It will be another active week of road construction in & around Fishers.

For the latest on construction, and other local matters, here is the update, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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STATE ROAD 37 IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

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.

Beginning on or after Monday, June 5, Hague Road will be closed at the NPT crossing for construction of the speed table and is anticipated to reopen by Monday, June 12. The detour shall use Crosspoint Blvd. to 106th Street. View detour route here.

Beginning on Wednesday, May 31, daily lane restrictions will be in place on 116th Street between Commercial Dr. and Inspiration Dr. as well as Exit Five and Ikea Way for storm sewer BMP work through Monday, June 5. 

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.

Beginning on or after Tuesday, May 30, Lynn Avenue (south of 146th Street, east of Allisonville Road) will be closed to all thru traffic for utility relocation work. These daytime closures will last through Friday, June 2, from the hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 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. 

Indiana State Police responded to serious crash in the southbound lanes of I-69 just north of 96th Street, before 4pm Thursday.

Troopers were responding to a report that a motorcycle had hit the back of a truck and the occupants were lying in the roadway. When first responders arrived they found two adults severely injured, one of them was unconscious. The two victims were transported by ambulance to a local hospital.

Here is how State Police described what happened:

“Preliminary investigation at the scene determined a white pick-up truck had slowed to a stop due to stopping traffic, a motorcycle crashed into the back of the pick-up truck ejecting both occupants off the motorcycle onto the roadway, they were wearing helmets. The driver of the pick-up truck was not injured.”

The crash caused several lanes of I-69 to be closed for approximately three hours while the crash was investigated. The circumstances of this crash are under investigation

I had not been able to attend a Hamilton East Public Library (HEPL) board meeting in several months, so Thursday night I decided to check out what was happening by attending the session at the HEPL Library in Fishers.  (The Noblesville Library is also part of the HEPL system)

The board considered a number of fairly routine matters, including a presentation on how the library is funded and the budget process.

It appeared the meeting was nearing an uneventful end when board member Ray Maddalone said the progress on reviewing books for content was “pretty disappointing.”  Seven part-time people have been working ten hours per week reviewing books for adherence to the content instructions from the board, as to whether the books should be moved from the teen area to the adult collection.

Maddalone asked if these part-time employees were taking books home to read and review.  Library Director Edra Waterman said yes, but these workers are not leisurely reading books as one might due for pleasure.  According to Watermnan, these employees are filling out forms as they review the books.

Library staff said this is a new process and everyone is doing their best to set expectations.

“I’m a Board of Trustees member, I set policy and objectives,” said Maddalone. “I don’t do the operational mechanization of the process.  That’s up to our manager, and if our manager is not up to do that, then we’ll find someone else.”

That comment drew a negative reaction from the crowd.  At least one audience member was escorted out of the meeting room by police, others left the room on their own.

Board member Tiffanie Ditlevson indicated she was not concerned about the pace of the book reviews because HEPL is probably the only library system in Indiana, perhaps the nation, undergoing this process.

Waterman did say some new software, soon to be implemented, may help quicken the review pace to some extent.

No action was taken on this issue, but there was plenty of discussion.

The Hamilton County Highway Department has issued this update related to the construction project at 146th Street and Allisonville Road:

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Please be advised, beginning on or after Tuesday, May 30, Lynn Avenue (south of 146^th Street, east of Allisonville Road) will be closed to all thru traffic for utility relocation work. These daytime closures will last through Friday, June 2, from the hours of 9am – 4pm.

Local traffic is asked to use Sowers Drive to enter and exit the Willow Crest subdivision throughout these closures.

A lawsuit has been filed involving Andretti Motorsports and the firm constructing the new Fishers headquarters building.

Nathan Brown, IndyCar reporter for the Indianapolis Star, posted the story on the newspaper’s Web site Wednesday afternoon, at this link.

(NOTE:  Your access to this story may be limited if you are not an IndyStar subscriber.  Once again, I urge everyone to subscribe to your local media)

The Kroger Company went before the Fishers Board of Zoning Appeals Wednesday an received unanimous approval for all zoning issues requested.

The grocery firm requested zoning variances for a freestanding ATM, landscaping, associated signage for a new grocery store, : a fueling center use without an associated convenience store, to allow for a kiosk, and to allow for associated fueling center canopy, landscaping, and signage for a new grocery store fueling station.

Kroger says it will be investing $38 million in moving the current grocery location west of Allisonville just north of 116th Street to the east side of Allisonville.  The new grocery will be 120,000 square feet, nearly as large as the store at 116th Street and Olio Road.

A Kroger representative told the board there is a special section of Kroger that markets open spaces, and that group is already talking with prospective tenants for the space to be vacated by Kroger at 116th Street and Allisonville Road.

