The Fishers City Council was busy honoring people at the Monday night session.
Diplomas were handed out to graduates of the first summer Citizens Academy class.
The donors that made four new Pickleball courts possible at Cyntheanne Park were recognized by Council members.
Jamie Follis, teacher at HSE High School, was honored by the council for winning the award of Educator of the Year.
The 3-member City Council NonProfit Committee announced the organizations the city will support in 2019. The committee members are Pete Peterson, Brad DeReamer and Cecilia Coble.
Peterson announced the groups the committee voted to fund at Monday night’s City Council session. The organizations are:
Youth Mentoring Initiative $48,200
JANUS Development $12,000
HSE Schools Foundation $26,300
Hamilton County Youth Assistance Program $65,000
Conner Prairie $100,000
“We feel that making sure some of those folks who are out in our community effecting a lot of residents, in other words, it’s substantive, and will have an impact, guided our decisions,” said Peterson.
The City of Fishers has a roughly $108 million budget in place to fund city operations for 2019, now that the City Council has unanimously voted in favor of the spending plan. Council members also approved a bond issue funding the first phase of the Nickel Plate Trail.
There were people in the audience with Save The Train signs objecting to the funding of the trail, backing a plan to have a train and trail side-by-side, but that is not part of the plan approved by the council. One lady with a Save The Train sign asked the council if she could speak before the vote was taken on the Nickel Plate Trail, but Council President Todd Zimmerman denied the request. The Council held a public hearing on the budget at the September council session.
The $15 million bond issue approved by the council will fund the trail and several road projects around the city.
An area of Lantern Road, just north of the downtown Fishers, will now be subject to a 25-miles-per-hour speed limit during school hours following action Monday by the Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety.
The new speed limit signs will be installed showing the lower speed limit during school hours 160 feet north of 121st Street, impacting both directions on Lantern Rd to 435 feet south of Turin Court. Since this is for a private school, there will be no flashing lights during school hours, just signs facing both directions.
Fishers Chief of Police Ed Gebhart administered the oath of office to three new officers Monday morning. They are Kevin Starkey, Keith Benbow, & Nick Smiley. According to Fishers Police all three are certified law enforcement officers with several years of experience.
If you live within the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District, when you cast your ballot this election cycle, even when using the straight-party ticket choice (voting all at once for candidates of either major party), do not forget to continue. The Hamilton Southeastern School Board is electing a majority of the board, 4 of the 7 members, in this year’s voting and school board elections in the state of Indiana are non-partisan.
So, if you vote all for one party, ensure you will be be casting a vote in the school board election. Why is that important?
First, the quality of the local schools impacts the quality of life for everyone living within the boundaries of the school district.
Second, high quality schools lead to high property values.
Finally, keep this in mind. The City of Fishers is planning on a total municipal budget for 2019 of around $108 million. The Hamilton Southeastern Schools plan to spend just under $243 million next year. Our city is important but our schools are responsible for wisely spending a much bigger chunk of public funds.
In the 2018 round of HSE school board elections, there are 4 districts. You only vote for the group of candidates residing in the district where you live.
A map of the districts is available at this link
That map is sometimes hard to read, so if you want a definitive look at which is your district and which group of candidates you must choose from, go to this link and use the link “check voting status” to review your sample ballot.
When I told people active in local schools that I planned to invite all the HSE School Board candidates for podcast recording sessions, many were skeptical that I could do it. Well, I invited all 10 candidates spread all through the 4 districts, and they all accepted the invitation.
Once you determine in which school board district you reside, I encourage you to listen to my podcast interviews with the candidates in your district. This should help you make a decision on which candidate you prefer.
Below are links to those podcasts, by district:
DISTRICT 1
DISTRICT 2
DISTRICT 3
DISTRICT 4
The Hagerman Group is a firm with a long-time connection with the Fishers community, with its headquarters building located along Allisionville Road. According to my news-gathering parter, the Hamilton County Reporter, the construction company has announced a list of hiring and promotion activity:
Kevin Sexton has joined Hagerman’s Fishers office as a project estimator. Sexton will work closely with the chief estimating officer and preconstruction manager. Sexton has 21 years of similar experience and has managed a full spectrum of projects, services and functions in the construction industry. His alma mater is Vincennes University where he obtained a degree in Building Materials Technology.
Elisa Meredith has joined Hagerman as a project coordinator based in the Fishers office. Meredith’s responsibilities include working closely with project managers and project executives to prepare action plans, including resources, timeframes and budgets. Meredith majored in Electrical Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and recently worked at Gaylor Electric as a project administrator.
Lee Emenhiser has a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management Specialization with a minor in Organizational Leadership and Supervision from Purdue University. Emenhiser is based in Hagerman’s Fort Wayne office and serves as a project engineer. As a project engineer, Emenhiser will support the project manager on contract administration matters related to trade/subcontracts. He will also prepare trade/subcontracts, administer change processes, maintain and update schedules and communicate with the designer. Additionally, he will prepare RFIs, administer progress payments, assist in implementing quality control procedures, manage the submittal process, and initiate claims management controls.
