Monthly Archives: August 2016

Tiger One Raises $39,000 at Casino Night Event

Tiger One’s Casino Night was a fund raising success, with $39,000 in the bank.  The nonprofit group thanks the 250 participants and the long list of commercial sponsors the contributed to the evening at Forum Credit Union’s Conference Center.

The funds raised by Tiger One will be used to fund scholarships for graduating student athletes and to buy athletic equipment and supplies for all athletic teams.

Tiger One is a club supporting Fishers High School Athletics and the students involved in the sporting events.

A Fishers Bicyclist is Dead in Late Night Crash Tuesday

A Fishers man has died after a serious accident late Tuesday night at State Road 37 and 126th Street.  Police have file no criminal charges at this point in the investigation.

Below is a news release from the Fishers Police Department with the details:

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The Fishers Police Department is investigating a fatal crash that occurred at approximately 11:00 pm on Tuesday, August 30th.  The crash occurred in the intersection of 126th Street and State Road 37.  The crash involved two motor vehicles and one bicycle.

                The initial investigation shows that Elias Rios Bonilla was riding his bicycle westbound on 126th Street crossing S.R. 37 while his light was red.  Mr. Bonilla was struck by a 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe driving southbound on S.R. 37.  Several seconds later Mr. Bonilla was struck by a black 1999 Honda Accord that was also southbound on S.R. 37.  The traffic light was green for southbound S.R. 37.

                The driver of the Chevrolet Tahoe, Jason Newton, reported that he was driving south in the right lane with a green light.  Just before impact he saw the bicycle and veered to the right but was unable to avoid the collision.  The Chevrolet Tahoe came to rest in the ditch on the southwest corner of the intersection.  Mr. Bonilla was thrown through the intersection.  The driver of the 1999 Honda, Jeffrey Bell, reported that he was driving southbound on S.R. 37.  As he approached the intersection he observed the Tahoe in the ditch with a passenger outside waving his arms.  Mr. Bell did not see Mr. Bonilla lying in the middle of the roadway until impact.   

                The Fishers Police Crash Investigation Team responded to investigate the accident.  Drugs and alcohol are not a factor at this time.  There are no criminal charges at this time.  The investigation is ongoing…

 

 

Bicyclist:                            Elias Rios Bonilla (Deceased)

                                                26 years old

                                                Fishers, Indiana

 

Tahoe Driver:                 Jason Newton

                                                36 years old

                                                Fishers, Indiana

 

Accord Driver:               Jeffrey Bell

                                                56 years old

                                                Noblesville, Indiana

Deadline Has Passed, HSE School Board November 8th Election Is Set

The deadline for school board candidates to file their candidacy was Friday, August 26th, at noon.  We now know who the candidates will be.  I will get to that in a moment.  There are a number of new residents in Fishers, and I have been receiving a lot of questions about our local school board election.  Let me provide a little background first, then list all the candidates.

When you are elected to the Hamilton Southeastern School Board, you are elected to a four-year term.  For example, in 2014, four board seats were up for election, one seat in each of the four school board districts.

This year will be an at-large election, sort of.  Rather than candidates running at-large in the entire district, this at-large election will consist of races in each of the townships that make up the HSE School District…that would be Delaware, Fall Creek and Wayne Townships.  Voters in each township will elect one school board member from that township.  Why is the election set-up this way?  I’m not sure, but it’s likely tied to an agreement reached in the process of the HSE School District being consolidated many years ago.

So, every two years HSE has a school board election, selecting board members to four-year terms.  Every two years, we rotate between selecting candidates from each of the four districts, then having an election selecting one board member from each of the three townships, making up the seven-member board.  In 2016, we elect one board member from each township.

With that out of the way, let’s set the stage for the 2016 HSE School Board election.

If you are looking for incumbents, there are two.  In Wayne Township, Sylvia Shepler is seeking her fourth consecutive term on the board.  In Fall Creek Township, Howard Stevenson was appointed by the board to serve the remainder of Darren Sink’s term (Darren left Fishers for another job) and is running in this election.   Karen Harmer apparently feels 18 years on the board is enough, so she is not seeking re-election in Delaware Township.