Personal responsibilities have prevented me from posting local podcasts for many weeks, but I am back with Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness and his Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren.

We discuss a variety of issues, including the opening of Geist Waterfront Park.  Despite some criticism, the mayor makes clear the $50 parking fee for nonresidents will not be changed this summer season.

Other items discussed include:

–The new events center planned near the expanded Fishers District, now named The Crossing.

–Status of the much-discussed new city recreation center.

–Status of Barrett Law and fixing privately-held roads in the city.

–Update on the construction of the new City Hall/Arts Center.

–and much more.

Listen to the podcast at the link below:

It was about five years ago that Irving Materials Inc. (IMI) quarry on Geist Lake ended its useful life as a mine.  The City of Fishers was quick to invoke eminent domain to buy the land, the last remaining waterfront property potentially available for public use.  It took several years to traverse the legal process, but May 24, 2023, the City of Fishers celebrated the opening of Geist Waterfront Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The park will first be open the the public Saturday, May 27th.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness referred to the long process for the park to become a reality.  He and other leaders of Fishers “thought what was in the best interest of our Fishers residents, was to create a public amenity that would allow any resident of Fishers to have the opportunity to come out here and enjoy the water.”

The Fishers City Council recently enacted a $50 per vehicle parking fee if no resident of fishers is in the vehicle.  Mayor Fadness said at the council meeting the goal of the fee is to control the size of beach crowds and enhance public safety.  The $50 parking fee has encountered harsh criticism from outside Fishers, arguing this fee far exceeds any parking fee for public parks in the area.

Anyone entering the park as a pedestrian or bicyclist will not be charged, resident or nonresident, according to city officials.

Fishers residents may download a phone app or receive a card allowing free access to Geist Waterfront parking.  For more information on obtaining the app or card, use this link.

A look at the Geist Waterfront Park beach

With texting, e-mail and all the other technological methods of communicating in this day and age, it is refreshing to see a letter writing campaign.  That is exactly what City of Fishers announced Monday.

It’s all part of celebrating the Fishers Sesquicentennial, 150 years.  It all starts today and ends June 30. Letters will be placed inside a time capsule in the new Arts & Municipal Complex at 1 Municipal Drive, set to open next year. Fishers has partnered with Towne Post on the creation and curation of the time capsule, which will be placed inside the keystone of the new building and set to opened in 2073.

Let’s just say I do not expect to be around the the 2073 opening of the capsule.

Letters can be delivered in person to the blue mailbox in the breezeway of the Fishers City Services Building (3 Municipal Drive) and lobby for Hamilton East Public Library- Fishers (5 Municipal Drive). No envelope is required if dropped directly into the blue mailbox. Letters can also be addressed to “Fishers Time Capsule” and mailed to 3 Municipal Drive, Fishers, Indiana 46038 by Friday, June 30. Letters should be no more than one page.

Residents can also check the Fishers Parks booth at the Fishers Farmers Market on June 10 and 17 to write and deliver their letters.

The City has created a Mad Lib style letter for kids that is available for download on ThisIsFishers.com/Fishers150.

The campaign will help to wrap up the City’s year-long Sesquicentennial celebration, which launched last June and honors 150 years of Fishers history.

As a volunteer blogger/reporter, I have provided coverage of the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board and written many stories, sat through a number of meetings and hosted podcast all about what’s happening with local schools.  In my mind, I knew a lot about what was happening with HSE Schools.

As part of that coverage, the HSEngaged program caught my eye.  It allows local community members to learn more about what is happening with HSE Schools.

So, should I apply to be a participant in HSEngaged?  After all, I talk with school officials all the time and maybe I should not take way a slot that could go to another community member.

In the end, I applied and was accepted into the HSEngaged program.  Now that the program is over for this school year, I am very glad I applied.

Our meetings took place in school buildings during the school day, giving us a feel for what it is like in a school building on a school day.  We had one session at Hub & Spoke, where some HSE classes are held.

Yes, I have covered the HSE School Board for 11 years and learned a great deal about local schools during that time.  But HSEngaged opened my eyes to a more detailed learning experience.

For example, I sat through a number of presentations to the board about technology, but I learned much more about how technology is used in HSE classrooms through HSEngaged.

When our group had the end-of-year celebration May 11, it was a bit sad.  I had started to get to know many of my fellow HSEngaged members and realized this would be the last time I would be together with them as a group.

What we all take away from this experience is a much better understanding of the HSE Schools.  I credit Emily Abbots, Director of School and Community Relations for HSE Schools, for putting together a first-class program.

At our final meeting, just about all participants of HSEngaged said they learned a great deal and plan to share their newly-acquired knowledge about HSE Schools with people they know in the community.  I can say I learned a lot as well.