Fishers Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge #199 has announced endorsements of two candidates in the upcoming May 3rd primary election.  Republicans Greg Garrison for Hamilton County Prosecutor and Darren Murphy for the Superior Court 7 judgeship received the endorsements.  The Superior Court 7 has been newly-created.

In a letter to his membership dated March 10th and released to the media Sunday, Lodge #199 President Christopher T. Owens listed his organization’s endorsements.  Lodge #199 participated in a March 7th candidate night, sponsored jointly with other FOP Lodges in Hamilton County.  Garrison and incumbent Prosecutor Lee Buckingham participated in the event.  Murphy appeared along with another hopeful for the Superior Court 7 judgeship, Stephanie Gookins.

In his letter to the Fishers Lodge membership, Owens writes the Hamilton County Prosecutor endorsement “is based on Greg Garrison’s responses and willingness to work with law enforcement.”

In the decision to endorse Darren Murphy as judge, Owens says that decision “is based on Judge Murphy’s responses and willingness to work with law enforcement.”

Only the Republicans listed have filed for Prosecutor and Superior Court Judge in the primary election.  Democrats could be appointed as candidates this summer for the general election November 8th of this year by the Democratic Party Chair.

Mike Johnson began his law enforcement career patrolling the streets in the Town of Fishers when this was a community of fewer than 15,000 people.  Mike decided to hang up his uniform for good and recently retired from Fishers PD.

Mike has now taken on the job of Director of School Safety for Hamilton Southeastern Schools.  Here is my podcast conversation with Mike Johnson.

As reported earlier, the Fishers Arts and Culture Commission is handing out $47,000 in local grants to arts organizations throughout the city.

The city announced Thursday how much money has been allocated to the individual recipients. Here is the list, as provided by the City of Fishers:

• En Pointe Indiana Ballet ($5,000) to assist with funding for their 2022-2023 program, including up to six performances in Fishers, and the licensing of Diversion of Angels through the Martha Graham Company in New York City.
• Fishers Arts Council ($5,000) to host performances at their monthly receptions, Art on the Prairie event at Conner Prairie, and more.
• Fishers Music Works ($4,000) to host two professional concerts over the summer and holiday seasons.
• Hamilton County Community Foundation ($3,000) to create a public art space for the community within the Hamilton County Community Foundation’s Collaboration Hub.
• High Frequency Arts ($5,000) to host public art receptions at Hub & Spoke in June, September, and December 2022.
• Ignite Studio at Hamilton East Public Library ($5,000) to purchase a community loom to coincide with their Fall 2022 Maker-in-Residence program and remain as a permanent installation to support textile arts after the residency.
• Shaunt’e Lewis Art LLC ($5,000) to host a creative expression event that will include up to 15 high school students creating custom Vans® Sneakers as part of a Juneteenth celebration.
• Janus Development Services, Inc. ($4,900) to provide inclusivity of people with disabilities within the Fishers community through meaningful opportunities at the Fishers Maker Playground, Ignite Studio, Conner Prairie, and Bongo Boy Music at SouthPointe Village.
• JPPARSSI, Inc. ($5,000) to create a community-based mural art project as part of Fishers’ Sesquicentennial celebration in partnership with Conner Prairie.
• Tuning Forks ($5,000) to curate a recipe book and accompanying musical soundscapes in collaboration with Fishers Parks and the Fishers Farmers’ Market.

Mission Christian Academy received unanimous approval for a special exception in the zoning laws, allowing a planned move into a building at 131st Street and Publishers Drive, near State Road 37.  The school needed the special exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals due to the Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning for the Parkside commercial area.

The school is expanding from its current location on Olio Road and projects 225 students will be enrolled at the Publishers Drive location.  The Academy plans to have classes at the facility three days per week, with students utilizing remote learning the other two days. School officials say they plan to offer primary and secondary grade levels, as well as
Pre-K and a nursery.

An engineering study says based on the proposed configuration, the drop off & pick up of students by parents would cause no traffic issues for the surrounding area.

Representatives of Browning, developer of the Hotel Nickel Plate, revealed plans for the project at Wednesday’s meeting of the Nickel Plate Review Committee.  With 5 stories and 68 feet in height, the proposed development needed approval from the panel, which voted unanimously in favor of the variance.

The plans must still be reviewed by city staff and the technical advisory committee as the hotel moves forward.

It will be located between the First Internet Bank Building and the Nickel Plate Trail, next to a parking garage to be used for hotel guests, customers of the planned restaurant on the first floor of the hotel and by First Internet Bank.  Access to the hotel and parking garage will be via 116th Street or South Street.  It is likely those exiting the area onto 116th Street will only be using right turns, with no left turns.

Adam Chavers, Chief Development Officer for Browning, told committee members the hotel will be part of the Hilton Hotel group’s Tapestry brand.  The hotel will not use the name Hilton but will utilize the Hilton reservation system.

The hotel will feature a total of roughly 116 rooms.

City staff says there will be a public area adjacent to the hotel property and will be named Legacy Plaza.

