The construction contract to resurface 116th Street from I-69 west to the city limit was approved Monday.  The Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety gave the okay to award the $1.58  million dollar project.  Construction is expected to begin in July or August of this year.  The contract includes installation of ramps compliant with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).   A Community Crossing Grant awarded last year will pay up to $1 million of this work as a matching grant.

The city’s Director of Engineering, Jeff Hill, told the board detours and rerouting of traffic along 116th Street between I-69 & Cumberland Road ended at noon Monday.  The work took over a week, in order to repair an energy line.  The construction was scheduled during HSE Schools spring break in order to minimize complications with school buses and because many families schedule out of town vacations during that time.

In other news from the Monday Board of Works session:

–A design services contract was awarded for a planned widening of 96th Street between Lantern and Cumberland Roads.

–In a last minute addition not on the board’s published agenda, a $65,000 design project was approved for the Department of Public Works new additional building to be constructed near the current facility on Eller Road.

–The police department will receive uplifting equipment for 10 new police interceptors in the amount of just over $63,000.

The Fishers Police Department has achieved high accreditation, and to keep that status, the department regularly asks local citizens for their views about the job officers are doing. If you have had a contact with Fishers Police, you are encouraged to submit the survey.

The survey will also ask you about your perceptions of safety where you live and shop.

There are only 9 questions to answer.

The survey  is available from now until May 12th.   You can access the survey at this link.

For 18 years, Ben & Ari’s, along State Road 37, has provided joy for the young and old, in and around Fishers.  The center for miniature golf, games and many birthday parties has now closed.  According to a posting on their Web site, Ben & Ari’s last day of business was Sunday, April 9th.

Here is part of the posted statement:

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Thank you for letting us be a part of your life and this community for almost 18 years. Thank you for coming back time and time again. Thanks to the kids who came in more than a decade ago who now come back with their own kids. Thanks to the parents who supported us and let us be a part of your family’s fun. Thanks to every kid who chose us for a birthday party (or parties!), to every team that celebrated with us, and every group of “grown-ups” who came in to relive their childhood. We are honored to have shared in your family’s celebrations.

We know that our closing has come rather suddenly and due to confidentiality agreements with the buyer we were unable to be more forthcoming with this news. We will conduct this transition with the same integrity that we ran our business. To view our FAQ with reimbursement information follow this link: Ben & Ari’s Closing FAQ

To this whole Ben and Ari’s community: thank you for being part of our lives and helping us make Ben and Ari’s a fantastic place to grow up. We’ve come a long way since we first started helping out around the family store and as our time as “mascots” comes to a close we are looking forward to new life stages as well. Ben is now 26 and getting married in August, while Ari is 22 and graduating from college this May. Thank you all for our time at Ben and Ari’s and we hope you’ll remember it the same way we do: We sure had a ball at Ben and Ari’s!

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Based on that statement, it appears the property is being sold for another purpose, which is not being disclosed at this time.

Before Fishers started growing and more choices located here, Ben & Ari’s was the place to have a birthday party, or any celebration.  My family has some fond memories of Ben & Ari’s.  It will be missed, but we anxiously await news of what is planned for that area.

(NOTE:  Ben and Ari’s sent a comment you can read below…..in that comment, they confirm the property will become some type of auto dealership.  Ben & Ari’s brought many good times to people in this area for a very long time.  I wish them all the best in the future.)

The federal tax filing deadline is usually April 15th, but due to a weekend and a local holiday on Monday, April 17th, this year’s deadline is April 18th.  But Saturday, the 15th, this year has some meaning in Fishers.  There are several events tied to Keep Fishers Beautiful.

First, if you have items needing recycling, come to Billericay Park at 126th & Promise Road this Saturday, April 15th, 8am-1pm, to drop-off your items for recycling.  The gates close at 1pm sharp, so you may want to get there early.  Here is the guidance from the Fishers Parks and Recreation Department on what you can submit:

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Electronics/Metals: Appliances – anything that plugs in an outlet

Computers, Gaming systems

Printers – cartridges and toners

Cell phones

all Batteries

VCR’s

stereos

keyboards

mice-all peripherals

power tools

speakers

wiring

monitors

televisions

metals

lawn mowers

workout equipment

HHW: Paint, flammable liquids, liquid acids, liquid bases, toxic solids, motor oil, household batteries, propane tanks (gas grill size only), fire extinguishers, pesticides/herbicides, aerosols, corrosive liquids, non-conforming waste (unknowns), antifreeze, pool chemicals, fluorescent lamp and PCB ballasts, medical sharps. There are limits for flammable liquids and Pesticides/Herbicides. Up to one hundred (100) pounds or its’ liquid equivalent is free, but there will be a charge of $1.00 for each additional pound or its’ liquid equivalent.

Paper: Confidential paper, bills, mail, office paper, printer paper, corrugated paper, cardboard, and newspapers. PAPER IS NOT SHREDDED ON SITE

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There will also be a neighborhood blitz, where such help is needed, with volunteers providing the help, at selected places in need.

Finally, Ritchey Woods will once again be in need to volunteers  to help spruce up the plant life.  That project is 9am-2pm.  Anyone can drop by and volunteer, rain or shine.  You can preregister as a volunteer to get all the paperwork done ahead of time.

To raise your hand to volunteer for any of these April 15th Keep Fishers Beautiful projects, register online at this link.  For more information, contact Dan Domsic via email at domsicd@fishers.in.us or by phone at (317) 595-3151.

