Republicans have had clubs for years.  The Fishers GOP Club hosted a candidate forum prior to the 2019 municipal elections.  Other communities around Hamilton County have had Republican clubs for some time.  Democrats are now getting into the picture with their own local clubs.

Stu Clampitt has a story in the Sunday edition of the Hamilton County Reporter about the growth of Democratic clubs in Hamilton County generally, but specifically the recently-formed Fishers Democratic Club.  The club president is Hamilton Southeastern School Board member Julie Chambers.

“We started in December,” Chambers said. “We had the first meeting to form the club in November. We got all the paperwork together and officially filed everything in December and had had our first meeting with officers and accepting memberships Monday (Jan. 13).”

In those two months their membership has more than doubled, and they already need to change meeting locations to account for the number of people attending.

“At our first meeting in November we had about 20 people, and at the last one we had just under 40,” Chambers said. “We have also had more people signing up as members online through our website. We have already outgrown the place we met at last week. Now we will be meeting at Aurelio’s, which has a bigger space. We will meet on the second Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m.”

When asked why Fishers needed its own organization, Chambers told The Reporter, “The Democratic Party is just growing. I think you saw that with the election of Samantha DeLong and Jocelyn Vare to the city council.”

In addition to DeLong and Vare in Fishers, Miles Nelson won a council seat in Carmel in November.

“We recognize that the cities within Hamilton County have different issues they are dealing with between Carmel, Westfield, Noblesville and Fishers,” Chambers said. “We are a one-county party but each city and part of the county have different things they are looking at. Having those city clubs helps bring people together in each city.”

Chambers stressed that the Fishers Democratic Club is a social club and thus is not trying to replace the county party. The organization does fall under the state Democratic Party guidelines.

Chambers said that while they will work to help candidates who are running for office, most of the club’s focus will be directed at helping the community. As a member of the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Board of Trustees, she is focusing their first outreach project toward local children in need.

“I am going to put out a call to people who come to our next meeting to bring food donations for the youth assistance programs that provide snacks and lunches for kids in HSE schools to take home on weekends,” Chambers said. “They pack snacks and lunches over breaks and weekends for kids who are food insecure. A lot of people don’t realize that need is here. Working with organizations like that really helps the community. It’s not just a political organization. We really are trying to help.”

The Fishers Democratic Club’s next meeting will be 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 10 at Aurelio’s Pizzeria, 13147 Parkside Drive, Fishers (near 131st Street and State Road 37).

Hamilton County Reporter

The Hamilton Southeastern boys basketball team picked up a major milestone for its coach on Saturday by beating Anderson 81-59 on a home game.

The victory was the 300th win for coach Brian Satterfield, who is in his 19th season of coaching the Royals. Satterfield has been part of a program that has produced two Mr. Basketballs, won three sectional titles and has had 17 winning seasons since 2001-02.

Southeastern led 16-11 after the first quarter and 32-27 at halftime, then pulled away in the second half by scoring 49 points. Three Royals players landed in double figures: Kole Hornbuckle scored 23 points, Vinny Buccilla added 15 and Mabor Majak contributed 12 points.

Majak came close to a triple-double, as he also had eight rebounds and seven
blocked shots. Southeastern had 28 assists as a team, with Hornbuckle dishing
out eight, Buccilla handing out seven and DeAndre Rhodes providing five. Buccilla
also made four steals and Rhodes had two blocks.

The Royals are 7-5 and host Zionsville on Friday as part of a girls-boys Hoosier Crossroads Conference doubleheader

I am sure many Fishers motorists are happy 126th Street should be open again at State Road 37.  The accident on 131st Street, closing that road for most of a day during the 126th Street construction didn’t help.

Be aware of more lane restrictions along 116th Street in the downtown area for more utility line relocations.

Here is the full road construction listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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96TH STREET
The right lane of westbound 116th Street between Lantern Road and Municipal Drive will be closed between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to allow for utility relocation work.

