As I have previously written, the 2022 Spark Fishers Festival dodged a bullet from the weather.  The street fair, parade & fireworks all went off without a hitch.  Now, local attention turns to an important anniversary.

Fishers will honor its place on the map as a municipality this year, with its 150 year birthday, meaning it will be a sesquicentennial celebration.  The city is spearheading a number of activities.

Fishers is searching for its oldest living resident.  If you know of someone that might meet that criteria, use this link to contact the city.

In a few days, I will be working with the City of Fishers to produce a series of podcasts about Fishers’ sesquicentennial and the history of our local community.  I am scheduled to record the first in that series of podcasts later this week.

Also, local publisher Tom Britt of Fishers Magazine mentioned a time capsule his organization plans to put together for the future.  He talked about that while serving as the announcer for the Spark Fishers Festival parade Saturday.

I have a feeling this is going to be great for our city, going all the way back to the start of Fishers in 1872.  I am looking forward to playing a small part of it.

Fishers had a summer festival from 1989 through 2017 named the Fishers Freedom Festival and dissolved the nonprofit group running that event, so the city took over the celebration in 2018 as the Spark Fishers Festival.  This summer event has seen all kinds of weather for this time of year, but the weather gave Fishers a break in 2022.

No rain had been forecast for the street fair, parade and fireworks set for Saturday.  But a line of showers formed to the northwest of our fair city and menaced the festival, particularly the parade.

We all kept a close eye on the forecast and weather radar, which did not look good around 5pm.  Then, the rain appeared to dissipate before arriving over the festival grounds.  Other than a few small drops of rain, the conditions were perfect for the festival – no rain, overcast with pleasant temperatures.

So, the street fair went on, the parade started and ended with no weather issues and the fireworks were performed without any rain.

It was a good day, with a very large crowd for the parade (at least that’s the way it looked from my vantage point just west of Municipal Drive on 116th Street).

I took plenty of photos Saturday, so here is the product of my work, plus a video of the Fishers Tigers Marching Band:

Continue reading Weather was Spark Fishers Festival’s friend in 2022 →

It has been quite a week for American jurisprudence.  The United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) handed down major opinions on taxpayer support of religious schools and gun rights, but nothing compares with the reaction to the ruling on abortion.

If you are looking for me to weigh-in on my views about all these SCOTUS rulings, you won’t find that here.  What I will explore is something related but different – the public’s view of one of the most important institutions in our nation – our highest court.

The Gallup polling organization has been measuring public confidence on SCOTUS since May of 1973.   The court’s standing with those polled has been close to 60% in parts of the 1980s.  Now, Gallup’s recent polling shows a 25% confidence rate, the lowest ever measured by Gallup.

Even among Republicans, the court has only a 39% confidence rate.  Among Democrats, it is only 13%.  It is the confidence rate among independents that is the most concerning, a lowly 25%.  Since 2006, confidence has averaged 35% and has not exceeded 40% in any survey, according to Gallup.

This poll was conducted June 1-20 this year, before the abortion decision was published.

Why has America soured on confidence in the nation’s highest judicial institution?  After reading many experts, there is a consensus building that Americans now see the court as just another political institution rather than a group of judges looking at the law impartially.

A lot of news organizations have replayed the confirmation hearings of the three justices appointed by former President Donald Trump (Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett).  When asked about the Roe vs. Wade decision of 1973 establishing a constitutional right to abortion, all worded their responses very carefully, but tried to leave the impression the Roe decision was a settled precedent over nearly 50 years and would likely not be overturned.

In addition, several senators voting on these three justices appointed by Trump claim to have been assured by the recent nominees privately that Roe would not be overturned.

Washington Post reporter Amy Wang wrote that Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins believed Trump nominees Gorsuch and Kavanaugh would not vote to overturn Roe.

“This decision is inconsistent with what Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh said in their testimony and their meetings with me, where they both were insistent on the importance of supporting long-standing precedents that the country has relied upon,” Collins was quoted in the Post story.

