The City of Fishers, the Indianapolis Airport Authority and JLL Real Estate have been working on commercial development at the Fishers airport property near Allisonville Road and 96th Street.  Kurt Christian of the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) reports that a new distribution facility will be coming to the airport complex.

For the details, use this link to access the story.  (Note:  If you are not an IBJ subscriber, you may be limited on the number of stories you may access per month)

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

For the first time in local history, there will be no public swearing-in ceremony this year for newly elected public officials. Due to health concerns over the COVID-19 virus, county officials decided against the usual practice.

Normally there is a formal Courthouse ceremony for all officials winning office in the November election. The activities often draw around 200 family members and friends.

This year, new or re-elected officials will be sworn individually at a location of their choosing or they may go to the county clerk’s office to take their oath. The terms of office for those newly elected begins Jan. 1.

Taking office for new terms locally are: judges Paul Felix, William Hughes, Richard Campbell and David Najjar, County Auditor Robin Mills, County Treasurer Susan Byer, County Surveyor Kenton Ward, County Commissioners Steven Dillinger and Mark Heirbrandt, and County Councilors Brad Beaver, Sue Maki and Steven Nation.

All are Republicans. In addition, there are 14 nonpartisan school board members countywide who will be sworn in their school communities.

The Fishers Health Department is preparing to receive a supply of the COVID vaccine in the early part of January.  In a video update posted Tuesday evening, Fishers Public Health Director Monica Heltz says her staff will be finalizing plans to distribute the vaccine.  Who receives the vaccinations, and in what order, will be decided at the state level.

Fishers remains in the Red category for COVID community transmission with a positivity rate of 16.2%, up dramatically from the previous week.  Hamilton County’s positivity rate is 21.1%, down slightly.

In the past two weeks, there have been 1,037 cases of COVID in Fishers, with a total number of cases at 5,884.  There have been 47 deaths in Fishers as confirmed due to COVID.

The hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) availability locally has improved a bit, now at 23%.  However, Heltz added that some hospitals are at or near capacity now.

If you need a COVID test from the Fishers Health Department site, you can now get an appointment in 2 days or less, with the results of the test available in 1-5 days.

I have had some connection to teachers most of my adult life.  I have had teachers close to me.  I have relatives currently in the teaching profession.

I have had a special feeling for people choosing the career of fashioning the next generation.  If you think back to your K-12 education days, I am certain several teachers come to mind when reminiscing about that time with a major influence on your life and career choices.

I want to look at two situations with today’s teachers.  First, what is COVID doing with the teaching profession?

I have covered the local Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board for nearly nine years and cannot remember a time like this.  The novel coronavirus has impacted the local teaching staff to such an extent that our classes are being held virtually because there are not enough healthy adults, or not ordered into quarantine for exposure to COVID, to staff the classrooms.  There are not enough substitute teachers to keep the classrooms staffed in person.

I have talked to a number of local teachers and they will all tell you this has been a major challenge for them.  Their work load and stress level have gone through the roof this school year.  It is not just teachers, students and parents have had their share of stress, but the teaching staff is enduring extra stress and work load issues in a profession that is stressful and difficult in the best of circumstances.

So, if we ever have the community celebration I suggested in a previous post on this blog, teachers need to be honored right along with all the others in helping the community survive the pandemic.

I have heard anecdotal evidence that many teachers, nearing their goal of retirement, have chosen to retire early due to the stresses of instructing in the COVID era.  I am also hearing that there are teachers simply leaving the profession for another line of work as the stress levels and work loads mount during COVID.

This is a time I would hope everyone in the local community, parents and others, do something to let our local teaching staff know we care about them.  It could be something small like a note or e-mail of encouragement.  Just let them know how much we, as a community, value their toil.

The second issue relating to teachers is the recent report issued by the Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission.  This group was formed by Governor Holcomb when teacher pay and overall compensation became a major issue at the Statehouse, including a march of teachers from throughout the state one year ago, demonstrating for a better pay plan.  State lawmakers have a major say in how much money local school boards have available to compensate their teaching staffs.

The entire commission report is 182 pages.  If you want to read the entire document, it can be downloaded at this link.

