Fishers has denied two Verizon 5G cell tower requests in two different neighborhoods at Monday morning’s Board of Public Works and Safety meeting. The board, consisting of Mayor Scott Fadness and his two appointees, Jeff Lantz and Jason Meyer, voted unanimously to deny the requests.
In each case, the neighborhood homeowners’ associations (HOAs) were unable to reach agreement with Verizon on the placement of the towers. The neighborhoods where the board denied Verizon’s proposed tower placement are Harrison Woods and Lantern Overlook. Both were tabled at the previous board meeting to allow time for Verizon and the HOAs to reach a consensus, but in these two neighborhoods, no consensus was reached.
Fishers City Attorney Chris Greisl told LarryInFishers Verizon may come back to the board with another proposal or just choose not to provide 5G service to that specific area.
A proposed Verizon 5G tower plan for Northfield Estates was tabled to allow Verizon to discuss a tower placement issue in that neighborhood.
The board approved a Verizon 5G tower on South Street in the downtown area when no objections were raised by nearby residents.
In one other matter before the board, look for nighttime hour lane restrictions on 96th Street near the Meijer store during the week of September 6. This is to allow work on underground utilities.
After residing in Fishers since 1991, and as far back as I can remember, there has been a citizens academy of some sort, going back to the days of being a town. Everyone leaving that program told me it was a very worthwhile experience.
The HSE School District has just started its own version, with HSEngaged. 29 people have been chosen to participate in the initial program.
The City of Fishers recently announced a long list of opportunities for local citizens to become involved and learn more about the city. The list includes the City Government Academy, Mayor’s Youth Academy, Citizens Fire Academy, Citizens Police Academy, Fishers Police Department Cadet Academy and also information on how you can be a volunteer.
Here is the full listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:
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City Government Academy
The City of Fishers’ award-winning City Government Academy offers residents an exclusive, behind-the-scenes exploration of local government. At the end of the nine-week course, participants will have a greater understanding of how Fishers government works for its residents. Classes will typically be held on Wednesday evenings this fall from 6 to 8 p.m. Registration for the fall sessions closes on Friday, September 3. To learn more and register, visit ThisIsFishers.com/CGA.
Mayor’s Youth Academy
In partnership with Hamilton Southeastern Schools and the Eman Schools, the Mayor’s Youth Academy offers the opportunity to work with Mayor Scott Fadness to build community awareness, provide hands-on learning opportunities, and inspire future careers in the public sector. Applications for the 2021-2022 school year are due Friday, September 3. High school juniors and seniors that attend school in Fishers with a GPA of at least 3.0 are eligible for the program. To learn more and register, visit ThisIsFishers.com/Citizen.
Citizen’s Fire Academy
The Fishers Fire Department Citizen’s Academy is an eight-week program designed to increase understanding of fire and emergency medical operations and to promote citizen interaction with the Fishers Fire Department personnel. The program is designed to enhance awareness of the department’s capabilities, develop realistic expectations of response times from the point of dispatch, and develop a cooperative relationship between firefighters and the citizens of Fishers. Learn more and register at ThisIsFishers.com/Citizen.
Citizen’s Police Academy
The Citizen’s Police Academy is an opportunity for the community to participate in police-style training through a 12-week course. Topics include criminal law, crime prevention, the K-9 program, defensive tactics, and narcotics training through demonstrations and classroom instruction. Learn more at ThisIsFishers.com/Citizen.
Fishers Police Department Cadet Academy
Open to young adults 14 to 19 years old, the Cadet Academy exposes participants to the Fishers Police Department and helps those interested in law enforcement careers to make an informed decision. Programs offered include crime scene investigation, traffic stops, use of police dogs, SWAT, computer crimes, and more. Registration is due September 13 and is available online at fishers.in.us/CadetProgram. Interested participants can learn more at the Cadet Program Open House on Monday, August 30 at 7 p.m. at the Fishers Police Department.
