Adam & Larry review two films this week.  First Reformed stars Ethan Hawke as a troubled pastor of a small tourist church grappling with personal issues.   We also review a new documentary film about the late PBS star Fred Rogers, in Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

We have two guest segments this week.  Dan T. Hall and Philip Paluso discuss their short documtary film The Eight, all about Figure Eight racing at the Indianapolis Speedrome.  Then, we welcome film critic Nick Rogers to talk about the films he has reviewed so far in 2018.

Mike Beresford will end a 25-year run working in the Hamilton Southeastern School System, and will head to Carmel to take the superintendent job there…here is my talk with Dr. Beresford.

Eller Road in Fishers is now open, but city officials warn it continues to be a construction zone so drive with caution.

There are also changes to the area on 126th Street just east of State Road 37, on Reynolds and Enterprise Drives.

These are just two of many updates and ongoing projects in the weekly update on road construction work in and around Fishers.

Below is the listing as provided by the City of Fishers for the work week starting Monday, July 11th:

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ELLER ROAD   

Eller Road between 116th Street and Allisonville Road is now open to all traffic. This is still a construction zone, so please drive with caution.

126TH STREET & ENTERPRISE DRIVE

Traffic improvements are in progress at 126th Street and Enterprise Drive. State Road 37 and 126th Street (west approach) is now two through lanes and one left turn lane to northbound State Road 37. The right lane is now both a through and right turn lane. Left turns onto Enterprise Drive from eastbound 126th Street are now prohibited. Left turns from Enterprise Drive onto eastbound 126th Street, and left turns from Reynolds Drive onto westbound 126th Street, are also prohibited. Drivers are permitted to turn left from westbound 126th Street onto Reynolds Drive. No U turn movement is permitted at 126th Street and Parkside Drive.

116TH STREET  

Beginning on or after June 11, eastbound 116th Street from Eller Road to Allisonville Road will be reduced to one lane between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for resurfacing of the path on the south side of the roadway.

131ST STREET   

The intersection of 131st and Cumberland Road is currently closed for 45 days to construct a new roundabout. See the detour map here.

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.

BROOKS SCHOOL ROAD  

There are temporary lane restrictions on Brooks School Road south of 116th Street while utility relocation work is performed. Flaggers are in place to help direct traffic. Road closures will begin in July for the construction of a passing blister to improve visibility and enhance motorist safety.

Brooks School Road is closed between 126th Street and 136th Street to build a sidewalk to the east side of the bridge over I-69. Detours via 136th Street, Promise Road, and 126th Street to get around the closure. The road will reopen in early August. Questions can be directed to indot@indot.IN.gov.

MOLLENKOPF ROAD  

Mollenkopf Road between 96th Street and 106th Street has lane restrictions in place while paving work is being completed.  Flaggers are present to direct traffic.

ALLISONVILLE ROAD

Allisonville Road construction is in full swing. Lane restrictions will be in place, as weather permits, along Allisonville Road from 126th Street to 131st Street for the roadway expansion project. Traffic will be shifted to the east side of the street to allow for widening on the west side. Restrictions will be in place between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and flaggers will be on site directing traffic, as necessary. This will be an active construction site with reduced speed limits. For more info on this project, view the Fact Sheet.

136TH STREET

136th Street is closed between Southeastern Parkway and Prairie Baptist Road for the construction of a new roundabout. See the Detour Map.

NICKEL PLATE DISTRICT 

On Saturday 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 Map for more details).

The summer concert series has begun with shows Tuesday and Friday evenings on Central Green. Municipal Drive in front of City Hall will be closed for stage construction beginning at noon on concert days. Also beginning at noon, North Street and Municipal Drive will become a right turn only, and Fishers Center Drive and Municipal Drive will become a left turn only. Beginning at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and 7 p.m. on Fridays, there will be road closures on Municipal Drive at 116th Street, on Municipal Drive at Fishers Center Drive (vehicles will still be able to turn left), and on Municipal Drive at North Street (vehicles will still be able to turn right). Roads will reopen at midnight. Street parking on Municipal Drive will be restricted from 2 p.m. until midnight on concert days. Guests can access the event from Fishers Center Drive, Municipal Drive (north), and North Street. Parking is available at The Switch garage, accessed from North Street.

The Board of Works recently passed an ordinance for no parking in the Nickel Plate District between the hours of 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. See the Parking Restrictions Map for more information.

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.

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 was held on Tuesday, May 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Delaware Township Trustee Office. The meeting presentation and updated 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 to SR37@rqaw.com. 
OUTSIDE OF FISHERS   

The City of Carmel has closed 116th Street between Towne Road and Ditch Road, and between Clay Center Road and Spring Mill Road, until August 8.

On a warm summer night, you will always find a large crowd around Handel’s Ice Cream along 116th Street in Fishers.  Those crowds will now have a colorful piece of art to view as they wait in line for their ice cream.

Artist Craig Martin has been working on a mural covering the east side of the Handel’s Ice Cream building.  Friday morning, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the new piece of art.

Martin says he sees walls often that could use a mural, but for a city to recognize that is “incredible.”

“It was an incredible leap of faith to say’go!,'” Martin told the crowd assembled.

It took a number of people to allow this mural project to become a reality, Martin said, including the City of Fishers, the Fishers Arts Council, the owners of Handel’s Ice Cream  & the building owner.

When a shooting happened close to home, literally at the school district next door in Noblesville, many Fishers parents were concerned about school safety…what is the city doing about it?  What is the school district doing about it?