Maranda Taylor serves as business development coordinator and works out of the Fishers office. Taylor is responsible for new business, as well as coordinating BD efforts with the director of business development. Taylor obtained a Bachelor of Corporate Communications from IUPUI in Indianapolis and most recently worked for a local developer.
Nick Kortepeter, a Purdue University graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction Management, has joined Hagerman as an assistant project manager. Having worked in the construction industry for the past 20 years, Kortepeter is well-versed in contract negotiations, project estimation, document preparation, building codes and regulations, material purchasing, site management and CPM scheduling.
Trent Meyer has joined Hagerman as a project engineer and is based out of the Fishers office. Meyer is a 2016 graduate of Ball State University with a minor in Business Administration and a major in Construction Management. As project engineer, Meyer will work in the office and on-site to assist the project manager with construction administration.
Hagerman’s senior estimator of just over a year, Steve Meier, has been promoted to pre-construction manager. Meier is responsible for overseeing projects, evaluating the site, developing itemized expense lists based on personnel and materials and collaborating with owners and designers to explain cost findings. Meier has nearly 20 years of experience in the construction industry.
Hagerman is a privately-owned construction company that has been around for 110 years. The firm has offices in Fishers, Fort Wayne and Louisville, Ky.
by
Richie Hall
Sports Editor
Hamilton County Reporter
The Fishers volleyball team’s terrific season came to an end on Saturday, and it took the best to beat the Tigers.
Fishers fell to No. 1-ranked Yorktown in three sets, 25-16, 25-23, 25-17, in the championship match of the Class 4A Noblesville regional. The win kept Yorktown undefeated at 33-0, while Fishers’ final record was 25-5.
The Tigers played well, but Yorktown’s big hitting and tenacious defense kept Fishers at arm’s length. Yorktown steadily built a lead in the first set, which ended with consecutive kills by senior Kenzie Knuckles.
In the second set, the Tigers came close to doing something that only one other team has done all season: Take a set off Yorktown. Fishers trailed 18-10 in the set, but roared back to score eight straight points and tie things up at 18-18.
Bryn Roberts and Audrey Haworth started the run with kills. Haworth hit another kill to make the score 18-15 out of a Yorktown timeout, then Rose Duffy tipped a ball over for a Fishers point.
Roberts served an ace, forcing another timeout by Yorktown. Camryn Haworth put down a kill on the next point, and the score was tied.
A couple points later, Haley Soper’s block put the Tigers ahead 20-19. The back and forth continued, with Roberts spiking a kill to get Fishers ahead 23-22. But that would be all, as Yorktown won the next three points.
“We had some success on a couple attacking balls in the first set,” said Tigers coach Steven Peek. “But when you see it at six or seven different points in 49 rallies, it’s not going to stick out to you. We started getting streaks and going on some runs.”
Yorktown seized the momentum in the third set, leading 13-7, then 19-8. The Tigers made one last run, scoring five straight points to cut a 23-12 Yorktown lead to 23-17. Audrey Haworth hit two kills, Camryn Haworth had one and Soper made another block.
“One thing we’ve talked about, especially the last five weeks, is we can never have a point or a rally where we are giving up or don’t think we can win,” said Peek.
Yorktown took a timeout at that point, and then won the next two points. Knuckles ended the match with a successful block.
Audrey Haworth hit 12 kills for the Tigers, with Jada Allen putting down eight. Camryn Haworth hit seven kills, Roberts had four and Duffy hit two, in addition to 27 assists. On defense, Emma Rosenberg collected 16 digs, while Camryn Haworth had 10 and Audrey Haworth five.
In the semi-finals, Fishers beat Zionsville in three sets, 25-15, 26-24, 25-17. The Tigers cruised through the first set, with Roberts hitting back-to-back aces late in the set, and Camryn Haworth finishing things with a kill.
The second set was very tight. The Eagles led 7-2, then Fishers came back to lead 10-9. Neither team led by more than one point until the Tigers got ahead 21-19, then 23-20. Zionsville came back to tie the set at 24-24, then Allen hit back-to-back kills to close the set.
Fishers had an easier time in the third set, scoring five straight points to lead 22-14 late in the set. Camryn Haworth was the finisher again, hitting a kill to give the Tigers the match.
“I thought it was a really, really, really great start from us,” said Peek. “We have not always been the best team at starting matches, coming out strong, coming out right away and creating the big gap. But we did that and I do think that that allowed us to have some struggles and still win.”
Hamilton County Reporter
For the first time in over a decade, the Fishers boys cross country team is a semi-state champion.
The Tigers dominated the field at the New Haven semi-state, which took place Saturday at The Plex at Purdue Fort Wayne. Fishers scored 63 points, well ahead of runner-up Concordia Lutheran’s 148. The Tigers also earned the first of six qualifying spots for next Saturday’s state meet at Terre Haute.
