Since there are plenty of Colts fans in Fishers (& a few scattered Pats fans around town), allow me to join the crowd and give you my take on the entire DeflateGate so-called scandal and where it now stands.

I enjoy reading books about sports, particularly professional sports.  Many are behind-the- scenes stories of how the major sports leagues are run.  After reading about that, I am not surprised DeflateGate ended up that way it has.

Owners of professional sports teams are generally control freaks.  There is only one exception to that rule, and that’s the Green Bay Packers.  The Pack is owned by its fans.  (By the way, the remaining owners in all major American sports have enacted rules that prevent a Packers ownership model to be replicated)

Most owners made their fortune doing something else.  They then used that pile of cash to buy into sports.  Most have no idea how to run a sports franchise.  The best owners hire good people and let the professionals make the decisions.  But when it comes to business decisions, they nearly always want to take a hard line.

That is true in football.  The owners have tried their best to weaken the players union and have been effective in doing so in past years.  But once the players hired DeMaurice Smith to run the union, they got an attorney that knows how to think strategically and get the players what they want.

In the last collective bargaining talks, the players took more money in exchange for allowing NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to be a virtual monarch in deciding player discipline.  The players took their money, but Smith had an Ace card up his sleeve.  He knew Goodell would take a heavy-handed approach that could be challenged in court successfully.

Bob Ryan, a sportswriter that has covered Boston area sports for a very long time, has taken the view that the other owners firmly believe (rightly or wrongly) Pats owner Robert Kraft is very good at cheating.  Since the commissioner of any sport is just a tool for the owners, Goodell felt the heat from all the owners except Kraft to come down hard on the Patriots, not necessarily over the deflated footballs, but because those other owners have it in their heads that the Pats deserve a comeuppance for these alleged past transgressions.

Roger Goodell, the faithful servant of a majority of NFL owners, decided to use the authority given to him in the players contract and come down hard on Pats QB Tom Brady with a 4-game suspension.  Most legal “experts” expected the courts to side with the NFL due to the plain and strong language in the players collective bargaining agreement (CBA) allowing Goodell to discipline players.

Judge Richard Sherman shocked the sports world by removing Brady’s suspension, all 4 games.   The judge basically said in his ruling that Brady never got a fair hearing in the NFL’s process.

This happens to sports ownership in America all the time.  The owners take a tough, hard line, even when that may not be the smartest strategy.  When smart union leaders, like Don Fehr in baseball and Smith in the NFL, take on the owners, the players usually win as long as they stick together.

This Brady ruling is a big win for players’ rights in the NFL.  That’s why even Colts players understand that the Pats are big rivals on the field, but Brady’s win is a win for all players.  It will pave the way for player discipline to be meted out in a much more fair fashion.

Those same legal experts say the NFL has an excellent chance of winning an appeal, which was filed very quickly.  I suppose that’s always possible.  But I came to know a few judges in my reporter days and I know no jurist wants to have a decision overturned by a higher court.  Judge Berman must feel his ruling is on solid legal grounds.

This is not over yet.  I believe everyone looks bad in this situation so far.  The NFL loses for obvious reasons, weakening the commissioner’s standing as judge, jury and executioner in player discipline.  But Tom Brady’s legacy has been tarnished.  He refused to turn over his cell phone to league investigators.  That was not an unreasonable request by an employer in a conduct probe.  I know Brady didn’t want to set that precedent, but most fans will assume the cell phone had incriminating evidence on it, but we will never know the facts due to Brady’s stance.

All this just solidifies my decision to drastically cut down on the amount of time I watch NFL games this season.  The league and its owners are too wealthy and have too much power for me to enjoy watching the game being sold to us.  I still love high school and college football, but the pro game is taking a back seat for me this season.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness is laying out a challenge to the adults in the city – he wants 50 new mentors for our youth.  It’s all part of a campaign by the Youth Mentoring Initiative (YMI), a group founded by Darren Heil, who serves as the nonprofit organization’s Director of Community Engagement.

“Any student benefits from having another caring adult in their life,” Heil said.  “(Mayor) Scott Fadness is playing his part.”

YMI asks one hour per week to spend with a young person in the Fishers community.  Heil added that financial support, from individuals or the business community, helps keep the program moving forward.

YMI in Fishers ended the last school year with 75 adult mentors.  The organization is in the process of garnering more volunteer adult mentors for this school year.  Heil says he would like to see 150 mentors by the end of this school year, but to reach that goal, volunteers and the business community will need to step forward.