Volunteer Opportunities
Get involved and make a difference in your community this fall with volunteer opportunities with the City of Fishers and Fishers Parks. Upcoming opportunities include the Run to Remember 5K and Safety Day on September 11, Glow in the Park on September 19, AgriPark Fall Festival on October 16, and Boo Bash on October 30. From October 2-9, the City will host the fall celebration of Keep Fishers Beautiful, with special volunteer opportunities throughout the week. Learn more at VolunteerFishers.com.
Mayor Scott Fadness, Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren and City Controller Lisa Bradford provided the City Council Finance Committee a first look at the 2022 budget. It calls for a $121.64 million spending plan, plus cash reserves (including all funds) of $41 million.
The mayor is calling for a 4% across-the-board pay increase for the city staff, including elected officials. The budget also calls for 3 new sworn police officers (bringing the total to 123), 8 new firefighters that will allow the new Station 97 to be fully staffed on the northeast section of the city and bring more community outreach through the Parks Department and Public Relations staff.
The city also plans to continue funding teachers-in-residence for Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools at the Maker Space and AgriPark.
One troubling projection shows a 3.6% decrease in the amount of Local Income Tax revenue from the state for 2022. Mayor Fadness is asking House Speaker Todd Huston to look into why this happened. Bradford told the committee 61% of Indiana counties saw a projected decrease in the income tax funds from the state, with 39% seeing an income tax allocation increase from the state. “There is no rhyme of reason as to why,” Bradford said. State-wide, local income tax revenue has fallen $60 million compared to the previous year.
Finance Committee Chairman John Weingardt said the decrease in the local income tax revenue does not compare with what he is seeing from his clients. “It doesn’t add up to me,” said Weingardt. The councilman is a tax accountant with a practice in Fishers.
The property tax revenue for Fishers is expected to grow in 2022, with a 6.4% increase in assessed valuation projected.
Fadness is projecting the Fishers share of the property tax rate to decline one-half of one cent in 2022, at .7165. Bradford says that Fishers has the lowest property tax rate for municipalities in Hamilton County, except for Cicero.
Fadness emphasized that the 2022 budget plan does not reflect plans for a new City Hall and Community Center. But he said adding to the city’s cash reserves “provide opportunities for us to be creative about how we financially structure those projects”
It was nearly 20 years ago that I went to work on a beautiful, sunny September day in central Indiana. I was conferring with a colleague about an internal federal government class I was scheduled to teach, when one of the managers peaked her head into the room and told us a large passenger jet had flown directly into the World Trade Center in New York City. That same manager opened the door a few minutes later to tell us a second plan had hit the second tower and a third plane flew into the Pentagon in Washington.
We both looked at each other and knew life would not be the same going forward in America. 20 years later, that day is still on the minds of all of us old enough to remember.
September 11, 2021, marks the 20th anniversary of the fateful day. The City of Fishers has announced several ways those of us living in Fishers may remember those that died in the terrorist attack.
Farmer’s Market
September 11th falls on a Saturday this year, so the Farmer’s Market will hold moments of silence in remembrance of the attacks on the World Trade Center (8:46 a.m. and 9:03 a.m.), the Pentagon (9:37 a.m.), and Flight 93 (10:03 a.m.).
Kids are welcome to create thank you cards for first responders as they learn about how first responders, neighbors, and friends demonstrated acts of kindness in the days following the attacks.
Safety Day
Fishers Fire and Emergency Services’ annual family-friendly Safety Day will be held at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater from 3 – 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 11.
Safety Day will give attendees a hands-on experience with every aspect of safety – from first responders to service providers to being prepared for disasters.
The event will open with a remembrance ceremony featuring the Fishers Honor Guard and public safety officials. Throughout the event, there will be demonstrations from Fishers police Department’s K9 team, tire changing demonstrations, Fishers Fire and Emergency Services, and more.
Run to Remember 5K
Fishers Run to Remember 5K Run/Walk, held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, will be an event aimed at uniting the community by honoring and remembering the 2,977 people who died in the attack on September 11, 2001. The run is an event to honor the memories of those we lost, cherish those within our circles, and work together for unity and a peaceful tomorrow.
Front line personnel are encouraged to complete the run/walk in uniform and gear.
