Portillo’s will open in Fishers during September, but it will be a little later in September than originally planned. The opening day is now set for September 28th.
Portillo’s officials say Hurricane Irma has delayed the delivery of key equipment needed to open the eatery.
If you use Municipal Drive inside Fishers Municipal complex, be aware that piece of roadway will be closed Wednesday, September 20, 11am-2pm, to allow for a Food Truck Festival.
(NOTE: A previous post indicated 116th Street would be closed, which was not correct)
For a listing of road closures in an around the Fishers area during the work week beginning Monday, September 18, provided by the City of Fishers, see the information below:
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MUNICIPAL DRIVE
Municipal Drive will be closed in front of City Hall on Wednesday, September 20, between approximately 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. for a Food Truck Festival event.
LANTERN ROAD AND 116TH STREET
The southbound lane of Lantern Road near 116th Street will be closed on Sunday evening, September 17, beginning at 7 p.m. for utility work. Work will be complete by Monday morning rush hour.
116TH STREET
Beginning September 18, lane restrictions will be in place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in each direction of 116th Street west of Brooks School Road, as crews complete median work in front of Simply Dental. Work is expected to be complete by the end of the week. Signage and flaggers will be present during the restrictions.
Periodic lane restrictions will occur on 116th Street east of Allisonville Road as the contractor repairs concrete curbs and ramps and begins resurfacing work on the roadway. Restrictions will be in place between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Please note that overnight work will occur while traffic volumes are reduced. The City greatly appreciates residents’ patience with construction noise.
126TH STREET
Periodic lane restrictions will occur between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on 126th Street between Allisonville Road and Lantern Road as crews complete a passing blister. Flaggers will be present during the restrictions.
BROOKS SCHOOL ROAD
The Brooks School Road bridge over Interstate 69 is closed as Milestone Contractors rebuild the bridge deck. Traffic will be detoured to Promise Road via 126th and 136th Streets. The bridge will remain closed through mid-September.
I-69
Improvements are currently underway to rehabilitate existing bridges, pavement and drainage structures along the 15-mile stretch of interstate.
Two lanes of traffic in each direction of I-69 are currently shifted to accommodate construction of the additional travel lanes. Signs direct large trucks to use the left lane while traffic is shifted toward the right shoulder through the work zone. The speed limit is reduced to 60 mph and further reduced to 50 mph when workers are present. I-69 is expected to open to three lanes in each direction between State Road 37 and State Road 38 before the end of this year. Questions about this project should be directed to INDOT at eastcentralin@indot.in.gov or 1-855-463-6848.
STATE ROAD 37
Geotechnical drilling began along the State Road 37 corridor in May as part of the final design phase of State Road 37 Improvement Project. Lane and shoulder restrictions will be active through September 30.
The geotechnical drilling will cause lane restrictions on SR 37 at the 126th Street intersection on or after August 7 and are anticipated to last until September 30. There will be no lane closures during Labor Day weekend, September 1 through September 4. Southbound restrictions begin after 9 a.m. daily and northbound restrictions will be completed daily before 4 p.m. to allow for maximum traffic flow during peak rush hours. Crews will maintain a minimum of one through-lane at all times.
The SR37 improvement project is a $124 million joint project between Fishers, Hamilton County, Noblesville and INDOT. Questions or concerns may be directed to drivefishers@fishers.in.us.
OUTSIDE OF FISHERS
On or after Monday, August 21, Hamilton County Highway Department will close Cyntheanne Road between 146th Street and 156th Street until December 1, 2017 to replace the bridge over Keiser Drain. Please contact Hamilton County Highway Department at 317-773-7770 with any questions.
While this list encompasses numerous project updates, it does not list all DPW projects throughout the city. The most recent projects are detailed, however please keep in mind that all construction activities are weather permitting. We appreciate motorists’ patience and caution while driving through construction sites.
In my younger years (too long ago) there was always a fascination with things that glow in the dark. The City of Fishers is teaming up with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Central Indiana and the local firm BLASTmedia for a festival of glow-in-the-dark chalk art-work Saturday night in the downtown Nickel Plate District.
For more details, see the city news release below:
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The sidewalks in the Nickel Plate District will glow this weekend thanks to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana (BBBSCI) and BLASTmedia. Fishers Parks & Recreation is excited to partner with the local organizations as they decorate the sidewalks around the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater with glow-in-the-dark chalk on Friday, September 15 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. to raise awareness for the BBBSCI mission, just in time for one of Fishers Parks & Recreation’s most popular events, Glow in the Park. The free Glow in the Park event will bring over 2,000 children and families to the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater for a family-friendly night of fun on Saturday, September 16 from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The event includes face painting, a graffiti wall, a live DJ, a neon splash zone and more (parent supervision is required). BBBSCI will also have a booth at the Glow in the Park event.
BBBSCI hopes the sidewalk chalk art will raise awareness about the organization in the Fishers community and recruit additional volunteers and mentors in the area. Of the 1,200 children that BBBSCI serves annually, only 150 are from Hamilton County, and 50 Hamilton County children are currently on the waitlist for mentors.
For more information about Glow in the Park, visit fishers.in.us/glowinthepark. To learn more about BBBSCI, please visit bbbsci.org, and to learn more about BLASTmedia, visit blastmedia.com.
We first knew the Noblesville venue as Deer Creek Music Center, then Verizon Wireless & now Klipsch. But according to reporting by Lindsey Erdody of the Indianapolis Business Journal, the Klipsch name will soon be gone to be replaced by yet another, yet unknown, sponsor name.
Read Lindsey’s story at this link.
Braeburn Elementary School in the Houston, Texas area was ravaged by Hurricane Harvey. Students and staff at Hoosier Road Elementary School in Fishers are organizing a drive to provide school and personal supplies to the students in Texas before their classes begin September 25th in another building.