All adult mentors receive training and talking points to help guide the discussions with the students.  “It can be very structured in the conversation, but then again, (mentors) have the freedom to talk about anything as the relationship grows,” said Heil.

The students are asked what they get out of the mentoring program, and their responses clearly show how important this program is in their lives.

One comment was seen in multiple student feedback at the end of the last school year. “They said, ‘I am so glad I have someone I can talk to'”, Heil told LarryInFishers.  “One girl said, ‘…because I had someone to talk to, I feel better about myself and I no longer think of suicide'”

Another young man said that he is now excited about his future because his mentor was encouraging.

After reviewing the student feedback on what they gained from last school year’s program, Heil asks an important question.  “As a society, what have we done?  These kids are growing up and they need direction.  They only get so much direction and support from their peers.  What they need is direction from an adult.”

YMI is about relationships, according to Heil.  It allows an adult to have a relationship with a student grades 5-12 without being the authority figure of a teacher or coach.

If you are considering volunteering as a mentor, Heil has a message for you “Your presence is powerful.”

You can get more information about volunteering and/or contributing to YMI at this link.
 

It’s becoming as American as apple pie.  We hook up with someone on an Internet site or phone app, and arrange to meet and buy or sell something.  That scenario has turned dangerous.

Sometimes, the other party is not on the up and up.  There have been cases where sellers have taken cash and bolted without providing the promised merchandise.  There are a long list of what can go wrong if the other party is bent in scamming you are just plain stealing.

The Fishers Police Department has come up with a solution to this problem.  The lobby of police headquarters in downtown Fishers is open Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm.  You can conduct your transaction in the police lobby during these times.  A news release from the department makes clear that officers will not personally assist in any of these transactions, but one would think handling the transaction in the police headquarters lobby will dissuade any potential fraudsters.

Fishers Police encourage local residents to educate themselves on how to avoid being taken by the criminal element.   You can read the entire news release at this link.

Mayor Scott Fadness says his economic development team is working on a project that could bring 400-500 jobs to Fishers. The mayor made that comment during his Mayor’s Night Out event at Britton Falls on September 2nd.

“We’ve got some big announcements coming up this fall”, Fadness said.  “We’re working really hard on those deals right now and I think we’re going to have some good news in the future.”

The mayor was not specific about exactly what type of employer or employers his team is attempting to lure into Fishers.

The mayor also said the proposed Sports Pavilion incentive package will not go before the city council until the developers have their financing in place.  So far, that hasn’t happened.  The mayor emphasized the city is only willing to provide the incentives agreed to already and if the financing package cannot be done, the project will not go forward as originally planned.

Many of the questions from the crowd dealt with street and road issues in the local area of Britton Falls.  Fire Chief Steve Orusa says he is often asked about a new fire station in that area of the city, and the chief said there are plans to build a station in the future as the area continues to grow.

It was just over 4 months ago that Fishers announced a new sports complex planned for the Saxony area, near Exit 210 along I-69, to be developed by GK Sports and Entertainment.  It appears the plan has experienced a setback after appraisals pegged the value of the project below expectations.  The lower valuations will likely make it more difficult for the developer in securing financing for the deal.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness told LarryInFishers he will not present the municipal incentives plan to the City Council until a financing package is in place.  At this point, there is no financing for this project.

The mayor emphasized the city will not provide any further incentives above what has already been offered, including a 10-year tax abatement for the parking garage and arena components of the complex.  Those incentives are to be formally approved once the financing is in place.

The proposed complex, tentatively named the Fishers Sports Pavilion, is planned for a now vacant plot of land near 136th Street and Olio Road.  More details on the project can be found at this link.

Bottom line, the Fishers Sports Pavilion project isn’t dead, but it is now facing some major obstacles.

On Monday, August 31st, several Fishers neighborhoods saw a large bus traveling through their subdivisions.  Most people living in these areas likely asked, what in the world is a large bus doing traveling through our residential streets?

Here is the answer.  A number of officials went on a bus tour of some areas in the city preparing for a new Fishers comprehensive plan.  Fishers, having been a town until 2015,  has never had a comprehensive plan.

