by Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

We’ve all heard the old saying about ‘too many chiefs and not
enough Indians.’ But, in the case of the troubled
Nickel Plate Railroad it looks like too many Indians and not
enough chiefs, or maybe no chief at all.

No trains can currently run on the Nickel Plate rails
through Hamilton County. Safety is the concern, and who will
want to pay the cost of making it safe seems to be the problem.

Let’s count the Indians. First there is the
Hoosier Heritage Port Authority which owns
the tracks and has declared the railroad
unsafe. Then, there is the Indiana Transportation
Museum which has operated trains on
the railroad for more than 20 years, but has
little money. Then, we count the City of
Noblesville, the City of Fishers and the
county government which together formed
the port authority in the 1990s to save the
rail line from abandonment. They obviously
have some money.

Add to these the Hamilton County
Tourism Bureau which counts the Nickel
Plate as a tourism asset, and wants to see
trains running, Cicero folks who want a
dinner train to run, the Arcadia Arts group
that wants visitors in Arcadia, the new
Atlanta train market which wants to see real
trains, and the Tipton County Economic
Development group that wants to encourage
business.

So, who is the overall leader, spokesman
or chief in this story? It’s hard to tell. County
commissioners had the subject on their
agenda Monday. “We’re exploring all the
options,” said Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt.
The others involved are presumably
exploring the options too. That’s encouraging,
but someone needs to pull the options
together and come up with a plan to proceed.

But, there are problems besides money.
The railroad runs only to about 18th Street
in Indianapolis on the south because the
interstate cut the line there. The Nickel Plate
runs as far north as Tipton, but does not
connect to the east-west rail line at that
point. So, this limits trains to about 38 miles,
not enough to really go anywhere except for
the local excursion rides like the Fairtrain,
Polar Bear Express or dinner train. But that’s enough to sustain the
popular local excursions and historic interest
in railroading.

It seems too bad after saving the
railroad at a time when trains were vanishing
from the American landscape, that the
Nickel Plate would now disappear. And, it
could. There has been talk of pulling up the
rails and converting the rail bed into a
walking and bike trail. Of course that would
cost money, too. But, this is apparently one
of the options on the table.

It’s been nearly a year since trains have
been able to run. So, for the sake of local
business and the enjoyment of our people
young and old, let’s hope there is positive
action soon to get the Nickel Plate back on
track.

After several weeks of waiting, it appears a Portillo’s restaurant is coming to Fishers, near the under-construction IKEA store.  Lindsey Erdody of the Indianapolis Business Journas posted a story about Potillo’s plans.  You can read her story at this link.

A digital marketing company is leaving Launch Fishers and getting its own office in the Nickel Plate District.

Lindsey Erdody of the Indianapolis Business Journal posted the story on February 16th.  You can read her piece at this link.

The Fishers Fire Department says a candle left unattended was the cause of a Geist-area house fire early Wednesday morning.  One 21-year-old male was seriously injured and taken to Eskanazi Hosipital, but Fishers Fire officials say the injuries are not life threatening.  One other person suffered burns, but was treated and released from the hospital.

The home is located at 13164 Highland Springs Drive, near 96th Street and OIio Road.

The candle ignited the blaze in what is described as a “bonus room” above the home’s garage, according to a fire department news release.

The homeowner shut the door of the room where the fire started, which contained the blaze until firefighters arrived.

One person was taken to Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis after Fishers Firefighters responded to a home fire in the Geist area just after 4:30 Wednesday morning.  The home is located at 13164 Highland Springs Drive. near 96th Street and OIio Road.

A second person sustained minor injuries in the blaze, according to the Fishers Fire Department.  Firefighters believe the fire started in a room above the garage, where residents were living at the time.

4 people were able to escape the blaze uninjured.  Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.  Structural damage to the home is estimated at $65,000.

33 firefighters responded.  It took about 25 minutes to get the blaze under control.

Fishers Police handled traffic control, blocking traffic in the area as the blaze was being fought.

Brooke Lawson is the Mental Health Coordinator for Hamilton Southeastern Schools…Larry talked with here about a new program bringing mental health services to all school buildings

All robberies should be of concern, but when thieves strike a home in broad daylight, that adds another dimension to the crime.  Fishers Police are asking for any help local residents can provide about two such incidents happening locally, about two miles apart.

One was reported in the Cherry Hills neighborhood, the second in Sunblest.  Police say the robbers kicked in the front doors of each home and the victims report missing jewelry.

Anyone with information is asked to call Fishers Police at 317-595-3300.

Below is the text of the entire news release from Fishers Police.

