In December of 2016, The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board approved a normally routine item that evening – the consent agenda.  That item rolls into a long list of actions. Included in it are usually resignations, retirements, hiring employees, etc.  For the first time I know, buried in that consent agenda, was a 5-day suspension for Employee Number 10042.  I must admit, I did not pick up on it, and no other journalist found it, except one – Bob Segall of WTHR’s 13Investigates.

He pressed the school corporation for the name of the suspended staff member, and HSE School officials disclosed the suspension was given to Fishers High School football coach Rick Wimmer.

Since that time, HSE has refused to provide more than general, vague information about why Coach Wimmer was suspended.  Twice 13Investigates has asked for opinions from the Indiana Public Access Counselor, an expert on state laws relating to open records and an appointee of the governor, on whether HSE has followed the law in refusing to disclose any specific facts about why Coach Wimmer was suspended.  Counselor Luke Britt has twice issued opinions clearly stating HSE must disclose specific facts about this suspension.

Yet, HSE has twice refused to follow those opinions.  Now Public Counselor Britt has done an on-camera interview with 13Investigates’ Segall to make the incredible statement that HSE officials “don’t get it” when interpreting his opinions.  It is highly unusual for a public counselor to make a statement like that on television.

The 13Investigates team has the option of going to court and forcing the issue before a judge.  But Segall said in his most recent story that WTHR is proposing that HSE privately disclose to Britt the specific facts related to the Coach Wimmer suspension so Britt may determine whether HSE has any legally valid reason not to disclose the facts of this suspension.  HSE has not yet responded to that proposal from Segall and his team.

Segall is also asking HSE Schools how much this legal battle is costing the school corporation in additional legal fees.  So far, HSE has not responded.

If HSE somehow thinks 13Investigates will give up on this story, keep in mind that it is very rare for a local television news operation to win a Peabody Award, described as the Oscars of the news business.  In the last round, 13Investigates won not one, but two Peabody awards.  The 13Investigates team knows what they are doing.

There are many more details contained on the latest story from 13Investigates.  You can read the story, and watch the video of the story that aired on the 5:30pm WTHR newscast on July 14th, at this link.

Here is my review of the film Spiderman-Homecoming

Khunsha Ahmed has a goal – she wants to cure kidney cancer.  Khunsha will start her senior year at Fishers High School next month.

Ahmed is the only Indiana representative from the 100 recipients of the Emperor Science Award, a PBS LearningMedia and Stand Up To Cancer initiative designed to encourage high school students to explore careers in science, focusing on cancer research and care.

The Emperor Science Award program received nearly 800 applications from eligible 10^th and 11^th grade students in 44 states throughout the U.S. Prominent scientists served as judges and evaluated the students’ applications: written essays submitted online January 10 through March 17, addressing why scientific research is so important in finding a cure for cancer, what scientific field they would study and why.

She was honored recently for her essay about renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer.

Ahmed is now in the midst of a summer mentorship with IU Health Simon Cancer Center oncologist Costantine Albany.

The mentorship is just one reward for Ahmed’s winning entry. She also received a new Google Chromebook and a $1,500 stipend from PBSLearningMedia.

With bond debt coming on board the city debt load, Mayor Scott Fadness attended the Fishers City Council Finance Committee meeting Wednesday night and commented on that, as well as progress on The Yard culinary project.

Bond issuance procedures are beginning for new plans, such as the proposed new city park on Geist Lake and major improvements to the Nickel Plate Amphitheater behind City Hall.  The mayor told the Finance Committee this new debt will require only “minor adjustments” to the 2018 tax rate.  The mayor’s staff is currently working on a fiscal plan for 2018 which will provide a clearer projection of the 2018 city tax rate and city budget.

“It’s hard to take one bond issue and say, this is what it means to your tax rate,” Fadness said.  “In reality, you’ve got to look at the whole thing, plus your net assessed value.”

The mayor also talked about the status of The Yard culinary development planned near IKEA.  Fadness expects news soon on eating establishments planning to locate there.

“There should be a series of announcements here in the next 60 or 90 days that will make a lot of Fishers people very happy,” Fadness said about The Yard.

