Here is the video version of my podcast with county officials about 146th Street & Allisonville Road.

The traffic congestion at 146th Street and Allisonville Road has been getting worse, and Hamilton County Commissioner said he and his fellow commissioners, Steve Dillinger and Christine Altman, have been working on funding an upgrade to the intersection.  County officials are preparing to construct major changes there.

I was not able to attend a recent public meetings on plans for the intersection, so 3 county officials were kind enough to join me for a podcast, discussing that project and a few other issues.  Here is the podcast with Commissioner Heirbrandt, County Highway Director Brad Davis and County Highway Engineer Jim Neal.

Kelly Hartman was so emotional it was difficult to speak before the Fishers City Council Monday night.  She, along with Councilor Cecilia Coble and many others, have been involved in working on assisting people in Fishers dealing with disabilities.

The City Council had before it a proposal for an ordinance officially establishing the advisory panel.  It was technically first reading, which would require another vote to formally approve the advisory body.

But the council can give final approval to an ordinance by suspending the rules with a unanimous vote.  That was done, with all council members voting together, providing the final approval to the Advisory Committee on Disabilities.

The city is now preparing for Disability Awareness Month in March with a number of events planned.

In other City Council news from Monday night:

–City employees Mike Cranfill and Wanda Crouch were honored for 20 years of service.

–Boy Scout Troop 109 was recognized for attending the council session as part of a badge-earning program.

A housing development rezoning on the northeast side of Fishers was given final approval Monday night by the Fishers City Council, after a spirited discussion, on a vote of 6-3.

The Courtyards of Fishers will consist of 50 single-family homes near the northwest corner of the intersection at 113th Street and Southeastern Parkway.

Councilor Brad DeReamer said the $650,000 estimated cost of each home will be $240 per square foot, which he considers high and not consistent with seniors looking to downsize.  He argued that developments presented to him in his 6 years on the council do not come under regular zoning rules, but are Planned Unit Developments (PUDs) which utilize their own zoning rules worked out with city planning staff.

DeReamer repeated an assertion he has made at previous public meetings.  “Developers are running Fishers,” DeReamer told the council.

Councilor Pete Peterson responded, saying PUDs are a good for Fishers.  He says developers and the city have worked well together, with staff pushing back with developers where needed.  “Our housing stock, it has sold so quickly that people can’t wait to move in here,” Peterson said.  “It’s just another affirmation of the things we do correctly.”

Councilor Jocelyn Vare voiced concerns about the timing of this particular development.

Councilors voting no on the rezone were DeReamer, Vare and Crystal Neumann.

The Fishers City Council voted unanimously for a project agreement with CRG Development to construct an ambitious mixed use project at 96th Street and Allisonville Road, near the White River, which includes a roundabout at the intersection of 96th Street and Allisonville Road.  In April of 2013, that intersection was converted to a “Michigan Left.”

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness tells LarryInFishers that his goal is to have the roundabout completed by the end of 2023.  There is still no design available for that roundabout.

When asked how long the intersection will be closed to traffic during construction, the mayor indicated he is looking at the possibility of at least keeping part of the intersection open during the construction period, but nothing has been decided yet.  According to Fadness, the roundabout design was the only option available to reconfigure that intersection.

The vote to approve the CRG project was 8-0 with Council President Todd Zimmerman abstaining.

Fishers Economic Development Director Megan Baumgartner detailed the plans for council members Monday night.

Mayor Fadness emphasized that the CRG deal will allow the city to pursue a vision for public space along the White River.  He also said the state READI grant can be used to develop the White River public space, but now new rules are being attached to the money Fishers will receive. The amount of the Fishers READI grant money is still not known.

Yes, I know there are a number of issues in and around Fishers worth writing about on this winter Sunday night.  I know the situation in Ukraine is tense and dangerous for the world.

But please excuse me if I take this time and space to write about something completely different.  The question is this – will the Major League Baseball regular season get underway on time in 2022?

I am no expert on labor relations in baseball, so I try to read people with some knowledge in this field.  Here is what I know so far.

The owners invoked a lockout.  That is a tactic employers use when they believe their employees may strike at an inopportune time, allowing the employer to stop operations on the employer’s timeline.

So, at a time when spring training should be well underway with spring training games set to begin, the camps in Florida and Arizona are quiet in 2022.  So, where does the dispute stand now?

The Major League Baseball owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association have exchanged some proposed contract language, but reporters with good sources covering this story are writing and saying that the two sides are so far apart, an outside mediator is likely not going to be called in to help.

Why do I write about this?  There was so much we missed during the early days of the pandemic, sporting events in-person and on television was something I missed.  Whatever might be happening everywhere else, I could always enjoy watching a baseball game.

