Many families within the Hamilton Southeastern School District often ask – how does the administration decide whether to call off school or impose a 2-hour delay on bad weather days?  Superintendent Allen Bourff reviewed that policy for school board members Wednesday night.

Unless a decision is made the day before, Hamilton County school superintendents talk to each other through text messaging around 4:10am that day, and compare notes on what each has been observing or seeing within their school district boundaries.

Each Hamilton County superintendent is also on contact with their respective transportation director.  The transportation chiefs use their network of bus drivers to evaluate the condition of the roads.

The Hamilton County Highway Department, as well as city road crews, the sheriff’s department and city police are all contacted for their perspective.  The National Weather Service and local television meteorologists have information the school districts evaluate in making this decision.

“Sometimes it’s an easy call and sometimes it’s not,” Dr. Bourff said.  “It’s never a call that’s going to be a good one as far as everyone is concerned.”

The condition of the roads and the overall weather are evaluated in making a decision.  The general temperature threshold for calling school is a wind chill factor of 19 degrees below zero and lower.

“When the (wind chill) is 19 degrees below zero, it becomes dangerous for students to stand outside for lengths of time, 5 minutes or more,” Bourff told the board.  “The 19 below zero is not a hard and fast rule. If the buses are sluggish, if we are experiencing difficulty in the buildings, we can deviate from that.”

Road conditions can vary widely within the Hamilton Southeaster School District boundaries.  For example, Bourff said weather conditions can be quite different on Lantern Road and 116th Street in Fishers, compared to the Durbin area in Wayne Township.

After peppering staff with questions, the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board has cleared the way to install solar panels in three school buildings this year.  Work will begin as early as April, with full installation expected this summer.

The three buildings that will use the solar system are Sand Creek Elementary, Sand Creek Intermediate and the HIJ (Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate & Junior High).

Bob Rice, Energy Management Director for HSE Schools, told board members the savings in electricity means the project will pay for itself in 11 years.  The solar project will be financed through a 4-year bond issue that will not trigger a tax increase, per HSE Chief Financial Officer Mike Reuter.

The $2.8 million contract was awarded to the private firm AMERESCO, which has done similar projects for schools on the east and west coast, and solar projects for local governments in Indiana.

Rice told the board this project will produce more than cost savings over time, students will be able to learn about solar energy as part of the school curriculum.  He also touted the reduction in the carbon footprint, as well as awareness among students of jobs in the solar industry.

The board vote to approve the project was unanimous.

You can review the entire presentation to the board at this link.

The Hamilton Southeastern School Board has not yet started video live-streaming board meetings, but the board is still talking about how long to make the recordings of those sessions available.

Three new board members took office in 2019, but the previous board had approved a policy of allowing video recordings to be available to the public for 45 days.  Board member Michelle Fullhart asked that the issue be placed on the agenda of Wednesday night’s meeting and it sparked a lively discussion.

When all was said and done, the board took no action, but sent the issue back to the Policy Committee, with the intention to possibly vote on the issue at the February 13th board meeting.

There were several ideas voiced by different board members, from keeping the current policy of a 45 day video retention period to keeping the videos online for 4 years.  There was no consensus from the board on this issue Wednesday night.

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Rich Torres

Hamilton County Reporter

The temptation was there, but the Fishers girls basketball team refused to look ahead. Instead, the Tigers hushed that impulse quickly with chemistry and execution on Tuesday night.

One win away from a rematch with rival Class 4A No. 1 Hamilton Southeastern, the
Tigers (15-9) stayed grounded during the opening round of Sectional 8 and knocked
off Anderson 58-33 to advance into Friday’s semifinals.

“Early on, the focus was just playing our game and making sure we came out and we
were crisp in what we were trying to do,” Fishers coach Lauren Vail said. “The fact
that Anderson has been playing good basketball lately that helped our kids stay
focused, and I like where our kids are right now. I think they’re enjoying being around
one another.”

The Tigers were all business throughout and all smiles by game’s end as they built a
33-point lead after three quarters, never trailing after breaking a 2-2 tie in the first
quarter.

Sophomore Katie Burton led the Tigers with a game-high 25 points, eight rebounds,
two steals and an assist. Burton put Fishers ahead 4-2 and tallied 12 points by halftime.
She shot 11-of-14 from the field and buried 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.

“Our emphasis was to stop Staisha Hamilton and Tyra Ford. Lock them down. We knew if we did that, then we would be successful as a team,” Burton said. “Now, we’re focused on HSE for the next game.”

