Fishers City Councilman At Large Rich Block talks about a variety of issues in this podcast

It appears Fishers is forming a committee to study what, if anything, should be done about Airbnb rentals, in light of a controversy in Carmel.

Carmel is enforcing zoning laws that the city says require residents to obtain a zoning variance in order to rent parts of their homes on a short-term basis.

In a podcast interview, City Councilman Rich Block told LarryInFishers he has been appointed to a local committee aimed at looking at the issue of short term rentals in one’s personal residence in the city of Fishers.

Deputy Mayor Leah McGrath told LarryInFishers city officials believe this issue “merits further discussion.”

Ms. McGrath sent an e-mail with the following statement:

We recognize there is a difference in impact between sub-leasing one’s home to a single renter for a period of time versus leasing for short-term use to visitors who may change week to week.  How and whether to allow for weekly rentals is a question each community needs to evaluate and requires a broader discussion around impact to neighbors, public safety and location.

To that end, we are in the early discussions of forming a subcommittee to discuss this topic.  

McGrath says Fishers is in the early stages of forming this panel and more information will be available at a later time.

Current Fishers ordinances provide zoning rules for bed and breakfast operations, as well as locations of hotels, but there is nothing specific governing short term rentals

The Indiana Park and Recreation Association (IPRA) handed out awards to park operations throughout the state at its 2017 banquet held in Indianapolis January 18th, and the Fishers Parks Department came away from the event with two big honors.

Fishers was presented with an award, “Best Innovative Program,” for Nature First.  The project is done in partnership with the Hamilton Southeastern Schools, aimed at first graders learning more about the outdoors.

The local parks operation was also recognized by IPRA for “Exceptional Park Design” for the community garden located at Cyntheanne Park.

Here is how the state-wide organization describes its awards program:

“The IPRA Annual Awards of Excellence recognize agencies and individuals throughout Indiana that embody the vision, dedication, and excellence needed in the field of parks and recreation. These awards highlight efforts that transcend everyday standards in order to make a difference and improve the quality of life in Indiana’s communities. IPRA award winners include park and recreation professionals, organizations, agencies, and volunteers.”

Krista Beck, a first-grade teacher at Geist Elementary School, gave her students a special assignment.  She asked them to put together their own view of Fishers, through their own eyes.

Ms. Beck’s students were allowed to use their iPads and other sources.  They could include clip art in their presentation.   Continue reading How Does a 1st Grader See Fishers? →

It’s that time of year when the Fishers Police Department is taking applications for its Citizens Academy.  The program starts the evening of March 8th and continues each Wednesday evening for a total of 12 weeks.

Graduates of this program are very complimentary of the experience.  If you have any interest, use the contact information listed in the Fishers Police Department news release below:

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The Fishers Police Department is hosting its 32^th “Citizen’s Police Academy”. The Citizen’s Academy is scheduled for 12 weeks and offers “police style” training to our citizens.  Some of the training will include: Crime Prevention/Neighborhood Watch, Bicycle Patrol, Criminal Law, Police Canine, Traffic Stops, Weapons Familiarization, Self Defense, Criminal Investigations, Evidence Collection, and Narcotics. The instructors will be police officers from the Fishers Police Department.   Participants in the Citizen’s Academy are eligible complete a ride along with an on- duty Fishers Police Officer.
 
    Our spring 2017 Citizen’s Police Academy will be held at the Fishers Police Department every Wednesday night from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. starting March 8, 2016. The academy will be open to individuals who reside or are employed in the Hamilton Southeastern School District.  You must be sixteen years old or older to participate in the Citizen’s Academy.
 
It is our goal to build on the relationships we have established in the community. The Citizen’s Academy consists of classroom and hands on training that will allow citizens to interact and become more familiar with the tasks that are assigned to a police officer. The Citizen’s Academy will give community members the opportunity to ask questions about law enforcement and other related activities.
 
 Apply online at www.fishers.in.us/police  or apply in person at the Fishers Police Department.  Applications will be accepted until February 27th.  If you have any questions contact Officer Rob Thompson at thompsonr@fishers.in.us  or (317) 595-3300.

The Fishers City Council approved a long list of appointments to various boards, committees and commissions.

One appointment that was delayed was a vacancy on the Economic Development Commission.  Council members want to sort out that vacancy in light of some other openings that may occur in other bodies, such as the Fishers Plan Commission.

