 billion.

“It’s incredible to see the life science innovation that is happening in Central Indiana right now,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness. “With the addition of Pure Pharmacy, Fishers’ I-69 corridor is competing across the life science industry in new technologies and the momentum is just getting started.”

The new compounding facility will be located at the Patch Development building under construction at 96th Street and Masters Road.

It is another very busy week of road & trail construction in and around Fishers.

Below is the latest update, as provided by the City of Fishers, for the work week beginning Monday, June 19:

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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 Tuesday, June 20 – 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 1 construction for the grade separation intersection improvement is currently taking place at 146th Street and Allisonville Road. One through lane and one left turn lane in all directions will be closed through the intersection. In addition to these closures, 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.