The Tigers defense stymied Hamilton, who had a 30-point game in a 76-71 loss to
Warren Central last Tuesday and 20 points against Logansport this past Thursday.

The senior has averaged 18.0 points per game for Anderson this season and was shutout against Fishers, while Indians’ sophomore Tyra Ford had nine rebounds and 18 points, coming up short of her 22.1 ppg.

“Hamilton has been playing really good basketball. She’s had 30 a couple of times
lately and she had 16 in the first quarter Saturday against Lafayette Jeff, so she was
really the one we wanted to hone in on,” Vail said. “I give our kids a lot of credit. They
held her scoreless tonight. That was our main focus.”

Dominating the glass was their second goal, and the Tigers went to work, winning
the rebounding battle 40-27.

Senior Cierra Tolbert hauled in a teamhigh 10 rebounds for Fishers, and Tamia Perryman, a junior, had nine, which pushed her past Rachel Puckett as the program’s all-time leading rebounder.

Puckett set the career record with 424. Perryman now has 431 with 173 this season.
Perryman added eight points against Anderson to increase her season total to 231.

“Rebounding will be key against HSE, for sure. We’re definitely faster than they
are, so if we can rebound and push the ball, then I think that will be crucial for our
offense,” Burton remarked on Friday’s semifinal matchup. “It’s a big one, especially
because they are No. 1 in the state. We have to forget about this one and focus on that
one now.”

If the Tigers want to derail the host Royals (21-1) and their 11-game winning
streak, they will need their chemistry, which has led to run their recent streak to four
straight games.

Fishers lost to HSE 65-41 on the Royals’ home floor on Dec. 15.

“From our very first game this season to now, we have grown a lot. Our team chemistry, our offense, defense, even our chemistry on the bench has come a long way,” Burton said. “It’s unbelievable how much better we’ve gotten from our very first practice.”

Their unified approach has been the catalyst in recent weeks as Fishers turned the page on a five-game losing streak to reach the sectional semifinals for a second straight year – and again against HSE.

The Royals defeated the Tigers 60-35 last postseason before losing to Carmel
68-48 in the sectional championship.

“(HSE is) very talented and haven’t lost to anyone in the state of Indiana this season
and that’s for a reason. It’s going to take a very good performance on our part,” Vail
said. “We have to bring our best offensively and defensively, obviously, but it’s a rival
game. I think those are always fun and anytime you get a rematch, those are fun,
too.”

Hamilton County Reporter

Mayor Scott Fadness presented the Hamilton County Commissioners with a Proclamation Plaque at Monday’s Commissioners’ meeting, listing many transformational projects that Fishers and Hamilton County are collaboratively working on together such as State Road 37, the Historic Bell Ford Covered Bridge and the Fishers Airport Development.

Warren Henderson and Jim White have each been re-elected to serve another term on the Fishers Police Merit Commission.  State law allows police officers to elect two members of the five-member commission.  Henderson and White have been serving as the officers’ elected commission members.

The Police Merit Commission is charged with administering discipline to department members, including suspension, demotion, and termination of employment.  Even when no such cases are pending, the commission is required to meet at least twice each year.

One member of the commission is appointed by the Fishers City Council and the remaining two members are named by the mayor.  Currently, Gary Bolenbaugh is the City Council appointee…the mayor’s appointees are Bryan Babb and Tiffany Sharpley.  However, Ms. Sharpley told commission members at the last meeting she plans to move from Fishers and will need to leave the commission.

Fishers Chief of Police Ed Gebhart announced the election results at Monday’s Board of Works and Safety meeting.

There are times when some people like to mark a special occasion with shots fired, sometimes up into the air.  The problem is this – what goes up must come down, and a bullet returning down can become a dangerous projectile.

Last Monday, the Fishers City Council held a work session and discussed the possibility of enacting a city ordinance dealing with “dangerous projectiles.”

Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart told council members his department has seen a marked increase in the number of calls reporting shots fired, with officers processing 197 weapons connected to an investigation in 2018, up 47% compared to 2017.  This is happening all around the city, according to the chief.

Mayor Scott Fadness said the ordinance he is proposing is not dealing with a “bad guy wanting to shoot at someone,” because there are already plenty of laws already addressing that.

“We’re talking about the guy who thinks it’s a good idea to go shoot his gun off on New Year’s Eve because he thinks it’s celebratory,” Fadness told councilors.  The mayor says this proposed ordinance is a way to prevent bad things from happening.

