One thing about being retired is being able to take trips to Florida in February.  Another thing is when you wife is also retired and you can go together to Florida in February.  When your adult daughters are able to join, and you can visit relatives as well as attend a family wedding on Amelia Island, you know that trip was a good one.  And it was.

When you are away from home for a period of time, you miss a few things.  I have attempted to stay connected with Fishers while away.  But something has happened since my return and it is a sad development.

My daughter Allison is a graduate of Anderson University, so for four years I visited the city of Anderson more often than I had before.  One thing you see is the remnants of what had once been a thriving city booming economically with a large General Motors presence and is still recovering from the huge auto maker’s decision to leave Anderson many years ago.

I found retirees with UAW union shirts talking at lunch about the past and the sad state of Anderson now.  I know the city is trying very hard to recover, and they have had some success in attracting jobs and development but its’s a tall hill to climb.

Then I got the news that the Mounds Mall will be closing and it hit me that this will be just another punch in the gut to Anderson.  If you have visited the mall lately, you could see it has not been doing well and has been further victimized by the general downturn in the brick-and-mortar stores & shopping malls.

I feel for those impacted by the closing of the Mounds Mall.  But I started to think about a comment made by Senator Joe Donnelly when appearing in Fishers several months ago to receive a national award from the Chamber of Commerce.

Donnelly told the crowd that Anderson has benefited by the rapid growth of Fishers.  People unable to find work in Anderson are apparently finding employment in Fishers and commuting from Anderson to Fishers, according to the senator.

So, even though things are tough at home, some Anderson residents are remaining in their home town and commuting to jobs in Fishers.  What would have ever imagined Anderson could get a boost from Fishers?