Below is a list of appointments approved by the city council at the Tuesday night session:

116th Street and Olio Road PUD Committee

Richard Block

April Hensley

Emily Bowman

Exit 10 PUD (Planned Unit Development)  Committee

Richard Block

Brad Battin

Shawn Curran

Fishers Marketplace PUD Committee

Richard Block

Brad Battin

Shawn Curran

Fishers YMCA Branch Board

Joan Isaac

Logan Everett

Bianca Zaklikowski

Finance Committee

John Weingardt

Eric Moeller

Selina Stoller

Cecilia Coble

Nickel Plate Review Committee

Selina Stoller

Warren Harling

John Dierdorf

Non Profit Committee

Pete Peterson

Cecilia Coble

Brad DeReamer

Plan Commission

Brad DeReamer

Planned Unit Development (PUD) Committee

Richard Block

Riverplace PUD Committee

Richard Block

Shawn Curran

Jim Jordan

Redevelopment Commission

Dan Canan

When you consider the fact that Fishers had a population of about 11,000 when I moved here in 1991, spending 20 years working for the local municipal government is quite an accomplishment.  These people have been here as the city has grown to nearly 88,000 in population (based on the latest special census).

At the Tuesday night Fishers City Council session, several city employees were recognized for 20 years of service.

They include:

Cameron Ellison, Fishers Police Department

Phil Mellencamp and Travis Sichting, Fishers Fire Department

Roger Ryker, Fishers City Engineering Department

As the Fishers City Council begins its work for 2017, there will be a new member banging the gavel, calling each meeting to order.  David George, the longest serving council member dating back to the days of Fishers as a town, will be the body’s president in 2017. Councilman At-Large Todd Zimmerman will serve as vice president.  Both votes were unanimous.

Outgoing Council President John Weingardt said “it’s been an absolute pleasure…I’ve had a lot of fun.”  Weingardt served two one-year terms as town council president, and has just finished a one-year stint as city council president.

George complimented previous city council presidents Weingardt and Pete Peterson.   “I think Fishers is a great place to live,”  George said.

In other news from the Tuesday night council session:

–Hamilton County Commissioners Mark Heirbrandt, Christine Altman and Steve Dillinger presented the council with a 2016 award from the Association of Indiana Counties for local cooperation between Fishers and Hamilton County in the State Road 37 project.

–Council approved 1st & 2nd reading for the annexation into the city of Springdale Estates. The homeowners there have all agreed to sell their homes to developer Thompson Thrift, making way for The Yard culinary development.  The council is scheduled to vote on the 3rd and final reading  February 20th.  The earliest the annexation would be effective is March 21st of this year.

–11 acres of land at 7877 East 106th Street was rezoned from industrial to commercial office use, following a unanimous council vote.  City staff says this use better fits into the comprehensive plan.

–Approved minor changes to the Nickel Plate District code, which governs development in the downtown area.

–Honored the state champion Fishers Junior High School “We The People” team.  They are headed to Washington DC for the national meet.   You can donate to the fund allowing the team members travel expenses for the national competition at this link.

Doug Allman is now the Fall Creek Township Trustee after winning the Republican caucus Saturday morning.  There are 37 precincts in Fall Creek Township, all but one voted in this caucus.  Allman won the vote 21-14 over his opponent Bill Smythe.

“I’m just very pleased to be able to do this job,” Allman said following the vote.  “This is what I want to do.”

Smythe said he  expected the vote to be closer than the final tally, but knew he had an uphill battle to win the caucus election.

With Allman assuming the trustee post, that creates a vacancy on the Fall Creek Township Board.  County Republican Chair Laura Campbell says a caucus will be scheduled to fill that seat within 30 days, as prescribed by state law.

The job of trustee became vacant when Jeff Hern, who was elected to the post, was later elected to the Hamilton County Council.  State statutes do not allow Hern to hold both elected positions at the same time.

Tim Swarens is the Opinion Director at the Indianapolis Star and is working on a long-term project aimed at human trafficking.  He emphasized the story is a work in progress, but he shared what his reporting has taught him thus far into the project.

The scene was Geist Christian Church in Fishers, before a full crowd of people wanting to know more about human trafficking.  They learned a lot by the time the evening was over.

Swarens, after sifting through plenty of cases involving child sex trafficking, came upon one case of a 15-year-old girl from southern Illinois.  She had a fight with her father, was upset, met a man on the street who enticed her into going with him.  The man put her onto the Internet and sold the services of her and other girls in the summer of 2015.  One day, a “customer” demanded a certain sex act the girl refused to perform.  She was beaten for saying no.

Why did that incident stick out in Swarens’ mind?  “It illustrates an attitude,” he said.  “Both the buyer and the seller saw this child as property.  She was not a child to them, she was not a human being, she was property and property does not have the right to say no.”

The event was called “Breaking the Chains, Step Into Freedom” and was sponsored by the Leslie Anne  Hulse Foundation.

Swarens told the audience the way to attack human trafficking is on the demand side.  He described those buying these services as “regular guys, it’s doctors, veterinarians, attorneys.”

Swarens emphasized that no place is safe, including suburban areas such as Fishers.  He wrote a story posted on the Indianapolis Star Web site….you can read it at this link.

Other speakers included Detective John Daggy of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Megan McGuire of Ascent 121, and Michelle Corrao from Prevail Inc.