The mayor said a ground-breaking for the yard may not come until spring of 2018.  Fadness added that as residents of the 22 homes in Spring Dale Estates continue to leave their homes, there is a possibility that empty neighborhood could be used for police and fire training before the structures are torn down.

The City of Fishers chose to dip into its own staff to replace Controller Oscar Gutierrez.  Lisa Bradford has served as the number 2 person in the controller’s office and will become the Fishers City Controller Monday.

Gutierrez is taking a job with the Mind Trust, a nonprofit organization that supports charter schools.

Mayor Scott Fadness announced the appointment during Wednesday night’s meeting of the Fishers City Council Finance Committee.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

(NOTE:  Commentaries by Fred Swift are posted on here as part of a partnership between the Hamilton County Reporter and LarryInFishers.com)

County Commissioners have taken steps to proceed with two major county facility
expansion projects.

An agreement has been signed with Meyer Najem Construction Company
for construction management services on a major addition to the County Government
and Judicial Center.

The multi-million dollar expansion of the 25-year old building will provide more
space for courtrooms, offices and storage.  The addition will be built to the west side
of the existing structure and contain around 100,000 square feet under roof.

County officials had known since the original building was built in 1992 that expansion
would eventually be needed and it was designed so that an addition could
be made. Preliminary design drawings last year show an architecturally pleasing new
west front for the facility.

The agreement with Meyer Najem calls for a fee not to exceed $80,000 for pre-construction
documents. Assuming the project is funded by the County Council, the agreement
will be amended for additional work.  No date has been set for bidding the project
estimated to cost around $23 million.

The council will then vote on funding.  Money is not regarded as a major problem
since the county holds major cash reserves. Bonding is also a likely method
of funding since bonds previously sold by the county are being paid off soon and
new bonds could be sold, resulting in no need for a tax increase.

Another major project in which commissioners have taken a step toward construction, is the expansion of the county jail. Currently overcrowded, the jail building, wich includes the sheriff’s department offices and the 911 communications center, was built to house 296 inmates. Bunks for another 200 has been recommended.

Commissioners have signed an agreement with The Hagerman Group for construction
management on the expansion project. The fee for $40,625 provides for
construction documents, and a proposal for a fee of three percent of construction
costs to manage the project to completion.

When some members of the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board raised the possibility of changing the name of the school corporation as part of a branding study, it triggered quite a debate locally about even suggesting such a thing.

That sparked a number of comments from HSE officials at Wednesday night’s regular board meeting.

First, school officials want you to know that the branding study is not going to consider changing the names of any one of the school buildings within the HSE School District. Hamilton Southeastern High School will remain just that.  Fishers High School’s name will not change.  Fishers Junior High School’s name will continue as is.  You can go on and on with all the school buildings.  No mascots will change. None of that is part of the branding study.

Superintendent Allen Bourff also wants to make it clear that any name change for the school district, if considered at all, would be a small “sub-set” of the branding study.

Dr. Bourff described the branding effort as a way to “communicate who we are as a district, what’s important to us as a district, and also hear from our constituents what is important to them.”

Board Member Terry Tolle emphasized that the Web site design, long overdue for update, will cost about $98,000.  The branding study is budgeted to cost about $50,000.  However, the branding study can impact the new Web site design, so there will be some overlap, even though separate companies have been contracted to perform the Web redesign and the branding project.  The funding for both projects will not come from tax revenue, but from money received by the school system from corporate sponsorship.

One other note from Wednesday night’s session.  It was held in the LGI Room at Hamilton Southeastern High School because construction is beginning at the HSE Schools Administration Building.  Dr. Bourff indicated the sound acoustics are not good in that room (I had difficulty hearing the proceedings at times Wednesday night).  Either the sound situation will be improved, or Dr. Bourff indicated another location would need to be found for regular school board meetings over the next few months.

The Fishers Plan Commission unanimously approved a resolution with a favorable recommendation Wednesday night, moving forward a zoning change allowing iTown Church to construct a new building at 136th Street and Brooks School Road.  City Councilman Rich Block, also a member of the Plan Commission, recused himself and abstained from voting, due to the fact he is a member of iTown Church.