City Attorney Chris Greisl said Fishers currently has no ordinance on the books that prevents the discharge of a weapon in the city.  State rules often make it difficult for municipalities to enact gun laws, according to Greisl.  The city is proposing to prohibit the discharge of a weapon within Fishers City limits, with the exception of protecting your life in self-defense.

Councilman Brad DeReamer voiced concern about Britton Falls, which is located right on the line between the city and county.  He said guns are sometimes fired on county property, but the projectiles land in Britton Falls.   Greisl said in such a situation, the county prosecutor’s office would decide whether charges would be filed for criminal recklessness in such a case.

The proposed ordinance calls for a $250 fine for violators, doubled if not paid within 30 days.

The city council is expected to review the first draft of this ordinance  at a future council session.

At the same work session, council members considered two other items.

–Council members discussed how to deal with deteriorating sidewalks in many Fishers neighborhoods.  The mayor said he will look into what the city’s role might be and will present a proposal to the city council.

–The problem of private roads in commercial areas of the city not being properly maintained was once again a topic of discussion.  Council members appeared to favor using  what is legally termed a “Barrett Law” which would force adjacent business owners to pay for the upkeep of the private roads providing access to their businesses by pating for work over a number of years.  Having businesses build and maintain their own roads is a policy that dates back to the days of Fishers being a town.  Mayor Fadness described that as “an experiment that failed.”  The city is expected to present a proposal to the council soon using the Barrett Law to finance maintenance on that streets.

February is Black History Month and Fishers Arts Council at The Art Gallery at City Hall will highlight the artwork of Bryce Culverhouse, and Fall Creek Junior High School students, with an exhibit.  There will be an opening ceremony Friday, February 8th at Fishers City Hall, starting at 6pm.

During that event, local filmmaker Demetrius Witherspoon will show his 20-minute film, called “Submerge: Echo 51,” which is part of his popular Sci-Fi Film series. The film will be played at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Visitors can meet with Witherspoon and some of the cast of the film before and after the film.

The art exhibit will include several digital typography pieces by Culverhouse, a Brownsburg artist, whose work combines his passion for history and visual art.

“I created specific history or biography lessons that both communicate information about the subject as well as an interesting concept to visualizing the subject,” Culverhouse said. “Each piece is meant to be read as well as view for its visual value.”

Fall Creek Junior High School art and history students created designs featuring historical scenes recreated through the eyes of famous artists, such as Vincent van Gogh. The exhibit also will feature a large self-portrait installation inspired by New York artist Kehinde Wiley, commissioned to paint a portrait of former president Barack Obama and Michelle Obama.

This art exhibit will be open open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and is free.

Hamilton County Reporter

A $13 million jail expansion project is nearing the end of construction. Hamilton County Building & Grounds Supervisor Steve Wood told the Reporter that construction is scheduled to be completed in March of this year. The expansion will add 84 prefabricated steel cells that can house two to four people per cell.

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Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

If all goes well, the first phase of the Steven Nation Pathways will be underway two years from now. The recreational trail will be the latest in the growing number of Hamilton County walking and bike trails. The name for the trail was announced Wednesday by County Commissioner Steve Dillinger in his annual State of the County address.

The Nation Pathways, named in honor of recently retired Superior Court Judge Steven Nation, will ultimately run from Potters Bridge Park to Atlanta with a branch to Strawtown Koteewi Park via 234th Street.

Nation

The trail has been on the county’s alternative transportation master plan for several years, but only now is application for funding being sought. The county highway department is in the process of seeking a grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources which officials hope will cover 70 percent of the estimated $1.5 million cost of the first phase, says highway director Brad Davis.

The completed trail, several years from now, will cross White River at Potters Bridge north of Noblesville, then run alongside Cumberland Road north to 234th Street then west to Cicero where it will be built alongside State Road 19 to Atlanta. The first phase will be the section from Cicero to Koteewi.

Recreational trails have become immensely popular in recent years, and Hamilton County is seeking to become a leader in this form of recreation and transportation. While the highway department is taking the lead because most of the Nation trail will run on or along highway right-of-way, the county parks department will eventually become involved in some aspects of trail upkeep.

Former Judge Nation was apparently surprised by the naming of the planned trail. He left his court Dec. 31 after a successful 40-year career both as a judge and earlier as county prosecutor. He is a Noblesville resident.

County Parks director Al Patterson also said Friday that his department hopes to open a new 19-acre lake in Koteewi Park this spring. The lake, located where gravel extraction was underway for several years, will provide an additional attraction at the park with fishing, swimming and non-motorized boating. Exact opening date will depend in weather, Patterson said.