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.

The opening event of the Spark Fishers Festival 2022 featured warm temperatures with a very pleasant breeze taking the edge of the heat.  There was a good crowd on hand to watch and listen to the White River Wind Symphony, a part of the local group of musicians, Fishers Music Works.  It is the first time that group has performed on the Nickel Plate Amphitheater stage in many years.

The concert opened with the National Anthem, but did something rarely seen….performing not just the first stanza of the Star Spangled Banner most of us know, but included the second stanza of the song as well.

It was an evening of American patriotic music…but there was one important exception.

In the middle of the song list, the band honored the people in Ukraine, fighting for their freedom and their nation, by playing their national anthem.  I messaged on social media that this was a “wow” moment for me.  Kudos to Fishers Music Works for deciding to learn, rehearse and perform the anthem of Ukraine.

I wonder what some of those fighters for Ukraine would think if they knew a city in the middle of the American Midwest chose to play their national anthem in the middle of a concert otherwise made up of American Patriotic songs.

I would hope they would be encouraged to continue their fight.

The Spark Fishers Festival starts this evening, June 21st, with the Fishers Music Works’ White River Wind Symphony set to take the Nickel Plate Amphitheater stage as 7pm.  This marks the first time the local musical organization has played the Amphitheater in many years.

The Spark activities continue through Saturday.  Here is the schedule of events:

• Wednesday, June 22 at 6:30 & 7 p.m. / 5K & Kids Fun Run (registration required; onsite registration available until 6:30 p.m.)
• Thursday, June 23 from 6-9 p.m. / Car & Art Show
• Friday, June 24 at 8 p.m. / Concert at the NPD AMP featuring Bruno Mars tribute band, Uptown Funk 
• Saturday, June 25 from 3-10 p.m. / Street Fair (parade at 6 p.m. and fireworks at 10 p.m.)

For more details on this year’s festival, listen to a podcast recorded with Sarah Sandquist and Gabe Amick at this link.

When Jason Taylor told me on May 6th that he will recommend all the bids for constructing the new interchange at 141st Street & State Road 37 be rejected, I knew the city had a decision to make.  All the bids were much higher than any estimates, according to Taylor’s comments on a podcast.

After the Monday night’s Fishers City Council Meeting, Mayor Scott Fadness confirmed to me that all the bids for that road project will be rejected.  So, what happens now?

Fadness said the city will just need to wait until construction costs moderate, hopefully when supply chain and employment shortage issues are sorted out in the contracting industry.  Fadness could not estimate how long the city will wait to ask for another round of bids for 141st & SR 37, but it is clear that under the current business conditions, bids will not likely be at a level the city can accept in line with the budget.

Two other SR 37 projects currently under construction, 131st Street and 146th Street, are on schedule  to be completed by October of this year, at the latest.  The interchange at 126th Street and SR 37 has been open for some time.

The weather could not have been more perfect for a Juneteenth celebration at the Fishers Nickel Plate Amphitheater Sunday afternoon.  There was music, food, nonprofit groups and plenty of commercial tents if you were in a buying mood.

Juneteenth was enacted as a federal holiday about one year ago in celebration of the end of slavery in America.  The last slaves notified of their freedom in the United States were in Galveston Texas, so Juneteenth is a way to mark an end to a black mark on American history – slavery.

The Fishers event was put together by groups of students at Fishers and HSE High Schools.