When a house is on fire and the firefighters arrive to battle the blaze, many times all the humans are out of the house but one or more pets may still be in all the smoke.  Pet oxygen masks can save pets from smoke inhalation injuries.

A local group of Girl Scouts took on the task of raising money for pet oxygen masks.

The details are below in a news release from the Fishers Fire Department:

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Hamilton Southeastern 3^rd grade Girl Scout Troop #694 donated six Pet Oxygen Mask sets to the Fishers Department of Fire and Emergency Services.  This group of nine girls had stickers printed and then sold them to friends, family and neighbors to raise the money.  The stickers, priced at $5 each, are to help raise awareness for firefighters that pets may be located inside a residence in the event of an emergency.  The kits purchased for the firefighters include a large, medium and small oxygen mask which may be used on various types of animals. 

EMS Division Chief Steve Davison said, “These kits will enable firefighters to provide additional care to the pets of families that are victims of a fire.”

While firefighters perform a very systematic approach to search and rescue on each fire already, the stickers, if kept updated, can provide rescuers better information on what type of animal is inside.  While life safety of the occupants is always first, firefighters understand the importance of pets and work diligently to make it the best of possible outcomes for the entire family.

This troop still has some stickers left for sale and troop leader Amanda can be reached at 678-232-1759 for more information.

http://www.petoxygenmasks.org/  is the web site of the product purchased by the troop.

The Fishers Junior High School “We the People” team won the Indiana state championship and is now entitled to compete at the national finals in Washington DC.  There is only one problem – the team is depending on the local community to fund their trip to the nation’s capital.

We the People is a competition testing students knowledge about the history of the United States Constitution and how it has evolved from its’s ratification to today’s world.

The team is coached by Mike Fassold.

You can help the Fishers Junior High School “We the People” team head to Washington. The team has established a Go Fund Me page, making it very easy to contribute.

Make your contribution at this link

Todd Zimmerman and Eric Moeller have several things in common.  They both serve on the Fishers City Council.  They both are fathers of young children.  They also share a concern to help Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools.

Both men decided to put their money up and contribute $500 each to support HSE students.  The question then was, how to go about it.

Contact was made with Freedom Kolb, Executive Director of the HSE Schools Foundation.  She had a suggestion.

“With a student you’re impacting one person, if you contribute to a classroom or teachers, you’re impacting 20-30 kids year after year,” Moeller said.  The duo took Ms. Kolb’s advice and began to plan.

Zimmerman said this is a partnership between the city and the schools, and both councilmen knew students would be deciding which project would be funded.  The idea was to “have the students become the ones that are decision-makers,” Zimmerman said.  “When (the students) are empowered to do that, a lot of times you are more invested in it.”

The city and schools have cooperated in the past and the two councilmen see themselves as building on that long-standing relationship, which you do not see in every community around the state of Indiana.

“Not only are we picking up that torch and carrying on with it, but we’re trying to take it 5 or 10 yards down the field,” said Moeller.

As politicians who often ask for money, both men felt it was important for them to put up their own money to fund this project.

The first foundation award went to Fishers Elementary School for a hydroponic garden.  The project combines science and project-based learning, while reinforcing the importance of a healthy lifestyle and tackling social issues like water conservation and the impact of pesticides on ecosystems.

Zimmerman said he and Moeller are hoping to start something here, leading by example.  “Hopefully, people go ‘Wow, that is cool, we want to be part of that,’” Zimmerman said.  They admit little knowledge about hydroponic plants, but hope to learn from the students participating in this project.

Moeller has a background in finance, but has a different return on investment measure here.  “It’s going to be years and years and years of students learning from this one investment,” Moeller said.  “This one funding of one project, it’s going to impact hundreds and hundreds of students.”

Zimmerman is looking to start a legacy that will last over time, to last beyond their political careers.

Todd Zimmerman and Eric Moeller are trying to start something – a community movement to support local schools, teachers and students.  If you have any interest in joining them, contact either councilman, or get in touch with the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation.

Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools lost their transportation funding appeal before the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance.  HSE argued it needed more money for the transportation system due to student population growth, but the state ruled the local school system did not make its case.