If the owners and the players are unable to reach agreement, literally in the next few days, regular season opening day will be postponed.  As a long-time fan of the Cincinnati Reds, opening day in the Queen City is a huge celebration, with schools closed and a big celebration, including a big parade downtown.  As the first professional baseball team, Cincinnati is awarded a home game to open the season each year.

Losing Opening Day to a labor dispute could be a slide downward for a sport that has not been growing in recent years.  I find that sad, but all the data points to just that.

Owners and players, do not kill the goose that laid the golden egg.  Baseball fans have been patient and have always come back to the game (eventually).

As one long-time baseball fan, speaking for myself only, if baseball cannot solve this labor dispute, getting fans interested in the game again will not be easy.  Please, no more self-inflicted wounds.  Get an agreement.  Play ball on time in 2022.

The construction along State Road 37 in Fishers continues unchanged in the coming week.  Also, the closure of North Street downtown between Municipal Drive & Maple Street continues, along with the lane restrictions on Technology Drive in Northeast Commerce Park.

There are two lane restrictions scheduled this coming week.  Wednesday, look for work at Hague Road, and another project is set for Thursday between Regency Drive and Holland Drive.  Each project is scheduled for 9am-3pm.

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

In the early period of my news blog, I kept hearing about this new intersection design during Fishers Town Council meetings.  It was called the Michigan Left, and was planned for the intersection of 96th Street and Allisonville Road.

I looked at the plans and saw the Michigan Left, at least as it was designed at that time, just did away with traditional left turns and replaced it with u-turns controlled by traffic signals.  The town council members and town staff at that time emphasized the need for a public education program, so people knew how to navigate an intersection design rarely seen in this area.

The intersection opened with the Michigan Left in April of 2013.  I was new at blogging and using video, so I tried something I had never done before…placed my cell phone in a stationary position in my car and drove the Michigan Left (although all the construction wasn’t complete, the Michigan Left was there).  To this day, that is the most-watched YouTube video I have ever posted, with just under 18,000 views.  The video wasn’t even of great quality, but if you would like to watch it, use this link.

The reaction to the redesigned intersection were decidedly mixed.  There were lots of complaints but some loved it.  At the time, my wife worked near 96th & Keystone.  When we would meet for dinner after work at Sahm’s Restaurant on Allisonville Road, she often used that Michigan Left and liked it.

Why am I going over this history?  Because Thursday, CRG Residential announced a $98 million development northwest of 96th Street and Allisonville Road.  But the biggest buzz connected to that announcement was the redesign once again of the 96th & Allisonville intersection, this time with a roundabout.  I suppose that means Fishers has determined the Michigan Left needs to be scuttled in favor of a roundabout.

There was also some public comment about the CRG development plans, because a development in that same area years ago, RiverPlace, never did get off the ground.  The City of Fishers has plans for 98 acres acquired north of 96th, along the White River, which will likely end up being some sort of city park.  That clearly was a factor in CRG’s decision.

So, as always, we will wait and see how this plays out.  The new social media question is – at a very busy intersection like 96th & Allisonville Rd., will a roundabout work?  I suppose we will find out.

Fishers is welcoming Indiana’s Poet Laureate, Matthew Graham, to The Reserve in Fishers.  He will visit our fair city at 1:30pm, Friday, February 18.

Graham’s 2-year appointment as Indiana’s Poet Laureate began in 2020.  He is the author of 4 books, including his  latest, The Geography of Home (Galileo Press, 2018).

Graham has lived in Southern Indiana for 35 years and recently retired from the faculty of the University of Southern Indiana (USI).

New COVID guidelines issued by the Indiana Department of Health Thursday resulted in changes to be implemented next week by Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools.

Per those new state guidelines, schools will no longer be required to contact trace. In addition, quarantining is no longer required for unvaccinated students or staff.

This update will go into effect for Hamilton Southeastern Schools next week. As a reminder, all schools will be mask optional beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 22. However, masks are still required to be worn on the school bus per a federal mandate. If your student rides the bus, we encourage you to pack an extra mask in the event one is misplaced.

In addition:

• Families are encouraged to continue to monitor for COVID-like symptoms and stay home when sick.
• Positive students and staff must isolate for 5 days and may return on Day 6 (regardless of vaccination status) if fever-free for 24-hours without the use of medications and symptoms are resolved or improving.
  • Students and staff are encouraged to wear a mask when around others from Day 6 to Day 10.
• If there is a positive case in a household, students and staff may come to school if symptom-free.

School nurses will continue to track positive cases,  monitoring for potential outbreaks.

These updates will be reflected in HSE’s Return to In-Person Instruction Plan on Friday.