Mayor Scott Fadness outlined plans for a new Fishers City police headquarters building to be built near the Braden building, now under construction within the municipal complex near City Hall.  The mayor told city council members at their Conner Prairie retreat that the current headquarters building for local police was finished in 1994 when the force had 30 officers.  If the mayor’s 2017 budget proposals are approved by council members, there will be 111 officers on duty.

The mayor wants the current police headquarters to be utilized by other city departments and ease the cramped quarters in City Hall.  The police department currently rents space on South Street to house several operations, and is also forced to lease storage facilities.

The new police building would be 47,000 square feet in size, with three floors.  An indoor garage would house police vehicles.

The mayor says his proposal would be tax rate neutral in funding the construction.

Fadness estimated the cost of the new building at $12 million.

The mayor indicated that if the council gets behind this idea, he would be in favor of beginning foundation work on the new police headquarters building as early as this fall.

As part of his 2017 budget proposal, the mayor is asking for 4 new firefighters and 4 new police officers, both to start July 1st of next year.  He also wants 2 additional public works laborer.

The mayor is asking for a 3% across-the-board pay increase for city employees next year.  He also wants incentive pay adjustments in certain public safety specialties.

Fadness says his budget plan will require a 2 cent increase in the municipal tax rate.  He emphasized that this still keeps Fishers’ tax rate far below cities its size and cities in this area.

Mayor Scott Fadness proposed an Excise and Wheel tax be enacted by the Fishers City Council to fund road infrastructure within the city.  The mayor cited a law passed in the 2016 session of the Indiana General Assembly, giving local governments the power to enact such levies funding street and road work.

“I know it makes everybody uncomfortable to talk about these types of conversations,” Fadness said. “I am a full advocate in support of the $25 fee (excise tax on vehicles).  I just think that our city needs to maintain its infrastructure.  I think we can clearly articulate to our residents that this money is going directly to resurfacing their roads and nothing else.”

Fadness used Bureau of Motor Vehicles data to estimate that $2.5 million per year would be raised by taxing locally owned vehicles $25 per year.

Fadness made the proposal at a Conner Prairie retreat of the Fishers City Council.  Council members voicing an opinion were strongly in favor of Fadness’ idea.

If the council chooses to enact this tax as part of the 2017 budget, the levy would not begin until 2018, due to deadlines in the state law passed this year.

Remember when you were a kid and half your friends wanted to be firefighters?  Maybe it brings out the kid in me, but I think it’s exciting when new fire engines come online.

Fishers is introducing two new fire engines.  Details are provided below in a release from the Fishers Fire Department:

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Fishers Fire Department took delivery of two new Pierce Saber fire engines.  Firefighters began training on the trucks this week and anticipate them being fully equipped and ready for service next week.

These trucks will replace two current engines, one is 25 years old and the other is 16 years old.  The two older trucks will go into reserve status which will be used when a front line truck is taken out of service for maintenance.  This allows ff’s to maintain coverage in all districts for the time it takes repairs to be made.

Each engine cost approximately $427,000.  This is an estimated $200,000 per engine savings for our citizens, under the recommended list price.  Because Fishers is a member of the Houston-Galveston Buying Group, this discounted price was made available due to the consortiums quantity purchasing power.

Estimated life of a fire engine:

8-12 years as a front line fire truck

5 years as a reserve truck

There have been 60…..that’s right 60, complaints of bad guys entering the vehicles of Fishers residents just over the past weekend.  Police have some advice for residents to prevent you from becoming a victim.  Below is the full text of the Fishers Police Department news release:

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Since Friday Fishers police officers responded to sixty complaints of suspects entering vehicles. In a few of these cases the suspects broke a window to gain access, but the majority involved unlocked vehicles. Twenty-five of these incidents resulted in valuables being stolen. The Fishers Police Department believes the majority of this type of crime can be prevented if drivers implement the following safety tips:
 
1. Never leave your vehicle unsecured, even if you are only going to be away from it for a short time. Thieves only need a few seconds to open an unlocked door and retrieve valuables that are left in plain sight.
2. Secure valuables in the trunk before leaving your vehicle. Thieves will often take the time to look into windows before choosing a particular vehicle to break‐in. Unsecured items such as GPS devices, CD’s, computers, purses, cellular phones, audio systems, keys, and other items are often the targets of a thief.
3. Etch your driver’s license number on all items of value and that are removable, e.g., audio equipment, computers, GPS devices.
4. Park in your garage, if you have one. Don’t leave your vehicle in the street, in an alley or in your driveway. If you have to park in the street, avoid dark or isolated areas andremoved your garage door opener.
5. Install an alarm system that will sound when someone attempts to break‐in, move, or start your vehicle. Always activate the system when leaving your vehicle unattended.
6. Don’t leave spare keys attached to the outside of your vehicle or hidden inside your vehicle. An experienced thief knows all the hiding places.
7. Park in open, well‐lighted, and populated areas near your destination. Avoid parking near trucks, vans, dumpsters, or other objects that obstruct visibility and provide hiding places. Avoid parking near strangers loitering or sitting in vehicles.
8. Turn off your engine, roll up all your windows, lock all doors, and take your keys with you even if you are making a quick stop at a store or gas station, or even in your driveway.
 
As always if you see or hear something suspicious please call 911 immediately!  

Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb is a busy man.  With Governor Mike Pence on the campaign trail running for Vice President, Holcomb is running to replace Pence in the governor’s office and is handling most of the gubernatorial duties in Pence’s absence.

Holcomb began a tour of the state today (Monday) to hand out $47 million in road and bridge projects.  Fishers will receive $1 million.

