The 4th of July is coming up, and that means the Fall Creek Road bridge over Geist reservoir will close to traffic at 3:30pm July 4th.  This allows for the annual Blast on the Bridge celebration.

That is part of the listing for road work in and around Fishers.

==============================

BLAST ON THE BRIDGE CLOSURES

The Fall Creek Road bridge will close at 3:30 p.m. on July 4 between Brooks School Road and Carroll Road. There will be a soft closure (FPD will be checking parking passes that have been given out by Fishers Parks & Recreation) at Brooks School Road and Fall Creek Road, with a hard closure (no vehicle traffic past this point) just east of Bridgewater Road on the west side of the bridge. On the east side of the bridge, 96th Street/Fall Creek Road will have a hard closure at Carroll Road, however FPD will allow traffic in and out of the Yacht Club. The bridge will stay closed from 3:30 p.m. until approx. 12 a.m.

106TH STREET

Watch for lane restrictions on 106th Street from Eller Road to Crosspoint Boulevard due to geotechnical drilling along the corridor. Restrictions will occur between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and flaggers and signs will be in place to direct traffic.

136TH AND PRAIRIE BAPTIST ROAD

Starting on or after July 5, Hamilton County Highway Department will be closing the intersection of 136th Street and Prairie Baptist Road to allow the contractor to reconstruct the intersection. The closure is scheduled to last approximately 60 days. Please follow signs for detour routes. Questions regarding this project may be directed to the Hamilton County Highway Department at 317-773-7770.

96TH STREET

Construction has begun on the new roundabout at 96th Street and Lantern Road. 96th Street traffic between Kincaid Drive and Fitness Lane/Pinecreek Drive will be reduced to one lane in each direction throughout the summer.

BROOKS SCHOOL ROAD 

The Brooks School Road bridge over Interstate 69 is closed as Milestone Contractors rebuild the bridge deck. During the closure, traffic will be detoured to Promise Road via 126th and 136th streets. The bridge will remain closed until August.

ALLISONVILLE ROAD AND 146TH STREET

Hamilton County Highway Department has changed the traffic pattern for northbound Allisonville Road at 146th Street. There are now two left turn lanes and one northbound through lane.

116TH STREET

There will be lane restrictions on 116th Street between I-69 and Cumberland Road throughout the summer in order for the contractor to make improvements to 116th Street.

113TH STREET

Lane restrictions will occur on 113th Street from Olio Road to Florida Road throughout the summer in order for the contractor to resurface and make improvements to the roadway.

126TH STREET

Expect periodic lane restrictions between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on 126th Street between Allisonville Road and Lantern Road while the contractor installs passing blisters near Reserve at Lantern. Flaggers will be on site to direct traffic during the restrictions.

I-69 AND CAMPUS PARKWAY

The Campus Parkway interchange was recently shifted into a double-crossover traffic pattern. The interchange will remain under construction through July, when it is expected to be fully open to traffic in its permanent configuration.

Multiple traffic lane shifts will be required to complete construction of the new interchange design. Each phase of remaining construction will bring the interchange closer to its final traffic configuration and capacity. For more information about the new traffic pattern, please visit http://www.in.gov/indot/3441.htm

Milestone Contractors has begun mobilizing cranes and other equipment and setting a temporary concrete barrier wall along I-69 at Campus Parkway Exit 210. Work will require alternating lane closures on northbound and southbound I-69 between 9 p.m. and 6 p.m. Lane closures may recur each night through the end of the week depending on weather and progress. Questions about this project should be directed to INDOT at eastcentralin@indot.in.gov or 1-855-463-6848.

STATE ROAD 37

Construction contractors plan to shift State Road 37 traffic lanes this weekend for a $1.5 million drainage structure construction project between 146th Street and Greenfield Avenue in Noblesville. Northbound lanes are scheduled to be shifted on Friday night, and southbound lanes are scheduled to be shifted Saturday night. Single-lane closures in each direction will be scheduled between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The first phase of construction, which is currently underway, will shift two lanes in each direction toward the right shoulders to provide room for construction in the median. The second phase will shift traffic toward the median to allow construction to be completed along the outside shoulders. All work on the project is expected to be complete this summer.

Starting May 1, geotechnical drilling will begin along the State Road 37 corridor as part of the final design phase of State Road 37 Improvement Project. Lane and shoulder restrictions will be active through the June 30.

Motorists will see staked locations along the corridor starting with the 141st Street intersection. The geotechnical drilling will cause lane restrictions from 131st Street through 146th Street through June 30. Southbound restrictions will not begin until 9 a.m. daily and northbound restrictions will be done daily before 4 p.m. to allow for maximum traffic flow during peak hours.

State Road 37 turn lanes will not be affected during lane closures and crews will maintain a minimum of one through-lane at all times.

