by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

East-west highways will continue to be a major focus of the Hamilton County Highway Department during this construction season.

Highway Director Brad Davis says the 146th Street corridor across the county should be completed this year when the section from Towne Road to the Boone County Line is finished.

In the northern part of the county, work will continue on 236th Street, with the section from Deming Road to DeVaney Road scheduled for this year. Eventually the road will be rebuilt from Cicero to Sheridan.

Work also continues on 276th Street between State Road 19 and U.S. 31 to provide a better east-west corridor.

By the spring of next year, a new interchange, now underway, at State Road 37 and 146th Street should be completed. It is part of the county’s plan to make SR 37 a freeway without grade level intersections from Noblesville to Interstate 69.

The next interchange will be underway next year at 131st Street and SR 37.

Bridge improvements this year include a new deck for Carrigan Road over Morse Reservoir, now underway, and resurfacing of bridges at 116th Street over White River and 266th Street over Cicero Creek.

Most noticeable will be new resurfacing of nearly 40 miles of county roads and chip sealing of another 50 miles, Davis says.

One roundabout is planned for construction this year at 191st Street and Grassy Branch Road near Westfield.

This week, the highway department received word that the Department of Natural Resources has granted the county $1 million for building a section of the Steven Nation Trail. That grant will allow construction of the foot trail from Cicero to Koteewi Park at Strawtown.

by

Richie Hall

Sports Editor

Hamilton County Reporter

CARMEL – For the second consecutive year, the Carmel and Westfield boys basketball teams will battle it out for the Class 4A Sectional 8 championship.

The No. 2-ranked Greyhounds won the first of Friday’s semi-final games at the Eric Clark Activity Center, beating Hamilton Southeastern 46-33. In the second semi-final, the Shamrocks held off a late push by Noblesville to win a wild 81-74 contest.

DEFENSE AND DUNKS
The Greyhounds put together another solid defensive performance on Friday. Carmel began to pull away late in the first quarter after battling the Royals for most of that first period, then used a second-quarter run to build a lead that it maintained in the second half.

The ‘Hounds also threw in some fireworks as well, making five dunks. The first one was by Charlie Williams, and his dunk gave Carmel a 7-4 lead. Not to be outdone, Southeastern’s Dalton Retzner threw down his own dunk, then Vinny Buccilla made a floater to put the Royals up 8-7.

That was to be HSE’s only lead of the game, as the Greyhounds went on a 7-0 run that stretched into the second quarter. Peter Suder and Connor Gioia made layins to finish the first quarter, then Suder scored to open the second. Brian Waddell put down a dunk to finish the run.

“I think defensively we did a good job,” said Carmel coach Ryan Osborn. “The kids carried out a good game plan. They locked in. They made shots difficult, limited some offensive rebounds.”

Retzner stopped that run with two free throws, but Carmel ended the half with a 9-2 stretch to take a 24-12 lead into halftime. Josh Whack scored five points, making two free throws and a 3-pointer.

“Trying to play from behind against them is always tough,” said Royals coach Brian Satterfield. “I got to give our guys a lot of credit. They came out here and they battled, they played hard. But Carmel’s a great team. Coach Osborn does a great job. They’re ranked where they are for a reason.”

The Greyhounds kept their lead at 10 points or above for most of the second half. There were two times the Royals got within nine, starting with the third quarter when Alex Totton hit a jump shot to get Southeastern within 25-16. Carmel responded with a 9-1 run; Waddell scored seven of those points with a triple, another dunk and a layin.

That pattern repeated itself in the fourth quarter. Jason Stutz nailed a 3 to cut the Greyhounds’ lead to 40-31 with four minutes left. But Carmel clinched the game with a 6-0 run: Suder and Whack both made two foul shots, sandwiched in between Waddell’s third dunk of the night. With that, the Greyhounds improved to 21-2 and were back in the sectional final.

“Just an opportunity to play in the championship game, you got to celebrate that,” said Osborn. “I’m proud of the kids for sticking with what we do.”

Waddell scored 13 points to lead Carmel, with Suder scoring 11 and collecting eight rebounds. Williams, who had two dunks in the game, also blocked three shots.

Buccilla scored eight points to lead the Royals, who finished their season at 12-11. Retzner added seven points and pulled four rebounds, while Sam Jacobs handed out four assists. Buccilla and Retzner are seniors, along with Stutz, Totton, Isaac Bowman, Mohammed Awad and John McCall.

For the seniors, Satterfield said, “I commend them for what they did in terms of the leadership of helping everybody stay connected and doing everything that we wanted to do.”

