Fishers Police Officers will be supporting the Cherish Center by putting away their shaving equipment for the month of November. This is a voluntary program to raise money for Cherish Center and awareness about the struggle cancer patients, and others, endure.
“We all have loved ones, friends, and co-workers that have been touched by cancer,” said Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart in a department news release. “As a police department, we are always seeking new ways to engage with the community and No Shave November will help us reach that goal.”
Beginning November 1st, when you see a Fishers police officer please know that the scruffiness is purposeful and temporary. Feel free to join the department as officers raise awareness for a good cause and reduce the stigmatism that is often associated with physical and mental health disease.
For more information on the Cherish Center, use this link.
When Lash Lounge went looking for a new location, the business made a decision to be a part of downtown Fishers. The beauty salon will offer services such as eyelash extensions and lifts, eyelash and eyebrow tinting, and facial threading.
The salon will host an official Grand Opening celebration on November 13 from 4-6:30 p.m. at the Fishers location, 8395 E. 116th St., Suite 153, which will be open to the public. From now through the grand opening, the salon will offer introductory specials.
“Our passion is helping women love what they see in the mirror and to face the world with confidence,” says co-owner, Allison Lewis Lodhi in a company news release. “As the pioneer in the industry, The Lash Lounge’s vision is to be the beauty market leader in lash and eye treatments.”
This will be the second Lash Lounge in Indiana, with the first located in Carmel.
Artists’s rendering of the proposed new downtown Noblesville parking garage
Anyone doing business in downtown Noblesville knows finding a parking place can often be challenging. Many people visiting the Hamilton County Seat are there from other places in the county, visiting county offices and courts.
My news-gathering partner, the Hamilton County Reporter, has a front page story in the Wednesday edition on plans the Hamilton County Commissioners have to construct a new downtown Noblesville parking garage with 430 parking spaces and the design will allow an additional 150 spaces to be constructed later, if the county chooses to add a fourth floor in the future.
The garage would be located east of Eighth Street on both sides of Clinton Street. The commissioners indicated Clinton Street will remain in place and be covered by the structure’s first floor.
Documents released by the county Monday say the project will be a public-private partnership with the intent to fulfill parking needs for county employees and make current county-owned property available for an economic development project.
The commissioners said they have been contacted by developers who have an interest in the county-owned parking lot located on the east bank of the White River south of State Road 32. That location currently serves as a large parking lot for county employees.
Although commissioners would not identify who, they say one developer would like to bring 200 market rate apartments, along with first-floor retail and parking to the riverfront property.
Commissioner Christine Altman said funds used from the potential sale of the of the county-owned riverfront parking lot would be redirected towards funding the parking garage.
In addition to the new parking garage, the county will ask Noblesville to transfer ownership of the public parking lot, located on the north side of Logan Street just south of Eighth Street, to Hamilton County.
Altman and Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt both described how State Road 32 (Conner Street) represents a dangerous physical barrier between county offices and available parking. Moving parking north of the courthouse and Judicial Center eliminates the need for pedestrians crossing one of Noblesville’s busiest roadways.
Officials hope to break ground on the new garage in the spring of 2020 with completion in the fall of 2021.
The outdoor season for the Fishers Farmers Market is over for 2019, but the holiday market is about to get underway. Starting Saturday, November 2nd, through December 28th, you will find the holiday market, indoor iteration, 9am-12noon, at Holland Park.