The commemoration will conclude at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater with a multi-faith prayer service and vigil to remember those who perished, were injured, or continue to face sustained injuries and mental illness from the events associated with the attacks.
The vigil will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 11.
Volunteers still needed
Volunteer opportunities are available for the events listed. Serve the community on this important day of remembrance by visiting volunteerFishers.com.
Mayor Scott Fadness joins the Round Room crowd for the ribbon cutting
You have likely seen the office building clearly visible on I-69 in Fishers. It has been a bank call center and office for Roche Pharmaceuticals in the past. For a year and a half, a major construction project has been underway to essentially reconstruct the inside of the structure and become Round Room, described as the nation’s largest Verizon authorized retailer.
Most CEOs of a firm that large would dress in a coat and tie for the big ribbon cutting ceremony, but not Round Room CEO Scott Moorehead. He donned a T-shirt and jeans. You could feel the casual atmosphere in the work place.
“I made a promise to everybody, as my career goal, I said, I’m going to make this company the biggest damn small company on the planet,” Moorehead told the ribbon-cutting crowd. “I’m still on that journey and we are one step closer today.
“This building sat empty for far too long,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness Thursday ceremony. “It was one of these buildings that is right at the gateway of our community.” The mayor described the process that brought Round Room to Fishers.
As part of the ribbon-cutting event, Round Room handed out checks to several local charities, including Fishers YMCA, St. Joseph Institute of the Deaf, Sharonsweb Autism Foundation, Youth Mentoring Initiative, Shepherd’s Center of Hamilton County and Racial Equity Community Network, all receiving $5,000 each. Good Samaritan Network of Hamilton County and Conner Prairie each received a $10,000 donation. The biggest check was for the Hamilton County Humane Society for $500,000.
Employees not wanting to use the stairs or elevator from the second floor to the first have the option of the slide
Join Adam Aasen, Alec Toombs nd Larry Lannan for this edition of the Grade A Movies Podcast. We review Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, No Man of God & Small Town News.
A look at the scene once the plane came to rest (Photo provided)
Some people in the Fishers area commuting home found something you don’t see everyday – a single-engine aircraft on 96th Street, near Covington Boulevard. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the aircraft lost power and was forced to make an emergency landing.
Local first responders report no injuries to the pilot or anyone on the ground.
The FAA described the aircraft as an Acro Sport II. The landing happened just before 6:30pm Wednesday. The plane came to rest on a sidewalk after landing on the street and striking two street signs. The pilot was the only person on board.
FAA records show the owner of the aircraft as Brian R. Harless of Fishers. The federal agency says it will conduct a full investigation.
HSE Schools shared some data on how many students are under COVID quarantine each day since the start of schools. At Wednesday night’s board meeting, Superintendent Yvonne Stokes says since the mask mandate was implemented on August 16th in HSE Schools, the number of quarantined students is beginning to trend downward.
The school district reached a peak of roughly 1,100 students quarantined on August 19, but the numbers began to go down each day after that. As of 3pm on August 25th, 636 students were under quarantine.
A student is quarantined for a positive test, being symptomatic or having a close contact with someone testing positive.
Dr. Stokes said the aim of the mask mandate is to keep students in the classrooms. She says her conversations with students show the students want to remain in the classrooms.
“We’re doing this to support keeping our students in class,” Dr. Stokes said at the school board meeting. “Keeping the main thing the main thing…teaching and learning.”
In other items before the HSE School Board:
–An updated school policy will call for four board members to be in-person at a meeting to establish a quorum. State law now allows 3 in-person and 1 virtual board member to have a quorum, but board members were concerned about about losing a virtual connection during the board meeting, which would end the meeting due to a lack of a quorum.
–The board will need to redistrict school building lines once Deer Creek Elementary is up and running, and Cooperative Strategies, a firm that has supported past redistricting plans for HSE Schools in the past, has offered to be the consultant again. This was information only and more firms may wish to submit proposals. There was one public comment from a woman frustrated with her children being impacted by 3 elementary school redistricting plans over 9 years. She also criticized the board for a lack of transparency by not being specific with the description of the agenda item.
