The filing period for Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board began July 27th, and as of the close of business July 28th, there is only one candidate filing paperwork. –  that is incumbent Board Member Howard Stevenson.

Even though Stevenson is the incumbent, this is his first election.  He was appointed to fill-out the remaining term of Daren Sink, who resigned from the board after accepting a job outside Indiana.

The last HSE School Board election in 2012 featured candidates from 4 districts within the boundaries of the school corporation.  The election this year will be a contest within the three townships contained in the district – Fall Creek, Delaware and Wayne Townships.

Stevenson resides in Fall Creek Township.  Bradley Jones, a fixture in the audience of school board meetings recently, told LarryInFishers he is putting together his forms to file in Delaware Township.  The current board president, Karen Harmer, is the board representative of Delaware Township and has indicated she will not seek reelection.

The current board member representing Wayne Township, Sylvia Shepler, has not said whether she plans to file for reelection.

So, there are three HSE School Board seats up for election this November, one board member each from the three townships.

Candidates must file by noon, Friday, August 26th, to have their names on the November school board ballot.

One of the biggest events of the year in Fishers is coming up September 9th, and you can buy VIP tickets, while helping to support Hamilton Southeastern Schools at the same time.

The Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation is once again providing a VIP section for the big Mudsock Game, pitting arch-rivals Fishers High School and Hamilton Southeastern High School.  The game is being played this year at Hamilton Southeastern.

Tickets are $50.  Also, in buying a VIP ticket you enter yourself in the “best seat in the house” contest.  Even if you don’t want to buy a VIP ticket, any donation made to HSE Foundation in the month of August automatically secures an entry into the contest.

For more details, see the news release below from the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation:

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When the Hamilton Southeastern Royals host the Fishers Tigers on September 9 under the Friday night lights nearly 10,000 spectators will be cheering for their favorite team. 

The highly anticipated Mudsock Game is not only one of the premiere football rivalries in the state, but has also become a charitable tradition for local schools. The game recognizes teachers of the year for each of the 21, raises funds for the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation (HSSF), and is the culmination of the annual PastaBowl drive benefiting local food pantries.  

Susan Binford, District Leader of KI who sponsors the event, says “KI continues to be proud of our involvement in Mudsock. What began as a chance to give back and make a difference for local teachers and students has evolved into an incredible community movement. Last year, we raised awareness of food insecurity in our own schools as well as an astonishing amount of pasta to address that hunger.  And funds generated from the VIP event supported our students in areas like STEM, literacy, mental health and more.”

HSSF will be selling a limited number of VIP tickets which include exclusive, adult-only end zone seating.  VIP guests will enjoy complimentary goodies from Coca-Cola, Aurelio’s Pizza, Moe’s and Sundaes in the Citizens State Bank hospitality tent.

To make your charitable $50 donation which includes the ticket price of both the game ticket and the VIP pass, visit www.hsefoundation.org.  Each Mudsock VIP ticket purchase also is a free entry into National Bank of Indianapolis Best Seat in the House contest and the Horizon Bank VIP Parking drawing.    

The subject was failure and an audience of business people heard stories of how one can learn from failure and turn it into future success.

Fishers High School was the site of the third annual FailFest Thursday.  Launch Fishers Founder John Wechsler put together an impressive list of speakers for the event.

Inside Indiana Business TV anchor Gerry Dick opened the Fest with comments about the entrepreneurial atmosphere Fishers has created.  Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness told those on hand how Fishers has worked to create on atmosphere where businesses can start and grow.

Here is a partial list of the FailFest speakers and a summary of what they discussed:

–Attorney Jonathon Polak explained his work with the Goldman family in their efforts to collect on the civil judgment against O.J. Simpson.

–Former NFL player Brandon Gorin, a franchise owner and area representative for Marco’s Pizza, talked about overcoming both business and personal setbacks (listen to the link below for my brief interview with him).

