I posted a story January 23rd after the Fishers Board of Works and Safety meeting about the planned rerouting of traffic on 116th Street east of I-69.  I received a summary in that meeting, and have had many questions about how traffic will be closed, detoured and rerouted during this year’s HSE spring break.

Fishers City Engineering Department Director Jeff Hill provided more details on what will happen during this project.  Eastbound traffic lanes will be closed.  The eastbound lanes will be shifted to the westbound lanes during this work.  Westbound traffic will be rerouted north on Cumberland Road and turned onto Exit 5 Parkway.  The city plans to adjust the timing on the traffic signals allowing the westbound vehicles to have “through movement” even though it is a detour.  The city plans to put together more detailed graphics and issue news releases, along with social media updates, as spring break is closer in time.

This work is required to allow Marathon Pipeline time for removal of the existing 111 feet of casing around their existing 8 inch pipeline, which runs underneath 116th Street.

Hamilton Southeastern Schools Spring Break will be March 31 through April 7th this school year.

Here is my podcast conversation with Hamilton Southeastern School Board President Matt Burke

The 2016 Game Day was a sellout – and you can now buy your tickets for the 2017 celebration. This is one of the major fund-raising events of the year for the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation.  The foundation supports the school districts students and teachers.

Here are some of what is planned for this year’s Game Day, set for February 24th, 6:30pm-9:30pm, at Conner Prairie:

• Dine on tasty grub and sip beverages
• Enjoy unlimited photo booth and pop-a-shot fun
• Mingle with friends, neighbors, teachers and principals
• Enter for a chance to win $500 cash or a big screen TV!

Tickets are $75, and $50.75 of that total is considered a charitable contribution for tax purposes.  You can buy your tickets at this link.   Remember, last year’s Game Day was sold out in advance.

Motorists will be facing a traffic challenge during spring break this year, as some traffic on 116th Street from Cumberland Road to Exit 5 will be re-routed.  This will be required to allow Marathon Pipeline time for removal of the existing 111 feet of casing around their existing 8 inch pipeline, which runs underneath 116th Street.

In order to remove the casing, the City of Fishers has agreed to detour traffic from the eastbound lanes of 116th Street for a period of 12 days, which the city says will allow the work to be done quickly and efficiently. Once this work has been completed, traffic will be allowed back on the eastbound lanes of 116th Street.

A detour will be setup taking traffic from Cumberland Road to 121st, then back north to 116th Street near Exit 5.  City Engineering Department Director Jeff Hill says there will be publicity detailing this project, allowing drivers to consider alternative routes during this work.

Hill says the project will extend over two weekends, beginning with the Hamilton Southeastern School’s scheduled spring break.  The cost is not to exceed $175,000 and will come from the 116th Street bond proceeds.

The Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety unanimously approved the resolution.

The news contained in John Tuohy’s Indianapolis Star piece posted online January 21st should not come as a surprise to anyone, but it is sad nonetheless.  The Indiana State Fair Train will not likely run for a second straight year in 2017.

The Hoosier Heritage Port Authority has the responsibility to maintain the tracks stretching 37 miles.  The Authority says $5 million in track repairs are needed to bring back the train service for a number of programs, the Fair Train being the largest.

The Port Authority has now put out a request to establish a new operator.  The Indiana Transportation Museum had operated that stretch of train track for a number of years.

The Port Authority president is quoted in the Star story about “serious infighting” within the museum’s organization.  That apparently led to the announcement that a new operator must be found to bring the track up to safety standards.

It will take time to select a new operator and even more time for that group to make the necessary repairs, allowing the Fair Train and other activities to once again start.

It is good that the Hoosier Heritage Port Authority is moving forward.  Let’s hope this gets the 2018 Indiana State Fair train back on track.

Fishers City Councilman At Large Rich Block talks about a variety of issues in this podcast

It appears Fishers is forming a committee to study what, if anything, should be done about Airbnb rentals, in light of a controversy in Carmel.