LANTERN ROAD 
Lantern Road is closed to through traffic, beginning south of 116th Street to Fishers Pointe Boulevard, as part of the Downtown Infrastructure Improvement Project to improve the sanitary sewer underneath Lantern Road. Access to Lantern Road remains open from the north (via 116th Street) for local residential, business, and Fishers Elementary School traffic. The closure for this portion of the project is expected to last approximately 90 days. Check out the project Fact Sheet to learn more.

It’s that time of year again, when the Hamilton County Commissioners present the annual “State of the County” address.  In 2020, Commissioner Steve Dillinger will speak for the 3 commissioners, according to my news-gathering partner, the Hamilton County Reporter.

Dillinger will offer updates on a number of construction projects throughout Hamilton County including completion of the Logan Street Bridge, Phase Two of the Lowe’s Way expansion, as well as reconstruction of State Road 37 through Fishers and Noblesville.

“This isn’t a speech, it’s a story with a beginning, middle and end,” Dillinger said. “It’s important for the community to see what we’ve accomplished in the past year, what we’re still working on in the new year, and what we’re planning for the future. Hamilton County is constantly evolving.”

Dillinger is also expected to discuss the new local income tax as well as updates to the sign, animal and junk ordinances. He will also touch on efforts to boost tourism throughout the County.

The State of the County is hosted by the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce. More than 400 city and county dignitaries, business leaders and residents are expected to attend. The event is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. and end at 1 p.m. Doors open at 11 a.m. The cost is $30 for chamber members and $37 for non-members. Table sponsorships range from $350 to $450. Registration is required. You can register at noblesvillechamber.com or by calling (317) 773-0086.

Hamilton County Reporter

Fishers split its Hoosier Crossroads Conference doubleheader with Brownsburg Friday night at the Tiger Den.

The Fishers girls won 52-43, keeping their HCC record unbeaten at 5-0.

The game was tied at 15-15 after the first quarter, but the Tigers dominated in the
second period, outscoring the Bulldogs 20-4 to take a 35-19 halftime lead. Audra Emmerson scored nine points in the second quarter, and 11 in the first half,
including two 3-pointers and 5-of-5 free throws.

Brownsburg chipped away at Fishers’ lead in the third quarter, getting within
43-33 by the end of the period. But the Tigers held on in the fourth, helped out by
six points from freshman Hailey Smith.

Smith led the Fishers scoring with 14 points, while Emmerson added 11 points.

Katie Burton collected 10 rebounds, with Lydia Stullken pulling eight rebounds
and also blocking two shots. Smith had five rebounds.

The Tigers boys lost to Brownsburg 61-45. The Bulldogs slowly added to their lead throughout the game, outscoring Fishers in each period. Brownsburg led 17-13 after the first quarter and 24-17 at halftime, then added 20 more points in the third period.

Alex Szilagyi made three 3-pointers to score nine points for the Tigers, with Jeffrey Simmons also adding nine points.

Isaac Farah scored eight points.

The Fishers girls are 17-1 overall and host Carmel on Tuesday. The Tigers boys
are 2-1 in the conference and 13-3 overall; they play another HCC game next
Friday at Avon.

Hamilton County Reporter

It was a special night of basketball as Westfield hosted Hamilton Southeastern Friday in a girls-boys Hoosier Crossroads Conference doubleheader.

The Royals swept both games. Southeastern’s girls won a hard-fought opener over the Shamrocks 42-35, then the Royals boys pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Westfield 65-47.

Friday’s games were the annual PINK games for breast cancer awareness. The
Shamrocks honored those who battled (and are still battling) the disease in between the two games.

“What an emotional night,” said HSE girls coach Chris Huppenthal. “We just won a basketball game, but there are a bunch of people out there who won a battle in their lives.”

While the Royals got on the board first in the girls game after Jackie Maulucci made a jumper, the ‘Rocks zoomed to a 9-2 lead thanks to three straight 3-pointers, two from Alyssa Crockett and one from Olivia Robey. Southeastern finished the quarter on an 11-3 run, with Lauren Morris hitting a 3 and Sydney Parrish making two triples.

