Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern won its Hoosier Crossroads Conference opener on Friday, taking care of Avon 70-46 in an away game.

The Royals were tied with the Orioles 29-29 at halftime. Southeastern began to
pull away in the third quarter, leading 50-43 by the end of the period, then dominated
the fourth quarter by outscoring Avon 20-3.

Chaz Birchfield led the HSE scoring with 20 points. Noah Smith scored 14 points
and came close to a quadruple-double: Smith made nine steals, dished out eight
assists and pulled seven rebounds. Aaron Etherington also had seven rebounds.

The Royals are 2-0 overall and will host Fort Wayne North Side tonight in a 7:30
p.m. varsity start.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter 

Two major Hamilton County government projects are now cleared for funding next year following a joint meeting of county leadership. County Commissioners and County Council members met yesterday to approve expansion of the county Government and Judicial Center and the County Jail.

Both projects are expected to actually get underway in 2018 to answer the need for more space due to the county’s continuing growth in population. The approvals, being recommended by the commissioners, come after months of study and debate.

The $25.4 million addition to the judicial center in downtown Noblesville is all that commissioners asked. The jail expansion, with a cost of $13.1 million, is a compromise of sorts between council and commissioners. Commissioners had asked to expand the jail to house about 220 more inmates, but the council wanted to add space for 120 new bunks.

The jail, built in 1994, has a capacity of 296, but often is overcrowded. The commissioners feel that building for future needs would be better than facing another expansion later. The compromise provides for a ‘shell’ that can allow the further addition of cells for an estimated $4 million.

The judicial center expansion will see a new addition to the west of the current 25-year-old building that will increase floor space by around 50 percent. More courtrooms, offices and storage space are planned. Tentative plans call for eventually moving offices, currently in the old courthouse, to the new structure.

County officials say the projects can be accomplished without any increase in the local property tax rate. The county has several million dollars in reserve and the ability to sell bonds that will take the place of an earlier bond issue that is soon to be paid off.

Fishers Police are preparing to move into a new headquarters building next year, and the department is asking for the public’s help in documenting the history of local policing.  Fishers law enforcement’s history dates all the way back to 1976.

Some people still living in and around Fishers have been around since the local area was just a small farm community, while many others have just become part of the community very recently.  All are asked to help.

There are some people who have since retired from the city and many of you may still be in contact with those former residents. Local authorities are  encouraging an outreach to those people.

If you have digital photographs, those can be easily emailed to local police. For older photographs that are not digital, police can scan those pictures and then return them. The photographs will be cataloged in a database.  Please have the name of who took the picture. If the picture is used or displayed, police want to make sure that proper credit is given to who took the picture. If not available, it will used and labeled unknown.

If you run across pictures of police officers, cars, events, etc. that you may have taken over the years, local officers very much want to see them.

For physical items of historical significance, there are two options. If you have something that you don’t want anymore, you can donate it and police will give you a receipt for the item. If it is something that you don’t want to donate, we can take it on loan and give it back to you at an agreed upon time. Officers are interested in looking at anything that you have.

If you have anything to submit, e-mail Robert Bowling at bowlingr@fishers.in.us or  Tom Brooks at his e-mail address –  brookst@fishers.in.us

Wednesday’s girls basketball game between Hamilton Southeastern and
Noblesville turned out to be a good occasion
for both teams.

The host and Class 4A No. 8 Royals won the Hoosier Crossroads Conference contest
70-46, stopping a two-game losing streak and improving them to 7-2 for the season
and 1-1 in the HCC. Meanwhile, one of the Miller players made history: Senior Emily
Kiser scored her 1000th point.

Kiser reached the 1000-point mark with 4:34 remaining in the second quarter by
making a layup. The Royals stopped the game so that Kiser could be recognized for
her achievement. The Michigan-bound Kiser became the eighth Noblesville girls
player to reach that mark; her older brotherJohn Kiser reached 1000 points in 2016,
making them the first siblings to reach that milestone in Millers history.

Southeastern was in control from the start, leading 21-11 after the first quarter and
41-21 at halftime. Sophomore Sydney Parrish had a sensational shooting night,
draining five 3-pointers on her way to 27 points. Parrish also pulled five rebounds and
handed out four assists.