–Jared Ingold, owner of Vardagen in Fishers, argued that failure is a way to learn.

–JJ Thompson, founder and CEO of Rook Security, told the story of how he had to learn the art of dealing with people, after paying the price when he didn’t.

–Teresa Sabatine had a rising career in the entertainment industry, but told the crowd she finally answered the voice in her head telling her to come back home to Indiana.  She is now the Film Commissioner for the City of Indianapolis.

–Chris Baggott, founder and CEO of ClusterTruck, listed his many business ventures and broke down how each has performed in a number of different ways.

During this year’s FailFest, I talked to a number of people attending, and my final talk was with Brandon Gorin.  You can listen to those interviews at the link below:

I have known several people that have graduated from the Fishers Police Department’s Citizens Academy.  If you have not experienced the academy, police officials are accepting applications.   Check all the details in the police department news release below:

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The Fishers Police Department is hosting its 31st “Citizen’s Police Academy”. The Citizen’s Academy is scheduled for 13 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 Fall 2016 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 August 24, 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 March 28th.  If you have any questions contact Officer Rob Thompson at thompsonr@fishers.in.us  or (317) 595-3300.

Just over 50 people turned out at Fishers Junior High School for an update on the construction schedule for the major State Road 37 upgrade in Fishers.

Officials told the crowd there will be some work starting in 2018, particularly with drainage, but the big construction project will begin in 2019.

The State Road 37 intersections at 131st and 146th Streets will be closed for construction in 2019.  In 2020, the State Road 37 intersections with 126th, 135th and 141st Streets will be sealed off for construction.  Officials said having the completed roundabouts at 131st and 146th Streets completed will take some pressure off the traffic flow during 2020 construction season.

There were several questions from the audience about plans to control drainage along 141st Street during and after construction.  There are also plans being drawn-up by traffic engineers to find ways to best control traffic taking alternate routes on other roadways in the area while construction is being done.

The next update session will be scheduled in October.

I talked to two of the most active Democrats in Fishers, asking what the future holds for local Democrats

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has announced some overnight lane closures in the Fishers area.  The details are below in an INDOT release:

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Walsh Construction Company plans to close lanes of Interstate 69 this week between 82nd Street (Exit 201) and 116th Street (Exit 205) for construction of the new 106th Street interchange.

Crews will close the left lane of northbound and southbound I-69 on Thursday and Friday nights (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) to move temporary concrete barriers near 106th Street in preparation for a traffic shift scheduled for next week.  Shifting northbound and southbound I-69 traffic lanes to toward the median will allow construction to continue on the end supports of two bridges, which will each carry one direction of traffic on 106th Street over I-69.

Weather permitting, multiple-lane closures in both directions should be expected each night next week as lane markings, signage and temporary concrete barriers are set for the next work zone traffic configuration.

The speed limit near the construction zone is reduced to 55 mph and may be reduced further to 45 mph when workers are present.  Motorists are advised to pay attention to work zone warning signs, follow posted speed limits and keep a safe following distance from other motorists. 

A new roundabout, replacing the current traffic signal, at 96th Street and Lantern Road, is on track for construction in spring, 2017.  The Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety approved extending the city’s contract with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT).  The previous pact expired in June.  Bidding is expected to begin in October of this year.  Under the agreement, the City of Fishers is to pay for 20% of the construction bid amount while INDOT will pay for 80%, with the maximum amount of federal funding set at $2.3 million.

In other news from the July 25th session:

–The board approved a change order adding $239,392 to the project relocating wastewater facilities due to Interstate 69 construction   The additional money was requested due to unforeseen conditions and soil removal, according to city staff.   Sewer Availability Fees and INDOT reimbursement will provide the funds for this change order. The original contract for the project was $1.7 million.

–The proposed Allisonville Storage project, south of 106th Street near Willow View Road, asked that the existing median opening on Allisonville be modified, providing approximately 90 feet of storage for southbound vehicles turning left into the site. The north end of the existing median will be extended approximately 30 feet to provide the additional storage required for the turning vehicles to be out of the travel lane of Allisonville Road.   The board approved the request.

