Rumors have been running rampant in recent days that Hamilton County Republican Party Chairman Pete Emigh will be stepping down.  Word is he is ready to move on.

Look for an official announcement in a day or two.

The next big question is – who will succeed Chairman Emigh?  There will likely be a number of candidates.  It appears there will be at least one hat in the ring from Fishers.

Current County GOP Party Treasurer and Fishers City Council President  Pete Peterson is expected to be in the running for the county party’s top job.

It will be interesting to see how the Hamilton County Republican Party leadership decision comes out in the end.

The weather has turned a bit more wintry, but city crews continue to work on our streets and sidewalks.  Here’s the schedule for the work week beginning Monday, December 21st….

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LANTERN ROAD
Our crews are working hard, but Lantern Road between 116^th Street and Commercial Drive will continue to have lane restrictions in place. Please pay attention to signs displayed in the area and use caution while traveling.

SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS

Sidewalk improvements will be taking place near Portage way and Brooks School Road the week of Dec. 21.

UTILITY RELOCATION

Utility relocation work will continue in the alleyway between Maple Street and Lantern Road north of 116^th Street.

96^TH STREET

96^th Street will experience closures on Monday, Dec. 21 between Lantern Road and Cumberland Road. Closures will allow for geotechnical work between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

116^TH STREET

Lane restrictions will continue between Cameron Drive and Wainwright Drive for fence replacement. Motorists are encouraged to use caution while approaching lane restrictions and construction crews.

There was a sense of relief among the Fishers city leaders sworn-in to elective office today (12/18).  After a long journey that began in 2012 with the referendum creating a city form of government, our elected leaders will now have 4 years in office before facing the voters again.

In 2014, Fishers had its first city election.  However, that was only for a 1 year term, to be served in 2015, as the transition from a town to a city was underway.

Now the one-year transitional terms are over and those making the decisions in Fishers city government are beginning their normal 4-year terms on January 1, 2016.

We have had the unusual situation of conducting municipal elections in Fishers for 2 consecutive years.  

The swearing-in ceremony included City Judge Dan Henke, Mayor Scott Fadness, City Clerk Jennifer Kehl and most members of the Fishers City Council.

The current council will have its final scheduled meeting of 2015 on Monday, December 21st.  Long-time local leader Stuart Easley is to receive a key to the city at that session.

Suzie Jaworowski is a Fishers resident and a mother of four.  She has also set up an exploratory committee to become a candidate for a Senate seat in the Indiana General Assembly.

She is considering a run for Senate District 30, which is currently held by Scott Schneider.  Senator Schneider has announced he does not plan to run for another term.  This district includes parts of Washington Township and Lawrence Township in Marion County, as well as a portion  stretching from Carmel to Fishers in Hamilton County.

Jaworowski is currently Communications Director for Sunrise Coal.  She also serves as co-chair in Indiana for Carly Fiorina’s presidential bid.

If she decides to run, the campaign says it will be centered on the economy, education and personal freedom.

“When it comes to government, I believe less is more. There are situations where we need leaders to focus and I am particularly interested in helping promote solutions to attack drug abuse and mental health issues, both of which are taking a toll on our communities,” Jaworowski said in a campaign news release.

Should she decide to run, we will see what other candidates emerge in the May, 2016 Republican primary election.

When I covered the May, 2014 Republican primary election, there was one common theme I heard from nearly every candidate for office – Fishers needs a comprehensive plan (later renamed Fishers 2040).  Whatever you may have thought about the town form of government, having seven people making all the major decisions makes it difficult or impossible to agree on something like a comprehensive plan to help govern decision making.

Once Fishers became a city, Mayor Scott Fadness appointed committees on Land Use, Transportation, Housing and Parks.  Fadness chaired the Steering Committee overseeing all Fishers 2040 committee work.

On December 14th, there was a gathering at Launch Fishers to lay out the findings of all the committees.  A comprehensive plan, by its nature, is comprehensive, therefore very detailed.

Rather than try to summarize the plan, I invite you to review the lengthy PowerPoint presentation at this link.

Now that the committee work has been completed, what happens next?  The city council needs three readings, meaning it must be considered at three separate council sessions. After council’s first reading, there will be several steps before approval.  This will include a Plan Commission hearing and vote, as well as community open house sessions to discuss the plans with the public.

