I have lived in Fishers for more than 28 years.  We may have grown from a small town of less than 10,000 people when I first moved here to over 92,000 population today, but one thing about this community has never changed – we come together when people here are in need.

I became familiar with Chuck and Shari Knox with their work as volunteers with the Fishers Arts Council.  But both have given their time and effort to a number of local organizations.  Chuck and Shari Knox are people that have helped Fishers become the community we enjoy today.

Chuck and Shari Knox are facing a crisis, so I am doing what I can to make everyone in Fishers aware of what is happening.

Chuck Knox has suffered injuries as the result of an accident he suffered while at his home.  For any of us reading this, our lives can change in one instance after suffering unexpected health issues.

Chuck and Shari Knox need your help to get through this crisis.  Friends of Chuck & Shari in the Gray Eagle neighborhood have started a Go Fund Me page to help with the costs of treating Chuck’s medical issues.

What makes any community special is the will of those within that community to chip in and help when possible.  I would ask that you consider helping Chuck and Shari Knox in their moment of need.

You can access the Go Fund Me page for Chuck Knox at this link.

It has been a big week on the Fishers road construction scene.  Thursday evening, all four lanes in the construction zone on Allisonville Road between 116th Street and 131st are now open.  Mayor Fadness recently said that project should have taken 12 months, but has spanned nearly two years.  But the good news is all lanes are open, although motorists should be on the lookout for some construction work finishing-up the project.

The past week also saw the ground breaking ceremony for the upgrade on State Road 37.  The project will begin at the 126th Street intersection.  Fishers City Director of Engineering Jason Taylor told LarryInFishers that 126th Street should remain open for east-west traffic for the remainder of this year.  The contractor will announce when traffic will be blocked or restricted east-west sometime in 2020.  SR 37 north-south lanes will have all four lanes open during the construction, according to officials.

There are other projects to know in the coming work week, starting Monday, Spetember 16th.  The full listing, as provided by the City of Fishers, is shown below:

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ROAD NOTICE UPDATES FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 16
		STATE ROAD 37  This week, we broke ground on the State Road 37 Improvement Project. The 37 Thrives campaign, with its tagline Support the Drive, will keep the community informed, updated and connected to local businesses along the corridor during the construction process. Learn more and sign up to receive text updates here.
ALLISONVILLE ROAD  All four lanes of Allisonville Road are now open! This area is still a construction zone with a 30-mph speed limit, so please drive with caution. Lane restrictions may be in place as final touches are put on the project. 116TH STREET Westbound 116th Street, between Regency Drive and Holland Drive, will be down to one lane on Thursday, September 19 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for tree removal. An arrow board will be in place to help direct traffic. 113TH STREET Hamilton County Highway Department has finished resurfacing work on 113th Street from Florida Road to Southeastern Parkway, but restrictions will still be in place while striping is completed. 106TH & MOLLENKOPF ROAD Watch for delays and lane restrictions near 106th and Mollenkopf Road for work related to intersection improvements. 96TH STREET Utility relocation is beginning on 96th Street as part of the road widening project, resulting in periodic lane restrictions over the coming months. For more information about the 96th Street road widening project, view the Fact Sheet. KEEP FISHERS DPW SAFE Road construction continues around Fishers, so please remember to slow down and drive carefully around road workers. Watch here to see our DPW crew talk about worker safety.
While this list encompasses numerous project updates, it does not list all DPW projects throughout the city. The most recent projects are detailed, however please keep in mind that all construction activities are weather permitting. We appreciate motorists’ patience and caution while driving through construction sites.

The Fishers City Council plans to vote Monday night on incentives for Sitel Corporation to occupy 42,000 square feet of space within the Jarden building at 121st Street and Cumberland Road.  The city incentive package includes a 5-year property tax abatement and city support to construct, rehabilitate, and/or repair the space.

Indiana state economic development officials announced Wednesday a package of incentives, totaling up to $2.25 million in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. The state says these incentives are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives.

The city incentives are in addition to the state package.

Information provided as part of the Fishers City Council agenda for Monday night’s session says Sitel plans an “advanced technology call and customer service center” at the Fishers location.  The city says Sitel plans to hire approximately 300 full time employees.  The state said Wednesday the employee count would be “up to 350.”

In the state news release, Sitel said it plans to establish its “Midwest hub” here in Fishers.

by

Jeff Jellison

Publisher

Hamilton County Reporter

At Tuesday evening’s city council meeting, Noblesville Police Chief Kevin Jowitt outlined a proposed new downtown parking plan.

Jowitt said the new plan would change and simplify the parking ordinance.

Jowitt

“When it comes to parking in our historic downtown, there is no magic solution that addresses everyone’s needs because each driver and business has different requirements,” Jowitt said in a statement released by the city. “We tried to create a scenario that works for the largest number of people and I believe this plan achieves that goal by incorporating feedback from the downtown merchants.”

Noblesville’s current parking ordinance has been in place since 1989 when there was no Hamilton County Judicial Center downtown and the city’s population was one-third of today’s size.