“It’s a group that has led things the right way and hopefully that gets passed along to the leaders that are going to take over next year,” said Satterfield.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board started the process with 6 candidates for  superintendent, interviewing them all virtually.  According to Board President Janet Pritchett, the board narrowed the list to 3 with second interviews each, all in-person.

The board is now down to two potential new superintendents, Pritchett tells LarryInFishers.  She describes the selection process as “behind schedule,” but is “trying hard” to meet the goal of introducing the new superintendent at the March 24th board meeting, where board members would officially vote to hire the new school district leader.

The consulting firm hired to conduct the search held focus groups with members of the school community, and that data was used in selecting the six finalists.  Pritchett said this process “cast a wide net” of candidates.

Prtichett reaffirmed  a statement made at an earlier board meeting that she is pleased with the quality of the finalists for superintendent.

Board President Pritchett would not comment further on the two finalists for the job of leading the HSE School District.

The current HSE Superintendent, Allen Bourff, has announced his intention to retire at the end of June this year.

The Fishers Health Department has issued its weekly update, with some information already released and other important reminders.

Here is the update, as provided by the city:

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Fishers Metrics Review As cases continue to decline, Fishers has now been downgraded to Risk Level 3, or Orange. This is great news and shows the diligence residents have been taking to mask up, sanitize, and distance. View the full review of metrics. Also, Fishers Health Department’s new public health orders go into effect March 8, and will require approval for any events or gatherings of 50+ people and maintain the mask mandate for ages 5+.
		UPDATE: Ages 50+ Eligible for Vaccines Individuals ages 50 years and older are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of underlying medical conditions. Vaccination clinic hours are by appointment only and can be made here for eligible individuals only. You are able to schedule your vaccination appointment at the Mass Vaccination Site or at any vaccination site in Indiana. New appointments continue to open up, so check back frequently. Currently, only Indiana residents can get a vaccine from an Indiana vaccine clinic. If you need assistance scheduling, please call the Fishers COVID Hotline at 317-595-3211 or call 2-1-1. Family members may schedule on behalf of eligible individuals. There is no charge for the vaccine. All persons receiving the vaccine will need valid ID or other proof of meeting eligibility criteria.
		Additional Groups Now Eligible for Vaccine Veterans The VA is now offering COVID-19 vaccination to enrolled Veteran patients 18+ at the Indianapolis VA Medical Center. Enrolled Veteran patients can call (317) 988-4899 to schedule their appointment(s). Veterans who are not enrolled or do not currently receive care at VA can visit VA’s eligibility web page to learn more. In partnership with the Federal government’s Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, educators now have access to vaccinations through three retail pharmacies. Teachers Educators 50+ remain eligible through local health department vaccination sites through ourshot.in.gov or 2-1-1. At this time, educators younger than 50 years of age must register through the retail pharmacy websites, NOT through the ourshot.in.gov website or 2-1-1. Meijer Walmart Kroger Individuals with Medical Conditions Supply of vaccine is limited but will soon be available to those with certain medical conditions that place them more at risk than others of becoming severely ill if infected with COVID-19. You will need to contact your healthcare provider to enter you in the system to sign up for vaccine and to ensure your medications won’t interfere with the vaccine. Initial groups of patients include: Active dialysis patients Sickle cell disease patients Down syndrome Post-solid organ transplant People who are actively in treatment (chemotherapy, radiation, surgery) for cancer now or in the last three months, or with active primary lung cancer or active hematologic cancers; lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma
		Travel Precautions Florida is currently the state with the highest amount of the UK/B117 strain circulating. If you are planning any vacation or trips, please use caution, follow safety measures, and consider a revision of any travel/vacation plans. If you have international travel plans, you are advised to quarantine, you may need to symptom monitor, and you will need a test to get back in the country.
		COVID-19 Vaccine Standby List Once you complete the COVID-19 Vaccine Interest Form, eligible individuals will be added to the standby list to receive the vaccine. Non-eligible individuals will continue to receive updates and communication on when you are eligible to receive the vaccine.
		Vaccination Site Volunteers Needed The Fishers Health Department is looking for volunteers to join the effort in vaccinating our community against COVID at our vaccination site. This is a temporary, volunteer position. Learn more and apply.

There is road construction news in Fishers, particularly if you utilize the intersection of 135th Street and State Road 37.   The SR 37 northbound right turn lane is closed and will be as construction continues at the intersection at 131st Street.  See details below.