The SR37 improvement project is a $124 Million joint project between Fishers, Hamilton Co, Noblesville, and INDOT. Questions or concerns may be directed to drivefishers@fishers.in.us.

OUTSIDE OF FISHERS

The City of Carmel has closed 116th Street and Hazel Dell Parkway for the construction of a roundabout. This closure is expected to last for 75 days. Questions and updates about this project should be directed to the City of Carmel at 317-571-2400.

In my early days f covering Fishers, I recall a group of men, all looking the part of serious business people, stand before the town council asking for tax breaks.  Those officials were from a debt collection company named Deca.  Deca later collapsed and the building once housing the firm is now the home of Launch Fishers.

The man described as the founder of Deca has now been  sentenced in federal court.

For the details, read the Indianapolis Business Journal story at this link.

A suspect sought by police in a double shooting has been arrested in Fishers.  Indiana State Police say James Brandon Swift, 40, was placed under arrest at approximately 1:30am Friday morning by Fishers Police.

Swift was being sought by police in connection with a double shooting in Kennard, about 10 mines west of New Castle in Henry County.

For more, you can read the WTHR story at this link.

Nonprofit organizations often need marketing help, and local small business owner Jocelyn Vare does her best to help many of them

When school is delayed or cancelled at the Hamilton Southeastern School system, parents have grown accustomed to hearing the voice of Jim White, the school district’s Director of Transportation.  You will be hearing a new voice on the phone line in the coming school year for those announcements – Zach McKinney.  Mr. McKinney was approved as the new Transportation Director at Wednesday night’s school board meeting.  He will replace Mr. White, who plans to transition to retirement in the coming months.

“I’m excited to join the team here at Hamilton Southeastern Schools,” Mckinney said after being introduced to the board by Superintendent Allen Bourff.

Ever since the Fishers area was a sparsely populated farm region, and the local school systems were consolidated about 50 years ago, the school district covering Delaware, Fall Creek and and Wayne Townships (including Fishers and a few other adjacent areas) has been known as the Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation.  Based on action by the school board Wednesday night, there could be a discussion about changing the school district’s name.

The board hired MilesHerndon of Indianapolis to develop a brand identity, new logo, and marketing strategy for the school district.  Board President Matt Burke asked if a name change could be part of that study, and he was told that is part of what the firm will explore.  Board member John DeLucia said many people are very confused about the connection between Fishers and the local schools, since we have one high school named after the city (Fishers HS) and the other high school named after the school corporation (HSE HS).  The only decision made at the Wednesday night board meeting was to begin the process of looking into the name and other branding issues.  The board also approved Bitwise Solutions of Carmel to redesign the school district’s Web presence.  Both the branding and Web contracts with the two companies total $98,599.  The branding study is expected to take 6-9 months.

In other items from Wednesday’s board session:

–The board approved textbook rental fees for the upcoming school year.  Here are links:

Junior High Textbook Rental Fees

Grades kindergarten through 6th grade textbook rental fees 

Special Needs Fees

Fishers High School Textbook Rental Fees

School Board Memo on Fees

–The board voted to approve an administration recommendation on changes in some custodial services contracts.

–Board members held a lengthy discussion about how to move forward on library board appointments.

–The board honored Destination Imagination (DI) teams, which is a competition tied to creativity.

The “Super Dupers” and “Made with Real Cheese” were one of the 1,400 DI teams from 45 states and 14 countries showing their skills. There are 13 students on the teams, representing four schools – FHS, HHS, FCJ and FJH. The “Super Dupers” took 1^st place in the Engineering Challenge, Secondary Level – Show & Tech. “Made with Real Cheese” came in 2^nd place in the Scientific Challenge, Middle Level – Top Secret.

“Super Dupers” – Jenna Burow, Adam Fullhart, Silvana Gold, Louise Hazel, Ben Mann, Gabby Puzzella and Sean Wiseman.  Team Managers – Greg Fullhart, Tracy Gold, Ben Mann

“Made with Real Cheese” – Ava Benvenutti, Maya Fotedar, Alex Fullhart, Riley Gearhart, Mia Irvin and Ben Lilley.  Team Managers – Kirsten Gearhart and Lori Lilley

Sponsors –  Kristy Seitz, Kathy Seitz and Robin Young

Here’s my review of the film Baby Driver

The Fishers City Council held a rare early-morning session to allow a proposed new site for the iTown Church to move forward quickly.  By passing the plan on first reading Wednesday morning, that clears the way for the Fishers Plan Commission to hold a July 12th public hearing and vote on a recommendation for the council.

The church originally planned to build a new house of worship at 126th Street and Brooks School Road, taking out the Gray Eagle golf course driving range.  After complaints from residents in the area, iTown is now proposing to locate their new building at 136th Srreet and Brooks School Road, on a plot of land now being farmed.

