With the announcement that the Fishers Freedom Festival will no longer be staged by the nonprofit group that has put this event on since 1989, The City of Fishers is now stepping forward to sponsor the event in 2018.
The satement by the Festival Board was made late on Wednesday. Thursday, I talked with two people with differing views on the situation. Don Dragoo is President of the Fishers Freedom Festival Board…..Brad DeReamer is a member of the Fishers City Council.
Mayor Scott Fadness takes issue with assertion that the City of Fishers ended funding for the Fishers Freedom Festival because the event does not “fall within the city’s vision.”
In the news release issued by the Fishers Freedom Festival late Wednesday night, the festival board said the following: “In 2017, the city provided $45,000 and in-kind services. This August, the mayor and City Council decided to discontinue all funding, including in-kind staff service support, stating that the festival partnership does not fall within their city’s vision.”
The mayor is taking issue with that statement. “I think that is a misrepresentation of what I think the conversation was about,” Mayor Fadness tells LarryInFishers. “We’ve had lots of dialogue with the Fishers Freedom Festival about maybe evolving their event, or continue to adapt just like our city continues to adapt. It was not in any way about ‘I don’t believe we should have festivals’ – nothing could be further from the truth.”
The mayor says any assertion that he doesn’t think events like the Freedom Festival and the parade should be a part of the local landscape is “wholly inaccurate.”
The mayor went on to say this – “I do take exception to their representation of my stance on this. I think traditions and tradition building in our city is critical.”
The mayor envisions food and culinary components as part of the 2018 festival. He wants to continue the traditions of offering entertainment, the parade and a fireworks display. He wants to keep those traditions and add on to those offerings as the city evolves.
“It’s taking on the best of the tradition and adding on and supplementing…..as we evolve as a city and have new interests that these would be incorporated into it,” Mayor Fadness said. “I think all those things are on the table and in the coming months we’re going to work hard, continue the tradition of a community festival that embraces who we used to be and who we are now and who we are hoping to be in the future.”
Mayor Fadness also expressed his gratitude to all the volunteers that helped with the festival in the past.
City Councilman Brad DeReamer said during a podcast recorded November 9th that the 2018 festival will take place at Holland Park and the downtown area simultaneously.
The City of Fishers released a statement Thursday morning, saying it is dedicated to honoring the Fishers Freedom Festival’s tradition in future events, including the annual parade. The statement was issued after the festival committee announced late Wednesday night it will not have the financial resources to stage the mid-summer event at Holland Park in 2018.
The Fishers City Council formed a committee earlier this year as part of the budget process to review financial support the city provides to local nonprofit groups. Nonprofit organizations were asked to apply for financial support, and the Freedom Festival submitted an application.
“Through the application process, (Fishers Freedom Festival) was unable to demonstrate fiscal independence, and the nonprofit committee felt it was best to allocate the grant dollars to benefit multiple nonprofits in an effort to help a greater number of residents,” according to the city statement.
“The Fishers Freedom Festival traditionally received half of the City’s nonprofit grant budget in addition to in-kind services, the equivalent to 10 percent of the Fishers Parks and Recreation budget,” the city said in its written statement.
The Fishers Parks and Recreation Department will take the lead on planning the summer event in 2018. City spokesperson Ashley Elrod tells LarryInFishers the planning process for the 2018 event will begin now, in light of the festival committee’s announcement late Wednesday.
The city announced earlier this year that the financial support for nonprofit organizations would be allocated to the following groups:
Ascent 121 – assistance for survivors of human trafficking
· Cherish – child advocacy and abuse intervention and prevention services
· Conner Prairie Museum, Inc. – interactive history park and Smithsonian-affiliate museum
· Geist Half Marathon – annual marathon fundraiser for youth health and wellness programs
· Hamilton County Leadership Academy – a community leadership development program
· Hamilton County Youth Assistance for Fishers Youth Assistance Program – develop and provide access to programs and services that promote positive growth experiences and enhance home and community relationships.
· Hamilton Southeastern School Foundation – its mission is to bring the next best practices in education home to local students and teachers
· Janus Developmental Services – provides adult individuals with disabilities the opportunity to participate and contribute within the community
· Nickel Plate Arts – supports, promotes and provides outstanding arts experiences in Fishers
· Spaceport Exploration – supports STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math) education that prepares America for the technologies that are shaping the world
· Youth Mentoring Initiative (YMI) – provides mentoring for students by building and sustaining a mentoring community with the highest level of service, integrity, encouragement, and empathy.
· City of Fishers Neighborhood Matching Grant – supports neighborhood beautification projects
· City of Fishers Tree Matching Grant – supports neighborhood tree planting
The Hamilton Southeastern School Board unanimously approved a new contract with the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association Wednesday night. The association, representing teachers in the school district, overwhelmingly ratified the pact earlier this month, with roughly 94% of teachers voting yes to the new agreement.