Amaya Hamilton had a great all-around game, with 12 points, nine rebounds and
seven steals. Molly Walton dished out eight assists, while Tayah Irvin grabbed five
rebounds.

Kiser finished the game with 26 points and nine rebounds. Maddie Knight scored
12 points, including three 3-pointers. Abby Haley handed out five assists.

Southeastern will be back on its home court Saturday afternoon to host Greenfield Central.
The Millers (4-5, 0-3) will also be playing Saturday afternoon, returning to The
Mill to play 4A No. 3 North Central. Both games have 1:30 p.m. varsity starts.

Fishers found itself on the wrong end  of a fourth-quarter
comeback Wednesday, as Mooresville beat the Tigers 61-48
in the Tiger Den.

Fishers led 31-26 at halftime and 45-35 after three quarters.
But the Pioneers stunned the Tigers in the fourth period,
outscoring them 26-3.

Tamia Perryman reached double-double status for Fishers,
scoring 14 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. Toni Grace added 12 points.

Casey Walker had seven rebounds while Lydia Stullken blocked two shots.
The Tigers are now 7-3 and off until next Friday, Dec. 8 when they travel to
Noblesville for a Hoosier Crossroads Conference game.

Hamilton County Clerk Tammy Baitz has issued a letter saying it is her “intention not to seek a fourth term as Clerk of the Courts.”  In lhe letter, published in the November 30th edition of the Hamilton County Reporter, Baitz  wrote she has “seen many changes over my years working in the office – most recently with the implementation of e-filing.”

“I have thoroughly enjoyed serving as an elected official and want to thank the citizens of Hamilton County for the privilege” Baitz wrote.

Baitz had worked under several clerks when she ran for Clerk and served two terms, from 2000 through 2007. Her third term began Jan. 1, 2015, and will end Dec. 31, 2018.

“I am very proud of my staff of 50 full- and part-time deputy clerks and the work they accomplish each day on behalf of the county,” Baitz wrote.

The office of Hamilton County Clerk will be up for re-election during the 2018 election cycle.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

With Home Place now annexed by Carmel effective Jan. 1, Carmel will move to merge city and township government since the entire township will comprise city territory.

The merger will eliminate the township as a political entity. It will require approval by voters in a citywide referendum. That referendum could come as early as November of 2018, although Township Trustee Doug Callahan says it is more likely in 2020.

Placing a referendum on the ballot will require a joint resolution by the Carmel City Council and the Clay Township Board asking the county election board to make arrangements for the balloting.

If voters approve, the administration of Mayor Jim Brainard will achieve what has been sought for several years; a township-wide city comprised of just over 50 square miles with a population of around 95,000.

Whether Carmel will inherit all of the township’s assets and liabilities remains a question. The township has several million dollars in reserve plus various fire department properties and equipment. But, the township also sold bonds of more than $50 million several years ago to finance the award-winning Central Park and Monon Center.

With a merger, the city will take complete control of the park system, now a joint operation, as well as the fire department, and become responsible for poor relief and cemetery maintenance.

Although allowed by state law, there have been very few mergers of city and township governments. Marion County still retains township governments despite the fact that Unigov spreads through all nine townships.

Home Place, whose residents decided last week to not continue a 12-year legal fight against annexation, was the last portion of Clay Township not incorporated by Carmel. Home Place, centered at 106th Street and College Avenue, has just under 5,000 residents living in a two-square-mile area.

Students in the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District will report for classes in the 2018-2019 school year on Wednesday, August 8th, following a vote by the board at a special meeting held Wednesday night.  The board voted 6-1 to reverse a school calendar decision made at a regular meeting last week.  Sylvia Shepler was the lone no vote.

The board voted 4-3 last week to start school two days earlier in August and add two days to the Thanksgiving week break to provide a full week of vacation.  After a social media deluge of comments from the public, and a change.org online petition, board President Matt Burke called the special meeting to reconsider the decision after consulting with Superintendent Allen Bourff and other members of the board.

To review the 2018-2019 school calendar approved by the board,  use this link.

To review the 2019-2020 calendar, use this link.

