Another Hamilton County primary election is in the books, so let’s look at what we know about what the voting tabulations tell us…

–Christine Altman has won a fifth term as Hamilton County Commissioner, defeating challenger Matt Milam.

–Dennis Quakenbush has won the GOP Primary election for Hamilton County Sheriff.

–Fred Glynn defeated Sue Maki in their County Council race…Glynn won by 139 votes, less than one per cent of the votes cast.

–Ken Alexander gets the nod from voters in County Council District 4.

–Steve Schwarz won re-election to his county council seat over challenger Mark Hall.

There is a lot more to report, but I will have more to say later.  In the meantime, get a good night’s sleep!

Firefighters were called to the Indiana Gun Club, located on 113th Street in the Geist area of Fishers.  Authorities received a report of an explosion and fire at the gun club around 6:40pm Tuesday.

Fishers Fire personnel found a substantial amount of fire which was quickly extinguished. An enclosed trailer, storage sheds and garage were involved.

Fire Investigators say the cause of the fire/explosion was a self-ignition of the smokeless powder inside the trailer.  Fire officials believe the interior temperature of the trailer reached an ignition temperature, causing the rapid ignition of materials.  The investigation will continue.

The club appeared to be closed at the time the incident was reported.

As of 7:37pm Tuesday, 113th Steet remained closed until fire hose equipment could be removed from the scene.

There is a new e-mail scam circulating locally and Fishers Police want you to know about it.  The message claims it is coming from a Fishers, Indiana court.

This e-mail provides links to contest an alleged citation or pay the fine. The message also threatens additional consequences if the fine is not paid within 72 hours.

The message was recognized by the Fishers resident receiving it, thought is looked to be bogus, and contacted city court. The court confirmed that they do not send such e-mails.

Fishers Police want all local citizens to remember this – if you receive a suspicious e-mail,  NEVER click on the links and delete it immediately.

We have a primary election on May 8th, so I have a couple of thoughts about what we all need to keep in mind.

First, we are electing the people to run on the Republican and Democratic Party tickets in the November general election.  It is critical for you to vote…here’s why.

Because the turnout is so low, your vote holds more value than ever.  I believe a vote is precious no matter how many are cast, but it is a statistical fact that a vote cast in a low-turnout election has more impact on the results.  We have had some very close primary elections in Hamilton County, and a few votes here and there could have changed the results.

Keep that in mind when you are deciding whether or not to head out to the polls Tuesday.

My second thought brings me to the Republican State Senate primary in District 31, where Jim Merritt is the incumbent.  District 31 takes in Lawrence Township and a part of Fishers, Fall Creek Township to be precise.

This past Friday WISH-TV aired a story about Merritt’s primary opponent, Crystal LaMotte, leveling charges that the address shown on his voting record is not his actual residence.  She claims to have hired a private investigation firm to watch the residence listed as Senator Merritt’s and asserts he is not living there.

Jim Merritt responded that he does live there and sleeps there.  He categorically told WISH-TV that he does live within District 31.

My experience covering and watching political campaigns tells me we should all be wary of any charge like this made so close to election day, when it is difficult for the media to sort out such charges.

I do not know Senator Merritt well, but we have talked on a few occasions and he has been a guest on one of my LarryInFishers.com Podcasts.

I would tell GOP primary voters to take all this with a grain of salt.  If Senator Merritt says categorically he does live in District 31, I take him at his word.

I do expect election night to be quite interesting.  With all the state and local offices up for grabs, we will have a better idea where are party politics stand on Wednesday morning.

(photo from Fishers Fire Department)

Fishers firefighters were bring a house fire under control as of 7:15 Sunday evening on Hillsborough Dr in Hillsborough addition.  The single occupant of the home was not injured, according to the fire department.

Fire personnel say they were hampered by a large amount of personal belongings in the home.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

A one-year delay in construction of the planned major addition to the Hamilton County Government and Judicial Center is quite likely. A decision is not yet official, pending a joint meeting of county commissioners and county council on Wednesday, May 9, The Reporter has learned.

The reasons for postponing the 100,000 square foot expansion include the fact that bids are slightly higher than a proposed budget permits, plus a planned contingency fund is proposed at only two percent of construction costs which may not be sufficient and, most of all, the bid prices do not include finishing any part of the interior of the new addition.

For these reasons, County Commissioner Steve Dillinger said it is his personal opinion that a delay is reasonable. Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt did not disagree, and said re-bidding in November or December may be financially advantageous. Bidding again at that time will allow the county to bond up to $15 million toward the project without a countywide referendum, thanks to a new state law that increased public bonding limits.

Construction could then begin in early 2019, hopefully with at least the main floor interior complete for use.

In the coming months work could be done on moving and extending certain utilities to get that process out of the way of construction. Commissioners made it clear that it is still their intention to do the expansion project to provide space for growing needs of the courts and other offices.

The joint meeting of commissioners and council will be held the day after the primary election when the coming year’s make-up of both bodies will likely be known. Four council members and one commissioner are up for election this year.

The Government and Judicial Center is 26 years old, and at the time of construction officials said expansion might well be needed in about 20 years. The cost of the new addition is estimated at around $23 million and can be completed without a property tax increase because existing bonds will have matured by next year, and new ones may be sold without any increase in the debt retirement levy, officials say.

The expansion will increase the size of the building by about 50 percent with the new construction to the west of the present structure and will include a new, more attractive west front facing White River.

In this week’s edition of Hamilton County Goes To The Movies, Adam & Larry review Avengers: Infinity War.  Larry talks about some films he screened at this year’s Indy Film Fest.  Our guest this week is Ted Green, producer of a new documentary film, Eva, about Holocaust survivor Eva Kor.

