Mayor Scott Fadness and members of the City Council both agreed some group needed to be formalized to work with the city on military veteran and other related issues. As a result, the mayor proposed, and the City Council unanimously authorized the creation of the Fishers Armed Services Commission (acronym FASC).
I spoke with the Chair of the Commission, El Ahlwardt, and another member of the Commission, Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren, in this podcast.
What at first appeared to be a routine Fishers City Council Finance Committee meeting became the first public look at designs and some details about plans for a new City Hall. City officials have hired professionals to plan the details of the new building.
The current Fishers City Hall is costing municipal government a lot of money just to keep up with repairs. Engineers have toldofficials the current City Hall is sinking into the ground.
The new structure will contain more than just offices for city employees. An arts center and indoor performing arts theater are part of the new complex. City Hall offices will take up 21,827 square feet. The indoor theater will be 14,887 square feet with 250 seats. A 9,736 square foot arts center containing a gallery, classroom, flex and studio space will be part of the new building.
Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren laid out a timeline. Construction would begin in October of this year, with proceeds from city bonds issued for the project coming into city coffers in November of 2022. The ribbon cutting ceremony is projected to be March of 2024.
All public meetings currently held in City Hall will take place at Launch Fishers during the construction period. City staff will be relocated to the existing City Services Building, Launch Fishers or employees will be working remotely. The city administration will operate from space in the new First Internet Bank building.
The new City Hall complex with the arts center is projected to cost $22.8 million. $6.3 million of American Rescue Plan (ARP) money will be used to fund part of the cost. The remaining $16.5 million will be financed through a 20 year bond backed by property taxes. The debt service cost is estimated to be $1.22 million. Hultgren says there will be no impact on the city tax rate or cash balance as a result of this financing plan.
Committee member Jocelyn Vare voiced concerns that the Council will not be holding public hearings or vote on this plan to direct $6.3 million of ARP money to partially fund the City Hall construction. Hultgren responded that the Council vote many months ago authorizes the mayor and his staff to determine how the ARP funds will be spent. He and Controller Lisa Bradford say final guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department allows the city to use the ARP money for the City Hall project.
Finance Committee Chair John Weingardt said the city is following all the rules for ARP funds. Committee member Cecilia Coble had no issue with how the city is choosing to use the ARP money.
Hultgren told panel members the full City Council will receive a more detailed briefing with more visuals and information at Monday night’s regular Council session
Following what was described by Fishers Police as an “extensive investigation,” there will be no criminal charges filed in connection with a February 16 traffic accident on Allisonville Road between 126th Street and Orchard Boulevard. The crash claimed the life of Brent Jameson, 47, from Anderson.
Police issued a news release February 17 saying a Jeep driven by Peter Monn, 49, from Indianapolis, apparently crossed the center line.
“The Fishers Police Department Crash Team determined Mr. Monn suffered a medical emergency which caused him to lose control of his vehicle, cross the centerline, and collide with southbound traffic,” according to a statement issued by police Wednesday.. “Upon review of the evidence there will be no criminal charges filed at this time.”
Three people other than Mr. Monn were hospitalized as a result of the crash.
I began my LarryInFishers.com local news blog in January 0f 2012. It wasn’t long after that when something new was being presented to the Fishers Town Council.
The town, with the recommendation of then-Town-Manager Scott Fadness, decided to fund a business start-up incubator in the basement of the Hamilton East Library in Fishers, which was not being used for anything else at that time.
The Town Council voted to provide the funding, around $200,000 to $400,000 if my memory serves me correctly. What happened next was an explosion of entrepreneurial energy.
John Wechsler and Fadness envisioned a place somewhere between starting your new business on the home kitchen table and renting office space. The idea was to grow local businesses that would remain here and grow the economy of Fishers.
Any way you measure, Launch Fishers was and is a success. Wechsler has been instrumental in creating a Launch Indiana program, growing his idea state-wide.
But anyone knowing entrepreneurs realizes they cannot stay in one place forever. Wednesday, it was announced that Wechsler is transitioning out of his key roles leading Launch Fishers and the Indiana IOT Lab. John Wechsler is looking for new challenges, although it is not clear what direction he will take.
“John has been a transformative figure, not just here in Fishers, but also across the state for his insight about how to contribute to building a smart, vibrant, and entrepreneurial city,” Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness said in a city news release. “I am convinced that John has helped build that strong foundation to propel our city into supporting and sustaining entrepreneurs and their ideas for the betterment of Fishers. That momentum will continue with this leadership team in place.”
With Wechsler exiting July 1, here is the list of new leaders taking his place:
“The creation of Launch Fishers in partnership with Mayor Fadness and the Fishers City Council has been one of the most rewarding professional experiences of my career,” Wechsler said. “We have been able to create an environment where innovation and entrepreneurship flourish which has supported the creation of so many high-growth and high-potential enterprises, all while sharing our lessons learned to cities and towns statewide.”
Wechsler will depart Launch Fishers, now in much larger quarters on Technology Drive, in a very good place. Wherever John Wechsler goes next, he will leave that operation is very good shape as well.
Fishers has just announced a slate of free outdoor concerts this summer to go along with the five ticketed shows already announced.