20 vendors will have plenty of holiday-related items for sale. Here are some of those vendors:
Aahaa Chai
Artisano’s Oils & Spices – every other week
Blackhawk Winery & Vineyard
Circle Kombucha
Dragonwood Honey & Maple
Garcia’s Gardens
Generations Pie Company
Gluten Free Creations
Grace & Truth Farms
Grandpa’s Beef Jerky
Groomsville Popcorn
Harvest Café Coffee and Tea
Hidden Acres Farm LLC
Johnnie Raber Family Farm
Lazy Labs Bakery
Louise’s Sweets
Marta’s Goody’s
Masters Home Preserves
Mathoo’s Eggrolls
Our Garden Soap
Pig’s Tail Charcuterie (November 9 & 23 and December 14 & 28)
Tailored Toddies
The Bearded Baker
On November 30, the market will participate in the citywide celebration of Small Business Saturday, Shop Fishers. The first 50 market shoppers will receive $5 in Market Bucks to spend anywhere at the market. Several vendors will also have their own Small Business Saturday deals, including Aahaa Chai, Grace & Truth Farms, Harvest Café Coffee and Tea, Lazy Labs Bakery, and Louise’s Sweets. Learn more at this link.
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness at the We The People fund raising event Sunday
It was a beautiful, sunny October day last Sunday when civic education was at the center of a major fund raising activity for the “We the People” programs at both local high schools. Top Golf was the location and a good crowd was on hand for golf, a silent auction and some food.
We the People is a competition among participating high schools to test the civic knowledge of students on the We the People teams. Both Fishers and HSE High Schools have had trips to Washington DC in recent years, earning the opportunity to compete in the national finals.
Janet Chandler says the money raised will be used for travel expenses in out-of-town competition, books and research materials for the teams and other related items. As of this writing, the total amount raised was not available, since the silent auction funds continue to come in.
Mayor Scott Fadness made an appearance at Sunday’s Top Golf event
Liz Paternoster (left) from Fishers High School and Janet Chandler from HSE, both We the People coaches at their respective schools, speak to the assembled crowd at Top Golf
Several cities in Central Indiana have moved their official Trick or Treat hours to the weekend due to a rainy and windy weather forecast for the evening of October 31, but Fishers is not changing plans.
The official Trick or Treat hours for Fishers remain 6pm-8pm on October 31st.
Fishers Police Spokesman Tom Weger says his department is aware of the less than ideal weather forecast, but adds that “conditions are not likely to be dangerous.”
But city officials will keep an eye on the forecast as Haloween draws closer,
“We will keep watch of the weather and be prepared to make adjustments in the event the weather forecast changes” according to Weger.
HSE S.P.O.R.T.S has had the same name ever since it was organized many years ago as the umbrella organization for local recreational youth sports, but that is about to change.
Scott Spillman, Executive Director of HSE S.P.O.R.T.S, told the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board Tuesday morning that a name change will happen on January 1, 2020. Spillman did not disclose what the new name will be.
HSE School Superintendent Allen Bourff said this would clear up some confusion about the school corporation and the sports organization, which partner in many ways but are separate entities. HSE S.P.O.R.T.S. is a nonprofit organization, and the school district allows the sports organization access to its facilities.
There was a lengthy discussion about how HSE Schools might assist in getting the word out to families about deadlines for registration in order to participate in recreational sports.
HSE S.P.O.R.T.S. has about 10,000 registrations per year and roughly 6,600 youngsters participating (some students register for more than one sport each year). The sports programs are open to any family residing within the HSE School District.
For more information on HSE S.P.O.R.T.S., use this link.
During the same Tuesday morning work session, the school board received an update from Alison Gatz, Executive Director of the Youth Mentoring Initiative (YMI), an organization that provides adult mentors to students needing adult guidance. Mentors meet with students during the school day at the school buildings.
Gatz told the board about 290 HSE School District students are being mentored at the intermediate, junior high and high schools within he district.
The is a continuing need for male mentors and Gatz said the organization is working to diversify the mentors in the program.
Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart (left) and City Attorney Chris Greisl explain the resolution before the Board of Works on police video recordings
If you request a copy of a police body-cam or dash-cam video and are denied by the Fishers
Chief of Police, you may now ask the Board of Works and Public Safety to review that decision. The Board of Works enacted a resolution Monday establishing itself as the place citizens may go when the police department denies a request for video.
