I’m still in catch-up mode after being out of town a few days.  While I was away, Fishers had a very serious traffic accident on Brook School Road during the morning rush hour of November 2nd.  The take-away for me is this:  we are a growing suburban city with a lot of 2-lane roads.  When driving, be careful out there.

Also, the new Kroger store on Olio Road (read more at this link) is making progress and the grocer is touting what they describe as “a new business model.”  After the Fishers Town Council originally did not support the new, expanded store, Kroger began meeting with residents in the area and slowly moved many of them to support the new concept on Olio Road.  Over time, the city went along with Kroger and the new facility will soon be complete.

Finally, there is more this month to promote the mental health stigma-free campaign.  If you suffer from heart disease, your friends and family will sympathize and encourage you to get medical treatment.  If you suffer from a medical condition related to mental health, too often the stigmatization of mental health prevents people from seeking the treatment needed.  Do your part in removing the unfair stigma often tied to mental health conditions.

Monday, November 7th, starts a new work week….and with that, more road construction around Fishers.

Below is the latest list of projects as provided by the City of Fishers:

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Lane closures will continue November 7-10 along I-69 at the 106th Street construction site.  State contractors will need to close lanes overnight to continue work on the new interchange.

If there is a bit of good news, the interchange is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

Below is the news release from the Indiana Department of Transportation:

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Skimmers are back in Fishers, this time hitting a bank machine on Allisonville Road. There are more details in the Fishers Police Department News Release below:

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On the morning of October 28, 2016 two subjects drove up to an ATM located at 11684 Allisonville Road, the First Financial Bank, where they placed a skimming device. The subjects also placed a hidden camera on the ATM which was focused directly at the keypad. The subjects first arrived at the ATM driving a silver in color, Mazda 6 and later returned driving a silver in color, Honda Odyssey minivan. Anyone with information regarding this case or these suspects is asked to call Detective Dean Mucha at 317-595-3300.

This may be the month of November, but it signifies the start of Movember and a local campaign to remove the stigma from mental health treatment.

To get the word out, the Fishers Mental Health Task Force is encouraging local men to become clean-shaven, then add a mustache.

For more information, see the news release below from the City of Fishers:

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Throughout the month of November, community members of Fishers’ mental health task force are encouraging Fishers residents, businesses and community partners to join us as we participate in Movember to raise awareness of the #StigmaFreeFishers initiative. #StigmaFreeFishers is an appeal to Fishers residents to reject stigmatizing attitudes toward mental health and pledge to be stigma-free instead. In doing so, residents agree to learn more about mental health, see the person, not the illness and take action. To join the #StigmaFreeFishers Movember network, visit http://monetwork.co/StigmaFreeFishers. Be sure to join us on Nov. 1 for a photo of all cleanly-shaven participants at 6 p.m. at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater. Even if you’re unable to actively participate in Movember by rallying a team or growing a great ‘stache, please help us to spread the #StigmaFreeFishers message. Residents can take the pledge and share personal stories about mental health at stigmafreefishers.com. No one should have to suffer with mental health challenges in silence.

My commentary in this week’s Current in Fishers focuses on why it is important to pay attention to the Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation election.

You can read the commentary at this link.

One of Fishers’ most high-profile high-tech businesses is Cloud One, housed in the new Switch Building near City Hall in the Nickel Plate District.  The company’s CEO John McDonald has been one of the big cheerleaders touting Fishers as a place for high-tech companies to locate.

Cloude one has been recognized by a major publication.  Details are contained in the news release below:

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If you plan to travel on I-69 around the 106th Street interchange construction overnight this week, be prepared for major lane restrictions.

See the news release below from the state for the details:

When IKEA announced late last year it was coming to Fishers, there was a media swarm around Mayor Scott Fadness.  There were many questions hurled at the mayor, but my question centered on what happens next….in other words, how does the city see the area around IKEA developing  You can view the video at this link.

The mayor was careful in his answer, explaining that the city would take its time and carefully review the development of that area.  I had been tipped-off the night before that IKEA was likely to make this announcement so I did some quick research.  I found that once IKEA builds a store, the immediate neighborhood around it develops very quickly.

Lindsey Erdody of the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) takes a detailed look at the city’s plans to take control of the development of the area around IKEA in the October 31-November 6 edition.  Sunbeam Development has carefully planned the future for that area, with Navient and Forum Credit Union headquarters as long-time parts of the Sunbeam property in Fishers.  Top Golf will be added soon.

Lindsey reports on comments made by Ken Kern of Sunbeam, reacting negatively to the Fishers  City Council actions to take careful control of development of the Sunbeam property near I-69. City Councilmen John Weingardt, Rick Block and Todd Zimmerman are all quoted in the story (and got their pictures in the IBJ edition).  They all say Fishers wants a very special kind of development in the area around IKEA, after seeing how haphazard growth around other IKEA locations didn’t make the immediate area of those cities more attractive.

Anyone with an interest in how Fishers expects to develop in the area around the under-construction IKEA location should read this story.  You can access the story at this link, but be aware you may have trouble accessing it online if you are not a subscriber to IBJ

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board voted unanimously Wednesday night to give final approval to the $273 spending plan for 2017.  The board and administrative staff have been working on the budget for several months, and now the budget for next calendar year is in place following this action.

The board also voted unanimously to enter into an energy-saving program with Performance Services.  The approved agreement can be found at this link.