The weather was a bit cool, but a nice Saturday in early May for the first outdoor Fishers Farmers Market in 2018.  With the Amphitheater area under construction, the event was moved slightly south and east.  Once the Amphitheater construction is complete, projected to be sometime in June, the market will move back to the stage area.

With the stage under construction, market shoppers were provided music containing a Mexican flair, with the group playing on the porch of the Braden Building.

The Fishers Farmers Market will continue through the summer, Saturdays 8am-12 noon.

A Mexican duo provided the music for the first outdoor market this year

As we get deeper into spring, the Fishers area road construction listing continues to lengthen.  Note some closures around the municipal complex in the Nickel Plate District for special events.

One item not included in this listing is the planned closing of the intersection at 131st Street and Cumberland Road.  A roundabout is being constructed there and the city is waiting until school is out of session to begin the project.

Now, on to the listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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136TH STREET   

Beginning on or after May 7, 136th Street will be closed between Southeastern Parkway and Prairie Baptist Road for the construction of a new roundabout. See the Detour Map.

NICKEL PLATE DISTRICT

Municipal Drive in front of City Hall will be closed for the Hope for Happiness event on Friday, May 4 from 3 p.m. to 12 a.m. All other access around the Municipal Circle will remain open.

On Saturday, May 5, between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m., road closures will take place along the east side of the Municipal Circle along Municipal Drive for the Fishers Farmers’ Market. Access to Municipal Drive from North Street will also be closed during this time. Farmers’ Market parking is available in The Depot and The Switch garages (see the Parking Mapfor more details).

The Board of Works has passed an ordinance for no parking in the Nickel Plate District between the hours of 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., beginning on May 1 (there will be a 2-week grace period where no tickets will be written). See the Parking Restrictions Map for more information.

GEIST RIDGE DRIVE   

Geist Ridge Drive at Florida Road will be closed beginning on May 7, as Hamilton Southeastern Utilities has contracted Culy Contracting to perform sanitary sewer repairs in this area. Access into Valleys at Geist subdivision will be available on Olio Road or 104th Street. Temporary lane restrictions on Florida Road may occur in this area due to construction traffic.

106TH STREET   

106th Street is closed to through traffic from Eller Road to Allisonville Road and from Allisonville Road to Hague Road for the 106th Street Infrastructure Project. Closures for through traffic will also take place from Hague Road to the Crosspoint Boulevard/Lantern Road roundabout. For more info on this project, view the Fact Sheet.

131ST STREET   

Beginning on May 29, the intersection of 131st and Cumberland Road will close for 45 days to construct a new roundabout.

Periodic lane restrictions will occur at the intersection of 131st Street and Cumberland Road as utility relocation work is completed.Expect lane restrictions, weather permitting, along 131st Street between Allisonville Road and Lantern Road for the construction of the Conner Trail from Conner Prairie to the Municipal Complex. Lane restrictions will also take place on Lantern Road between 131st Street and Municipal Drive.

ELLER ROAD   

Eller Road is closed to through traffic south of White Horse Lane for concrete work associated with the 106th Street Infrastructure Project.

ALLISONVILLE ROAD RESURFACING & INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT   

Lane restrictions will be in place, as weather permits, along Allisonville Road from 126th Street to 131st Street for tree clearing ahead of the start of the roadway expansion project. Restrictions will be in place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and flaggers will be on site directing traffic, as necessary. For more info on this project, view the Fact Sheet.

I-69   

As part of a $92 million design-build contract, Milestone has added a third lane in each direction to the median, repaired and resurfaced existing pavement, and rehabilitated bridges and drainage structures on 15 miles of I-69 in Hamilton and Madison counties. Construction of an additional auxiliary lane between the 116th Street entrance ramp to I-69 South and the I-69 South Exit 204 ramp to 106th Street will continue through next spring.

I-69 South will be temporarily reduced to two lanes to allow space for the State Road 37 and 116th Street entrance ramps to safely merge while construction continues on the southbound auxiliary lane between the 116th Street and 106th Street ramps.

Questions about this project should be directed to INDOT via email or at 1-855-463-6848.

STATE ROAD 37  

A public meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Delaware Township Trustee Office. Additional information is available on the project’s new website.

The State Road 37 improvement project is a $124 million joint project between Fishers, Hamilton County, Noblesville, and INDOT. Questions or concerns may be directed via email to Drive Fishers.

When Scott Fadness became Mayor of Fishers in January, 2015, his first major initiative was the Mental Health Task Force.  The mayor is now in his fourth year in office and the task force continues to make progress.

Those involved in the mental health initiative gathered at Launch Fishers Friday morning for a progress report

Perhaps the most telling piece of information shared during the session came from Fishers Fire Chief Steve Orusa.  He told those assembled that there have been no teen suicides in the City of Fishers since 2014.

HSE Schools Superintendent Allen Bourff outlined how the recent referendum approved by local voters has allowed the school corporation to place more mental health professionals in the schools, with 13 therapists serving 21 school buildings.  This allows earlier interventions when students need mental health treatment.

Mayor Fadness pointed to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.  The public debate has centered on firearms policy, but the mayor cited the strides the task force has made in allowing the many stakeholders, including the city and schools, to work together, is one way to intervene early when a teenager is troubled and in need of treatment. that can sometimes make the difference in preventing such situations, according to the mayor.

The Mental Health Task Force has accomplished much in nearly three-and-a-half years, but there is much more left to do.