See the information below, but time is of the essence…please respond now with your donations! Your help will be accepted through Monday, September 25th.
The HSE Mock Trial Team was named Runner-up at the National Judicial Competition (NJC) in Chicago, IL.
Twenty-seven teams competed for the NJC Mock Trial Championship. Teams were limited to eight participants. Some students had to play multiple roles. The case given to HSE concerned a parent who sued the city for damages due to a death from pindiatosis (made-up name) caused by pindia (also made-up for the competition) in the drinking water. Sides argued whether the municipality did enough to control pindia in the water. The victim also had been previously diagnosed with leukemia which compromised his immune system.
HSE Mock Trial Team: Kaleb Oliver, Madison Rossillo, Bryana Tuemler, Emma Leonard, Jill Grant, Kaitlyn Ross, Nathan Brown and Rebecca Liu.
Kaitlyn Ross also took top honors as the most outstanding witness in the competition.
(Note: The picture above and the video below from part of the Mock Trial Team’s presentation from the Wednesday night school board meeting are provided by HSE Schools)
Hamilton County Reporter
Fishers High School has named Lauren Vail as its interim Girls Varsity Basketball
Coach. The move comes after former head basketball coach Michael Gaines stepped
down to take an assistant principal job at Shelbyville High School.
Vail has been a member of the Fishers Girls Basketball staff for the past eight
years. She has served as the varsity assistant for the past three seasons. Prior
to coming to Fishers, Coach Vail was a member of the Noblesville High School
coaching staff.
Coach Vail graduated from Anderson University in December of 2008 with a
degree in Physical Education and Middle School Math. While at Anderson, she was
a four-year member of the women’s basketball team. She currently teaches in
the physical education department at Fishers High School.
Hamilton County Reporter
On Wednesday, the Hamilton County Council began finalizing a budget that many of the council members feel will keep the county in the black for 2018.
“Smooth” is how Councilman Steve Schwartz described Wednesday’s budget meeting. “I’m proud of the Council for working together on this budget. I’m also very impressed with our department heads for the work they’ve done prior to today’s meeting. We have many department heads that are recognized statewide and nationally. They are the best of the best and Hamilton County would not be what it is today without them.”
“Overall a very positive day,” stated Councilman Rick McKinney following the budget meeting. “I feel we are going to wind up in a strong fiscal position for next year and we will be adding new positions to several departments to keep up with growth.” McKinney also complimented department heads. “We have some very experienced department heads that came to the budget meeting prepared.”
A public hearing on the budget will be conducted at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4 with a budget adoption meeting scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 16.
by
Fred Swift
Hamilton County Reporter
I was sorry to hear this week of the passing of Jack Marks, Noblesville resident and former State Police Trooper. Jack was what I consider the ideal state trooper during his 25-year career working mostly in Hamilton County. He was from what I’d consider the ‘old school’ of law enforcement, conducting good police work along with one-on-one public relations.
It was a time when state troopers would stop by the Ledger newspaper office to share information on accident reports, criminal activity and the like. As a new reporter at the Ledger I met Jack and the other troopers who worked the area.
One of the best stories I recall about Jack involved him bringing Beatle Ringo Starr to Noblesville. That was in 1964 while the Beatles were making one of their first American appearances, playing the Indiana State Fair. Jack was on the security detail for the wildly popular British band.
Early one morning Ringo asked Jack if he could take a ride around the area to see the Speedway, the downtown sights, etc. Jack asked if Ringo, a city boy from Liverpool, would also like to visit the Marks’ farm. Ringo, having probably never seen a working farm, agreed he’d like that.
Jack surprised his family when he came home with the famous Beatle. Apparently Jack’s 11-year old daughter was much more impressed than his wife who was busy trying to get horses ready for the State Fair. But, Ringo got to ride a horse briefly, according to those who were present.
Later, Jack and Ringo stopped at Ben’s Island restaurant in Carmel for breakfast. Patrons were surprised to say the least, but the young entertainer signed several autographs for adoring fans. So, I think the encounter between Jack and Ringo is not only historically interesting, but shows a lot about Jack’s kind and friendly nature, going above and beyond to show hospitality to a visitor.
Hamilton County Reporter
Hamilton County Area Neighborhood Development Inc. was recognized Sept. 10 at Indiana Landmarks’ annual meeting, where HAND won a Servaas Memorial Award for achievement in historic preservation.
Given annually to a not-for-profit organization, the award recognizes HAND’s work restoring three abandoned buildings and revitalizing a block of downtown Noblesville. Now known as Roper Lofts and Roper Capstone, the buildings at 347, 304 and 388 S. 8th Street were transformed into a total of 14 affordable apartments as well as office space for HAND and the Shepherd’s Center of Hamilton County.
Indiana Landmarks’ awards panel applauded HAND’s restoration standards and its commitment to combining low-income housing, preservation and community revitalization.
Also honored at the meeting were Fountain County Landmarks, which received the Servaas Award for youth-serving organizations and Sallie Rowland, the retired founder of Indianapolis architecture and interior design firm Rowland Design. Rowland won the Williamson Prize for outstanding individual leadership in historic preservation for her 40 years of devotion to restoration and revitalization.
Find the full Indiana Landmarks news release here: www.indianalandmarks.org/2017/09/honoring-heritage-defenders
Founded in 2003, HAND works to ensure that Hamilton County remains livable, with homes that are affordable for all residents. In addition to developing six communities leasing a total of 96 apartments, HAND helps low-income homeowners make critical repairs to their homes. The organization has invested nearly $17 million in Hamilton County housing. Learn more at www.handincorporated.org