School Chief Financial Officer Mike Reuter told the school board at a Tuesday morning work session that the only recourse at this point is to work with State Representative Todd Huston on a legislative remedy.

HSE has struggled to attract and keep enough school bus drivers to handle the transportation needs.  Local school bus drivers are paid $80-97 per day, plus a benefit package that includes health insurance.  Reuter said surrounding school districts are paying their drivers more, putting HSE at a competitive disadvantage.

If you are interested in applying for a bus driver position, you can apply online at this link.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board formally approved a new contract with Community Health to provide mental health services to students in the local school system.

Assistant Superintendent Mike Beresford told the board “this is a great moment in history for Hamilton Southeastern Schools.”  He talked about all the work that has gone into the agreement that will provide mental health services for every school building in the HSE district.

The school district will pay $400,000 to Community to provide the services.  Community will utilize Medicaid or private health insurance to pay for the cost of services to individual students.  If the Medicaid and/or private insurance is not available, the costs will be covered under the contract provisions.

Board member Matt Burke pressed administrators for where the bright line rule exists for payment of services.  He is concerned that parents may be billed and subject to collection actions if Medicaid or private insurance does not pay for the mental health services.

School attorney David Day pointed to language in the contract referring to “third party payers,” which should preclude individual families from liabilities, but also said the issue needs to be clarified with Community Health.

Beresford told board members the agreement is an “act of faith” on the part of the school corporation and Community Health, so the first year of the program will be a better indicator of how it is working financially for both parties..

School Superintendent Allen Bourff says this needs to be marketed as the program rolls out.  Bourff plans to invite Community Health representatives to a future school board meeting to talk about the services they plan to provide, the fees, structure and access to services for the students.

At this time this story was posted, the school corporation has not made a copy of the contract available online.

The Fishers City Council voiced solid support Monday night for the new proposed Yard project, a culinary and entertainment development planned near the IKEA store, currently under construction near 116th Street and I-69.  The project agreement with Thompson Thrift calls for the developer to invest $40 million.

The city will lease space at $1 per year to select new culinary startups.  It is expected that 8-13 restaurants will also be part of the complex.

Thompson Thrift purchased all the homes that will make up this development.  No eminent  domain threats were used to buy the homes, according to city officials.  All homeowners were paid a premium by the developer.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) will be utilized as part of the incentive package.  This land area is not part of the city and will need to be annexed before the project can move forward.

The council also unanimously voted to change the zoning in the area from residential to commercial.

After many months of discussions between the Fishers Freedom Festival and the City of Fishers, it appears the annual summer event will remain at its long-time Holland Park home in 2017.  After 2017, it is unclear what happens next.

City officials had been saying for several months that the 2017 festival would be held in downtown Fishers in the Nickel Plate District, at the municipal complex.  It appears those plans have changed.

In a December 19th Fishers City Council work session, a discussion was held on the city’s support for a number of nonprofit organizations in the local community.  The Fishers Freedom Festival is one of those groups.

Council members were told the city expects to financially support the Freedom Festival at the same dollar amount in 2017 as it did in 2016.  That includes $85,000 of cash and $48,000 of “in-kind” support.  In-kind support includes help from the police and fire departments, as well as the Department of Public Works and the Parks Department.

Fishers Freedom Festival Executive Director Jennifer Kehl, who also serves as the Fishers City Clerk, told LarryInFishers that all the contract language has not been finalized, but she expects the 2017 festival to be held at Holland Park, the same as all previous events, going back to 1989.  After 2017, the Festival Committee and the city will sort-out what comes next.

The City Council has a subcommittee studying the city’s support of local nonprofits.  Mayor Scott Fadness told council members the city will be doing an annual review of that support, and new procedures will be in place for accountability for the nonprofit group’s receiving support from the city, beginning with the budget cycle for 2018..

Rogue One is the latest Star Wars film….here is my review…

It was more than one year ago when  IKEA announced plans to begin construction on a new Central Indiana store here in Fishers.  The work on that facility is underway and should be finished less than a year from now.