The Fishers City Council is expected to vote on the rezoning at the July 17th regular meeting.  The rezone is necessary because of something called the I-69 Overlay District. That district was first established in 2012 by the Town of Fishers, limiting the ability of nonprofit organizations to locate there, in an effort to protect property tax revenue along this valuable stretch of land.

City planners said the specific location where iTown is proposing to build its new church would not likely draw interest for commercial development, resulting in a favorable staff recommendation to approve the rezone.

This is the second attempt for iTown Church to find a location for the new house of worship.  The first proposal was in the area of the Gray Eagle subdivision near 126th Street and Brooks School Road.  Residents opposed the idea and church officials decided to withdraw that proposal and concentrate on the location under consideration now at 136th Street and Brooks School Road.

The City of Fishers is losing its controller, but the Mind Trust is gaining a new  Senior Director of Facilities and Finance.  Oscar Gutierrez will start his new job soon with the Mind Trust, an organization supporting charter schools.

Gutierrez took over as city controller as Fishers transitioned from a town to a city.  The town had an elected clerk-treasurer.  Under the city arrangement, the mayor’s office took over that responsibility and Scott Fadness appointed Gutierrez as the city’s first controller.

One of Oscar’s biggest accomplishments during his tenure in the controller’s office was gaining the AAA debt rating for the city, which reduced the costs of borrowing.

The news release from the Mind Trust says Gutierrez will be involved in facility and financing strategies for the nonprofit organization.

“Oscar’s unique professional background and unwavering belief in the potential of all children make him an ideal fit for this critical leadership role.  We could not be more excited for Oscar to lend his considerable expertise to fuel the growth of high-quality schools in Indianapolis by advancing innovative facility solutions.” said Brandon Brown, The Mind Trust’s Senior Vice President of Education Innovation, in the news release.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

(NOTE:  Fred Swift commentaries are posted on LarryInFishers.com as part of a partnership between the Hamilton County Reporter)

In a previous column on Hamilton County’s struggle with the widespread problem
on drug use, addiction and the sometimes fatal results, I failed to mention the County
Drug Court. Now in its eighth year, this component in the local effort to reform dangerous
drug users and addicts is presided over by Judge Gail Bardach in Hamilton Superior
Court 6.

The idea is to get successful treatment for drug addicts.  The actual treatment is conducted by certified addiction centers located in the county.  But, the process also includes supervision by the court’s drug team whose members include Judge Bardach, the
program director and assistant, court case managers, a deputy prosecutor, a pauper
defense attorney, and members of local treatment centers.

Although voluntary on the part of participants, there are strong incentives
to participate. For example, entering the court’s 18 to 24 month program can sometimes
allow a drug offender to avoid an even lengthier prison sentence. The program does not
take individuals who are known to have sold drugs. Drug dealers are still prosecuted
under criminal law.

Judge Bardach says the mission of her program is to enable participants to become
productive members of the community, reduce costs to taxpayers and cut jail
overcrowding. Participants are required to be employed or, if not, get a job by the time
they enter the program. They will then pay their own treatment expenses and any other
fees associated with the program.

The drug court team arranges for regular court appearances, appointments with
a case manager, random urine screening, home visits, progress reports from treatment
providers, and contact with employers or others with whom the participant
may associate.

It is not an easy way to ‘kick the habit’ or avoid jail, but in at least 50 percent
of the cases the program has experienced success. Most of the time there are 30 to
35 folks enrolled. They are all Hamilton County residents, at least 18 years old and
are non-violent offenders.

Enrollment in the drug court program comes through various means. Police often
refer a case to the court, but family members or school officials can bring a
situation to the court’s attention, or a person knowing he or she has a problem could
volunteer to enroll.

The court, like similar courts in about half of Indiana’s counties, is sanctioned
by the state. After completing the rigorous course, a graduation is held. The next is
scheduled for Aug. 7. Following graduation some participants have been known
to mentor others in need of help in staying away from the drug world.