The tour began at Cottingham Estates, a community approved in 1973 when Noblesville had legal jurisdiction for planning and zoning for that area.  The bus then traveled to Sunblest, approved in 1977.  The next stop was the Bristols, approved in 2001.  The Brooks Chase Planned Unit Development (PUD) area, also approved in 2001, was visited by the group.  Saxony, a subidivision approved in 2003, was the next destination for the bus tour. The bus ride ended with Silverton (2011), Gray Eagle (1995) and Hamilton Proper (1993).

The city’s Assistant Director of Planning, Rachel Johnson, provided commentary as the group rolled through the various neighborhoods.  For example, she pointed out that Cottingham, an early development, has no sidewalks.  Other subdivisions had various situations dealing with density and other amenities.

Mayor Scott Fadness reminded the group that all those involved in writing the comprehensive plan will need to consider what rules the city should lay out for future residential developments.

The mayor is heading up the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, which will oversee the various smaller committees tasked with writing various parts of the overall plan document.

The Hamilton County Council recently made a decision on the proposed public safety training facility.

You can read my Current in Fishers commentary at this link.

August 29th was a comfortable Saturday night in Fishers.  There were a few sprinkles of rain but nothing to spoil the energy of the crowd on hand to see Heartlight at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater.

The show Heartlight is the brainchild of local artist Ashton Wolf.  He found plenty of other people around Fishers with acting and musical talent, willing to volunteer time to put together an outstanding production.  Heartlight is as entertaining a show as you will find anywhere.  I haven’t been a theater critic for a long time, but this show gets a solid thumbs up from me.  If Ashton and his crew ever put this show on again, I would highly recommend you go see it.

While watching Heartlight, I also watched the large crowd assembled to see the show.  We have plenty of people in Fishers with theatrical talent.  We have people showing up to see productions like Heartlight and Ashton Wolf’s production at the Amphitheater last year of Beehive, a show dedicated to pop hits of the 1960’s from female artists.  With lots of talented people here, and lots of interest from people wanting to watch artistic productions, is it time for Fishers to take all this to the next level?

It is my view that Fishers, a city that will soon cross the population threshold of 90,000 people, is at a major crossroads.  Will the arts be an ingredient of Fishers’ future?

The Nickel Plate Amphitheater is a wonderful venue, but its design is basically for musical acts.  To put on a show like Heartlight or Beehive, the producers need to be very creative to find a way to get the stage to fit the production.

Is it time for Fishers to get an indoor facility to handle plays and musicals?  OK, let me be clear at the outset.  I am in no way in favor of building a version of Carmel’s Palladium in Fishers.  We could build a very different place that could have a number of other uses, such as a conference center.

I honestly do not know if there is sufficient interest to get a project like this off the ground. It would need financial support from the private sector and/or foundations.   The city could play a role in supporting such an effort, but I wouldn’t necessarily be in favor of the city building such a structure with taxpayer funds.

Is there enough interest, money and volunteer energy to make something like this happen?  I know there are people in Fishers already at work on this idea.

It is my view that a city that is willing to support the arts will draw tangible economic benefits from that investment.  We in Fishers need to study how supporting the arts can make this an even better community in which to live.

Would it make a difference if Fishers had an indoor venue to produce musicals like Beehive and Heartlight?  I think so.  Let’s see what happens next.

There will be no letup in the road construction schedule in Fishers for the work week starting Monday, August 31st.

The Fall Creek Bridge over Geist has been added this week with some lane restrictions.

See the list below provided by the City of Fishers….

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Fall Creek Bridge

Beginning the week of August 31st, there will be lane restrictions between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on the Fall Creek Bridge over Geist Reservoir for crack sealing.

Lantern and Commercial Intersection

On August 29th, Commercial Drive will be closed for the weekend to allow for placement of storm pipes. Commercial Drive will reopen by 7 a.m. on Monday, August 31st. Continuing the week of August 31st, lane shifts and restrictions will be in place as construction progresses. Lantern Road will be closed between North Street and Commercial Drive. During this time traffic on Commercial Drive will reduce to one lane each direction in the west bound lane. This will remain in effect until mid-September.

Windermere 

Continuing through the week of August 31st, temporary lane restrictions should be expected along Windward Pass and Stillwater Court.

106th Street

106th Street will be closed to thru traffic on or after September 2nd between Allisonville and Hague Road.  The road is scheduled to be closed until the September 23rd for force main work.

131st Street 

Shoulder work and striping will be in progress the week of August 31st along Parkside and Cumberland Road. Please drive with caution when traveling through the area.