Bailee Poore put the Royals up 15-12 to start the second period with a rebound basket. But Ashtin DeCraene tied it up with a 3-pointer, then Ava Henson’s putback gave Westfield the lead again, at 17-15. Lydia Self’s jump shot knotted the game up again, but Westfield finished the half with a rebound basket from Crockett, and Emily Robinson’s 3 gave Westfield a 22-17 lead at the break.

DeCraene got the first points of the third quarter when she made two free throws, putting the ‘Rocks ahead 24-17 at the 6:17 mark. But it was all Southeastern after that, as it  outscored Westfield 11-1 over the remainder of the period. Parrish started the run with five straight points, then Makayla Hinshaw tied the game with a layin.

Ryan Viele’s basket gave the Royals a 26-24 lead that they would keep until the
end of the game, and Maulucci made two free throws to give Southeastern a 28-25
advantage at the end of three. Westfield continued to battle in the fourth quarter,
but after Maulucci made a late layin to put HSE up 34-29, the Royals kept their
lead between five and eight points.

Parrish finished the game with 16 points, while Maulucci scored 10 and handed out four assists. Parrish was dealing with illness and did not start the game; Huppenthal said that she had not practiced in two days.

“The things we did in two days of practice really were in preparation if Syd didn’t play,” said Huppenthal. But the Royals came together and got the win. Poore collected eight rebounds, while Self and Parrish both had four.

“We had kids that, as they do all year, they played hard, did a lot of good things.
Makayla Hinshaw defensively, I thought was outstanding. Bailee Poore, I continue to say it: She’s the best 5-foot-4 post player in the country. I don’t know of anybody else that has a 5-foot-4 post player that does how she rebounds the basketball and all the things she does.”

Crockett led Westfield’s scoring with nine points. The Shamrocks out-rebounded the Royals 32-20, with Jessica Castor pulling nine rebounds, and Crockett and Henson both collecting seven.

“I thought our effort was incredible,” said Westfield coach Ginny Smith. “I’m not disappointed with our effort at all. The difference in the basketball game was that
third quarter. They came out, they picked the intensity up defensively and I felt like
we just got kind of tight, got back on our heels, made some careless turnovers, just
some unforced things.”

Southeastern improved to 5-1 in the conference and 17-2 overall, and plays at Lawrence North on Tuesday. Westfield is 3-3 in HCC play and 13-8 overall; the ‘Rocks finish up conference play next Friday at Brownsburg.

BOYS GAME

The Royals never trailed in the boys game, although it took them until the fourth quarter to pull away. Southeastern got off to a 6-0 lead, with Vinny Buccilla scoring five of those points (a layin and a 3-pointer).

The Shamrocks came back to tie the game at 6-6. Benji Welch made two baskets, then Braden Smith tied it up with a layin. But the Royals scored the last five points of the first quarter, with Dalton Retzner converting a three-point play, then Elliot Robinson’s layin gave HSE an 11-6 lead.

Alex Totton made it a 7-0 run, as his putback opened the second quarter. The Royals led 16-9 early in the period, but four straight points from Saaki Vishnumolakala got the ‘Rocks within 16-13.

Southeastern stayed in front, though, and led 21-15 at halftime.

The Royals led 35-26 after three quarters, with John McCall making a pair of baskets midway through the period. DeAndre Rhodes added six points in the final minutes of the quarter. Matthew Penley and Nic DePasquale each had four points in the third to keep the Shamrocks close, 35-26 at the period’s end.

But Southeastern took over in the fourth quarter, making a 20-6 run during the first half of the period to go up 55-32. Rhodes added another seven points, while Majak’s and-1 finished the run with 3:51 left in the game. Westfield made a 7-0 run of their own, including five points from Cam Haffner, but the Royals cruised to the finish line.

“Defensively we were tremendous tonight,” said HSE coach Brian Satterfield. “The past two games I thought we’ve been making great strides there. We were pretty efficient at the defensive end.”

Satterfield said that Westfield is “very efficient with what they do offensively,” so he was happy with how the defense played.

