Motorists dealing with lane closures and restrictions on 106th Street at Allisonville Road may finally see it all end by Friday, if all goes as scheduled.  Rick Farnham, Fishers Assistant Director of Public Works, told the city Board of Public Works and Safety Monday that work continues and could be done by Friday.

It all started December 27th, when a sewer line collapsed.  That, in turn, caused a sinkhole to develop, destroying part of a sidewalk.  There was also damage done to the traffic signal at the intersection, as well as the nearby lift station.

If weather cooperates, Farnham says all the repair work should be complete by Friday.

Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research just released a study on Tax Increment Financing (TIF) arrangements, saying $320 million is diverted from the local tax base in Indiana.  Fishers has utilized TIFs for economic development, and  Mayor Scott Fadness takes issue with many of the Ball State findings.

Michael Hicks, Director of the Center and one author of the report, argues in the study that the amount of property tax money diverted from schools could fund 2,400 teachers. Fadness says schools generally cannot use property tax money to fund teacher salaries, unless it is from a referendum approved by the voters.

Fadness believed the TIF “issue is much more complex.”  He points to the two parking garages built in downtown Fishers, saying the commercial development that came with those structures would not have happened without TIF financing.

“This requires a thoughtful analysis,” Fadness says.  The mayor has read news accounts of the Ball State report.  Once he reviews the entire text of the report, he may comment further.

You can read Lindsey Erdody’s story about the Ball State TIF sudy at this link.

You can read the entire Ball State report at this link.

The Fishers area is still in the grips of winter, but road work continues with city crews hard at work.  Below is a listing of projects scheduled to begin or continue the work week beginning Monday, February 8th….

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FALL CREEK TRAIL

Fall Creek Trail reconstruction work continues; the pedestrian bridges and sections of sidewalk along the trail have been removed. Pedestrians should not use the trail within the sections that have been removed. In addition, there will be periodic lane closures along the project beginning the week of Feb. 8.

LANTERN ROAD

Lantern Road between 116^th Street and Commercial Drive will be restricted the week of Feb. 8. Please use caution and pay close attention to signage displayed in the area.

106^TH STREET

• 106th Street west of Allisonville Road and the southbound lane of Allisonville Road will be closed through Feb. 12^th for repairs to the sanitary sewer line.

• Motorists are encouraged to use caution at the roundabout located at 106^th Street and USA Parkway. Utility relocation is underway and lane restrictions are in place in and around the roundabout.

116^th STREET

The eastbound lane of 116^th Street from Hague Road to Charleston Parkway will be restricted between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for fence replacement. Motorists are encouraged to use caution when traveling along the corridor and pay close attention to signage displayed.

The filing deadline has passed for the May 3rd primary election, and some candidates with Fishers connections will be on the ballot.

Local restaurant owner Bill Smythe threw his hat in the ring for Hamilton County Commissioner on the day of the filing deadline.  He will face incumbent Mark Heirbrandt in the GOP primary for Commissioner District 3 (District 3 includes Fishers).  In the other County Commissioner seat up for grabs in this election cycle, incumbent Steve Dillinger is unopposed in the District 2 Republican race.

The campaign for 3 at-large Hamilton County Council seats should be interesting with 6 Republicans vying for 3 available spots.  Long-time Fishers Police Chief George Kehl plans to retire in September and has filed to run for a council seat.  Fall Creek Township encompasses a large part of Fishers, and Fall Creek Township Trustee Jeff Hern is a candidate for a county council seat.  All 3 at-large incumbents on the county council, including Brad Beaver, Rick McKinney and Jim Belden, have all filed for re-election.  Bill Dennis will round out the list of GOP hopefuls in that contest.

Normally, LarryInFishers does not cover county government unless there is a Fishers angle. We do have Fishers connections in these political campaigns.  Therefore, I will keep an eye on them.

2014 was a tough year for Fishers.  Murder is a crime rarely seen in this family-oriented suburban community, but 2014 was a year in which police investigated 2 murder cases. One of those cases had the legal books closed on it today…the other is scheduled for trial this summer.

Maxwell Winkler was 17 when the murder of Henry Kim happened near Windermere Park in the Geist area of Fishers.  Winkler was arrested a few days later in Mr. Kim’s death, during November of 2014.  Winkler entered into a plea bargain with prosecutors, pleading guilty but mentally ill, and was sentenced today (2/5) to 80 years in prison in connection with Kim’s death.

The second murder case that year related to an incident in June.  Connor Shockley, 18, and Corbin Montgomery, also 18, were in a fight over a girl and a cell phone, according to probable cause affidavits.  Both were Fishers residents and the incident happened in Fishers.  Shockley died from stab wounds.  Mongomery is charged with murder.  His trial is scheduled to begin on June 6 of this year.

Fishers Police have announced an arrest in the robbery of the Village Pantry, 96th Street and Lantern Road,on Wednesday, February 3rd.  Adelrick Woods, 19, of Indianapolis, is in the Hamilton County Jail facing several charges, including felony robbery, intimidation and firearms violations.

Here’s how the arrest was described in a Fishers Police Department news release:

Shortly before 3pm a Lawrence police officer observed a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle involved in the armed robbery in Fishers 18 hours earlier. The officer stopped the vehicle and detained the driver. Investigators from the Fishers Police Department were able to positively identify the driver as one of the armed robbery suspects. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to the Hamilton County Jail without incident. This investigation is on-going.   

Fishers Police Chief George Kehl thanked the Lawrence Police for their help in making the arrest.

Fishers Police received a report of a robbery at the Village Pantry, 96th & Lantern Road, at about 10:00PM Tuesday.  Below is the description of what happened from a police department news release…

The Hamilton County Dispatch Center received a 911 call from an employee reporting two men had just robbed the store. The employee reported the suspects entered the store and demanded money. One of the suspects displayed a handgun. The employee was unharmed. The suspects fled the area in a light colored passenger car. It is believed there was a third suspect that drove the getaway car.

The suspects are still at large.  They are described by police as two black males, late teens to early 20s, wearing jeans and black hooded sweatshirts

Anyone with information may contact Detective Dave Finn at 317-595-3341.