You can help Fishers Firefighters raise money for the Hoosier Burn Camp…all you need to do is print the flyer above and 10% of your bill goes to the camp.  It happens at Fishers Texas Roadhouse Restaurant, September 13th, 5-8pm.

Remember that new traffic signal planned for 116th Street and Lakeridge Drive (just West  of Olio Road)?  That’s the stop light Kroger offered to pay for as the new store is being constructed in that area.  That is also the traffic signal that will allow a new Starbucks to open near the planned light.

Jeff Hill, Director of Engineering for the City of Fishers, told the Board of Public Works and Safety Monday afternoon that bids for the traffic signal came in much higher than expected.  The low bid of $468,768.35 from Signal Construction, Inc. was above the Engineer’s Estimate of $390,313.50.  Hill blamed a busy construction schedule for traffic signal contractors for the high bid number.

Hill recommended the job be rebid, expecting lower bid numbers for a project to be completed by March of 2017.  The board rejected the bids, allowing the rebidding process to begin.

Mayor Scott Fadness questioned Hill about the planned opening date of the Starbucks, and whether the possibility of the coffee shop opening before the traffic signal is installed causes him any concern.  Hill said he will work with Starbucks on their planned opening date next year.

In other actions by the Board of Works:

–Changes to the city speed limit and parking schedules were approved.  Most speed limit changes are on Burberry Place, reducing speeds to 25 miles per hour.  Parking changes will mostly impact the downtown area around City Hall.  For a full listing of the changes in the city traffic schedules, use this link.

–The board approved moving forward with installing flashing light signals, including 37 locations at 20 total schools within the HSE school district. Fishers was awarded Highway Safety Improvement Program money for 2020.   This design funding of $77,315 is local money only, and is not eligible for federal funding. Construction of the signals will be financed with 90% Federal dollars and 10% local.  If the federal funds become available before 2020, Hill told the board this action will allow the project to move forward quickly.  Mayor Scott Fadness said he wants all school zones to have identical speed limits and hours that speed limit is effective.

–Tracy Gaynor, Director of Information Technology for the city, received board approval to consolidate wireless technology contracts with Verizon.

It’s time for another Arts Crawl in Fishers.  This one is set for the afternoon of Saturday, September 17th.

Below is the city news release with more details:

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Since its inception in 2014, the Fishers mental health task force has been working to address mental health concerns within our community. The upcoming Arts Crawl on September 17 offers a unique opportunity for the community to unite behind a stigma free Fishers in celebration of national recovery month. The free event themed “happiness is…” takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. and offers diverse entertainment for residents of all ages.

“This Arts Crawl is unique in that it’s a time we can unite to celebrate the achievements of the recovery community in Fishers and across the nation,” stated Mayor Scott Fadness. “This event offers opportunities to share real life experiences about the power of recovery, and will celebrate the role of hope in the recovery process.”

The Arts Crawl is hosted in partnership with the Fishers Arts Council and the Nickel Plate District Business Council. The event pairs 25 local artists with 25 local businesses in the Nickel Plate District offering a self-guided art tour as each stop features what “happiness is” to the business and participating artist.

“Participating in the Arts Crawl is always such a fun opportunity to connect with other businesses and local artists,” stated Kim Kwiatkowski, owner of Oak & Ivy Boutique. “This month, we look forward to participating in the event, but also embracing recovery and connecting with people in our community.”

Arts Crawl maps will be available at participating businesses and inside the Nickel Plate District mobile app. Additional details about the event are also available atwww.Fishers.in.us/ArtsCrawl.

The Community Health Network has announced a $15,000 donation to the Fishers Fire Department.  The money will be used to enhance the Fishers WeCare program, which promotes home safety, education and independence of older adults.  the programs allows Fire Department personnel to  follow-up with those recovering from a post hospital stay while remaining at home.

The check presentation ceremony was held September 9th.

When the news release was issued describing Fishers Safety Day, it was clear the event would go on rain or shine.  Organizers experienced both rain and shine on September 10th, but the sun did finally shine on St. Vincent’s Hospital in Fishers near I-69 interchange 210.

There were lots of families to enjoy the day.  Below are a few pictures from Fishers Safety Day 2016…

Anyone old enough to remember 9/11/2001 also remembers where they were when hearing the news.  I was working for the federal government, meeting with a colleague to plan a training class.  It was the most complex training my part of the agency offered, and, for some reason, I was judged the only person in my work place qualified to teach it.