Rhodes led the Royals with 13 points, with Majak scoring 11 and handing out four assists. Kole Hornbuckle had a dominant defensive game, with nine rebounds and two blocked shots. Buccilla collected five rebounds.

DePasquale led Westfield’s scoring with 13 points, with Zach Byrer pulling six rebounds and Smith collecting five.

This was Southeastern’s first HCC win of the season, giving it a 1-2 record.

The Royals are 6-5 overall and host Anderson tonight. The Shamrocks are 2-1 in conference play and 8-2 overall, and play at Lafayette Jefferson tonight.

The Hamilton Southeastern School board heard from Superintendent Allen Bourff Wednesday on proposals to “flip” school start times, but Bourff told the board it is not likely such a proposal would be implemented during the 2020-2021 school year.

Board members reviewed results of an online survey that garnered 1,840 comments.  58% of those responding clearly were opposed to flipping start times so high school and secondary school students would report for classes later and elementary students would start the school day earlier.  42% clearly favored the proposed change.  Bourff told the board there were some responses that made general comments but did not clearly state a preference for either choice.  For more details on the survey results, use this link 

The Hamilton Southeastern Education Association will be consulted on the start time flip issue, and Bourff expects a recommendation to be ready for the board in 2-4 weeks.

An item that could impact start times next school year is a proposal to implement a 3-tier bus scheduling system.  Superintendent Bourff and Director of Transportation Zach McKinney outlined several 3-tier options for the board’s consideration.  The board took no action.  To review the details of the options presented for the new bus scheduling system, use this link.

In other items from the January 15th school board meeting:

–The board elected officers for 2020.  Michelle Fullhart remains board president, Janet Pritchett will serve as vice president and Julie Chambers is the board secretary.  The vote was unanimous.

–Board members unanimously approved a recommendation for the construction method of the new elementary school to be built in Wayne Township, replacing the current Durbin Elementary School.  Bourff says the new space is needed because enrollment at the new Southeastern Elementary is continuing to rise, meaning there will be portable classrooms required there until the new elementary in Wayne Township is ready, which could be as early as 2022.  Southeastern Elementary is now the district’s largest elementary school, measured by enrollment.

–A bundle of changes to school policies received unanimous approval with little comment.

–Central Office Administrator Matt Kegley is negotiating with Hub & Spoke, along with the City of Fishers, on the building trades training program that could involve HSE students.  Hub & Spoke is expected to have their new facility ready in the coming months.  Board members were told to expect an update on that situation soon.

–Bourff reminded the board of the system to decide on school delayed start times and cancellation of school in bad weather conditions.  To get the most up-to-date information, follow Dr. Bourff’s Twitter account because that’s where the announcement is made first.  His Twitter account is – @AllenBourff

–The board honored the local FFA Chapter, receiving an update on their activities from Tom Yount and a number of his Agriculture students.

(EDITOR’S NOTE:  Earlier versions of this story said all officers will remain in 2020 and that was not correct.  The previous officers before 2020 were Michelle Fullhart, President….Sylvia Shepler, Vice President and Janet Pritchett, Secretary.  Thanks to my many sharp readers for pointing out the error, which has now been corrected)

The City of Noblesville hosts the Hamilton County government offices as the county seat.  Anyone required to visit Noblesville’s downtown area is aware that parking can be a bit confusing at times, as to which parking is free and for how long, as well as which parking is paid.

According to my news gathering partner, the Hamilton County Reporter, Noblesville will be implementing a new parking regime in the downtown area beginning January 21.  Changes include adjusting hours of enforcement, location of free and time-restricted spaces and new short-duration spots.

Several downtown businesses were involved in the new parking pilot program.  Downtown parking will be separated into three locations: Paid parking lots, free on-street spaces and two consecutive hours of free parking per day in the new tic-tac-toe board or hashtag area (the Downtown Square and one block away in each direction).