–The board was updated on changes in the fees charged for students using the J Everett Light Career Center in Washington Township, near North Central High School. Some fees increased, others went down.
–The board honored two swimmers in the Snapshots of Success.
16-year-old Jojo Ramey was the youngest swimmer to make the Olympic semifinals and finished 7th in the 200 backstroke. Ramey, a sophomore at FHS, has her eyes on the 2024 Olympic Games.
17-year-old Kyle Ponsler also competed for a spot on the Olympic team. He qualified for Wave 1 of the Trials and placed 2nd in the 400 Individual Medley, which secured him a spot in Wave 2. Kyle placed 36th, however, his time qualified him as the 2nd fastest “18 & Under” for international competition.
When USA Swimming selected the Top 2 for the World Cup Jr. Team (18 & Under), both Ponsler and Ramey (she was the fastest 18 & Under in the 100 and 200 Backstroke) were chosen to represent USA in the FINA Swimming World Cup in Budapest, Hungary on September 28 then the following week, they will be in Berlin, Germany competing against the fastest 18 & Under athletes in the World. They leave Berlin on October 10 for their return home.
Ponsler has committed to NC State to continue his academic and athletic pursuits. Fishers Head Swim Coach Joseph Keller says, “many of the athletes that experience these International Competitions qualify for future Olympic Games. So, 2024 and 2028 is a goal for both of these athletes and preparations are being made accordingly.”
Dr. Holly Miller says she applied for the Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship at hte urging of others and just to see what happened. That application led to a one-year assignment to work with a United States Senator on education policy.
I spoke with Dr. Miller on August 18th for this podcast and she talked about the early stages of her new job for the coming year.
If you are looking for good news in the weekly Fishers Health Department COVID report, you can get an appointment at the Fishers COVID testing site the same day or the following day, and a couple of measures have not become worse over the previous week. There has been a decrease in the Fishers COVID testing site positivity rate, now at 5.23. That’s about it for the good news.
In his weekly video update, Epidemiologist Joshua Robinson says the Hamilton County unique individual positivity rate is at 12.0, red, the highest rating. The case incidence rate up to 33.53, also red.
The community risk rating level remains at Level 3, with being the highest risk rating .
According to Robinson, there continues to be a high demand for testing at the Fishers site located in the municipal complex near City Hall.
There is an increase testing demand locally, so Fishers is increasing testing hours. This week, on Wednesday and Friday, testing hours will be 9am-3pm. Thursday this week, testing hours will be 1pm-7pm. Starting next week, the Fishers COVID testing site will be available Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9am-4pm…then, next week, hours on Tuesday and Thursday will be noon-7pm.
Hospital & health care system capacity in our local Fishers area has seen a decrease in hospital capacity and an increase in daily hospitalizations, mainly among those unvaccinated. “With the trend it is likely that those individual metrics, while they are in yellow (Level 2 on a scale of 4) this week, may move up to orange (Level 3) next week,” Robinson said.
Robinson estimates roughly 17,300 individuals in the Fishers community that are eligible for the vaccine based on their age but have not initiated the vaccine process. Also, children under 12 are not eligible “likely will not be eligible for a few months.”
Robinson said the current data show case specific rates per 1,000 people are 11 times higher in the unvaccinated resident group compared to the those fully vaccinated. August 13-19, the rate of new cases in vaccinated people per 1,000 was a 0.7…the unvaccinated rate was at 7.37.
“We are starting to see cases continue to increase and concentrate in unvaccinated individuals and in children,” Robinson said in his video message. “The best way to protect individuals who are immunocompromised or who are not eligible for the vaccine is we all come together and do our part and receive the vaccine itself.”
In most situations, Robinson recommends wearing a mask in a public place where one is unsure how many people are unvaccinated.
“Cases are continuing to increase week over week here, locally within Hamilton County, all across the state, and there is no indication that the rate of increase has peaked or is even flattening,” according to Robinson. “We should anticipate that we will continue to see an increase in cases, and our best path forward to mitigate the number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths that we see is if we all do our part coming together to receive the vaccine.”
You can view Joshua Robinson’s entire video message, posted late in the day August 24th, at the link below.