Fishers accepted a $2.2 million bid for street resurfacing this year.  Areas to be repaved include: Eller Road, Eller Run, Eller Trails, Eller Commons, Waterford Gardens, Charleston Crossing, Sunblest, Fishers Pointe, Lantern Overlook, Delaware Pointe, and Overlook at Beaver Ridge.  City officials note that most of the work will be in neighborhoods west of Cumberland Road.  The city engineering department told the Board of Public Works & Safety Tuesday morning the work will begin as soon as possible.

In other items before the board:

–$75,000 in Neighborhood Vibrancy Grants were approved for 27 neighborhoods.  Not all applications were approved.  Had all been fully funded, it would have a price tag of nearly $105,000.  Mayor Scott Fadness asked his staff to look for funds to pay for all requested grants, if at all possible.

–The city approved an amended project agreement with Rebar’s Techway project, allowing the city an 18-month lease for space in the new building along the Nickel Plate Trail on Technology Drive.  The city plans to wind down operations at the mass vaccination center on 116th Street just east of Brooks School Road and move the operation to the Rebar facility.  The city currently has a month-to-month lease on the current 116th Street location for the vaccination center.

–Fishers had opted out of the opioid lawsuit with the state due to a previous change in state law, but City Attorney Chris Greisl told the board the General Assembly made another law change in this year’s session that incentives the city to opt back into the state’s settlement agreement.  After attorney fees, the city should expect about $350,000 as its part of the settlement, with the first payment coming as early as May, 2022.

–The board put its stamp of approval on nearly $50,000 in grants from the Fishers Arts & Culture Commission for 10 local arts projects, each ranging from $1.000 to $5,000 each.

–Controller Lisa Bradford told the board of a rate increase of $108,000 for workers compensation insurance premiums over the previous year.  The board approved the renewal, but the mayor asked Ms. Bradford to explore the possibility of self-funding the program in the future.

Corby Thompson of Boomerang Development says this project has been in the works for about a year and Monday night he unveiled plans for Abbott Commons, a 98 acre development along I-69, Cyntheanne Road and 136th Street.

Thompson told the Fishers City Council Boomerang plans to invest $150 million into Abbott Commons, with town homes priced at about $325,000 and single family homes costing as much as $475,000.  Plans for the development include paths and sidewalks, and  may include sport courts, a dog park, community gardens, trail amenities, including benches, gazebos, enhanced landscaping, or a pocket park.

Development of the construction site could begin early next year if city approvals are completed.

The council heard the proposal on first reading for a a voluntary annexation and rezoning.  The project next goes to the Fishers Plan Commission for a public hearing and will return to the council, possibly as early as April, for a final vote.

City Council meetings are occasions where city employees are honored for their time serving the local community, and Monday featured two of Fishers’ finest, recognizing two
Police Department officers for 20 years of service.

Officer Tracy Marsh had 9 years of law enforcement experience prior to joining the Fishers Police Department 20 years ago.  He has served the patrol division his entire FPD career, in addition to work with hostage negotiations and the local SWAT team.

Sergeant Tom Weger had 6 years of police experience before joining the local department 20 years ago.  He started in the patrol division, then spent time training new officers.  He is involved with recruitment and has served as FPD’s public information source for local media.

Feedback from residents in the area of 136th Street and Cyntheanne Road shows they want a tract of land near 136th Street and Cyntheanne Road to be developed commercially, particularly with a grocery store.  However, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness says there may be limits on what can be commercially developed in that area.

The city staff conducted a virtual meeting with residents, drawing about 100 initial participants and about 300 watching the video at a later time.  Planning and Zoning Director Megan Vukusich told council members in a Monday work session that the overwhelming preference for residents in the area is to have a grocery story constructed, but a fitness center was also a popular choice.

Fadness said just one corner of this land could accommodate 325,000 square feet of commercial space.  “That’s an enormous amount of commercial space.” Fadness told councilors.  All four corners of that land would encompass 1.2 million square feet of commercial development.

“It is not likely (a developer) is going to build 1.5-1.6 million square feet of commercial in this corridor,” the mayor said.

Councilor Pete Peterson said the area could not sustain that much commercial development at this time, perhaps only a grocery store.

136th Street is slated to to widened in the next two years, according to Fadness.  That area is near Interstate 69, but there are no prospects at this time for an interchange to be constructed in that area, the mayor indicated.

As to the possibility of a grocery store coming to the area of 136th & Cyntheanne, the grocers are sophisticated in their decision-making on where to build their stores, according to Fadness.  He says there are grocery chains “sniffing around the general area,” but this area may be too far east for those companies.

The Bel Canto apartment proposal would have constructed 292 units on the southeast corner of East 136th Street and Cyntheanne Road, but the Fishers City Council Monday night unanimously voted to deny the zoning change required to move the project forward.

Residents in the area of northeast Fishers commenting at the March 2nd Plan Commission public hearing were in agreement that they did not want this project built at that location.  The Plan Commission voted unanimously to recommend a denial of the zoning change.

The Planning and Zoning Department staff recommended the proposal be denied for a number of reasons, but particularly because the 2040 city comprehensive plan does not envision apartments in that location.

That area is currently zoned for commercial use and needed the zoning change in order to move forward with a residential development.  The council action denying the rezone request means the Bel Canto apartment project will not be built at that location.