Sometimes, young people just need an adult to talk to about what’s going on in their lives.  For a number of years, the Youth Mentoring Initiative (YMI) has worked to provide adult mentors for Hamilton Southeastern School District students in need of a mentor.

I spoke with YMI Executive Director Alison Gatz about the work done by her nonprofit organization.

This past week, we got the answer the nation has been anxiously awaiting – Where will Amazon locate HQ2?

In my view, we all need to put this whole issue into some perspective.  First, I am convinced that Amazon knew exactly what they were going to do before all the bidding began.  I wrote about this on September 11th of 2017.  I referred to a Brookings Institution expert on these things, Richard Shearer.

Shearer argued that Amazon had already selected the site (actually, 2 sites) before the bidding process began, in order to extract more incentives in the end.  Looking back, it would appear Mr. Shearer was correct from the beginning.

Is it coincidence that the two sites selected in the New York City and Washington DC metro areas both are close to homes Jeff Bezos owns?  I don’t think so.

I am also suspicious of the last minute decision to award this economic development prize to two separate sites, not just one as was originally proposed.  Was that the plan from the beginning?

I saw a Twitter post just after the decision was announced from Hayleigh Columbo, an excellent reporter at the Indianapolis Business Journal.  Here is the Twitter post:

Hayleigh, I lived in Indy a good part of my life, growing up here in the 50s and 60s.  Trust me, Indy had a much bigger inferiority complex then.  Sadly, the city deserved it at that time.  This entire metro area is a much better place to live now compared to when I was in my formative years here.  The Indy area would not have come close to making the top 20 for a big “get” like Amazon in those days.

Fishers has a specific connection to the Central Indiana Amazon bid.  Our Mayor Scott Fadness was instrumental in fashioning the bid the Indy metro area submitted to Amazon.  Fadness was clear that Fishers was not a good candidate to land the HQ2 complex itself, but Fishers would have benefited greatly had Amazon come here.  I am certain a large number of people moving to the area would choose to live in Fishers.

Now that the process is over, there is one aspect of this that bothers me.  We all know some costly incentives were included in the Indy-area bid for HQ2.  Much of the offer almost certainly involved public support, in the form of tax benefits and even taxpayer support.

It is my belief that the Indy area governmental entities owe it to the taxpaying public to provide the details of what was offered to Amazon.  I do not buy into what many public officials are saying, believing that only the news media cares to know this information.

The public, in my view, is entitled to this information.  It is our tax money that was part of that offer and we all deserve to know.  There is no legitimate argument any longer supporting secrecy now that the decision has been made and Amazon did not accept our offer.

Based on everything I am reading, there are no plans to publicly reveal the details of the Indy metro Amazon bid.  I believe that is a very bad decision.

I would urge all public officials involved, and the many entities outside government  part of putting this bid together, to allow the taxpaying public the details of what you offered in all of our names.  I am not optimistic this will happen, but enough public pressure could change some minds in high places.

In the meantime, Amazon and elected officials on the winning side of the bidding process are dealing with some fairly stiff political blow-back now that their deal is publicly known.  Let’s see how that ends.

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern continued its strong defensive start on Saturday, cruising past Fort Wayne Carroll 62-22 at the Chargers’ gym.

The Class 4A No. 4 Royals led 13-6 after the first quarter, but steamrolled through the second period to take a 37-11 halftime lead. Sydney Parrish led all scorers with 20 points, while Jackie Maulucci added 11 points.

Maulucci and Parrish each pulled eight rebounds, with Lydia Self clearing six
rebounds, and Amaya Hamilton and Tayah Irvin both collecting five. Hamilton and
Parrish both made four steals. This marked the fourth time this season that the Royals
have held an opponent to 22 points or less.

Southeastern is 7-0 and will host a big Hoosier Crossroads Conference game on
Tuesday. Brownsburg, ranked No. 8 in 4A, will visit the Royals’ gym for a 7:30 p.m.
tipoff.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton County is probably the only county in America where the number of iconic covered bridges is increasing. Most areas have either a decreasing number of the wooden structures or none at all.

Locally, we will soon have three. That may not seem like many, but given the small number of these picturesque bridges still standing, it is remarkable. And, the way it happens is a tribute to local interest in acquiring the structures from other counties where they can no longer afford to be maintained.

The most recent acquisition is the Bell Ford Bridge from Jackson County built in 1868. It has been stored in a barn since it was taken out of service on the East Fork of White River near Seymour a few years ago.

County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt, who is acquainted with a commissioner in Jackson County, made the deal on behalf of Fall Creek Township and county park officials. The bridge will be moved in coming months to Geist Park on Fall Creek to become the historic centerpiece for the relatively new park.

“This bridge is the only combination post and truss bridge remaining anywhere,” Heirbrandt said Thursday. It has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The deal with Jackson County provides for a $25,000 donation to the Jackson County Round Barn Restoration Fund to enable that county to complete a move and restoration of a rare barn.

Potters Bridge just north of Noblesville was built in its present location in 1870 and is also now the focal point of Potters Bridge Park. Conner Prairie Pioneer Museum acquired another covered bridge several years ago. After repairs were made, it was placed on museum grounds over a small ravine as part of the Conner Prairie pioneer village.

(Editor’s Note:  The covered Bell Ford Bridge is coming to Geist Park, a Hamilton County facility that has been around for many years….this is not related to the new park on Geist Reservoir planned by the City of Fishers)

This was a record-breaking year for the Pasta Bowl with more than 20,000 pounds collected, a 6,000 pound increase over the 2017 total.  The pasta goes to local food banks and other nonprofit groups, distributing the food for those in need.

