There are two pieces of legislation moving forward in the Indiana General Assembly of special interest to the Fishers area.  One deals with a dispute over distribution of County Option Income Tax (COIT) funds, the other creates a conservancy district for Geist Reservoir.

First, the COIT dispute, mostly between Fishers and Carmel, may be on the way to settlement now that leaders of both cities have agreed on moving forward.  In 2019, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness told the City Council Finance Committee that Carmel was receiving about $21 million more annually in COIT distributions compared to Fishers, despite the fact the two cities have roughly similar population numbers.  Fadness cited the distribution formula created under state law as the reason for this.

A COIT distribution bill passed both houses of the legislature last year, but the local COIT provision did not survive the House-Senate conference committee that wrote the final version of that bill.  State lawmakers are trying again this year, and State Representative Todd Huston, whose district encompasses the City of Fishers, says he is confident the issue will be resolved this time around.

The COIT agreement reached by leaders of Carmel and Fishers has passed the House this session and is poised for final passage in the Senate.  “The bill will go to conference but I am confident the language will remain the same when we pass the final bill,” Huston said in an e-mail message to LarryInFishers. “I appreciate the work done by Fishers and Carmel leaders to get to this place.”

Mayor Fadness tells LarryInFishers the deal reached with Carmel calls for a revised COIT distribution formula that will add $15 million-$18 million in additional COIT funds to Fishers over three years, but that increase is tied to a rise in COIT tax collections of 2.5% each year.  In other words, presuming a strong economy continues locally, Fishers will receive the extra funds.  According to Fadness, after that initial three-year period, Fishers would receive $4 million-$6 million in additional money per year from COIT, but that would once again rely on continued COIT tax collection growth in the coming years.

On the second matter before state lawmakers, Huston says the measure aimed at creating a Geist Conservancy District has passed the Indiana House. State Senator Jim Merritt, whose district includes Fall Creek Township, is the Senate author of the Geist Conservancy District measure.  A conservancy district would have the legal authority to tax property owners and impose fees in the area of Geist Lake in order to do required maintenance on the reservoir.  For more background on the proposed Geist Conservancy District, read a recent article written by John Russell in the Indianapolis Business Journal at this link.

Riverview Health is letting patients know that about 2,600 mailings may have been sent out in error.  According to my new-gathering partner, the Hamilton County Reporter, the hospital learned their mailing vendor sent letters to the correct address, but with the wrong patient name.

That means a letter meant for one patient could end up in the hands of another individual.  Riverview emphasizes that no Social Security numbers, financial information or bank account numbers were exposed.   No financial information, such as credit or debit card numbers were compromised.  In addition, no medical data was exposed, according to Riverview.

The methods of patient notification used by Riverview are currently under review as a result of this incident.

As required by federal law, Riverview Health is also notifying the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. Riverview Health patients impacted by this disclosure are also expected to receive letters in the mail notifying them of this incident within the next few days.

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern finished the regular season on a spectacular note Thursday, shocking Class 4A No. 2 Lawrence North 51-49 at the Wildcats’ gym and running its win streak to 13 games.

The 4A No. 9 Royals held the lead for most of the first half, going up 15-8 by the end of the first quarter, then leading 28-17 with 2:30 left in the second period. The Royals led 30-20 early in the third, but the Wildcats made a 17-6 run to regain the lead at 37-36 with two minutes left in that quarter. LN led 39-38 at the end of the period.

Vinny Buccilla and Elliot Robinson made back-to-back 3-pointers to get HSE up by seven early in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats made another run to take the lead, going up 49-46. Kole Hornbuckle then converted a three-point play with 1:01 left to tie the game at 49-49.
Southeastern got a defensive stop with under a minute and held for the last shot when Robinson was fouled with 18 seconds left. Robinson made both free throws to put the Royals up by two. Lawrence North got one more chance, but missed a last-second 3-pointer.

“Great team win,” said HSE coach Brian Satterfield.

Hornbuckle finished the game with 13 points. DeAndre Rhodes dominated the boards with 12 rebounds, while Hornbuckle, John McCall and Mabor Majak each collected five. Buccilla handed out four assists.

The Royals finished the regular season 17-5 and will play Carmel in the first round of the Noblesville sectional at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

As Fishers has grown from the small town I found when moving here in 1991 to a city with a  current population estimated at nearly 95,000, we have also seen growth in the number of not-for-profit organizations formed in our city.  Even with the number of these organizations growing, the demand for services for Fishers families and young people grows even faster.

A group of Fishers nonprofit leaders began to meet last year and explore ways to work together.  That has resulted in the launch of the Fishers Non Profit Coalition.  The Coalition has met four times so far, with the first gathering in July of 2019, and the next session set for April, 2020,

“As we have looked at data sets from the state and other organizations over the past few years we have seen a lot of disparity in numbers making it difficult for organizations like ours to serve the needs of our target population,” said Dr. Jody Britten, co-founder of the Fishers-based non-profit Early Learning Alliance Network, in a Coalition news release.