When you work in the media off and on for any length of time (as I have), particularly in the news game, you work with a lot of police departments.  I have found some to be very difficult to deal with, others are better.

In Fishers, the relationship between the media and law enforcement is very good, partly because the media relations officer is Tom Weger.  Tom is a top-notch professional in doing his job.

A police officer tasked with dealing in media relationships always has a tight high-wire act to perform.  His first duty is to his police organization, but he also must have good relations with members of the news media to do the job right.  Tom Weger has always found the right balance.

I discovered through the grapevine recently that Tom Weger was experiencing some health issues.  When someone you know is going through something like that, there is always the question the comes up in the mind – should I contact Tom or would he prefer to be left alone with his family?

Tom Weger has posted a message on Facebook about his health so I feel free to make my own comment.  Tom Weger wrote in that post that he is battling rectal cancer.

Here is the good news –  the prognosis from his medical team is very positive.  He describes how the cancer was caught in the early stages, increasing his chances of a full recovery. There is also a reminder just how important cancer screenings are to all of us.  We need to talk to our physicians about that on a regular basis.

Tom Weger also expressed how much his religious faith plays into all this.  He described how he and his wife Jen, “… believe that God is in control. He has put us on this road and we are going to walk it. I am not angry, sad, mad, or scared. We are very excited to see what God has planned and we know He is going to do some amazing things thru this experience. God is good ALL the time!”

I know I speak for many, many people in and around Fishers, wishing Tom Weger a speedy and successful recovery from this disease.  Remember, prayer can be a powerful thing.

My wife Jane and I are in the process of moving, which is a struggle in the best of times.  I mention this only to explain once again why I have been absent from posting on this site for several days.  I have just put my computer equipment back into good enough shape to start writing here.

When perusing the news of the past week, my memories went back to a day of the 1960s. My dad woke up one Sunday morning and told my mom it was time to buy a new color television.  Hard to believe today with all the advanced video technology at our fingertips, but at that time, color TV was on the cutting edge.

My parents decided to go with a local company to buy our family’s first color television, HH Gregg.  My consumer connection to that locally-owned corporation goes back years with lots of purchases, from HD TV’s to car radios.

So it is with a great deal of sadness that I find Gregg’s is going out of business.  The hyper-competitive arena of electronics, along with the rising popularity of buying online, is making life tough for all brick & mortar operations.  Gregg is just one of them.

In a recent podcast with Fishers City Council Vice President Todd Zimmerman, I asked him about the many years he had spent working there.  At the time we recorded the discussion on March 10th, there were news reports that HH Gregg had a buyer and would continue, perhaps as a smaller concern, as the corporation emerged from bankruptcy.  Sadly, that deal fell through.  But you can listen to Todd talk about his days there, describing the workplace as more like being part of a family than a job.  You can listen to the podcast at this link.  The part about HH Gregg is near the end.

My biggest concern about all this centers on those still working at HH Gregg.  I think about all the people employed at their stores.  I think about all the people working at the corporate headquarters on East 96th Street.

It is always sad when a locally owned company goes away.  The Indianapolis metropolitan area has seen that happen on far too many occasions during my lifetime.  It is sad to see it happen once again.

But with all the bad news, we shouldn’t get too discouraged.  In Indy, and suburbs like Fishers, people are starting new businesses all the time.  Many will prosper and employ many people in the future.

What is happening at HH Gregg is sad.  It is part of my experience living in this area.  Let’s hope for the best in the future among all those losing their jobs.

This is spring break time for the Hamilton Southeastern Schools, which educates the children of Fishers and outlying areas.  Reading Facebook the last couple of days is a bit depressing for those of us left behind.  I’ve seen enough Tiki bars and sandy beaches in those social media pictures to last me awhile.

Hey, I’m not complaining as a mostly retired guy.  I had my trip to Florida in January and it was terrific.   Those of you on spring break vacation should enjoy your time away from Fishers.

However, spring break is not vacation time for my wife Jane and myself.  We are moving. The process of moving from one home to another has never been one of my favorite activities.  I am fortunate to have a wife that immerses herself in the details.  I just salute & follow orders.

Just so you know, Jane and Larry are not moving from Fishers, we are moving from one Fishers home to another Fishers home.  With both daughters now adults living their own lives, it is time to downsize, so we are doing just that.  The man writing the LarryInFishers.com news blog and producing the LarryInFishers Podcast will continue to be a Fishers resident.

The reason I am writing this piece is to warn everyone there may not be as many posts on this blog for a time.  Moving all my stuff, including the computer equipment required to write this blog and produce the podcasts , will take a little while.

So, if you see fewer blog posts and a short pause in podcasts, do not fear, I plan to be back as normal in a short period of time.

Let me take just a moment to once again thank the many readers of this blog and listeners to my podcasts.  This remains a volunteer activity for me.  I do it because so many of you tell me how important it is for me to continue.

If you wish, you can always sort through my past LarryInFishers podcasts…the ones from 2017 are available at this link and the 2016 archive of podcasts may be found at this link.

Some of you listen to my podcasts on iTunes.  If you do so, they can be found by placing this phrase in the search box – “podcasts by Larry Lannan”

Also, if you listen on iTunes, take a few moments to rate my podcast….it helps the visibility of my podcast series and makes it easier for others to find it.

Once the move is complete, I will return!