City Attorney Chris Greisl outlined the Indiana state statute on public access of law enforcement videos. Anyone requesting a copy of such a video will need to provide the approximate day and time, as well as the individual or individuals involved, other than the police officer. There are different rules under the state statute for requests from someone with a connection to the person in the video, such as a family member or attorney, compared to a request from the general public.
The job of the Board of Works, under the newly-enacted policy, will be to review the denial of the video and determine whether the denial is in line with the state law.
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness complimented Police Chief Ed Gebhart for his willingness to establish the procedure for the Board of Works to review his denial of video requests.
The city has been “watching very carefully what has transpired in some of these cities across the U.S. in the most traumatic moments of a police officer involved shooting,” Fadness said. “When it’s left to the police department itself to make the determination on whether to release the video or not, it tears the community apart and puts a lot of undo pressure on the police chief while they’re trying to deal with something that’s pretty dramatic in its own right.”
Chief Gebhart said his department is in the process of installing body-cams, with many already in use. His goal is to have all officers with the cameras installed by early 2020. The city budget for 2020 provides police with a civilian position to manage the videos, which the city plans to retain for 210 days.
The Board of Works and Public Safety consists of three members, the mayor and his two appointees. The Fishers board is made up of Mayor Fadness, Jason Meyer and Jeff Lantz.
“I would imagine that nine times out of ten (the Board of Works) will likely be in alignment with the Chief (of Police) about it,” according to the mayor, “but the process, I think, is really important to instill trust and transparency with not only our local community but the media as well.”
The full text of the enacted resolution is available at this link.
Many of us living in the Fishers/Noblesville area may not be aware that we have many local authors, and the Hamilton East Library (which serves both the Fishers & Noblesville areas) is set to host the fifth annual Local Author Fair. The event is set for Saturday, November 2nd, at the Fishers Library, located in the Nickel Plate District.
Meet over 25 local authors at this meet and greet event. Authors will be available for book sales and signings. There will be refreshments and raffles to win books and other prizes, courtesy of the Friends of the Library. No registration required.
The Fishers Library is a busy place. For a full calendar of events, use this link.
When Scott Fadness assumed the office of Fishers Mayor in 2015, he immediately began implementing the Mental Health Initiative, and that program has expanded with the Monday announcement of the Fishers Cares program.
Fishers City Councilman Todd Zimmerman teased the rollout of Fishers Cares at this month’s council meeting. It is designed to help those suffering from stress, anxiety and other mental conditions.
According to a city news release, the aim of Fishers Cares is bringing together faith-based organizations and local businesses to provide support for those suffering from mental illness and to refer them for needed help.
“Fishers Cares is a demonstration of the compassion and energy of the community to support those impacted by mental illness,” said Fishers City Councilman Todd Zimmerman in the city news release. “Bringing together a diverse group of faith leaders to combat stigma and provide a real solution that makes a statement to every person in Fishers: ‘It’s ok to not be ok and we’re here to stand with you.’”
The following organizations have committed to being a part of the pilot Fishers Cares program:
Fishers YMCA
Grace Church – Fishers
Leavener Ministries at Pinheads Bowling Center and Sunrise Cafe
Northview Church – Fishers
Saint Louis de Montfort Church
St. George Orthodox Church
An inter-faith group began gathering in 2016 to work on how to support the city’s overall Mental Health Initiative.
“Many faith congregations in Fishers have engaged in mental health programming individually, but we wanted to work together to make a difference for our community and provide practical support for someone who is seeking help in their mental health journey,” shared Kevin Roth, Pastor of Grace Church Fishers. “Fishers Cares is a simple starting point for those seeking help. There is no cost. Simply go online and schedule an appointment to begin the conversation.”
Fishers Cares is being described as a confidential support program, administered independently from the City. No personal information is shared outside of the Fishers Cares partner organization. If you are interested in learning more about faith-based mental health resources, like Fishers Cares on Facebook or make an appointment using this link.