==========================

Fishers Police Department is investigating two day-time residential burglaries that occurred yesterday between 8:00am and 5:00pm. Both homes are located within a couple of miles of each other in the Cherry Hills and Sunblest neighborhoods. Both homeowners reported jewelry missing from their homes. Evidence at both homes indicate the suspect(s) gained entry by kicking in the front door.
 
If you were visiting either of these neighborhoods yesterday and observed anything out of the ordinary or live in these neighborhoods and have exterior security cameras please call the Fishers Police Department at 317-595-3300 
 
Please remember to report suspicious persons, vehicles, and activity immediately to 911. Also keep in mind the following home safety tips:
 
Home Safety Tips
 
 Install exterior lights at all entrances. Consider motion detector lights.
 Install a wide-angle viewer on all exterior doors.
 Check who is at the door and do not open the door to anyone you don’t know.
 Install good locks on all doors and windows. Use those locks!
 Be sure locks on doors and windows can be opened quickly in case of fire.
 Leave a light on when you are not home. If you are on vacation, use a timer to control lighting.
 Don’t hide keys outside.
 Remove house keys from your keychain when your car is serviced.
 Talk with trusted neighbors. Keep an eye on their house and ask them to watch yours.
 Stop mail and newspaper delivery when you are away.
 Install an alarm system that will detect entry and notify police.
 Have your lawn mowed and snow shoveled when away.
 Close garage doors at night.
 Keep trees and bushes trimmed. Do not let plants block doors and windows.
 
 
Suspicious Activity
 
An event that is out of the ordinary or that makes you feel uncomfortable could be a crime in progress.
 Adults or juveniles walking casually through the neighborhood looking into windows, backyards, vehicles, etc.
 A vehicle driving slowly through your neighborhood with or without lights on.
 Something wakes you in the night. 
 Someone you don’t know rings your doorbell.
 An unknown car parked near your home containing one or more people.
 If something is suspicious to you, Call the Police!
 
Fishers Police Mitch Thompson is convinced that having a strong partnership with the police department and your neighbors will give the Fishers community its best chance in deterring and detecting criminal activity. If your neighborhood is not an active member of the Fishers Neighborhood Crime Watch Program we encourage you to call Lieutenant Dave Dunbar, at 317-595-3313, for more information.
 
As always if you see or hear something suspicious please call 911 immediately!

The Fishers City Board of Public Works and Safety approved an agreement with the Fishers Freedom Festival, providing $85,000 in cash support for the 2017 event.  In addition to the cash, the city also provides “in-kind” support in the form of public safety, public works and other support from city departments during the summer celebration.

The Fishers City Council approved the $85,000 funding as part of the 2017 city spending plan.  This agreement implements the support.  The cash amount is the same as provided by the city in 2016.

Mayor Scott Fadness told the board the city is looking at how to evaluate support of nonprofit organizations from city coffers.  Fishers spends roughly $300,000 cash per year supporting local nonprofits, such as Conner Prairie and the Freedom Festival.

The city council is establishing a structure to evaluate requests for financial support from nonprofit organizations, beginning with the 2018 budget process.  In the meantime, the board approved the agreement with the Freedom Festival to fund it at the same level as 2016.

“This contract is a new concept,” Fadness said.  “(Nonprofit groups) will have to sign these contracts prior to the City of Fishers releasing any funds going forward.”

You can read the contract at this link.

The board also approved a contract with Attorney Jennifer Messer to provide legal services to the city.  The contract calls for Messer Law to be paid a $20,000 per month retainer by the city.  The full language of the contract is available at this link.

A new parking garage for the Fishers Police Department will break ground this spring, and officers will be moving into a new headquarters building before the end of 2018.  That’s what Chief Mitch Thompson told the Police Merit Commission at the Monday morning session, assuming construction schedules go as planned.  RQAW is handling the architecture work and Hagerman Group appears to have the inside track to construct the building, under a public-private partnership arrangement with the City of Fishers.

Thompson told commission members the department is authorized to have 111 sworn officers, but Fishers currently has 103.  He described the competitive market to attract applicants, which will create a difficult environment to bring on the additional 8 officers.

Thompson said there were 38 apprehensions-in-progress during 2016, the result of being more proactive in the department’s policing strategy.

Assistant Chief Ed Gebhart updated the commission on the CrimeWatch phone app, unveiled in May of 2016.  There are now over 4,000 users.  Once registered, a Fishers resident can snap a picture and report suspicious activity, with an officer in the area receiving the information real time.

The Merit Commission officers will remain the same in 2017, with Warren Henderson continuing as president.

Jason Meyer has been voted onto the Fall Creek Township Board by Republican Precinct Committeemen Saturday, replacing Doug Allman.  Allman was elected by the same group of Fall Creek Township GOP Committeemen to fill the job of Fall Creek Township Trustee, which became open when Jeff Hern was elected to the Hamilton County Council.