Here are your 2016 candidates for HSE School Board (listed alphabetically by first letter of first name in each township):

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Delaware Township

Adam Harness

Amanda J. Shera

Bradley Jones

Franklin W. Whelan

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Fall Creek Township

Howard Stevenson

J. Kent Everett

Mike Bottorff

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Wayne Township

Charron Wright

Sylvia Shepler

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I understand at least one organization is in the process of putting together a candidate forum.  I will let you know more when anything is announced.

 

 

Road Construction for Work Week Starting Monday, August 29th

It’s been a busy summer road construction season and it’s not letting up.

Note on the schedule below that Exit 5 Parkway, near 116th Street and I-69, will be closed beginning Tuesday, September 6th, at 6am, for two months.  There is a link to a detour map.

Below is the listing, 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.

EXIT FIVE PARKWAY
 
Exit Five Parkway will be closed beginning at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, September 6 to reconstruct the road as part of the 116th Street widening project. The road will be closed to all traffic. Trucks needed to deliver to businesses will need to go up to Cumberland Road to Exit Five Parkway and come in from the north. The road will be closed for approximately two months, and a detour map is available online.
 
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.carsprogram.org, 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or 511 from a mobile phone. Please drive with caution as a new traffic pattern is in place.
 
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 atwww.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. 
 
106th 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 Cumberland Road south of 106th street is 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 116th Street between Commercial Drive and USA Parkway between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.
 
131st 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.

HSE School Board Election Beginning to Take Shape

With the deadline to file looming at noon, Friday, August 26th, all three board seats up for election this November in the Hamilton Southeastern School District will be contested.

As of the close of business Wednesday, August 24th, two school board incumbents have filed for re-election and all three feature more than one candidate.  Howard Stevenson from Fall Creek Township and Sylvia Shepler representing Wayne Township, have filed as candidates.  Current School Board President Karen Harmer is not expected to seek re-election from Delaware Township.

In this round of school board balloting, one candidate is chosen from each of the townships that are part of the Hamilton Southeastern School District.

 

Here is the listing of candidates, per the Hamilton County Election Office, as of Wednesday, August 24th:

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Delaware Township

Adam Harness (filed August 19)

Bradley Jones (filed August 8)

Amanda J. Shera (filed August 18)

 

Fall Creek Township

Mike Bottorff (filed August 22)

Howard Stevenson (filed July 27)

 

Wayne Township

Sylvia Shepler (filed August 12)

Charron Wright (filed August 18)

HSE School Superintendent Compliments Staff, Students During Tornado Warning

There is never a good time to endure a Tornado Warning.  Such a warning issued by the National Weather Service is a message to seek shelter immediately because tornadoes are in your area.  On August 24th, severe weather was moving into Fishers just as elementary school buildings were preparing to dismiss students for the day.

When the Tornado Warning was issued, it took teamwork among teachers, administrators and school bus drivers to get through the possible danger.  We in Fishers were very fortunate that the worst of the bad weather missed us.

Hamilton Southeastern School Superintendent Allen Bourff described August 24th as “a very long day for elementary teachers.”  He emphasized school officials will always err on the side of safety, as happened on August 24th.

In the meantime, the hardest hit community in the August 24th storms was Kokomo, a city to our north.  If you want to help your fellow Hoosiers in need, there are a number of outstanding organizations already at work in Kokomo helping the victims.  One  great organization at the center of any disaster is the Red Cross.  If you would like to contribute to the Red Cross of Indiana, use this link.

Podcast – Tech Journalist Scott Fulton

With Fishers pursuing an economic development strategy that includes attracting high-tech businesses to the city, I talked to a good friend and veteran journalist covering the tech scene, Scott Fulton.  We talked about the strategy Fishers is pursuing, and also discussed the bigger picture in the tech landscape in this podcast.