Wendy Hunter, representing Portillo’s before the Fishers City Council, was asked when residents can expect the Chicago-based eatery to open.  If you approve this rezoning, Hunter said, she will announce the opening date in a week and a half (from March 20th).

After hearing that, council members quickly acted to approve the rezoning of the property the restaurant plans to use in constructing their new building, to be located on the southeast corner of Interstate-69 and 116th Street.

Council members all said their constituents have been more excited about the possibility of Portillo’s coming to Fishers than most any other city project.  Based on the council’s Monday night action, those constituents will soon know when Portillo’s will be open in Fishers.

The Hamilton County Humane Society took a major step toward moving their operation from Noblesville to Fishers Monday night when the Fishers City Council unanimously approved a rezoning of the property at 106th Street and Hague Road.  That is the location the society is eyeing as its new animal shelter.

City Hall was packed, mostly with supporters of the Humane Society.  There were people living in the area of the proposed location both for and against the shelter.  The neighbors voicing concern were mostly pushing not to totally oppose the idea, but wanted better sound barriers between the Humane Society complex and their homes.

Area resident Paul Melillo presented a petition with 42 signatures, all but four calling for the enhanced sound barrier wall.  The remaining four opposed the project altogether.

But, the room was packed mostly with supporters of the Humane Society move to Fishers. They got their way with the action by city council members to approve the zoning change, which paves the way for the Humane Society to begin the planning and approval process for their renovation of what is now a church building.

Some new names and some familiar ones are part of the 2017 Fishers Summer Concert Series announced Monday.

The group Smash Mouth will appear at the downtown Amphitheater at 9pm Friday, June 9th.  John Waite comes to town Friday, June 16th, also at 9pm.  Another big name, Loverboy comes to the stage Friday, July 7th for another 9pm gig.

Other familiar names such as Jennie DeVoe, The Woomblies and Dave and Rae are on this year’s schedule.   The Blues Fest will once again be a two-day affair, September 1st & 2nd.

Below is the full list of summer conerts:

The debate has just begun on the future of the Nickel Plate Line.

Here’s my commentary posted on Indiana Forefront, at this link. 

It doesn’t seem that long ago when my wife Jane and I went to Deer Creek Music Center (before the days of big money naming deals…it’s called Klipsch now).  Chuck Berry wowed the crowd playing all his greatest music.  Chuck Berry never had his own band.  He would just tell the venue to find a group of musicians that knew his music.  It always worked.  Many big names would work for little money just to play with Chuck  Berry.

Elvis Presley is often called the King of Rock & Roll, and Elvis was one of the greatest, no doubt.  But if you ask people in the know about the history of music, they will tell you the real King of Rock & Roll was, and always will be, Chuck Berry.

Why is Chuck Berry not commonly known as the King of Rock & Roll?  To understand the answer to that question, you need to remember the time in American history when Berry became popular.

It was the 1950s and race relations in America were not good.  Rock and Roll was, at that time, considered a controversial form of music, a challenge to the establishment.  For an African-American man doing Rock & Roll, and gaining a young fan base, Chuck Berry never got credit for what he accomplished in changing the landscape of American music.

Elvis always got the credit for being the King, but Berry is the man who earned the title.  American racism at the time prevented him for getting the credit he deserved.

Chuck Berry himself always called Elvis the greatest ever.

Chuck Berry died on March 18th at the age of 90.  He will be remembered for giving us his music, and that music will entertain people for a long time to come.  That will be his legacy.  His songs will live on for people like me, and for those not even born yet.

You will be missed, Chuck Berry.

Larry sits down with Fishers City Attorney Chris Greisl and talks about a number of subjects, including how the city uses outside counsel, legal issues on the Nickel Plate Rail Line and Indiana’s Public Access Laws.

More work on I-69, new traffic signal near 116th Street & Olio Road and Maple Street closing near Four Day Ray’s downtown for St. Patrick’s Day….those are just some of the items on the latest list of road work in and around Fishers.

Below is the listing, provided by the City of Fishers:

The annual storm water fee will be in the mail to Fishers residents in the next 30 days. That’s the word from City Controller Oscar Gutierrez as he spoke before the Fishers City Council Finance Committee.

This fee comes from either the City of Fishers or HSE Utilities, depending on which provides sewer service to your home.  However, this bill is not funding your sewers.  The Fishers city Web site says the annual storm water fee covers the following:

• Storm sewer maintenance and upgrades
• Drainage and flood control projects
• Street sweeping
• Water quality improvement projects
• Waterway clean-up efforts
• Community recycling days
• National Flood Insurance Program management

Bottom line, this fee is charged once a year to residential homeowners.  Commercial customers also pay the fee, but on a different schedule

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

(The following commentary is published here as part of a partnership between LarryInFishers and the Hamilton County Reporter.  This appeared in the March 15th edition of the Reporter)  

The Indiana Transportation
Museum, longtime operator of the
excursion trains on the Nickel Plate
Railroad, has a petition drive in progress
designed to encourage local officials
to keep the railroad intact.

The online petition, found on the
transportation museum’s website,
claims nearly 2,800 citizens have now
signed. The petition will go to Mayor
John Ditslear of Noblesville, Mayor Scott Fadness of Fishers, and Hamilton County Commissioners.

The local officials have announced intentions of pursuing a conversion of the rail line to the walking and bike trail between Noblesville and 96th Street at an estimated cost of $9.3 million.

The museum (ITM), headquartered at Forest Park, has operated for the past 30 years and has run their trains on the Nickel Plate since 1990 including the Fairtrain, Polar Bear Express, dinner trains and other seasonal runs.

But, last year the operations ceased when the Hoosier Heritage Port Authority, owner of the tracks, suspended operations due to safety concerns. The port authority is made up of members appointed by Noblesville, Fishers and county elected officials.

The transportation museum, on its website, says the railroad is unique “not only in
Indiana, but throughout the nation” because most rail lines have been abandoned. And riding the railroad provides “an experience in railroad history.” Until the suspension, ITM claims to have carried 40,000 passengers per year. The revenue gained from passenger spending improved the local economy, ITM says.

Repairs and correcting safety concerns are estimated to cost $5 million which would not come from tax money, ITM maintains. The port authority has said it will release an RFP (request for proposals) soon to which spokesmen say they expect several reply proposals.

What is now an old tool and dye machine shop will soon be transformed into the new Internet of Things (ioT) Lab, and the Fishers Redevelopment Commission unanimously passed a resolution setting the lease terms.

The lease terms will be $7.00 per square foot a year, with lease renewals costing $7.15 a square foot annually.  The building will be undergoing extensive renovation, and tenants will be charged $21.27 a square foot to fund the remodeling.  Leases will be 5 years in length.   You can read the lease provisions at this link.

Fishers Economic Development Director Brandon Dickinson told commission members the ioT lab will be the first of its kind in the Midwest.  Launch Fishers Founder John Wechsler is fielding inquiries from a number of companies throughout the nation asking to be a part of the ioT Lab.

The Lab will be located across from the Launch Fishers Complex and the former Charles Schwab building (now called the Visionary Building).