Mayor Scott Fadness plans on using this money next year to modernize 116th Street from Eller Road to Interstate 69.  The overall project will include a number of pedestrian crossings.   Fadness told LarryInFishers that the 116th Street work should start in 2017.

The funding was announced in an outdoor event in the downtown area of Carmel, with Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard hosting the news conference.  Along with Mayor Fadness, Noblesville Mayor John Ditslear and Westfield Mayor Andy Cook were also on hand.

There were a number of political reporters at the event and there was a media scrum that formed around Holcomb afterwards, allowing him to answer a number of questions about his campaign for governor against Democratic opponent John Gregg.

http://www.indianaforefront.com/fishers-city-council-asserts-itself/

Here we go again….another week coming up and another week of road construction.

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

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BRIDGE REPLACEMENT

Continuing this week, the bridge on 106th Street between Allisonville Road and Hague Road will be closed by the Hamilton County Highway Department for replacement. Detour routes are displayed in the area and access to local traffic will be permitted for residents and businesses. Please direct any questions about this project to alison.krupski@hamiltoncounty.in.gov.

CYNTHEANNE ROAD

Road work continues on Cyntheanne Road between Southeastern Parkway and 136th Street, during construction periodic lane restrictions and flaggers will remain in place to help direct traffic.

FALL CREEK TRAIL

Fall Creek Trail reconstruction work continues; the Fall Creek Trail project between 96th Street and Brooks School Road will have periodic lane closures for paving operations. Please travel with caution, construction barrels have reduced the existing northbound lane width.

I-69 AND CAMPUS PARKWAY

Milestone Contractors has begun mobilizing cranes and other equipment and setting a temporary concrete barrier wall along I-69 at Campus Parkway Exit 210. Work will require alternating lane closures on northbound and southbound I-69 between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Lane closures may recur each night through the end of the week depending on weather and progress. Questions about this project should be directed to INDOT at eastcentralin@indot.in.gov or 1-855-463-6848.

I-69 TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS

INDOT is overseeing an overnight closure on multiple traffic lanes on I-69 overnight this week. Weather permitting, lane closures, traffic changes and rolling slowdowns of traffic will begin after 9 p.m. and are expected to end before 6 a.m. the next day. Construction schedules and traffic restrictions are subject to change, and questions should be directed to INDOT at indot.carsporgram.org, 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or 511 from a mobile phone. Please drive with caution as a new traffic pattern is in place.

MORGAN DRIVE

Utility potholing will take place along Morgan Drive between the Cheeney Creek Trail and Lantern Road this week. Please expect temporary lane restrictions between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

STATE ROAD 37

Various general survey work has begun along the State Road 37 corridor. Work will take place starting at the 126th Street intersection. Learn more at www.Fishers.in.us/SR37.

USA PARKWAY

USA Parkway will be closed from 8 p.m. on Friday, August 26th until 5 a.m. on Monday, August 29th to allow contractors to install a storm sewer across the road.

106^th STREET & CUMBERLAND ROAD ROUNDABOUT

Cumberland Road from 106th Street to Mud Creek is closed as Phase 1 of a new roundabout begins. 106th Street will remain open and Cumberland Road north of 106th Street will remain open at this time. The road south of 106th is now closed. Please continue to check the weekly construction update for ongoing progress on this project.

106th STREET INTERCHANGE

INDOT has begun work on the 106th Street interchange. A lane shift is currently in place on I-69 and 106th Street is closed as construction continues. Additional details about this project will be released through INDOT and shared on the weekly construction update. Please be advised the speed limit from 82nd Street to 116th Street has been reduced to 55 mph and there are lane shifts on I-69. Please travel with caution and pay close attention to signage in the area.

116th STREET

There may be short-term lane restrictions on eastbound 116th Street between USA Parkway and Exit Five Parkway while utility work is being completed. Nightly lane restrictions will also be in place on 116^th Street between Commercial Drive and USA Parkway between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

131^st STREET

Lane restrictions will be in place on 131st Street between Brooks School Road and Olio Road to allow contractors to perform paving activities. Weather permitting, restrictions will be in place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

If you want to talk about the teaching profession, why not talk with the 2016 local Teacher of the Year?  Larry talked with Julie Alano about all things education.

Aurelio’s Pizza, specializing in their own version of Chicago-style thin crust pies, had it’s grand opening Thursday afternoon.  Joe Aurelio from the company’s headquarters in Homewood, Illinois, was on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Aurelio’s in Fishers has been open since late April of this year.

When IKEA announced plans to build its Central Indiana store in Fishers, I asked Mayor Scott Fadness at that event how he envisions the area around IKEA developing, since IKEA locations in other cities have spurred a great deal of development in the area.

“We want to be very thoughtful about that,” the mayor said at the time (November 10th, 2015).  The mayor went on to say he wanted a “conscious, purposeful development that we can be proud of in the long-term.”

The mayor has been following through on that pledge for 116th near I-69, as well as area of 106th Street near the new interstate interchange currently under construction.

On Monday night (August 15th), the Fishers City Council voted to extend an ordinance requiring city council approval for any development of areas in the city on 106th & 116th Streets near I-69.  The city is now enduring what it calls “development pressure” in those areas because the current zoning laws are not consistent with the mayor’s vision of that thoughtful, conscious and purposeful development in those areas.

The city has had in place for 120 days a requirement that no clearing or other disturbance of land will occur and no building, structure, variance or use will be established without City Council approval for properties located within the designated areas.  That 120 days is nearly expired, so the council has extended the ordinance for another 90 days to allow city staff to develop the new zoning standards, consistent with the city’s recently approved Comprehensive Plan, also called Fishers 2040.

The map showing the impacted area along 106th Street and I-69 can be found at this link.

The same map for 116th Street can be found at this link.