The contract runs from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2019.
For a summary of major provisions, use this link.
To read the entire agreement text, use this link.
By
Richie Hall
Hamilton Co
Hamilton County Reporter Sports Editor
The early part of the schedule has been busy for the Fishers girls basketball team, but it has also allowed the Tigers to go on a nice win streak.
Fishers won its third consecutive game Wednesday, beating Anderson 57-37 at the Tiger Den. The victory puts Fishers at 3-1 for the season, this after two wins for the Tigers at their own Fishers Classic last weekend.
“I feel like we’re playing pretty well,” said Tigers coach Lauren Vail. “Obviously we’re coming off two good wins over the weekend. We knew Anderson was going to be athletic, we knew they were going to be quick and I felt like after we adjusted to what they were trying to do, that we settled in and played pretty well.”
Fishers began to break away from Anderson late in the first period. The Tigers were helped out by a three-point play from Toni Grace; that was the last basket of the quarter and it gave Fishers a 15-11 lead.
The Tigers then scored nine straight points in the second period to lead 24-13. Balance was the order of that run, with Briana McGee making a layin, Grace converting two free throws, Kenedi London scoring on a layin and Ali Gerka draining a 3-pointer.
The Indians scored five points to end the half, but Fishers still led 24-18 at the break. The Tigers opened the second half with a 7-0 run; Gerka started it with another 3, her third of the game. Grace then stole off a steal and Lydia Stullken made a layin.
“We just talked at halftime about what they were trying to do,” said Vail. “They were really trying to get the ball inside and we talked about how we needed to do a better job of playing our defensive style, and I thought we came out and executed offensively right off the bat, too, to start the quarter, which never hurts anything.”
Another 7-0 run late in the third pushed the Fishers lead to 20 points, 43-23. Tamia Perryman got five of those points, with a 3-pointer and a layin. Grace made another layin as well.
Grace finished the game with 20 points, with Gerka scoring 13 and Perryman 11. Perryman reached double-double status with 14 rebounds.
“It’s great to have balance and I love that the three of them can do it different ways,” said Vail. “Ali was shooting the ball well tonight. Tamia, obviously, is very good in the open court, getting out and going, and Toni can get to the rim and shoot it from the outside. It’s always nice when you have balanced scoring, especially when they can do it in different ways.”
Fishers is back in action this weekend when it travels over to the Hamilton Southeastern Classic. The Tigers will play Lake Central at 1 p.m. and Valparaiso at 6 p.m. The Royals will also play those teams, taking on Valpo at 11 a.m. and Lake Central at 8 p.m.
The Fishers Freedom Festival will cease holding the summer festival, with the 2017 event the final one to be run by the nonprofit organization that has operated the festival since 1989.
In a news release issued by the festival late Wednesday night, the committee said, ” it (is) with great sadness that the Fishers Freedom Festival announces the immediate ceasing of the Fishers Freedom Festival event held annually that celebrates Independence Day.”
The City of Fishers, and the town government before that, had always financially supported the festival. However, the Fishers City Council formed a committee to take a hard look at city’s financial support of all local tax-exempt organizations. The Freedom Festival applied for continued cash and in-kind help from the city, but the committee did not include the festival and the full City Council passed a budget for 2018 without support for the Freedom Festival.
“We are very proud of the Fishers Freedom Festival’s positive community impact that contributed to Fishers’ overall quality of life,” said Festival Board President Don Dragoo, in a news release from the festival. “The decision to terminate the Fishers Freedom Festival was made after many considerations, but is unavoidable due to financial circumstances. We want to sincerely thank all of our past sponsors, donors, vendors, residents, city staff and volunteers that have supported us over the past 29 years.”
The festival committee says the city provided $45,000 of in-kind services (police, fire, parks, public works and other departments) during the 2017 festival, and annual cash support was $85,000. In the release, the festival said it would not be able to fill the financial gap to hold the event in 2018.
According to the news release, it appears the festival committee will continue to support two other events it has been connected with in the past. The annual Fishers Oktoberfest event will be entirely operated by Saxony with Freedom Festival volunteer support. The Christmas in October Craft Fair will be run by Fishers Freedom Festival volunteers alongside the Fishers High School Riley Dance Marathon Club, who will eventually take over the craft fair.
When the announcement was made in August releasing the list of groups to receive city support, and the Fishers Freedom Festival was not on that list, the City of Fishers released the following statement August 31st. “If the Fishers Freedom Festival Committee chooses not to host the Festival next year, the City will fill that void. The City remains committed to bringing residents together by carrying on traditions such as the parade and others our residents love.”