Downtown parking will be separated into three locations: Paid parking lots, free on-street spaces and the new tic-tac-toe board or hashtag area (yellow zone on the map) that includes the Downtown Square and one block away in each direction for two consecutive hours of free parking per day. By capping it at two consecutive hours, the hashtag area encourages turnover of parking as supported by data collected in the Downtown Parking Study. It also prevents drivers from moving their cars from space to space every two hours in this zone. This zone would be enforced from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays – a change from the previous start time of 8 a.m.

When you pull into a space, the clock starts. The time expires in two hours whether you are in that area or not. If you exceed two hours in the hashtag area, that will be a violation.

Jowitt told city leaders at Tuesday’s meeting that, under the new plan, first-time offenders would not be ticketed. “First-time offenders will be provided information on what they can do next time to be in compliance with the ordinance.”

The city also is creating new 20-minute spaces on Logan, Conner and Ninth streets for quick stops, which will not count toward a driver’s two consecutive hours. The purpose of these spaces is for those who make short, quick stops to run in, grab something and leave the two-hour zone.

Drivers who intend to stay longer than two hours in a single day should park in the lots or on the streets that have no time restrictions (blue zone on the map). By shrinking the current two-hour restricted parking area, it has added 250 to 300 free on-street parking spaces.

Ditslear

Taylor

“I think this is a pretty good compromise – there’s something for everybody. I don’t think we can present a better plan at this time than what is being proposed to us,” said Common Council Member Rick Taylor, who also serves on the parking task force.

“While we realize change can be scary, the city will use 2020 as a one-year ‘pilot’ to study the impact of these changes in order to set a permanent strategy after the Levinson parking garage opens,” Noblesville Mayor John Ditslear said in a statement released Thursday.

Jowitt described parking kiosks that would be installed in two pay lots.

With the new kiosk, visitors to the downtown area will be able to pay for parking with a mobile app, credit card or coins.  Parking in these lots will remain 25 cents per hour; however, a 35-cent transaction fee will be charged with each parking purchase for those using the parking app or credit card.

The new plan does come with a cost.

Noblesville recently purchased a parking enforcement vehicle with license plate reader technology used track the number of hours a vehicle has been parked.  The cost of the vehicle and license plate reader totaled $55,572.

Other expenses include $84,000 for the parking kiosks, $11,000 for parking signage and $55,000 for resealing and restriping all downtown parking lots.

“Noblesville doesn’t make money from our parking and fine system, but does provide enough revenue to pay for enforcement,” said Jowitt.

In 2018 Noblesville collected $124,721.20 in parking revenue.  This includes annual parking permit fees, parking meters and ticket fines.

DuBois

Noblesville Chamber of Commerce President Bob DuBois said, “For folks that want free parking, less than 500 feet from any downtown business there is free parking.

“This isn’t a government solution. This is a solution that was generated from listening to the public.  I appreciate the willingness of the city to listen to what the public has said during this process,” concluded DuBois.

The city will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at City Hall to discuss the proposal and answer questions. The ordinance will not be back before the Noblesville Common Council until its Oct. 15 meeting. If approved, the new parking changes would begin Jan. 1, 2020.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District has a number of important programs in progress.  Freedom Kolb is overseeing the CurioCity project, with involves student-generated work partnering with the City of Fishers.    Brooke Lawson is in charge of coordinating the extensive Mental Health program in the school buildings and also coordinates the counseling program.

I spoke with both ladies about those and other subjects during a recent podcast recording session.

Hamilton County Reporter

Noblesville Schools announced Wednesday that Superintendent Dr. Beth Niedermeyer has been named the Superintendent of the Year for Central Indiana by the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents (IAPSS).

She was selected for the honor by her peers, approximately 40 central Indiana superintendents who based their decision on accomplishments, qualifications and leadership.

Photo provided

Niedermeyer joined Noblesville Schools, one of the top performing districts in the state, in 2014 after serving in previous leadership roles with Hamilton Southeastern Schools, the Metropolitan School District of Pike Township and Fort Wayne Community Schools.

“Dr. Niedermeyer is a role model among her peers and is frequently sought out by other area superintendents for her counsel and advice,” shared Noblesville Schools Board of Trustees President Carl Johnson. “She is well known for her steady guidance, humble yet insightful perspective and empathetic approach to working with others. As a servant leader, Beth works hard to be accessible, well-informed and actively listen to others. Relationship building, valuing different perspectives, reflecting on data, and making courageous decisions are all hallmarks of her leadership style. She is quick to step up whenever and wherever she is needed, and most importantly her focus is always on what’s best for kids. We’re proud of this honor she’s received and are so thankful for her consistent leadership and passionate commitment to Noblesville Schools.”

