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.

Two Intermediate schools in the Hamilton Southeastern School System, Fall Creek and Sand Creek, will have start and dismissal times a few minutes later in the coming school year.  Below is a message sent to parents:

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In preparation for the start of school, our safety teams, in consultation with the Fishers Police Department, have reviewed current traffic patterns. Traffic congestion in the area on Olio and Promise Roads has prompted a slight modification in start/dismissal times at two of our campuses: Fall Creek and Sand Creek Intermediate Schools. The new 2016-2017 start/dismissal times for SCI and FCI are:

·         Sand Creek Intermediate: 7:45 AM bell time and dismissal 2:55 PM.

·         Fall Creek Intermediate: 7:45 AM bell time and dismissal 2:55 PM.

The start times for Riverside Intermediate Junior High and Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate Junior High will remain the same at 7:35 AM bell time and dismissal 2:45 PM.

Indianapolis Business Journal reporter Lindsey Erdody reports on plans to demolish the vacant Marsh Supermarket building and adjacent space to construct a new center with a new Kroger store.

You can read the story at this link.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has been providing regular updates on what to expect as several construction projects continue along I-69 in the Fishers area.

Below is the latest INDOT status report on the I-69 situation.

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• Preparing for southbound traffic shift
• Starting construction of northbound added lane
• Widening Campus Parkway bridge
• Building new interchange ramps
• Patching continues north of Exit 210
• Paving set to begin north of Exit 210

Interstate 69 added travel lane

Milestone Contractors is setting temporary concrete barrier along southbound I-69 in preparation for a traffic shift scheduled for early August.  Both southbound traffic lanes will be moved toward the right-hand shoulder to accommodate construction in the median of an additional lane betweenCampus/Southeastern Parkway (Exit 210) and 116th Street (Exit 205).

Northbound lanes in the same section have been shifted, and signs direct large trucks to use the left lane through the shifted section of interstate.  The speed limit is reduced to 60 mph and further reduced to 50 mph when workers are present.

This week, as crews install concrete barrier along the interstate median, the left lane of southbound I-69 will be closed each night between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Campus/Southeastern Parkway Exit 210

Construction of the new double-crossover diamond interchange configuration is underway as Milestone has narrowed Campus Parkway traffic lanes to 11 feet wide, is installing temporary concrete barrier at the interchange and is building up the new interchange ramps.

Motorists will notice an increase in construction activity at the interchange and should be alert for workers in the area and trucks entering and exiting the roadway.

The first phase of interchange construction is widening the bridge over I-69 and building the new ramps.  Later this summer, traffic will be shifted into a double-crossover diamond configuration, which is intended to improve traffic flow during construction of the permanent interchange improvements.

Interstate 69 patching & paving

Milestone Contractors is patching existing northbound pavement north of Campus Parkway Exit 210.  The patching operation will continue north past State Road 38 (Exit 219), before returning southbound on I-69 back to Exit 210 in August.

About 15 miles of interstate is being repaired before a new asphalt overlay is paved on existing lanes.  Paving on northbound I-69  north of Exit 210 is scheduled to begin as early as next week.  Motorists may temporarily experience rough pavement after sections are patched and before sections are paved.

Weather permitting, patching and paving operations require alternating lane closures six nights a week on Monday through Saturday nights from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.  One lane of I-69 will remain open at all times, and two lanes will remain open during peak daytime travel times.

The speed limit through the work zone is reduced to 60 mph and further reduced to 50 mph when workers are present.  Speed detection and LED display signs have been installed in the work zone to alert motorists driving at unsafe speeds.  Indiana State Police are patrolling the work zone to promote public safety and compliance with traffic laws.

Mayor Scott Fadness will have an easy time keeping track of the newest Municipal complex construction project…he can look out of the window of his office and watch the building go up.  Braden Business Systems plans to move its headquarters to the structure, relocating 70 jobs to Fishers with the possibility of 90 more positions by 2020.  The $5.6 million project will be located at the corner of North Street and Municipal Drive, next to the Switch Building.

The City of Fishers has approved roughly $1 million in incentives and up to six years of tax abatements to lure Braden into the downtown area.  Braden is expected to occupy about 20,000 square feet in the four-story building, with 15,000 square feet available for the City of Fishers to lease.

Here is a video of the ground breaking ceremony Wednesday morning.

Hamilton Southeastern (HSE)Schools projected the number of kindergartners expected to be signed up for classes this fall at this point in the enrollment period, and so far the actual number of new kindergartners is 200 pupils below projections.

HSE Schools Chief Financial Officer Mike Reuter says there could be a flurry of parents enrolling their children at the last minute, but even with that. the numbers are likely to be below the projection.

If you need to sign your child up for kindergarten at HSE Schools, use this link for more information.

The enrollment numbers were discussed as part of a wide-ranging work session with school board members and administrators on what to do about the 30 portable classrooms being utilized for the coming school year to allow for smaller class sizes.

School administrators provided several options to board members, including doing nothing and continuing with the portable classrooms.  Other options discussed were:

–Expanding Durbin Elementary by adding 16-18 classrooms.  However, a sewer line would need to be extended, which would be expensive for the school system.

–One additional elementary school could be constructed.

–Additional classrooms could be constructed at all but 3 elementary school buildings.

Several board members said they wanted a new demographic study.  The last study was presented to the board in 2014 with a ten-year enrollment projection that has been very close to accurate up to now.

Reuter says the largest enrollment in the upcoming school year is in the 7th grade.

School Superintendent Allen Bourff says the next step is the look at the financial picture for HSE Schools and fit that into any option the board may consider.

The board also received an update from Facilities Manager Harry Delks on projected maintenance needs for school building over the coming ten years.  The most money would go the Hamilton Southeastern High School with $15.4 million over the ten years.  Fishers Junior High would get $8.3 million, Fall Creek Junior High $7 million and Cumberland Road Elementary $6.7 million.    The plan would spend $5 million on maintenance for the remainder of 2016 and $10 million per year from 2017 through 2025.  Delks emphasized to board members that this plan is his best educated guess and it is a “living document.”

In a unanimous vote, the Fishers City Counil approved a memorandum of understanding between the City of Fishers and the  Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA), laying out the way airport land can be developed by the city.

A map provided to council members shows the areas to be developed and also defines parts of the property to remain as either parks or open space.  The area adjacent to Ritchey Woods is designated as open space.  You can view the map at this link.

The Council also approved an economic development agreement to bring a new building to the Saxony area of Fishers.  The structure is to be built by Central Indiana Orthopedics.

Fishers city officials have selected 3 artists to create artwork to be placed along the east end of the Edge building parking garage, facing Interstate 69.

Deputy Mayor Leah McGrath named the three artists for Fishers City Council members Monday.  The are Rachel Johnson, Warren Miller and and Kyle Ragsdale.

Councilman Todd Zimmerman served on the selection committee, and said Fishers is especially fortunate to have an artist of Kyle Ragsdale’s reputation as part of the project.

Once the art is complete, each artist’s work will be rotated about every six months.

Below are some samples submitted by the artists.