If you have been going to Fishers parks the past couple of months, you would find them open in the sense there are no barricades preventing you from entering the grounds.  You have been free to hike, walk or run on the grounds.

However, you would have also found the rest rooms closed, along with the athletic courts and shelters.

Fishers announced that today, in conjunction with guidance announced at the state level by Governor Eric Holcomb, that park facilities will go to the next phase of opening.

However, the city’s summer outdoor concert series at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater has been cancelled for the entire year.  The annual June summer camps sponsored by the Fishers Parks Department are also cancelled for this year

Below is the listing of what is changing as of May 22nd, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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• All public restroom facilities in parks properties to be de-winterized and open to the public. Restrooms will be cleaned daily, following CDC cleaning guidelines.
• Playgrounds and drinking fountains will remain closed, per the Governor’s order.
• All non-contact athletic courts and fields, including basketball, baseball, tennis, and pickleball courts will reopen. Field rentals may resume for practice and conditioning activities only.
• Athletic field rentals for non-contact sports for groups of 250 and more are set to begin June 14.
• Fishers Parks splash pads and Saxony Lake and Beach will remain closed until June 14.
• Shelter and venue rentals will resume for groups of up to 100 individuals beginning June 1.
• Shelter rentals for up to 250 people will reopen during Stage 4 of the reopening plan, set to begin on June 14.

All park amenities are planned to be fully operational during Stage 5, which is set to begin on July 4. This includes venue rentals for more than 250 individuals.

As Fishers Parks phases toward fully opening, under the guidance of the Fishers Health Department, residents are encouraged to take the necessary precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19:

• Practice social distancing: stay 6 feet apart and avoid congregating
• Wash your hands frequently or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Wear a face covering if you are over the age of 2

Fishers Parks’ reopening schedule is subject to change dependent upon the Governor’s Back on Track Indiana plan and subsequent Executive Orders.

When you list some of the most important decisions any individual or family can make, high on that list is where to place a parent unable to care for her or his self any longer.  Most families due extensive research before making such a major decision.

The City of Fishers will soon be releasing local COVID-19 numbers for the city through the health department, since Fishers is no longer part of the county health department.

The release of information will begin in a matter of days, according to city officials, and that is an overall good thing.  There is one part of the data disclosure policy that concerns me….that is the subject of this Larry’s Log podcast commentary.

The Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation had to take the virtual route, but 63 awards to seniors in HSE Schools shared $58,000 in scholarship money from the foundation.

“Each year the Foundation, and our community scholarship partners, are happy to support talented students from both high schools with student scholarships to help further their academic careers. We look forward to hearing about the great things these students will do as HSE Schools alumni in the years to come” said Justin Hirnisey, Executive Director of the HSE Schools Foundation.

Scholarship applicants are evaluated based on a range of criteria including academic ability, leadership, community involvement, and written essays.  We are proud to announce this year’s scholarship winners

The winners are listed below.

Senior citizens often feel isolated even in the best of times.  During a pandemic, there are many more challenges.  There is a nonprofit organization working on help for those over 55 years of age with isolation and many other issues….it is called Shepherd’s Center of Hamilton County.

I spoke with the group’s Executive Director, Lauren Guynn.

We have lots of data available.  We know the number of novel coronavirus deaths in Indiana has surpassed 1,700.  In Hamilton County, we have recorded 91 deaths.  But, how many of those 91 deaths are people living in Fishers?

According to the city, a new online dashboard should be available by next week.  More on that, and other COVID-19 items, in tonight’s Larry’s Log commentary.

Kurt Christian of the Indianapolis Business Journal reports that a new 314-home development may be on the way in the Geist area.  Young families and empty nesters are targeted by the developer.

For more, read the story at this link.  (NOTE: You may be limited on the number of IBJ stories available if you are not a subscriber.  My message, subscribe to local media, including the IBJ)

If you miss going to the Fishers Farmers Market in person, you will get your chance this Saturday, May 23rd.  The market opened this year as pickup only with online ordering in advance.

The market will be operating under different rules beginning May 23rd.  Here are the rules from the City of Fishers:

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New Market Guidelines:
The market will be practicing and encouraging social distancing. Booths will be spaced further apart, shoppers will be spaced when waiting in lines, and overall capacity will be limited. Shoppers should wear a mask while visiting the market and not touch for-sale items unless they are planning to purchase those items. Reusable bags are not permitted at this time. No eating or dogs will be allowed on site.

Senior & High-Risk Shopping Times:
8–8:30 a.m. will be designated as a special shopping time for those 65+, high-risk, or immunocompromised. All are welcome between 8:30 a.m. and noon.

For more details on the Fishers Farmer’s Market, use this link.

The Fishers City Council debated clarifications to the city’s noise ordinance Monday night and enacted a measure putting decisions about exceptions to the ordinance into the hands of the Fishers Board of Works and Public Safety.  Also, why the concept of independent inspectors general is worth keeping.

It was March 29th when I announced the end of regular local Fishers news coverage on this blog.  After more than 8 years going to meetings, news conferences and a myriad other events, it was time to scale back.  But with the novel coronavirus impacting all our lives to dramatically, I have tried to keep an eye on local angles of that story.

I also asked myself, what do I do now?  I plan to continue podcasts on a variety of subjects, including local nonprofits and the arts.  Well, there’s only so much happening on the arts scene, so I have tried to feature nonprofit organizations doing important work in the local community, and that will continue.

Then, I decided to do a daily Monday-Friday podcast, just 5-7 minutes long, about what happened that day and other days.  Nothing special, just a few thoughts that come into my mind.  I usually post the podcast between 10pm & midnight.

If you would like to sample some of my Larry’s Log podcasts, use this link.

Be careful, please be safe, wash your hands and wear a mask in public.

My May 12th Larry’s Log podcast discussed Indiana Republican House member Jim Lucas from Seymour.  He was accused of a recent racist post on Facebook.  Lucas immediately defended himself, saying the post was not racist and he is not racist.  I urged House Speaker Todd Huston (from Fishers) to consider pulling Lucas from his committee appointments in the House.  Friday afternoon, Huston published new committee assignments and Lucas was no longer on two, demoted from vice-chair to regular member on a third panel.  Here is my followup commentary on the speaker’s actions.