Two newspapers decided to look at policing in the wake of the Dallas and Baton Rouge shootings.  The Indianapolis Star and the New York Times both followed along with officers as they were doing their jobs.

These stories illustrate how the job of policing is more difficult in the wake of incidents that are polarizing our nation.  The Star story really hits home when you see an Indianapolis officer thinking about whether it’s a good idea to park her marked police cruiser in front of her home, in plain sight.

Policing in an open, democratic society is no easy task under any circumstances.  With the social and racial tensions existing in America today, policing becomes an almost impossible job at times.

It has been my view for a very long time that we, as a society, ask a lot of our police officers.  When something bad happens, we call 911 and the police are normally the first to arrive and evaluate a situation….any situation.

I also believe it is not in the interest of police officers when certain neighborhoods view the police not as someone there to protect law-abiding citizens, but view those officers as an occupying army.  That attitude builds up over a number of years, and will take a long time to change.  I credit Indianapolis Police Chief Troy Riggs for trying to change that attitude in his city.

I live in Fishers, where we are fortunate to have a very good relationship between the police department and local residents.  Every encounter I have had with the Fishers Police exemplifies their professionalism.

Tom Weger is the media relations spokesman for the Fishers Police Department and has voiced a warning to all that care about policing in America.  Here’s a quote from a recent Facebook post from Officer Weger…”If you think the “Qualified” police applicant pool is overflowing I’ve got bad news for you!”  (He emphasized the comments are his alone, not reflecting any group or organization).

When you read the stories in today’s Sunday newspapers about how the current environment is impacting the officers we depend upon each day, Officer Weger’s comments become even more important.

Who will be the police officers of the future?  Will our best candidates even choose to seek the job?

Police officers deserve our respect.  Yes, I understand there are bad police officers in America.  Look at your own work place.  Is everyone in your office a star employee, or are there some loose ends around?

There are roughly 477,000 police officers in America.  With a number that big, not everyone will be a great performer.  What boggles my mind is that most of them are stellar, despite all that we ask of them.

Law enforcement should receive our respect.  When someone targets police officers and attacks them, it is an attack on all of us.

We have some major divisions in America about policing.  We can solve them, but it won’t be easy.   Good people with justice in their hearts must step forward to be a part of the solution.

In a democratic republic, it is the responsibility of all of us to work toward solving a problem like policing in the 21^st Century.  If you agree, step forward and become someone dedicated toward improving our society.

Another busy week is coming up in Fishers road construction.  Note that a meeting has been set for July 27th, 7pm, at Fishers Junior High, providing on update on plans for State Road 37.

Below is the road construction schedule for the work week beginning Monday, July 27th, as 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 will be 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.

BROOKS SCHOOL ROAD

Please expect lane restrictions on Brooks School Road between 116^th Street and 126^th Street. Restrictions will allow for contractors to perform paving activities from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily.

CUMBERLAND ROAD

Lane restrictions will be in place on Cumberland Road between 126th Street and 131st Street to allow contractors to perform paving activities. Restrictions will be in place between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily.

CYNTHEANNE ROAD

Road work will begin on Cyntheanne Road between Southeastern Parkway and 136th Street, weather permitting, the week of July 25th. Periodic lane restrictions will be in place with flaggers 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 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.

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. Residents and property owners situated along the corridor are invited to an update meeting on Wednesday, July 27 at Fishers Junior High School. The meeting is scheduled to being at 7 p.m.

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. beginning the night of July 6th.
• Lane restrictions will be in place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for eastbound and westbound traffic on 116^th Street west of Olio Road. Restrictions will allow for median and drive entrance construction.
• Fishers DPW will be performing street repairs on 116th Street between Brooks School Road and Olio Road this week between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Please travel with caution in the area.