Talking about that and more , Shannon Jones & Marissa Deckert join Larry in this podcast.
The Fishers Parks and Recreation Department has already announced five ticketed concerts at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater this summer, but we now have the Tuesday night lineup of free concerts (with once exception, July 4th).
Here is the list of free concerts at the AMP for the summer of 2022:
June 7 Cool City Band – A local group from Indy featuring an 11-piece band
June 14 Mike & Joe – A Chicago-area band, with a long 90s playlist and a few 70s & 80s
June 21 Fishers Music Works – a local band kicking-off Spark Fishers week
June 28 Dave & Rae – Locally popular group that started in 1995
July 4 Fool House – Another Chicago group specializing in 90s dance fare
July 12 Big 80s Tribute Band – The name says it all
July 19 My Yellow Rickshaw – Another local favorite, a regular at the AMP for years
July 26 Toy Factory – A wide variety of music in their repertoire
Wednesday Lunchtime Concerts Starting June 1 | Noon – 1 p.m. Central Green (1 Municipal Drive) Free, no tickets required.
IU Health announced Tuesday morning what it describes as “a significant investment in its healthcare footprint in Fishers, Indiana.” The IU Saxony Hospital has been a 38-bed facility the past 10 years.
The $287 million investment was approved approved by the IU Health Board of Directors in late Octobe. It will include “a significant expansion” of the IU Health Saxony in Fishers. The new hospital campus will be renamed IU Health Fishers, to be phased in throughout the duration of the project.
“Fishers is the sixth largest city in Indiana today, and with notable population growth expected each year, could be as much as 50 percent larger by the year 2040,” said Doug Puckett, president of IU Health’s Indianapolis Suburban Region, in an IU Health news release. “Community members and leaders have told us what they need and want from IU Health to best serve that growth. This investment will allow us to do that.”
The hospital facility itself will grow by 50%, according to IU Health, and will feature physician offices as well.
The hospital expansion will add:
Fishers is planning it second road resurfacing contract 0f 2022, but may need to find additional funding within the city budget to complete all the planned work.
City Engineering Director Jason Taylor told the Board of Public Works and Safety Tuesday morning that the bid for this project came in at $2.4 million, but there is only $1.7 million remaining in the road resurfacing budget. Taylor asked the board to approve the $1.7 million to move the project forward, but will work with the city controller and mayor’s office to find additional funding within the city budget.
The resurfacing contract approved by the board includes (see map above) – Asphalt road resurfacing & miscellaneous paving work in sections of: Cumberland Rd, Promise Rd, 136th St, 116th St., Ringer Rd, Florida Rd, 104th St., Brookston Place subdivision, Geist Overlook subdivision, The Woods at Grey Eagle, Geist Bay Estates, Hamilton Proper sections
-Chestnut Hill, Audubon Trace, Heather Pointe, Talon Bluff, Turne Grove, Sutton Crossing subdivision, Valleys at Geist subdivision.
The resurfacing is mainly funded by the local Wheel Tax and the city’s share of the Local Motor Vehicle Tax.
The board also approved three Verizon 5G cell tower locations in the Sunblest neighborhood, all north of Holland Park and south of 126th Street.
Board members Jeff Lantz and Jason Meyer were at the Tuesday meeting. Mayor Scott Fadness, the third board member, was not able to attend the Board of Works session.
Students are heading back to classes in Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools starting Monday, April 11th. Spring break is over, and the school year is beginning its final weeks. The final day of school for the HSE District 2021-2022 school year is scheduled to be Friday, May 20th.
With spring break at an end, there are a number of things to watch in and around Fishers in the coming week. Here are just a few:
–Registration is now open for parents with children planning to attend kindergarten beginning with the 2022-2023 school year. Your child must be 5 years old on or before August 1, 2022. Schools will have an open house for the parents and kindergartners on Thursday, April 14, 5-7pm. For more details, use this link.
–The Fishers Board of Works and Public Safety has a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 12, at 9am. A full agenda is not available as of the time of this writing, but it is expected three Verizon 5G towers will be considered by the board in the Sunblest neighborhood. The towers are proposed to be placed at the following locations: 12499 Bentley, 12526 Saksons & 12430 Farley Drive.
–The Fishers Parks & Recreation Department has already announced five ticketed concerts this summer season at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater ($20 in advance, $25 day of performance). The department is expected to announce its slate of free concerts at the AMP this summer on Tuesday nights sometime this week.
–The city continues work behind the scenes to design a new City Hall with an arts center included in the complex. The current Hall is sinking into the ground and the current structure will be demolished to make way for a new building.
–The Hamilton Southeastern School Board will meet Wednesday night. According to the posted agenda, the board will receive proposals for “adjustments” to the 2022-2023 school calendar. The agenda does not detail what adjustments will be presented to the board. Also, calendars for school years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 will be presented for board information and discussion. The calendar items are listed as information and discussion items only at this time. Also, the board is scheduled to approve a contractor for the renovation of Durbin Elementary school and will present options on future ways to provide custodial services to the school buildings.
If I were to tell you about a new film all about a small Chinese laundry business under tax audit, you might not find that so interesting. Add in a complex Sci-Fi angle and the story gets much more interesting.
Here is my review of Everything Everywhere All At Once.