The Coalition says it is being founded to “identify needs, cultivate community, and curate data sources to support the social infrastructure of our growing community.”  The idea for the coalition started with Alison Gatz, Executive Director of Youth Mentoring Initiative (YMI).

“We started the Coalition to identify Fishers nonprofits who want to gather for conversation,” Gatz said. “There is power in collaboration and just understanding the landscape of support and expertise for the non-profit community.”

If you are involved with a Fishers nonprofit group and would like to be a part of the Coalition, fill out the contact form at this link.

For more information about the Coalition, access their Web site at this link.

Whenever I need an update on the latest news in local high school sports, I go the Hamilton County Reporter Sports Editor Richie Hall.  In this podcast, we cover swimming, diving, football, girls basketball and preview the upcoming Noblesville boys basketball sectional.

Fishers has a reputation for being a busy place during the month of March, Disability Awareness Month.  2020 will see even more local events planned.

I spoke with the the co-chairs of the Fishers Disability Awareness Month events, Kelly Hartman and Cecilia Coble.

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Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

One of my favorite people in the Hamilton County family of public servants is the “park guy,” Al Patterson. Unfortunately for the county, Al is retiring after 28 years of building our award-winning county park system to become the best in the state.

Many counties have maybe one small park, some have none administered by the county. Hamilton County had a small park system consisting of about 190 acres in 1992 when Al became parks director. Some of that land was not yet developed for park use.

In a county such as ours, it was obvious that the ideal land was going fast for residential and commercial development, so acquiring land with park potential was a “now or never” proposition.

Al took the lead in getting most of the current 1,600 acres of parkland. About half that land came through working with the estate of the late Dan Taylor who owned the historic farm we now know as Koteewi Park at Strawtown.

Development of Cool Creek Park near Westfield with its widely acclaimed nature center and summer concerts came under Al’s direction.

While serving as assistant to the county commissioners, one of the most memorable phone calls I got was from Jesse Cox in 1998 when out of the blue Jesse asked if Hamilton County would be interested in having his farm as a donation. I called Al, and he took it from there.

The county accepted the generous offer, and Jesse and his wife also gave a very large amount of money to develop what became Coxhall Gardens on 116th Street.

Al Patterson came to us from Connersville where he had directed city parks. With support from county commissioners, council members, and the assistance of deputy director Chris Stice and staff, we now have a group of 13 parks with great attractions ranging from bird watching to ziplining that is the envy of the state.

Al and his wife, Laura, are moving to Wisconsin where they have family, including a new grandson.

Al deserves our sincere thanks for a job well done. We will miss him.

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Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Construction contracts have been awarded on two new interchanges on State Road 37, and work has begun at the 126th Street intersection with 37. This is the first of a massive plan to upgrade 37 to a freeway style highway without stop-and-go signals from Noblesville to Interstate 69.

Reith-Riley Construction has begun work at 126th on a project that will necessitate closing access to 37 from the west next month. When work is completed on the west lane of the new roadway later this year, access from the east will then be halted temporarily.

The $22 million project will be followed by a reconstruction of the 146th and 37 intersection, also to be undertaken by Reith-Riley at a cost of $29.8 million, according to County Highway Director Brad Davis.

Work at the 146th Street site will get underway this summer.

Davis said bids were reasonably close to estimates and reports of giving up a full interchange at 141st Street to save money is only an option should future bids exceed estimates.

The overall 37 upgrade will proceed for the next three years. Total cost was originally estimated to be about $125 million. The State of Indiana has committed to pay $100 million of the cost.

Davis appeared at Monday’s county commissioners meeting to report on progress on various highway projects. Commissioners decided to postpone replacing the bridge deck on the Carrigan Road bridge until fall after business owners in the area asked for a delay.

A contract with DHA Consultants for planning improvements to 236th Street from U.S. 31 to Deming Road will be signed soon, Davis said. The improvements include widening traffic lanes by about two feet, lowering elevation on a hill, constructing paved shoulders and a paved pathway for pedestrians and bicycles.

Construction is already underway on this type of improvement east of Deming Road. The 236th upgrade will allow safer travel from 31 to Cicero. At 31 and 236th the Indiana Department of Transportation has scheduled a modern interchange without stop-and-go signals, Davis reported.

Commissioners are preparing to proceed with construction of a three-level parking garage in downtown Noblesville. It will be located entirely on the north side of Clinton Street between 8th and 9th streets.

This is a change from original plans for bridging Clinton Street and having a two-level structure on both sides of Clinton. The change allows cost savings and more future options for the county property on the south, according to Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt.

The parking garage is part of a downtown redevelopment plan that involves selling county parking lots on the south side of Conner Street to developers J.C. Hart and other interests who plan a multi-use development there.

It is estimated the county will get $4.5 million for the land.

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Richie Hall

Sports Editor

Hamilton County Reporter 

For the first time in 39 days, the Fishers boys basketball team played at the Tiger Den.

Fishers hosted North Central on Tuesday, and it also happened to be the Tigers’
Senior Night game. Fishers was stunned by the Panthers’ hot shooting in the first
quarter, but the Tigers got themselves together and took the lead in the third, then
played solid in the fourth period for a 66-60 win.