After the 2015 formal announcement ceremony, Mayor Scott Fadness indicated a “go slow” or careful approach to development in the area around IKEA.  In other localities, big box developments have normally sprung-up around IKEA locations.

The mayor had other plans for Fishers.  First, he recommended, and the city council enacted. more restrictive zoning requirements in that IKEA area of the city.  The vision was to do something creative with that part of town.

On December 15th, The City of Fishers announced what it describes as a “culinary and entertainment center” at 116th Street and IKEA Way, just east of Interstate 69, called The Yard.  The $40 million project will be developed by Thompson Thrift.

Based on all the information released so far, it appears the city is putting together a kind of Launch Fishers for food and restaurants.  Fadness appeared on Gerry Dick’s Inside Indiana Business television program, and said he expects 8-13 restaurants to be in place once the complex is complete.  But he’s most interested in the city master leasing two 1,500 square feet buildings to be used as a culinary and/or restaurant accelerator, allowing creative culinary experiments to be housed there.

Because IKEA will be a regional draw for Fishers, Fadness clearly is envisioning The Yard to draw people from the entire central part of the state.  The way this development has been described, there is nothing else like it in Indiana.

The news release refers to entertainment as part or the complex, but there is no clear indication what kind of entertainment is expected to be developed.  I suspect that more details on that part of the development will be better known as the project moves along.

Tax Increment Financing will be utilized as an incentive for the private developers to sign-on to the plans.  That means property tax money will be diverted for a number of years to pay-off bonds for The Yard.  It should be noted this land will need to be annexed into the city and rezoned from residential to another use.  Thompson-Thrift bought the homes currently on this property to demolish the structures, clearing the way for this project.

The plan will also require a waiver of impact fees.

Construction could begin as early as the summer of 2017.

When I interviewed Mayor Fadness and his Community Development Director at the time, Tom Dickey. as the downtown Depot construction was about to begin, they both made clear they had a vision.  They wanted Fishers to become a destination, much like Mass Ave, Fountain Square or Broad Ripple, but with a different twist.  They wanted a family destination.

Bringing IKEA to Fishers, and building on that with plans for The Yard, Mayor Fadness is moving forward with that vision.  Let’s be honest, there are risks involved with a development as ambitious and different as The Yard.  But we all should also keep in mind that doing nothing brings its own risks.  Time will tell whether this gamble pans out for Fishers.

The half-days teachers have for professional development will not be a part of the 2016-2017 school year.  Those student half-days built into the school calendar will be eliminated in the next school year.

Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Superintendent Allen Bourff recommended a new teacher professional development schedule at the December 14th session.  The board approved the proposal 6-1, with Howard Stevenson voting no.

The new schedule calls for teacher professional development to be done for a 45-minute period on most school-day Monday afternoons.  This would be done by expanding the teacher work day by 25 minutes and reducing student time by 20 minutes.  For more details on the new schedule, use this link.

Dr. Bourff told the board several groups were surveyed, including parents and teachers. After looking at all the results, and other factors, the proposal was made for Mondays.

This will extend the teacher work day by 25 minutes each Monday when professional development is scheduled.  “I’m fully aware that there are some concerns about what you do in this length of time,” Dr. Bourff told board members.  “No one wants to have their day extended, mandated by a government body, but what I am suggesting right now is that we step out there and do this.”

HSE Education Association President Janet Chandler said her group has been talking to the administration for a number of months about this professional development schedule. Although she expressed appreciation for Dr. Bourff’s willingness to listen, the teachers making up the membership of her association clearly want to keep the current half-day system for professional development, based on a survey done last year.

“There are definitely feelings out there that, we bargained a contract, and then all of a sudden they (school officials) increase our hours, there’s no pay to go with that, and how does that work out,” Chandler told the board.

Chandler did thank administrators for making some modifications of the professional development times.  “I know that an afternoon time (for professional development) will certainly be beneficial to teachers with families,” Chandler said.

Board President Karen Harmer said this proposal “didn’t satisfy anybody, so everybody got little pieces but nobody got what they really wanted.”