Fishers had its top three runners all finished in the top 11. Ethan Meyer led the Tigers by taking fourth, followed by Drew Smith’s 10th-place finish, and Alex Meyer’s 11th-place result.
In the team scoring, Ethan Meyer scored two points, with Smith scoring eight and Alex Meyer nine. While Concordia Lutheran had two runners finish in the top five (scoring one and three points), the Tigers had its top six runners place in the top 34, and all of them finished before Concordia Lutheran’s third runner did, thus clinching the title early.
The semi-state title is the second for Fishers. The Tigers’ first semi-state came in 2007, the same year they won the state championship. Fishers will be making its fifth consecutive state appearance and eight overall.
Hamilton Southeastern also qualified for the state meet, finishing in fifth place with 165 points. Grant Wilson led the Royals by taking 27th. Southeastern will participate in its 13th state finals next weekend at Terre Haute’s LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course.
In the girls meet, HSE placed second with 98 points, while Fishers was third with 117; both schools advance to state. Fort Wayne Carroll dominated the meet, scoring 44 points to take the championship.
The Royals’ Lulu Black finished in third place to led her team, while freshman Vera Schafer took 13th to lead the Tigers. Southeastern qualified for its seventh state meet, while Fishers made it to state for the fifth time.
At the Shelbyville semi-state, three teams and three individuals qualified for state after their performances at Blue River Park.
In the girls meet, Carmel placed third and Noblesville finished fourth, thus sending their teams to Terre Haute. Zionsville won a close meet by scoring 76 points to Brebeuf Jesuit’s 82. The Greyhounds scored 95 points and the Millers totaled 141.
Phoebe Bates was back for Carmel, and she cruised to a runner-up finish in a time of 17:43.4. The race winner was Greencastle’s Emma Wilson, the defending state champion, who clocked in at 17:31.0. Wilson and Bates were the only girls runners to break 18 minutes at the meet.
Noblesville was led by Madison King, who placed 24th. Meanwhile, Hamilton Heights’ Maria Mitchell qualified for state as an individual; she took ninth place. The top 10 individuals not on an advancing team also earn a ticket to Terre Haute.
The Greyhound girls continued their remarkable streak of qualifying for state to 38 years – Carmel has participated in every state meet since the IHSAA began the tournament in 1981. The Millers will make their ninth appearance at state.
In the boys meet, Carmel finished a close second to Cathedral, with the Irish scoring 78 points and the Greyhounds’ 90. Carmel extended its record state qualifying streak to 43, and its 45th state appearance overall. Patrick Campbell led the ‘Hounds by placing 10th.
Noblesville finished seventh, just missing a state qualifying spot by five points. The Millers will have an individual at state, as Travis Hickner placed sixth, easily earning one of the 10 individual places.
Westfield finished 12th as a team, with Mahamat Djour leading the Shamrocks by taking 57th.
Guerin Catholic’s Quinn Gallagher qualified as an individual, placing fifth. Gallagher was the highest-finishing Hamilton County runner at Shelbyville and will return to state for a third consecutive year.
The Legacy Bible Church received unanimous approval from the Fall Creek Board of Zoning appeals September 27th, granting a special exception allowing plans to move forward with their construction of a church along Howe Road, just north of the Fishers city limits. However, Mike Henn, a resident in the area of the planned house of worship, is still unhappy with the decision of the board.
Henn told LarryInFishers most of the crowd at the meeting were part of the church congregation in favor of the zoning measure, but he said roughly 10 people from the neighborhood were also in attendance opposing the variance.
According to Henn, the city listed 7 elements that must be met to qualify for a special exception under the Uniform Development Ordinance. In Henn’s view, the church did not meet all seven conditions.
Megan Schaefer from the Fishers City Planning and Zoning Department wrote the staff report on the request, which recommended approval by the board, as long as a list of conditions were met by the church. Two of the major commitments made by the church include not housing a daycare, school or preschool at the church facility. Also, Legacy Church must seek to preserve the existing vegetation as identified in a written concept plan.
LarryInFishers asked to speak with the Fishers City Planning & Zoning Department about this staff report, but the city did not respond to that request.
The Fishers City Council approved a new Unified Development Ordinance last August, allowing special exceptions in certain instances, such as houses of worship. Legacy Bible Church requested the zoning variance under that provision of the ordinance.
The new proposed church building would be a 20,000 square foot structure with 300 parking spaces and a detention pond for storm water management.
Mr. Henn says he was not the only one at the zoning board meeting opposed to this project. “I was glad to note that I wasn’t the only one that wasn’t for it,” Henn said.
Henn described the guidelines explained during the meeting as “pretty grey stuff,” particularly one dealing with excessive expense.
There are no plans to challenge the decision in court, Henn said, but he maintains that he and others in his neighborhood are not pleased with the process in this case.