“These changes should make weekday parking downtown easier for residents and visitors,” said Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen. “Our historic downtown is the heart of our community and this program benefits the majority of those who depend on parking in downtown. Less than 500 feet from every downtown business, there will be free parking available all day.”

Parking in the free two-hour zone is for two consecutive hours per day, not per space. Once the vehicle is in a spot, the time begins and extends for two hours. If you stay over two hours or return to the two-hour zone on the same day before 5 p.m., you may receive a ticket. By capping it as two consecutive hours per day, the hashtag area encourages turnover of parking and prevents drivers from moving their cars from space to space every two hours in this zone. Shrinking the area for two-hour parking has created more than 250 spaces of free parking and more unrestricted parking available all day.

The city has created new 20-minute spaces on Logan, Conner and Ninth streets and Maple Avenue, which will not count toward a driver’s two consecutive hours. The purpose of these spaces is for those who make short, quick stops to run in, grab something and leave. These spaces will be conveniently located and may be used multiple times throughout the day without counting toward a driver’s two hours.

The two consecutive hour zone will be enforced from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays – a change from the previous start time of 8 a.m. City parking lots will be enforced from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Drivers may utilize all parking lots and city/county employee lots for free after 5 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays.

Other parking changes include:

• Noblesville City Hall lot provides free, unrestricted parking available all day.
• New parking lot signs and banners placed on street poles to identify parking areas. The Purple and Blue lots and on-street parking on Clinton Street (between Eighth and Ninth streets) will remain permit only.
• First-time offenders will be given a warning with an information pamphlet about available parking in downtown rather than a ticket. On the second offense, the initial cost for a parking ticket has increased to $20.
• New parking kiosks have replaced coin meters, allowing credit card and quarter payments and mobile app access. Kiosks are located in the Orange (Ninth Street) and Red (Logan Street) lots. The cost to park in these lots will remain at $0.25 per hour. If using a credit card, there is a $1 minimum total and a small transaction fee.
• Similar to Indianapolis and Broad Ripple, Noblesville’s parking is available on the ParkMobile app. The app is free to download to your smartphone through the Apple App Store and Google Play. The app will store your information for any vehicle you may be driving.

More information including parking maps, a video on how to use the new parking kiosks and how to download the ParkMobile app is available at cityofnoblesville.org/parking.

Hamilton County Reporter

Fishers bounced back after consecutive losses to beat Arsenal Tech 63-48 Tuesday at the Tiger Den.

The Class 4A No. 4 Tigers got off to a great start, leading 18-4 after the first quarter. Jeffrey Simmons had a dominant period, scoring 10 points, including 4-of-4 free-throw shooting. Fishers then led 35-19 at halftime, with Drew Turner adding seven points and Simmons scoring another six.

The second half was more evenly played, but the Tigers held a comfortable advantage throughout. Simmons led the scoring for the game with 18 points, with Charlie Smith adding 14 and Turner contributing 11 points.

Fishers is 13-2 and hosts Brownsburg on Friday as part of a girls-boys Hoosier Crossroads Conference doubleheader.

Hamilton County Reporter

Christine Altman has been elected president of the Hamilton County Commissioners. She replaces Steve Dillinger in the role. Mark Heirbrandt will serve as Vice President. Election of officers is an annual practice at the first meeting of each year.

Altman

Altman was first elected to the Hamilton County Commissioners in 2003. She represents the City of Carmel and Clay Township. An attorney by trade, Altman has been in private practice for over 37 years concentrating her efforts in business, probate and real estate law at Altman Poindexter & Wyatt, Attorneys at Law.

Altman is an active member of the Indiana Commission for Women, having previously been appointed chair of the Commission by former Governor Mike Pence. She also serves as the Hamilton County Representative of the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority (CIRTA) and the US 31 Coalition.

Altman is the chair of the Conner Prairie Museum Board of Directors and has been pro bono legal counsel for the Carmel High School Vocational Building Trades Corporation for 25 years. She is a former president and dean of the Hamilton County Leadership Academy and former director of the Carmel Clay Chamber of Commerce.

Altman and her husband live in Carmel.