During her tenure, Niedermeyer has led several significant achievements for the district including:

• The expansion of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for students and staff, including founding of the Noblesville Diversity Coalition in partnership with the City of Noblesville and faith, business and community leaders.
• The passage of two successful referendum campaigns that preserved/provided funding for enhanced safety and mental health services, increased teacher compensation and retention, performing and fine arts, physical education programming, STEM curriculum, media services, transportation routes, behavioral services and more.
• District grade “A” academic ratings from the Indiana Department of Education and national recognition for STEM, Advanced Placement, special education, educational technology and music programming.
• The creation/expansion of community outreach and engagement initiatives including the Miller Ambassadors community leadership program, the Noblesville High School internship program, Superintendent Table Talk, Back to School BASH and a strong partnership with the Noblesville Police Department.
• An adjusted school day schedule to provide enhanced health, well-being and learning for students.
• Steady organizational, community and safety leadership following the district’s school shooting in May 2018.
• The expansion of social, emotional and mental health training and services.
• Increased academic technology resources to support real-world, real-time learning.
• Expanded STEM and workforce development initiatives for all students K-12.
• Introduction of district preschool and before/after school care programming.
• Opening of an expanded transportation center to accommodate the district’s growing bus fleet and maintenance needs.
• Lean staffing, district cost cutting, revenue generation and tight fiscal management to drive dollars to classrooms.
• Launch of a solar power initiative expected to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings.

Photo provided

In addition to her daily leadership responsibilities with the district, Niedermeyer also serves on the executive board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Noblesville, Noblesville Chamber of Commerce, Noblesville Youth Assistance, Noblesville Diversity Coalition, Noblesville Midday Rotary and the Hamilton County Workforce Innovation Network.

“The collaborative culture Dr. Niedermeyer has built with teachers and staff has been a game changer at Noblesville Schools,” added Amanda Giordano, Noblesville High School math teacher and president of the Noblesville Teachers Forum. “The hard work she has done to advocate on behalf of teachers and students speaks volumes about the quality of her leadership, and her dedication to educators and public education. On behalf of our teachers, I want to congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition.”

The IAPSS central Indiana region covers Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion and Shelby counties, and represents 40 public school districts with approximately 28 percent of students in the state.

Imagine taking a Rubik’s cube and solving it in about 13 seconds.  I could never come close to that, but Fall Creek Junior High 8th grade student Luke Garrett does just that, and better.  He has been competing in Rubik’s cube tournaments since he was 9 years old.

The Hamilton Southeastern School Board honored Luke at the Wednesday night meeting.  He demonstrated his technique for quickly solving the Rubik’s cube.  He has participated in 44 competitions and has earned 73 podiums (1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd place finish).  His personal  best was solving the cube in 5.5 seconds, putting Luke 27th in the world and 10th in the United States.

When not in Rubik’s cube competition, Luke is  member of his school’s academic team.

Mayor Scott Fadness plans to present his $119 million spending plan before the Fishers City Council at Monday night’s council session.  The budget calls for a 3% city employee pay increase, including elected officials.

The city expects a tax rate increase of 2 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation, allowing the city to currently pay for construction projects, so the city will not need to issue debt for those projects.  This is a one-year-only rate increase for just these projects, according to the mayor.

The mayor presented the information at a budget briefing for the media Wednesday afternoon.

His budget presumes that the increase in the County Option Income Tax is enacted for 2020.  The state law is written so the Fishers and Carmel city councils can pass the 911 tax and it would become effective for the entire county.  The Fishers City Council is expected to vote on the 911 income tax increase at Monday night’s session, according to Fadness.

After Mayor Fadness presents his budget proposal, a public hearing will be held on the 2020 spending plan.

Included in the 2020 budget are the following items:

–Add one uniformed police officer and one civilian Police Department employee to coordinate the body cameras being installed

–Since the contract with Brandywine Farms did not work out, the city plans to employ a full time Agri Park manger and two laborers for the Parks Department

–An increase in matching contributions to the retirement savings plan is proposed, increasing the match amount of employee contributions by $500, to a total of $1,500 per year

Fadness once again pointed out that he will lobby the Indiana General Assembly next year to fix what he views as an inequitable distribution of local option income tax money, favoring Carmel.

The mayor also says there are plans to work on two areas of concrete streets in the city in need of reconstruction – in Burberry Estates and along Technology Drive.

Last month, city officials said the construction on Allisonville Road should be complete by the end of August.  That didn’t happen.

I asked Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness about the delays, and he did express frustration about that road project.  He referred to many challenges from the beginning, including difficulties with the design.

“That project should’ve been a 12 month project, we’re now entering 2 years,” Fadness told reporters at a budget briefing Wednesday afternoon.  “We’ve had some challenges with the contractor.  Everyone’s busy right now.  We’re not certain they’ve put the number of people out there that we would like to see to get it accomplished.”

The mayor added he hopes that road construction is at the home stretch, but called it a “disappointing process.”

Thompson Thrift announced the artists and art work chosen as part of the Fishers District development, currently under construction, near I-69 & 116th Street.  Here are the artists chosen:  (Note the art work shown is an example, not the final version)

Koda Witsken

Her wall mural will appear on a wall near the Verizon store in Fishers District

Dan Toro

His mural will be located along the Sunk King Brewery operation.

Megan Jefferson

This mural will appear on the wall to the parking garage on the north end of the development

Travis Neal

Travis’ mural will appear on the wall of the south end parking garage.

The artists were announced at the Fishers Arts & Culture Commission meeting.  A committee of city staff, artists and commission members made the selection from 22 artist  submissions.