Here’s the latest Arts&Fishers podcast…my review of the film Gifted…

The first weekend in May is normally the start for a number of outdoor events around Fishers.  However, the quasi-monsoon rains we have experienced lately created a list of cancellations this weekend.

First, the Movies in the Park set for Friday night at the Fishers Amphitheater has been cancelled due to flooding.

Second, the Fishers Farmers Market, normally a rain or shine event, is officially rained out Saturday.  The opening Farmers Market is now set for May 13th.

Third, and finally, the Cathy Morris and FHS/HSE Orchestra performance Saturday night has been called off due to the weather.

Marsh announced another list of store closings Thursday and a Fishers grocery is one of them.  The Marsh on 96th Street is set to be shuttered.

Marsh cited a “difficult competitive environment” as the reason for the closures. Nine stores in total will be closed as part of this latest round.

The Marsh on River Road in Noblesville is on the closing list.  Other Marsh locations to close include groceries in Carmel, Indianapolis, Plainfield,  Anderson, and Muncie.

All closings will be effective by the end of this month.

The Fishers Plan Commission delayed a recommendation to the City Council on a proposal to change zoning rules in a specific area on the east side of the city.  The land at issue is along Florida road, on either side of 113th Street, nearly to Southeastern Parkway and Atlantic.

The staff-recommended change would transform the zoning from R2 (normal residential housing and density) to Estate Residential, which would only allow large, 1 acre, very expensive homes.  Plan Commission Member and Fishers City Councilman Pete Peterson said that area of land needs to be set aside for corporate executives as Fishers begins to attract more corporate headquarters.

The land owners, and many current residents of that area, testified against the recommendation during the public hearing.  Those complaints led to commission members failing to approve a favorable recommendation to the city council  by vote of 6-3. The vote to delay consideration of the zoning proposal passed 8-1.

Plan Commission legal counsel cautioned members that even though the Plan Commission voted to delay a recommendation, the city council is free to consider the rezoning change since a public hearing has been held.

If the City Council does not consider the matter at the May session, the Plan Commission will vote on the rezone proposal at its June 7th meeting.

The Fishers Plan Commission gave unanimous approval to a primary plat which will transform 30 single family parcels of land known as Spring Dale Estates into the commercial culinary development named the Yard.  The commercial plan will be developed by Thompson Thrift.

This is an effort by Mayor Fadness and the city to energize the local restaurant scene.  Fadness has said many times one of the most often-mentioned issues by residents of Fishers is the lack of choices for eating out.

The residents of Spring Dale Estates hired an attorney to negotiate the sale of their properties to Thompson Thrift.  The 17 acres that will soon become The Yard is being rezoned from residential to commercial.

The Plan Commission action Wednesday night brings The Yard one step closer to reality.

The Hamilton Southeastern Schools have been an integral part of the Mental Health Initiative launched by Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, and that cooperation was on display at Riverside Intermediate School (RSI) Wednesday night.

The event was called “Journey of the Heart, Mind & Soul.”  It featured tables staffed by area organizations.  There were also breakout groups of parents discussing issues such as Suicide Prevention Social Media.

Mayor Fadness spoke to the entire group, explaining how his initiative is aimed at combating depression and preventing students from harming themselves while suffering from mental illness.  Fishers Fire Chief Steve Orusa talked about his role in spearheading the city’s mental health program.

Continue reading Mental Health Awareness is the Focus of RSI Event →

Hamilton County voters once again supported their local schools….below is my Indiana Forefront commentary on the latest round of balloting….you can find my commentary at this link

I have volunteered to be a practice judge for the HSE High School “We the People” team the past few years and have loved every minute of it.  “We the People” is a program aimed at civic education, based on students’ knowledge of the United States Constitution.

The students prepare a 4-minute verbal presentation, then take questions from the judges. Both Fishers and HSE High Schools have We the People teams that are very competitive on a state and national level.

This school year, Fishers Junior High School teacher Mike Fassold started a new “We the People” team.  His group won the state championship, earning them the right to compete at the national level in Washington DC

The Fishers Junior High team went from the first round of competition, and performed well enough to compete in the finals held Monday, May 1st.  At the awards ceremony, Mr. Fassold’s team of students beat teams from places like Virginia, Florida and Oregon to take first place.

It was my honor to play a very small role in helping the team prepare for competition as a practice judge.  My work with them showed me they are a very special group.  The national judges in our nation’s capital agree with me.

My sincere congratulations go to Mike Fassold and his entire group of students competing in the national finals.  This is just another reminder of how special Fishers is, with the best students and teachers one can find anywhere.

The weather forecast this week calls for below normal temperatures, but the city is going full speed ahead with outdoor activities.

The first event this week features the first Concert on the Central Green at the City’s Municipal Complex, Wednesday, May 3rd, noon to 1pm.  Kelly Isenhower will provide the musical entertainment.

On Friday night, May 5th, the Movies in the Dark series continues at the downtown Amphitheater.  At dusk, the film The Secret Life of Pets will be shown.

A very popular spring/summer Fishers weekly event, the outdoor Farmers Market, will make its 2017 debut May 6th, 8am to noon.  Plenty of fresh food will be on sale, just as has been the case the past several years.

The Mira Awards are setup to honor people working locally in the tech world, sponsored by Techpoint.  At the 18th annual awards gala in downtown Indianapolis Saturday night, several people and organizations from Fishers were honored.

Julie Alano, the teacher of the year for Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools, was honored as the Tech Educator of the Year.  Mrs. Alano has been key in developing computer science classes at HSE Schools.

The Fishers Police Department received an honorable mention under the Tech Service of the Year category for the CrimeWatch Phone App.  The cell phone application allows citizens to report suspicious activity and include a picture.  Tech developer Auri Rahimzadeh and Assistant Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart were instrumental in launching the app.

“It’s exciting to see Fishers so well represented at the Mira Awards with both nominees and winners,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in a city news release. “We’re truly a smart, vibrant, and entrepreneurial city and it shows with tonight’s representation. And I’m proud that this spirit transcends traditional assets to inside City Hall. Assistant Chief Gebhart’s idea came to life with Auri’s development skills to solve a community problem. To me, that’s smart government.”

The Fishers-based Internet of Things company Clear Object received the Scale-up Company of the Year Award.  The firm, headed-up by CEO John McDonald, was also honored for Best Tech Event, the  IndyIoT Symposium.

Here is a listing of local Mira award nominations:

Community Champion of the Year 

Eleven Fifty Academy Outreach Team

Best New Tech Product

FUZIC

Tech Service of the Year

Emplify

New Startup of the Year

Fuzic

Company Culture of the Year

BLASTmedia

Flexware Innovation