The calendars for the coming two school years approved by the board Wednesday night are the calendar recommendations from Dr. Bourff, made in consultation with the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association.  The calendars approved are similar to the calendar for the current school year.

There were 14 public comments made at the special board session about the calendar issue.  One person said his company uses high school interns, and even two fewer days in the summer would limit what those interns could learn in that experience.

Another parent said the extra days off for students would not necessarily mean more family time because parents are not always able to take time away from their jobs to spend time with their school-age children.

There were some comments about the number of snow make-up days set aside at the end of May, and whether they are needed with the recent mild winters in the Fishers area.

Janet Chandler, President of the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association, told the board 95% of teachers want to start the school year in August on a Wednesday, not a Monday.  94% of teachers favor a full two weeks off for winter break.  She also expressed the need for each semester to be as equal in the number of days as possible.  Teachers also feel e-learning should be utilized when there are snow days.

Superintendent Bourff complimented board members, saying in his 27 years in school administration, he has never seen a local school board reconsider a major decision as this board was willing to do.

(EDITOR’S NOTE:  A special thanks to my wife Jane Lannan for her help in putting this story together) 

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

The Carmel School Board met Monday night in regular session, but took no action on Superintendent Nick Wahl’s future with the school district. He was placed on administrative leave several weeks ago for what the board called a performance review. Apparently still under review, Wahl continues to draw his $195,000 annual salary. No date has been set by school officials on when he will either return to work or leave his position. The board meets again on Dec. 11.

* * *

The Noblesville Preservation Alliance will hold its exclusive Homes for the Holidays Tour on Saturday, Dec. 9. Four of the city’s historic private residences will be featured on the tour from 5 to 9 p.m. Tickets, which are limited in number, may be reserved online at noblesvillepreservation.org. Besides seeing the homes, tour-goers will “enjoy hors d’oeurves, drinks and sounds of the holidays,” according to sponsors of the event.

* * *

Ice skating has become popular in Hamilton County with the opening of public ice rinks at Noblesville’s Federal Hill Commons and Carmel’s City Center. The Noblesville rink was very crowded over the past weekend, according to some observers. Carmel will keep their popular rink all winter. But, the Noblesville rink will close Jan. 8 unless current plans change.

* * *

Home Place residents opposed to annexation by Carmel have given up their court fight waged over the past 12 years. Annexation opponents had until this week to appeal to the state Supreme Court if they wanted to continue the fight. Now the unincorporated area will become part of Carmel on Jan. 1. Residents will receive city police protection and city street maintenance which have been provided by county sheriff and highway departments.

* * *

The Hamilton County Council and County Commissioners will meet in joint session at noon Thursday at the highway department. It will be an important meeting likely deciding the size and extent of jail and judicial center expansions. Both projects, recommended by Commissioners, await funding by the Council. The meeting will be held around one table to foster togetherness among the participants who sometimes hold divergent opinions.

Hamilton County Reporter

The Fishers boys basketball team picked up its first win of the season Tuesday, taking
care of Indianapolis Manual 64-50 in the Tiger Den.

Fishers led 30-27 at halftime, then slowly added to its lead throughout the
second half. It also marked the first victory for new head coach Matt Moore, as well as
his 100th overall win.

“The biggest thing is just, you put in all this work and then you try to do your best
at getting your guys to believe in the process,” said Moore.

Moore said his team “got kicked pretty good” after last week’s opening loss to
Lawrence Central, so the coach was happy that Fishers was able to bounce back over
Manual.

“They’re averaging 95 points a game through their first two games, and to hold
them to 50 points, I thought was outstanding,” said Moore.

Terry Hicks also was outstanding, especially in the second half. The 6-5 junior
forward took over the game, scoring nine points in the third quarter and 10 more in the
fourth. Hicks finished the game with 27 points.

“And that’s what he can do,” said Moore.  “He needs to be aggressive. He took good
shots. He rebounded the ball well. We need him to do that. He’s extremely versatile and
I thought he played a really smart game tonight.”

Willie Jackson, a 5-11 junior, added 10 points for the Tigers. Jordan Jones came off
the bench to score eight points.

Fishers is now 1-1 for the season and hosts Noblesville on Friday to begin Hoosier Crossroads Conference play.