For the details on the latest road construction areas in and around Fishers, see the listing below, as provided by the City of Fishers:

The Golden Globe Awards have been handed out and we await the mid-March announcement of the Academy Award nominees.  One film that won honors at the Golden Globes was Nomadland and our trio of commentators provide views on that film.  There is also a discussion on how to handle racially insensitive films from the past.  Finally, Adam, Alec & Larry talk about how films may emerge in the post-pandemic America.

Here is the March 5, 2021 edition of the Grade A Movies Podcast, featuring Adam Aasen, Alec Toombs & Larry Lannan.

When the Edge Building’s parking garage was finished, the city began setting aside the east side of the structure for works of art.  A new artist’s work will be featured at that location for the next 12-18 months.  Seasons Nouveau is now on display in the heart of the downtown Fishers Nickel Plate District.

“I’m excited to see the progress that we’ve made in arts and culture in our community,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in a city news release. “We still have a long way to go, but actions like this reaffirm our commitment to making Fishers a dynamic and vibrant place to live.”

Indianapolis-based artist Tasha Beckwith, a graduate of Herron School of Art and Design, was inspired by the Art Nouveau movement, the work of Czech painter Alphonese Mucha, and Fishers Arts & Culture Master Plan when creating this one-of-a-kind series for the city.

“When proposing this specific design for Fishers, I looked at the master plan for Arts & Culture and I noticed that they had core values, specifically the core value of inclusiveness,” said Seasons Nouveau artist Tasha Beckwith. “I decided that it would be important to present a design that tackled inclusivity and diversity.”

Seasons Nouveau was funded by Fishers Arts & Culture Commission.

“It is important to the Fishers Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Fishers to be diverse and give the people that live and work here representation,” said David Decker, Chair of the Fishers Arts and Culture Commission.

The city produced a video about the project, which can be viewed at this link.

The Fishers Plan Commission has had the same president for about 30 years, Warren “Butch” Harling.  But Mr. Harling died this week.  So, the question was, who would replace Warren Harling with the Plan Commission gavel?

Commission members made more history with that selection, local attorney Howard Stevenson was voted unanimously as the commission’s new president, the first African-American to hold that post.

“I want to thank my colleagues on the board for the confidence they have in me,” Stevenson wrote in a Twitter message following the meeting. “I also want to thank my predecessor, the late great Warren Harling. There’s no way I can fill Warren’s shoes, but I’ll walk the path he paved to make our great city even better.”

The commission members had a moment of silence in memory of their long-time president, Warren Harling.

Stevenson was appointed to fill out a term on the Hamilton Southeastern School Board, but narrowly lost election to Mike Bottorff in 2016.  Mr. Bottorff resigned his school board seat before his term ended.

Stevenson was voted to remain on the Fishers Board of Zoning Appeals.  Fishers City Councilman Pete Peterson was elected Plan Commission Vice President.

The commission voted a favorable recommendation on two projects Wednesday night.

Mann properties is proposing a senior living project located on the east side of Parkside Drive, between 126th and 131st streets, at 12915 Parkside Drive.  Mann is asking a text amendment to the Planned unit Developed, amending the parking requirements and minimum unit square footage. Mann is also requesting an amendment to the landscaping requirements that apply to the entire development.

The Marina Village development near the Geist Waterfront Park requests a text amendment, allowing for a future restaurant, and other site improvements, including the relocation of the existing entrance to align with the City’s Geist Waterfront Park on Olio Road.  Commission members asked petitioner Gordon Byers to address parking, fencing and potential noise issues with the city planning staff before the request is considered by the Fishers City Council.

After many months at the Level 4, or red, the highest COVID community risk level, Fishers is now lowered to Level 3, or orange, based on an announcement Tuesday evening by the Fishers Health Department (FHD).

“It’s definitely been a long winter where we saw huge spikes in (COVID) cases, case incidence rate and other metrics,” said FHD Epidemiologist Joshua Robinson in a video update posted late Tuesday evening.  “Thankfully, rates have been declining over the last few weeks, and this is definitely due in part to your continued support following public health mitigation strategies.”

Robinson urges Fishers residents to continue the mitigation strategies of wearing masks, social distancing and hand washing.  He says the major metrics have been going down over the past few weeks.

Over the past 14 days, 133 new COVID cases have been reported in Fishers.  Testing remains available within a day, with test results coming back in less than two days.

The health care capacity numbers continue to be favorable, according to Robinson, with hospital bed usage in our geographic area declining.

You can view the entire video message at this link.