On May 30th, hundreds of local citizens filled the Leonard Auditorium at HSE High School to hear from local officials about what is being done about school safety.  Both Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness and Hamilton Southeastern Schools Superintendent Dr. Allen Bourff were speakers at the May 30th event.  I asked both to appear on a podcast to talk more about the issue of safety in our local schools.  Both agreed.

Here is that podcast.

The shovels were out on a hot Fishers June afternoon for the ground breaking ceremony at the corner of 116th Street and Ikea Way for The Yard development.  What was originally to be only a culinary concept with a variety of restaurants has expanded and will now include apartments and a 211-room Hyatt Hotel.

Among the dignitaries on hand were Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, Thompson Thrift Managing Partner Ashlee Brown (Thompson Thrift is developer for The Yard) and Clay Robinson of Sun King Brewery.

Among the tenants committed to The Yard project are: 1933 Lounge, Burger Study, Sun King Brewery, Havana Cigar and Cocktail Lounge, Copper Moon Coffee, Nicey Treat, Kincaids Meat Market, Los Arroyos, Rawkin Juice, Sangiovese Ristorante, Blue Peppermint Boutique, Amazing Lash, Massage Heights and Verizon Wireless.   In addition, St Elmo’s says it plans a 2-story restaurant in the complex, which is yet unnamed.

15 restaurants are expected to be housed at The Yard, plus a restaurant-incubator for emerging restaurant concepts, a kind of culinary version of  Launch Fishers.

The restaurant portion of the development is expected to be completed by mid-to-late 2019, with the 211 apartments set for completion in 2020.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

The Red Line rapid transit bus system is now underway in Marion County, but earlier plans for the mass transportation line into Hamilton County is not part of the current plan. Originally the Red Line was proposed to extend from Indianapolis through Carmel and on to Westfield’s Grand Park.

That plan has apparently been shelved for the time being. The Red Line in Indy will only extend from the University of Indianapolis to Broad Ripple. It is being financed largely by a $75 million federal transportation grant which Marion County political leaders secured. The planned Hamilton County leg of the line failed to meet with great enthusiasm although supporters claim their surveys show it is a popular idea with many potential riders. To include Hamilton County in the Red Line route, the proposal, with a local income tax increase, would have to pass in a voter referendum in the townships which it would serve.

At the present time there are no plans to have the referendum on the general election ballot this year. County Commissioner Christine Altman, longtime advocate for public transportation, said yesterday that there is not enough time to do needed public education on the issue before November.

There was consideration of bringing the matter to a vote in 2016, but then dropped. The thought at the time was that it might be brought back this year. But, interest in the subject has not grown and advocates have not made further efforts to sell the idea. And, at the present time there is no money secured for undertaking the expensive project.

The increase in local option income taxes, amounting to one quarter of one percent of individual income added to the current one percent, would not raise nearly enough money to cover initial construction costs.

The rapid transit line being built in Indianapolis involves special street lanes for new electric powered buses along with covered waiting stations at intervals along the route. That route from Broad Ripple south is to be located along College Avenue to the downtown area.

A 13-year-old boy has been charged with 11 counts in the May 25th shooting at Noblesville West Middle School, but Hamilton County Prosecutor Lee Buckingham says the teen suspect will be tried in the juvenile justice system.

According to a news release from the prosecutor’s office, state law does not contain a provision allowing this suspect to be tried as an adult based on the set of facts in this case.  The suspect’s initial court appearance will be June 11th.

When weather delays pushed back the construction schedule for the newly-remodeled Nickel Plate Amphitheater, the city decided to go back to the future…hold the early concerts on the south side of City Hall.  The first summer concert was held Tuesday night.

Despite a threat of rain and some brief showers moving through, most of the crowd stayed as the show began, with My Yellow Rickshaw taking the stage at 7:00pm.  More rain came later, leading to an early end to the concert.

The summer concert series will feature shows on Tuesday and Friday nights, Wednesday musical acts during the lunch hour, and a special show at Saxony FRiday, June 29th with Sugar Ray to kickoff the first Spark!Fishers Festival.

The city projects the newly-remodeled Amphitheater will be ready by Mid-July.

The first Friday concert June 8th, 8:00m, will feature Duke Tumatoe and John Waite

(Story updated June 6th)

The Yard development in Fishers is set to have its ground breaking ceremony this week, but based on a filing with the Fishers Planned Unit Development Committee, a six-story Hyatt Hotel is planned for the southern section of that development.

Thompson Thrift and Dunn Hospitality issued a news release Wednesday showing the new hotel development is to be “double-branded.”

The filing by Dunn Hospitality says the architectural design will be similar to the apartments and retail space in The Yard.

“We had been analyzing various sites throughout the Indianapolis metro area for some time and were drawn to 116th Street due to the announced projects including Top Golf and IKEA and its close proximity to numerous other demand generators,” said David Dunn, President and COO for Dunn Hospitality .  “Once we became aware of Thompson Thrift’s development plans, we instantly recognized the opportunity and moved quickly. We feel fortunate to have been selected as their exclusive hospitality partner with this project.”

The Yard is a Thompson Thrift development of culinary retail spaces.  A parking garage and apartment development have been added to the plans recently.  The Fishers  Redevelopment Commission approved a series of actions  Monday tied to the additional construction

You can review the filing with the Planned Unit Development Committee at this link.

Construction is expected to take 15 months once work begins.

(Note: the name of the company developing the hotel was referred to as Don Properties because that was the spelling contained in a Fishers staff document….the name of the developer is Dunn Hospitality)