A comprehensive plan like Fishers 2040 needs community input and support to have an impact on how our city grows.  I would encourage you to stay informed and attend one of the upcoming public meetings on this plan.  And I will continue to report on this right here at LarryInFishers.com

Elementary students in the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools will begin using iPads in August of 2016.  The school board received a progress report on the HSE21 1:1 program to rollout iPads to all HSE students.

A group of HSE teachers and administrators began using the iPads in 2012.  Intermediate students were issued the iPads in 2014.   High school and junior high students began iPad usage in 2015.

Assistant Superintendent Jan Combs told board members the test groups for elementary iPads have had a very positive experience, paving the way for the full rollout during the next school year.

You may review the PowerPoint presentation Dr. Combs gave to the school board at this link.

In other school board news from the December 14th session…

The board approved a bond issue of roughly $10 million to finance building renovations and replace aging technology.  HSE CFO Mike Reuter told the board the bonds should be paid-off within a year, although the legal posting allows up to 3 years for payment of the debt.

A firm specializing in advising companies on how to maximize economic development incentives will be moving its office from Keystone at the Crossing on Indy’s north side to downtown Fishers.  Ginovus plans to enter into a 10-year lease to use space in the Switch complex now under construction near Fishers City Hall.

The company’s Managing Director Larry Gigerich told the Fishers Redevelopment Commission he was drawn to Fishers by general business climate in the city.  He also was impressed by the amount of “young human capital” that Fishers has to offer.

The Redevelopment Commission unanimously approved the lease.

Ginovus will occupy roughly 4,800 square feet of office space.  The firm has 10 employees.

This space had originally been earmarked for employees of the Fishers Parks and Recreation Department.  Now that Ginovus will be occupying that space, it would appear the Parks Department workers will remain in their current space at 116th Street and Brook School Road, at least for now.

The lease calls for payments of $8,010 per month the first five years, $8,210.25 per month in years 6 & 7,  and $8,410.50 each month in years 8-10.

In the economic development agreement with Switch developer Loftus-Robinson, the city leases the commercial space from the developer and the city subleases the commercial space in the complex.  The Fishers Redevelopment Commission acts as the landlord, handling the contracts for leasing space for Ginovus, along with other tenants such as Purdue University and Cloud One.

If you want to learn more about Ginovus, check out their Web site at this link.   

Did the RFRA controversy during the 2015 Indiana Legislative Session have any impact on Fishers’ deal with the state to upgrade State Road 37?  I ask that question in my latest Indiana Forefront Commentary.  You can my commentary at this link.

With the announcement this week of an agreement to move forward with upgrades to State Road 37, I’ve been hearing questions from local residents about other street projects on the Fishers city schedule for the next few years.

Here’s information from the City of Fishers:

First, a roundabout is scheduled for construction at 96th Street and Cumberland Road. Work is set to start in the spring of next year.  The intersection will be closed 75-90 days.

Next is the new interchange to be constructed at 106th Street on Interstate 69. Construction is to start in the spring of 2017, with completion expected during the summer of 2017.

116th Street eastbound, just east of I-69 is to be widened beginning in June of 2016.  That work should be complete in the summer of 2017.

A roundabout is coming to the intersection of 106th Street and Cumberland Road, with work to begin in the fall of 2016.  Look for that intersection to close for about 100 days.

96th Street and Lantern Road will be getting a roundabout, with construction scheduled to begin in the spring of 2017 and completion expected in the early summer of that same year.

96th Street is due to be widened east of Lantern Road.  That work should begin in the spring of 2017, with completion expected in early 2018.

A roundabout is coming to 131st Street and Cumberland Road in the summer of 2017.   Crews are expected to be done with that project in time for the start of school.

The intersection of 126th Street and Allisonville Road is scheduled for improvements. That work is to start in the spring of 2018, with completion due the following fall.

Finally, the infrastructure improvements to State Road 37 are to begin construction in the spring of 2018.

And that calendar doesn’t even mention the extra lane being added to State Road 37, interchange improvements coming to the I-69 exit 210,  and the work set to be done on the Brook School Road Bridge over I-69.  The bridge will close during the construction period.

Check the flyer below produced by the City of Fishers…