As we reviewed the training agenda, a manager came in and told us the World Trade Center in New York had been hit by a plane.  She came back a few minutes later to break the news the other tower had been hit be a plane.  We all knew it was a terrorist attack at that point.  When the manager returned a third time to inform us the Pentagon had been hit by a plane, my colleague and I looked at each other and wondered what was coming next.

The first thought I had was about my twin daughters in elementary school at the time.  I had grown up during the Cold War years  and fears of a nuclear attack.  The old “Duck and Cover” films of that era are still on You Tube.  My daughters would grow up in a world with a different kind of fear.

We grouped around work place TV sets watching the towers collapse.  Then the announcement was made that we could all go home.  Without any idea what was next, the government was shutting down for the rest of that day.

I am proud to say my agency was back at work the next day, as were most government workers.   One employee working for my agency had been badly injured in the New York attack and would die some months later.

I won’t rehash everything else that happened during and after the attacks, but I did have a revealing phone conversation with a nurse some months later.  This lady left her job at a Florida hospital after hearing of the attacks and headed to New York in order to help in any way she could.  I thanked her for the courageous service she performed.

The nurse then told me what it was like to help out at ground zero in New York just after the attack.  The way she explained it, there was an hourly routine.  She helped for 20 minutes, regurgitated for 20 minutes, spent 20 minutes recovering, then went back to work.

Here’s what that tells me – the ground zero scene was much more gruesome than most of us will ever know.  This was a horrible experience for America.

What I learned from observing the events around 9/11 is that we as Americans must be aggressive in protecting our nation, but we also must me intelligent in the way we go about doing that.  I hope our leaders take that to heart as we move forward as a nation.

2016 will go down in history as one of the most exciting Mudsock Football Games of all time.  The annual regular season contact between the two Fishers High Schools featured the usual packed house and screaming cheering sections.  It was also a very good football game.

HSE High School opened up the scoring for a 7-0 lead.  Fishers came roaring back and held a lead well into the second half.  HSE made its move and took the lead late in the contest. Then Fishers made a last minute defensive stand, got the ball back and kicked a field goal to tie the score at 30-30.

As the overtime was preparing to start, the stadium was evacuated for stormy weather in the area.  But play began again within minutes and HSE High pulled out a 33-30 overtime win against arch-rival Fishers High.

One of the biggest parts of the annual Mudsock game is the halftime recognition for teachers of the year in each district school building.  That included HSE High School Teacher of the Year in the entire school district, Julie Alano.

Here is a YouTube video of the halftime teacher of the year recognition

If you have any interest in the Indiana Bicentennial, mark your calendars.  On Thursday, October 13th, the bicentennial torch will make an appearance at Fishers City Hall.  The celebration is set for 6:15-6:40pm, with the arrival of the torch expected at about 6:40pm.  The torch will also be making stops elsewhere in Hamilton County that same day, namely in Carmel, Westfield and Noblesville.

The torch will make a special appearance on the grounds of Conner Prairie 6:00-6:25pm.

The torch relay is part of Indiana’s plan to celebrate the state’s 200th birthday.

Church groups, neighborhood associations, scout troops and other groups can purchase Bicentennial Celebration Kits for $35. These kits feature balloons, banners, foam fingers and pompoms and are available for purchase at this link 

You can learn more about the torch relay and its role in the bicentennial at this link

The Fishers Blues Festival is becoming a Labor Day tradition.  The 2016 gathering drew a nice crowd with near perfect weather both Friday and Saturday nights.

My wife Jane and I are lovers of the blues.  The acts booked by Bob McCutcheon of the city Parks & Recreation Department were first-rate.

I took a few pictures while attending Friday night.  Below are just of few of them:

This was a Labor Day Holiday weekend with perfect weather.  Late August had brought one wave of thunderstorms after another to the area.  But this weekend, the last holiday weekend of the summer season, resulted in a tragedy on Geist Lake.

A 24-year-old man, identified as Andrew Dimitroff, was reported missing while swimming in the lake.  First responders rushed to the scent, but could not find the missing swimmer as darkness fell Saturday night.  At dawn on Sunday the search resumed, and the body was recovered.

It is always tragic when something like this happens during a happy occasion.

Fishers Fire Department and state conservation officials said the swimmer did not have a life jacket.  WTHR reported witnesses told investigators that alcohol may have been involved.

To read the entire WTHR story and video, use this link.