“I think Senior Nights are always tough because there’s a lot of emotion attached to it,” said Fishers coach Matt Moore. “And I thought they came out just guns a-blazin’.”

North Central’s Mike Elliott hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the game. Add to that five points from Leland Walker, and the result was an early 11-5 Panthers lead.

The Tigers cut it to 11-10 thanks to a three-point play by Jeffrey Simmons and
a basket off a steal by Dominic Castellani. But North Central finished the quarter on a 12-4 run to lead 23-14.

North Central led 36-23 midway through the second period, after which Fishers went on its first big run of the game, scoring 10 unanswered points.

Isaac Farah started it with a layin, and Simmons added four points sandwiched between a triple by Alex Szilagyi. Charlie Smith’s free throw got the Tigers within three, but Walker’s two free throws put NC up 38-33 at the break.

“The thing I liked about our guys is, I think we got down 13 and we just continued to stay n the rock, as we say,” said Moore. “Played with some poise, showed some ch racter, got it back under seven. And then we chipped away and chipped away. And I told them, once we get the lead, I’m going to call a timeout, we’re just going to reset.”

Fishers used a 9-0 run to take a 46-42 lead late in the third quarter. The Tigers were down five, but Szilagyi made consecutive baskets, then Simmons nailed a 3. Sure enough, Moore quickly called the timeout, “and it was about getting stops at that point,” said the coach.

Simmons scored another basket to complete the run and get Fishers up four. Walker made 3 of 4 free throws in the final minute of the third to keep the Panthers within 46-45 going into the fourth quarter.

The start of that period featured some back-and-forth, with North Central taking the lead twice, both times after baskets by Elliott. His second basket put NC up 51-49, but the Tigers used a 6-0 run to take the lead for good. Farah scored on a layin,

Drew Turner hit a pair of free throws, and Simmons scored. The Panthers fought to
the end, but Fishers was always able to hit a basket or make free throws in response. Simmons and Szilagyi made free throws in the game’s final 35 seconds to close it out.

“I thought late, you saw who we are,” said Moore. “We passed the ball, we made the simple play, which led to easy baskets. It’s a fun way to go out at home here, getting a school-record 18th win.”

Simmons scored 23 points to lead the Tigers scoring, while Szilagyi hit four 3s on his way to 20 points.

Fishers finished the regular season with an 18-6 record. The Tigers will play at the  oblesville sectional next Tuesday, taking on Zionsville. It will be a re-match of a recent game, a contest Fishers won 58-39 just this last weekend.

“Sectional’s always different,” said Moore. “The stakes are higher now, and there’s a lot more on the line. The first game, I thought we did some good things, and they’re going to adjust and we need to be ready to combat that.”

Based on my Web site analytics, a large number of readers have absorbed the February 21st post on State Road 37 and 141st Street.  Based on the feedback I am getting from my readers, it appears most residents understand what is going on, but allow me to put the entire issue into some perspective.

It is clear members of the Fishers City Council are hearing from their constituents about my story.  Todd Zimmerman recently posted on Facebook about the issue and Jocelyn Vare raised the subject on her live Facebook video Tuesday night.

I want everyone to know how I learned there were potential budget issues that could impact the roundabout plans at 141st & SR 37.  It was a document posted on a Hamilton County Web site.  It provided minutes of a recent Hamilton County Commissioners meeting when Commissioner Christine Altman mentioned, per those minutes, that Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness contacted her asking whether the county was “committed on 141st Street or not.”

When I asked the city for comment, the communications staff confirmed that the mayor had a conversation with Commissioner Altman, discussing contingencies in the event of cost overruns.

I attend city meetings regularly, including the City Council Finance Committee, the City Council and the Board of Works and Public Safety.  It is clear to me that construction costs are rising at a clip not foreseeable when the $124 million budget was set for the SR 37 project in 2015.  I understand staying within budget will be a challenge.

As a reporter, once I reviewed the commissioners meeting minutes, it was the first time there had been any public indication that the budget on this highway reconstruction could have a major impact on the 141st Street interchange.

As plans stand now, 141st Street will be a roundabout at State Road 37.  As I wrote on February 21st, no decision has been made to change that interchange into a right-in, right-out design, with no way to cross SR 37 at 141st Street.  It appears costs of construction, if continuing to climb, could be a problem.

I feared that many would not read the story carefully, but the comments I have received, via social media and blog comments, show me that most readers know this is a contingency plan.  However, some are very upset that this is even being considered.

It will be a while before any decision is made on 141st Street at SR 37, and I sincerely believe city officials in charge of this project, and the county which has partnered on the funding, will do everything in their power to keep the roundabout design on 141st & SR 37 intact.

However, we all need to be aware that the budget could fall short.  Since I live near this area, I have been getting plenty of comments from my neighbors.  I understand the concern.  But let’s wait for the decision.  As your local volunteer blog reporter, I will be watching this and other developments as the SR 37 reconstruction begins in the coming weeks and months.