The city had passed an overlay area near I-69 where churches and other nonprofit organizations would be limited.  The measure under consideration would allow such use at the 136th Street location.  The city says that area is not well suited for other types of development.

Director of Planning and Zoning for the City of Fishers, Tony Bagato, told the council this area at 136th & Brooks School Road is near the Interstate, but there is no nearby access to the highway.  The nearest interchange is at Exit 210,

Once the Plan Commission holds the July 12 public hearing and votes a recommendation, the City Council could act on the new location for iTown as early as the July 17th regular council meeting.

City officials appear to be soliciting proposals for a $6 million upgrade to the Fishers downtown amphitheater.  According to a story published in the June 28th edition of the Indianapolis Star, written by reporter John Tuohy, the proposal would expand the stage and add more restrooms.

City Councilwoman Selina Stoller is quoted in the story, saying the council will need to consider the cost of the project before approving the funds.

The amphitheater, adjacent to City Hall, has drawn large crowds lately, including Tuesday night’s concert with the Doo Band.  The July 7th concert scheduled with Loverboy is expected to draw about 7,000 people.  The concert if free, but tickets are distributed to control the size of the crowd.

Mayor Scott Fadness told LarryInFishers Wednesday morning that more details on the plans will be released once a developer is selected by the city.

You can read John Tuohy’s story at this link. (Note:  If you are not a subscriber of the Indianapolis Star, you may be limited in the number of stories you may access  online)

(Commentaries from Fred Swift are posted on LarryInFishers.com as part of a partnership with the Hamilton County Reporter.  The piece below appeared in the June 28th edition of the Reporter)

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Drug overdose deaths in Hamilton County are averaging nearly three per month this year with an untold number of other non-fatal overdose cases.  Heroin is known to be involved, sometimes mixed with other opiate drugs, in a majority of the deaths and probably many of the non-fatal cases.

Is it an epidemic as some say? If it isn’t, it is nearing that point.

The most recent death was reported Monday, the 16th so far this year. For the entire year of 2016 there were 28 deaths in the county attributed to drugs, according to a concerned County Coroner, John Chalfin.

This year, probably for the first time, female fatalities have outnumbered male deaths. While it is widely believed that young adults in their 20s and 30th are generally the victims, the numbers show that individuals in their 40s and even late 50s have succumbed.

There are some efforts to combat the growing problem, but apparently no overall coordinated effort by law enforcement, emergency medical staff, health officials,
hospitals, the coroner and elected officials.

This week Chalfin contacted State Sen. Jim Merritt suggesting that the state provide
for more effective efforts to fight the problem. Merritt who represents a portion
of the county, has been an advocate for drug abuse legislation.

Hamilton County has long had a County Drug Task Force that works to locate
and charge drug suppliers. Ten detectives from various local police agencies are on
the streets pursuing dealers, according to Dwight Frost, head of the task force. The
task force is backed up by the Metro Drug Force operating in Marion County, but
aiding the surrounding counties.

The County Health Department has held a public training session on the use of
Narcan, a drug that can aid in reviving an overdose victim.

Grants were obtained to purchase Narcan for use by the public, and more than 80
doses of the drug have been made available to families which have a suspected
drug user, according to Health Department Director Barry McNulty. Another training
session is planned. All police and first responders in the county now carry Narcan.

The County Sheriff’s Department jail division processes hundreds of individuals
each year on charges that are either directly or indirectly related to the drug trade.
Some are charged with possession or selling, but others, charged with robbery and
theft, are known to be stealing to get money for drugs.

The Sheriff’s Department is also involved in education efforts to discourage
young people from getting into the drug scene. The DARE program (Drug Abuse
Resistance Education) has special emphasis, The sheriff has a special relationship
with Hamilton Heights Schools in which an officer serves as a Resource Officer.
The other school systems in the county have their own resource officers who
spend at least some of their time in drug education efforts.

Despite it all, there is suspicion that dangerous drug use and crime associated
with it is growing; probably not to the extent experienced in some areas, but still
enough to create a serious problem.

Identifying the number of opiate related deaths is usually possible, but the number
of non-fatal overdose cases is difficult.  Most cases go to hospital emergency room
in either Hamilton or surrounding counties.

Emergency room records are hard to get even for law enforcement due to various
privacy laws and hospital regulations.  But, officials suspect there have been dozens
of individuals treated so far this year in the various area hospitals.

So, the true extent of the drug problem remains somewhat ‘under the radar’ partially
due to the stigma attached to drug abuse and partially due to the legal consequences
of illegal drug involvement.

And, while various agencies are working hard at educating, treating and trying
to reduce the number of drug users and drug peddlers, an effective and combined
overall effort to stem the tide has yet to be developed.

(Editor’s Note: State Senator Jim Merritt appeared on a recent LarryInFishers interview podcast and discussed this issue at some length.  You can listen to that podcast at this link.)