Some city officials have expressed interest in holding the event itself, moving most of the activities from Holland Park to the downtown municipal complex.
When Scott May announced he is resigning his job as head football coach Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) High School after 11 years at the helm, it didn’t take long for the rumor mill to start up and speculate who May’s successor will be.
Hamilton Southeastern School Board President Matt Burke addressed those rumors at the Wednesday night board meeting.
“There is a group of individuals in the community who believe the decision has already been made,” said Burke. “I think what they are implying from that is they don’t like what they believe that predetermined decision is going to be. And it’s fair to say a decision has not been made.”
School administrators, in answer to a question from board member Terry Tolle about the status of the head football coach opening, said the position was posted Wednesday morning.
This is a chance to support a new organization formed to support local fire and police departments. The fund raiser is set for Wednesday, November 8th, at Four Day Ray, 5:30-7:30pm. You can learn more about the 50 club by listening to a podcast recorded in August 29th, at this link
Below is a news release with more details on the 50 Club:
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Fishers Police Department and Fishers Fire Department would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Fishers Fifty Club, which was officially established June 27, 2017.
The primary goal of the Fifty Club is to raise funds to support the families of Fishers firefighters and police officers in the event of a catastrophic injury or line of duty death of an emergency responder. These funds are raised through drives and events organized by the members of the club and dispersed to the family in a timely fashion for immediate needs.
Fire Chief Steve Orusa expressed his “gratitude for the generosity of these members of our community in the thoughtful, impactful approach to caring for our responder’s families.”
Police Chief Mitch Thompson added, “It is an honor to see our men and women’s professionalism and contribution recognized by our community and an avenue of relief for our responders knowing their family will be cared for in the event of their death in the performance of duties.”
Founding of this chapter of the Fifty Club is James Ratliff, Steven Lutz and Richard Block. Having set the basis for this chapter, they are now accepting other business and philanthropic members of the community to join them as the founding donors of the organization.
The public is invited to attend a Mix and Mingle fundraising event on November 8 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Four Day Ray Brewing. FDR is located at 11671 Lantern Rd.
There has been no line of duty police officer deaths in the history of Fishers Police Department and one line of duty Fishers firefighter death of Raymond “Bud” Moulder on October 13, 1967. Bud left behind a wife and five children while saving the life of another firefighter as his last act in this world.
Teachers in the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) school system voted to ratify a new contract bargained with the school administration. The Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA) and officials representing the school corporation reached a tentative agreement in October. Teachers voted on that contract November 1-3.
HSEA President Janet Chandler tells LarryInFishers once teachers votes were counted, the pact was ratified. The school board will vote on the contract at the regular meeting Wednesday night to put the final seal of approval on the new agreement.
The contract extends for two years. covering the calendar years of 2018 & 2019. At the October 25th Hamilton Southeastern School Board meeting, Superintendent Allen Bourff outlined the main provisions of the agreement. The contract includes:
–In 2018, teachers will receive an average pay increase of 2.73%, with salaries ranging from a low of $40,158 up to high of $79,085.
–In 2019, the average salary increase will be 2.66%, with the low $40,158 and the high $79,751.
–There will be a group of teachers not always falling under the increases described above due to what is described as a”reset,” which is an effort to increase the pay of newly hired teachers who suffered pay caps during the tough budget years.
–Health insurance premiums will not increase in 2018, but 2019 premiums will depend on what the school system experiences in health claims, and that data is not known yet.
–Teacher compensation for extracurricular activities will not change in the current 2017-2018 school year, but the school corporation will inject $17,500 into that money pool during the 2018-2019 school year.
–The administration Power Point presentation says this contract will increase teacher compensation by just over $6.4 million during the 2-year duration of the pact.
There will be a large number of Fishers-area Colts fans traveling toward Lucas Oil Stadium November 12th to watch the home team take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fans are asked to bring along any used or unused cell phones, which will be used for domestic violence victims.
The Verizon Wireless Hopeline program allows individuals to donate no-longer-used wireless phones and accessories that directly benefit their local communities. Verizon turns these devices into support for local domestic violence organizations and programs.
Wireless phones and accessories – in any shape and from any carrier – can be donated on game day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside Lucas Oil Stadium entrance gates where up to 30 volunteers will be assisting in the collection.
The fan donations will directly benefit survivors of domestic violence who live in transitional housing at Coburn Place in Indianapolis. Since opening in 1996, Coburn Place – which serves residents throughout Indiana – has provided 564,907 days and nights of housing to 708 adults and 1,148 children.
“Coburn Place wouldn’t exist to offer safe and secure housing with access to meaningful resources without donations like these,” said Julia Kathary, president and executive director of Coburn Place.
(Note: Previous versions of this story said the collection was for unused cell phones…in fact they will accept any cell phone, no matter how used)