Carmel is enforcing zoning laws that the city says require residents to obtain a zoning variance in order to rent parts of their homes on a short-term basis.

In a podcast interview, City Councilman Rich Block told LarryInFishers he has been appointed to a local committee aimed at looking at the issue of short term rentals in one’s personal residence in the city of Fishers.

Deputy Mayor Leah McGrath told LarryInFishers city officials believe this issue “merits further discussion.”

Ms. McGrath sent an e-mail with the following statement:

We recognize there is a difference in impact between sub-leasing one’s home to a single renter for a period of time versus leasing for short-term use to visitors who may change week to week.  How and whether to allow for weekly rentals is a question each community needs to evaluate and requires a broader discussion around impact to neighbors, public safety and location.

To that end, we are in the early discussions of forming a subcommittee to discuss this topic.  

McGrath says Fishers is in the early stages of forming this panel and more information will be available at a later time.

Current Fishers ordinances provide zoning rules for bed and breakfast operations, as well as locations of hotels, but there is nothing specific governing short term rentals

The Indiana Park and Recreation Association (IPRA) handed out awards to park operations throughout the state at its 2017 banquet held in Indianapolis January 18th, and the Fishers Parks Department came away from the event with two big honors.

Fishers was presented with an award, “Best Innovative Program,” for Nature First.  The project is done in partnership with the Hamilton Southeastern Schools, aimed at first graders learning more about the outdoors.

The local parks operation was also recognized by IPRA for “Exceptional Park Design” for the community garden located at Cyntheanne Park.

Here is how the state-wide organization describes its awards program:

“The IPRA Annual Awards of Excellence recognize agencies and individuals throughout Indiana that embody the vision, dedication, and excellence needed in the field of parks and recreation. These awards highlight efforts that transcend everyday standards in order to make a difference and improve the quality of life in Indiana’s communities. IPRA award winners include park and recreation professionals, organizations, agencies, and volunteers.”

Krista Beck, a first-grade teacher at Geist Elementary School, gave her students a special assignment.  She asked them to put together their own view of Fishers, through their own eyes.

Ms. Beck’s students were allowed to use their iPads and other sources.  They could include clip art in their presentation.   Continue reading How Does a 1st Grader See Fishers? →

It’s that time of year when the Fishers Police Department is taking applications for its Citizens Academy.  The program starts the evening of March 8th and continues each Wednesday evening for a total of 12 weeks.

Graduates of this program are very complimentary of the experience.  If you have any interest, use the contact information listed in the Fishers Police Department news release below:

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The Fishers Police Department is hosting its 32^th “Citizen’s Police Academy”. The Citizen’s Academy is scheduled for 12 weeks and offers “police style” training to our citizens.  Some of the training will include: Crime Prevention/Neighborhood Watch, Bicycle Patrol, Criminal Law, Police Canine, Traffic Stops, Weapons Familiarization, Self Defense, Criminal Investigations, Evidence Collection, and Narcotics. The instructors will be police officers from the Fishers Police Department.   Participants in the Citizen’s Academy are eligible complete a ride along with an on- duty Fishers Police Officer.
 
    Our spring 2017 Citizen’s Police Academy will be held at the Fishers Police Department every Wednesday night from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. starting March 8, 2016. The academy will be open to individuals who reside or are employed in the Hamilton Southeastern School District.  You must be sixteen years old or older to participate in the Citizen’s Academy.
 
It is our goal to build on the relationships we have established in the community. The Citizen’s Academy consists of classroom and hands on training that will allow citizens to interact and become more familiar with the tasks that are assigned to a police officer. The Citizen’s Academy will give community members the opportunity to ask questions about law enforcement and other related activities.
 
 Apply online at www.fishers.in.us/police  or apply in person at the Fishers Police Department.  Applications will be accepted until February 27th.  If you have any questions contact Officer Rob Thompson at thompsonr@fishers.in.us  or (317) 595-3300.