Then there is Democrat Joe Manchin, who issued this statement –  “I trusted Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh when they testified under oath that they also believed Roe v. Wade was settled legal precedent and I am alarmed they chose to reject the stability the ruling has provided for two generations of Americans.”

When senators voting on confirming Supreme Court justices feel deceived in the process, that is not good for the reputation of the institution.

Many American institutions have been under attack in recent years, and the United States Supreme Court is a major pillar among those institutions.  When SCOTUS is not held in high regard, bad things happen.

In 1832, SCOTUS issued a ruling in the Worcester v. Georgia case, affirming the legal rights of Native American tribes.  President Andrew Jackson chose to ignore the ruling, allowing one of the blackest marks in American history, the Trail of Tears, when American Indians were forced from their lands.

Jackson chose to ignore the Supreme Court ruling because he thought he could get away with it, and he did.  The public did not hold SCOTUS in such high regard at that time in American history.

The public must have respect for important institutions, and those institutions must act in a way consistent with the authority & responsibilities bestowed upon those institutions.  When an institution like the United States Supreme Court no longer has the confidence of a large part of the public, very bad things can happen.

A closure of 126th Street over I-69 and traffic changes for Spark Fishers.  That, plus the ongoing construction and neighborhood street resurfacing, are part of this week’s road construction update.

Here is the latest, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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STATE ROAD 37 AND 146TH STREET
All left-turn lanes are currently restricted on SR 37 and on 146th Street with traffic moved to the interior lanes. Thru traffic and right turns on SR 37 and 146th Street will remain open. Drivers are encouraged to seek alternate routes for all left turn access. View an alternate route map here.  

STATE ROAD 37 AND 131ST/135TH STREET
135th Street, east of SR 37, is currently closed as work progresses on the project. This closure will be in place until early July. SR 37 will remain open both northbound and southbound and allow right in/right out access at 131st Street. View the detour map here.

Please drive with caution through this area. To learn more about the State Road 37 Improvement Project and sign up to receive text updates, visit 37Thrives.com.

The inside lane of the Technology Drive is currently closed to traffic to allow for construction of new pavement in the inside lane.  One-way traffic will be in place in the outside lane as shown here.  Access to all businesses will be maintained during the construction.

The intersection at Southeastern Pky. & Cyntheanne Road is currently closed for roundabout construction and is anticipated to reopen by the end of July. View the detour map here. Schoolhouse 7 Café will remain open for business during construction. View how to access their business here.  

Beginning at 9 p.m. on Sunday, June 26, 126th Street, between Hoosier Road and Promise Road, will be closed in both directions for bridge repairs being completed by INDOT and is anticipated to reopen by Noon on Friday, July 1, weather permitting. View detour map here. 

On Friday, July 1, there will be lane restrictions on Brooks School Road between Aldenham Blvd. and Club Point Drive, weather permitting, to allow for utility work behind the asphalt path. Flaggers will be in place to help direct traffic. 

On Monday, June 27, the outside westbound lane of 116th Street, just before the Nickel Plate Trail bridge will be restricted between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for sidewalk work. Arrow boards will be in place.

Road closures and parking restrictions will be in effect around the Municipal Complex during the Spark! Fishers festival through Saturday, June 25. A full list of restrictions and closures can be found here. 
 

ADA ramp and curb reconstruction has started taking place in Charleston Crossing, Eller Trails, Lantern Overlook, and Sunblest as part of the 2022 Resurfacing Project. Homeowners will be notified via door hangers prior to any curb reconstruction near their home. After ADA ramp and curb reconstruction is completed, those areas will be restored with topsoil and seed. It is the responsibility of the homeowner to water the seed for the seed to germinate. Prior to road resurfacing, residents will be notified via street signage for street parking restrictions.

5G technology has received a mixed reaction in Fishers.  Verizon chose Fishers as one of a handful of communities where the towers would be initially constructed.

At first, many were excited by the prospects of Fishers having the latest technology advance.  However, many neighborhoods were not pleased with placing the towers where they live.