“PastaBowl provides students with an opportunity to give back by donating pasta at their school and helping stock the shelves of Fishers-area food banks, while raising awareness about food insecurities,” said long-time organizer and HSE School Board member John DeLucia. “We are thrilled that HSE Schools combined to set a new record donation this year.”

Here are the winners in the 2018 Pasta Bowl competition among HSE Schools:

Intermediate Winner and Overall Winner – Riverside Intermediate: 2,789 pounds
Elementary Winner – Hoosier Road Elementary: 2,369 pounds
High School Winner – Fishers High School: 2,096 pounds

NEW CATEGORY “Most Improved” – Cumberland Road Elementary: 2,166 pounds, up from 275 pounds in 2017 (+1,891)

Now that the Hamilton Southeastern School District Administration Building remodeling project is complete, and a new room has been constructed to hold school board meetings, the board approved a policy Wednesday on video live-streaming board meetings and making the recordings available for 45 days.  The vote was 6-0.  Board member Amanda Shera was not at the session so should could attend a ceremony where her daughter was receiving a major award.

Michelle Fullhart had voted no on first reading, because she objected to the 45-day limit on accessing past board meeting video recordings.  She voted yes on final approval.

Board President Matt Burke tells LarryInFishers that Church, Church, Hittle & Antrim Attorney Seamus Boyce told board members the new board taking office in January should revisit the policy as the video program moves forward, making any changes needed along the way.

The Fishers City Council is set to vote on an incentive package for a new development planned in the area of 106th Street and the proposed Nickel Plate Trail.  the Hub & Spoke Design Center.

The city is offering a 10-year tax abatement a waiver of fees for the developers of this project.  The city is also making a commitment to lease space in the building.

The council vote is on the agenda for the Monday council session, scheduled to start at 7pm.

City officials say Hub and Spoke founder David Decker and president of OnPoint Real Estate Solutions Travis Tucker are heading-up the $14 million project that aims to provide maker space for hobbyists, entrepreneurs, and students.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Joe Burgess was Hamilton County’s super historian of the past century. History was his great interest and he knew it well, lived it and wrote about it for decades.

Joe died Saturday at the age of 98, I knew Joe well, and relied on him when I was with the Noblesville Ledger and later with county government.

Whenever a question arose about the people and events in the county’s past, I called Joe and he always had the answer. He was a lifelong Noblesville resident. Joe and his daughter, Cindy, lived in a modest home on the city’s north side, a home that was packed with historical materials.

He was a veteran of World War II, going to Europe shortly after D-Day and serving in the U.S. military occupation administration of Germany. He returned home and started a 35-year career with the Wainwright Abstract Company.

In the 1960s he authored a book, “Hamilton County in the Civil War,” which is recognized as the best account of local soldiers in the war.  He was named the official County Historian and became a founding member and chairman of the County Cemetery Commission which located and maintained the county’s pioneer graveyards. He was relentless in the preservation and upkeep of the early cemeteries when many folks paid little attention.

He wrote another book in his later years entitled “My Memories,” which unfortunately has yet to be published. In it, he recounted 75 years of Noblesville history from the point of view of an eyewitness observer. Perhaps it can yet be published.

Joe was a member of the Friends Church, American Legion, 40&8 Society and the state and county historical societies.

He made a great contribution to his community. He will be sorely missed.

Hamilton County Reporter

On Friday, police investigated a threat to Noblesville High School after what school officials described as an ugly, derogatory racial statement referencing a school shooting this coming Monday was found on a bathroom wall.

Police were made aware of the situation at approximately 11 a.m. Friday, and by evening, a suspect had been detained, according to a news release provided by Noblesville Schools.

Noblesville Schools also announced that the suspect had been removed from school grounds and expulsion proceedings were underway.

Noblesville Schools Director of Communications Marnie Cooke said, “We are sickened that we are facing this situation once again and will aggressively address hatred and threats to the safety of our students and community. We’ll continue to provide our parents updates and plan for school Monday.”

NHS will be in session Monday with increased police presence, and weekend activities will continue as scheduled.

Noblesville Schools wants to ensure parents that police began investigating the threat in question immediately and extra safety precautions were taken.

Noblesville Schools Superintendent Dr. Beth Niedermeyer released the following statement Friday evening:

“The cruelty, hatred and ugliness that we’ve seen in our community is heartbreaking, and as a school district and community we are better than this. We must stand together against violence and racism. We have engaged our Noblesville Diversity Coalition (NDC) and NHS student leaders to join us tomorrow for an important conversation about ensuring all our students and staff feel safe, respected and included in our community. Community members are invited to attend this conversation from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17 at Ivy Tech in Noblesville. The event will be a time to share and listen to one another, think about ways we can stand together to show our love and support of all people, and discuss ways we can help to unify our community. Noblesville Schools counselors will also available at the event for those who need support.”

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern ran its record to 6-0 on Friday, beating host Franklin Central 83-29 in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference opener for both teams.

The Class 4A No. 4 Royals led 32-4 after the first quarter and 53-11 at halftime. Four HSE players reached double figures, led by Sydney Parrish’s 27 points. Malea Jackson scored 14, Amaya Hamilton added 13 and Tayah Irvin scored 10 points.

Southeastern doubled up the Flashes on the boards, outrebounding FC 32-16. Molly Walton cleared eight rebounds, while Hamilton collected seven. Walton and Parrish both dished out four assists, while Parrish and Irvin each had four steals.

The Royals are back on the road today with a game at Fort Wayne Carroll.