In a nutshell, the report provides suggestions on how the state can create ways for local school boards to save money through efficiencies, in areas such as procuring health insurance coverage and prescription drug benefits.  But the most important recommendation is that state legislators shell out an additional $600 million to compensate the state’s teachers.

The commission found the average teacher salary in the state is about $53,000.  Commission members want that figure to rise, to $60,000.

The Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) is behind the $600 million in extra funding, but is worried that local school boards could move toward decreasing teachers health insurance benefits under this scenario.  ISTA is also concerned that state lawmakers would enact the cost saving measures and not fund the extra $600 million in the commission report.

Keep in mind that teachers are highly-educated individuals.  Most end up with a masters degree after in the profession a few years.  These teachers can find employment elsewhere, often making much more money than our local school boards can provide.

This commission report compared Indiana’s teacher compensation package to those offered by our surrounding states.  If all the recommendations are enacted, the commission report says the pay recommendation would put Indiana as “the third-highest average salary level in the Midwest.”

We need to thank our teachers and we need to advocate for a better compensation package.  Local communities are often judged by the quality of the public schools.  The HSE Schools, the 4th-largest school district in Indiana based on student population, has a quality reputation.

The only way that reputation can be maintained and enhanced is through providing a quality community for students, parents and teachers….and compensating teachers reasonably.

Every teacher I have known has said to me, just pay me fairly and I will remain here and remain a teacher.  They don’t want to be the best paid in the state necessarily, they just want a wage sufficient to support themselves and their families.

Teachers are so important.  Give them some love as Christmas break is on the way.  Advocate for their fair compensation.  It is the least we can all do.

The City of Fishers has been told by Verizon the firm plans to “pause” the rollout of 5G towers into Fishers neighborhoods.  In a message sent to subdivisions with pending or tabled 5G permits,  the city says “it is our understanding that Verizon will not apply for any new residential permits for a few months.”

Verizon has told city officials the company plans to concentrate on a fiber optic build-out.  The company also says it plans to come back to the city for more 5G towers in mid-2021.

The message to neighborhoods provided the following information:

• All tabled or pending applications and permits are now considered withdrawn. If your neighborhood was scheduled at an upcoming Board of Works meeting, these agenda items have now been removed.
• Tabled or pending applications and permits will likely be submitted again at a later date. At that time, the City intends to restart the permit process from the beginning, meaning you will have another opportunity to review placements and discuss locations with Verizon Wireless and City of Fishers.
• This does not mean 5G implementation has stopped in the city. Several 5G towers, located in public right of way outside of neighborhoods, will undergo permitting and construction into 2021.  Additionally, approved residential permits may be constructed within neighborhoods in 2021.
• Verizon Wireless has shared that it intends to re-launch its implementation of 5G in Fishers neighborhoods mid-2021

A fatal accident, a head-on collision, snarled traffic on State Road 37 near 135th Street in Fishers during the Monday morning rush hour.  The identity of the driver that died, an  Indianapolis man, 29, has not yet been released by authorities.

Police were called to the scene at 3:30am Monday, finding a collision involving a Dodge Charger and Toyota Scion.  Officers discovered a man trapped in the Toyota with critical injuries.  He was transported to a local hospital where police say he later died.

Preliminary information from authorities indicates the Toyota Scion was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of State Road 37 when it collided head on with the Dodge Charger.  The northbound lanes of State Road 37 were closed for approximately 4 hours.

The driver of the Dodge Charger, Takita D Lockridge, 33, from Noblesville, was not seriously injured in the crash.

Police say the investigation of this accident is continuing.  The northbound lanes of State Road 37 near 135th Street were closed for about 4 hours.

It’s time once again for the Grade A Movies podcast, featuring the two writers for www.GradeAMovies.com Alec Toombs and Adan Aasen.  I once again host the podcast.  We all three talk about the newest Ryan Murphy film, The Prom.  We also discuss a few other films we have seen.

I must give you an honest assessment of the numbers we have seen locally, state-wide and nationally on coronavirus infections and deaths – they are downright scary.   I won’t go over the numbers again here, I write about local stats about once a week.