Federal and state laws limit involvement of cities in deciding where these towers are to be located.  Mayor Scott Fadness and his legal staff did determine some limited situations where a city could deny Verizon a specific tower location, and a few tower requests have been denied by the Board of Works and Public Safety, a three-member panel consisting of the mayor and his two appointees.

Verizon began the rollout, announced a pause during the pandemic, then once again pursued tower locations in Fishers.  But something different has been happening in recent months.

The last time the Board of Works had a 5G tower request on the agenda was April 12 for the Sunblest area.  No other requests have come before the board since.

So, my question is, why?  Why has Verizon all of a sudden stopped requesting tower locations in Fishers?

I sent more than one message to Verizon and have yet to receive a response.  Following last Monday’s Fishers City Council meeting, Mayor Scott Fadness told me his administration has not been notified of any changes by Verizon.

So, Verizon has announced no pause, yet is not requesting any additional 5G towers.  So far, Verizon has not explained why.

If I receive any additional information on this, it will be posted here.

A $250,000 grant has been received by the Fishers Fire & Rescue, along with the Fishers Health Department, from the State of Indiana.  This funds the hiring of a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) as part of the state’s Health Issues and Challenges program.  The social worker will handle following-up on the Fire Department’s “We Care” program on mental health issues.

“The Fishers Health Department and Fire and Emergency Services partnership, through the support of this grant funding, will serve to fill a gap in care between emergency response and preventative care, said Fishers Public Health Director Monica Heltz in a Fire Department news release. “We anticipate that this program will have a lasting impact on the health and wellness of not just those in need of emergency services, but also, through coordination of resources, to all residents through the preventative focus of this program.”

$35 million in grants were distributed throughout the state.

The third evening of the 2022 Spark Fishers Festival had perfect weather and drew a very large crowd.  After Tuesday’s Fishers Music Works concert and Wednesday’s 5K run, it was time for the cars & artists to shine Thursday night.

Municipal Drive south of City Hall was filled with classic cars on display and artists selling their work.  I love to take photos at an event like this, but there were so many people looking the vehicles over, it became a challenge.

However, I did manage to take a number of pics featuring the cars and the artists, and those photos are below.

Continue reading Spark Fishers Car & Arts Show – build it, and they will come →

The Fishers Police Department is hiring uniformed officers for its force.  Applications will be taken through August 18th.  Find the online application at this link.

“The Fishers Police Department is Internationally Accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). We offer outstanding career opportunities that include growth, opportunity, advancement, diversification, benefits, and competitive salaries,” according to the Police Department release. “Police officers receive the highest levels of training and equipment and are given every opportunity to succeed.”

Testing is expected to start in late August.  FPD says minorities are encouraged to apply.

Contact Officer Edgar Holmes at holmese@fishers.in.us or 317-588-1430 for any questions.

Monday’s Fishers City Council meeting was preceded by a work session all about code enforcement when subdivisions are constructed.  Fishers Planning and Zoning Department Director Megan Vukusich brought up to the microphone various city department heads and employees with varying responsibilities of inspecting new home construction.

After the 30-minute work session, Council President Todd Zimmerman suggested a 60-minute work session next month, allowing staff to answer questions from council members.

One issue some council members have voiced is that, in some situations, developers do not hand over a subdivision to the neighborhood homeowners association (HOA) in a good enough condition, resulting in homeowners being forced to pay for work the council members believe should have been completed by the developer before the handover.

Mayor Scott Fadness cautioned council members, “…the building industry has a strong lobby at the (Indiana) Statehouse”  According to the mayor, that places limitations on what cities can do legally.

Zimmerman had some strong comments on a listing of fines and inspection violations from home builders.  “Constant fines for the same things is either gross negligence or willful  incompetence,” said Zimmerman.

Below is a listing of the city staff report for 2021, provided to the council – the most common violations, fines and failed inspections.

Jimmie Lake was very kind to grant me a podcast interview just six weeks into the job as the new Chief Operations Officer for our local Hamilton Southeastern School District.  We discussed a number of issues in this podcast. You may listen at the link below.