That is not the point of this commentary.  I want us all to think about the people that work long, hard hours every work day to deal with this COVID crisis.  There are nurses, doctors and all the support staff doing everything possible to treat those contracting this virus.  There are people working in essential industries, such as grocery stores, putting food on the shelves and checking us out.

Nursing homes have been generally hard-hit with this virus, so let’s think about the staff and residents of those facilities.  There are also the families unable to visit the sick in the hospital or their relatives residing in a long-term care facility.

We have first responders in the police and fire departments that risk infection just in performing their everyday duties.  They take all possible precautions, but there are still risks they must take.

We have professionals throughout the Fishers community toiling in the fight against coronavirus.  I want to recognize someone that may surprise many of you and may be controversial in some circles, but I believe Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness deserves much credit.

Why?  Because he saw an immediate threat to the health, safety and economy of his city and acted quickly to do what the mayor believes to be the right thing to do.

When COVID was raging around us, Mayor Fadness knew the availability of testing would be key.  Because many people are asymptomatic, yet can transmit the virus to others when infected, testing would be a key component of preserving the health of Fishers residents.

After checking what was going on at the state and county level, he found no plan to quickly ramp-up a COVID testing program.  The only way for Fishers to establish a testing program was to create its own city health department.

That was a controversial move and the mayor was the recipient of many political attacks as a result.  Social media was mostly not kind to Scott Fadness on his decision to create the Fishers Health Department.  But he did it anyway.

As a result, more than 20,000 tests have been conducted on people with Fishers addresses.  Businesses paid a fee to have their employees tests, but all other tests were free of charge.  The city has saved citizens tested through the Fishers Health Department $2.5 million.  Some of that money has been reimbursed by the federal government, but when the testing program was ramped-up, there was no guarantee that would happen.

Creating a new city agency like a health department is a big decision and should be the focus of public debate.  But it has provided a way for people living in Fishers to know whether they are coronavirus positive.

Scott Fadness clearly understood that creating the city health department would provide his political enemies with fodder, but he didn’t care then and doesn’t care now.  He firmly believes in taking action to better the health of the citizens and businesses in this city.

Has the establishment of the Fishers Health Department gone totally smoothly?  Of course not, but putting something like this together on short notice will have ups and downs along the way.  We may not know the final verdict on this decision for a while, but for now the numbers speak for themselves.

The mayor and I have not always agreed on everything but my view is that he was willing to take a big risk to better the health of those living in Fishers, so I must give him credit for that.  Plus, a personal admission here…I am not totally objective on this subject.

I contracted the novel coronavirus in late October, with flu-like symptoms of fever, chest congestion and severe chills.  A test recommended by my physician revealed I was positive.

I have read many accounts, many by other journalists, detailing their personal experience with COVID.  All vary some, as did mine.

Once the flu symptoms went away, something much scarier happened.  The virus sucked all the energy from my body.  All I could do was sit in a chair all day long, falling asleep often and still sleeping all night.  I could also sense a lot of congestion in my upper respiratory system.

That was the point that concerned me.  I knew some people recovered, but others took a turn for the worse and could not breath properly.  I knew that at my age with an underlying health condition I was at very high risk of dying.

But I was one of the very lucky ones.  I still do not know what, if any, long-term health issues are possible but as of now, I am fully recovered.  I wake up every day and thank God for giving one more day on this earth.

Perhaps that’s why I admire Scott Fadness for taking the political risks of creating a health department and doing the best he could to help and protect the people residing in the City of Fishers.

But here is what all of us need to begin thinking about now.  Vaccines are being administered and will continue to roll-out over the coming months.  We do not know when, but there is going to be a time, how many months from now we do not know, but there will be a time when we can all congregate again.

When this happens, I would hope every resident of Fishers will pitch-in and have the biggest celebration this city has ever experienced.  We can recognize and bestow honor on the many people on the front lines dealing with COVID.   Also, we can all just celebrate the fact we can now have a party, invite everyone without fear of a pandemic.

Look, the numbers show we are still in a dark place as of this moment, and I strongly encourage everyone to follow the advice of public health experts….wear the mask, social distance and keep social gatherings small and distanced.  We need to do that for a while longer.

But also think about how to celebrate the end.  It is a good thought we can bound around in our minds when we begin to see the end of all this.