The Fishers Plan Commission unanimously voted a favorable recommendation for a rezoning at 96th Street and Lantern Road, a former Marsh location.  The rezoning now goes to the Fishers City Council for final approval.

Strongbox Commercial is planning to add parking and create a Vasa Fitness Center.  There are also plans to construct a strip mall, but no tenants have been lined up at this time..

Only one resident commented at the public hearing asking what sorts of businesses will occupy the retail space.  City Planning Director Tony Bagato responded that the usual types of tenants are likely, such as small restaurant locations.

The rezoning is needed because the Fishers City Council enacted a commercial overlay to ensure any development at former Marsh locations will be evaluated by city officials.

The city is waiving the normal fees in this project because Strongbox is cooperating with the city on technology to record vehicle license plates to assist law enforcement.

There are several Hamilton County offices up for election this year, and Treasurer is one of them.  According to my news-gathering partner, The Hamilton County Reporter, the current chief deputy at that office, Kim Good, has announced she will be a candidate for County Treasurer.

“With over 30 years’ experience and a real passion for the job, I am uniquely qualified to manage and improve upon a legacy of accurate and conscientious customer service,” Good said.

A lifelong resident of Hamilton County, Good became chief deputy treasurer for the current Treasurer, Jennifer Templeton, in 2013. She previously held the position for five years prior to her election in 2004.

Good said one of her goals is to maximize investment returns.

It was late in 2018 when we learned the Indianapolis area would not be landing the HQ2 jobs windfall promised by Amazon.  Two areas were awarded sites, New York City and the Washington DC area.

However, public blow-back in New York City resulted in Amazon pulling its plans there.  The DC project is moving forward.

Back on November 18, 2018, I posted a story about the local aftermath of the announcement.  One point I made clearly was that local officials had a responsibility to reveal what public funds were offered to Amazon by Indiana and local governments.

The answer came back “no.”  Governments had run the central Indiana proposal through the Chamber of Commerce, partly to shield the details from the public, even after it was all over.

After posting that commentary on November 18, 2018, I had several local Fishers officials tell me they still need to keep the HQ2 proposal secret because it contained proprietary information, or “trade secrets” of some sort.  That’s right, governments offer of public money was described as a trade secret.

I respect the officials making that argument because I believe they are sincere in making such a case, but in my view, that is a totally wrong way to approach offering large amounts of public money to the private sector.

Why do I bring this up again now?  Because I am not the only one making this argument.

The Indianapolis Star has a new columnist, James Briggs, and he has done some very good reporting for the newspaper and was recently promoted to opinion writer.  He is doing a very good job as a commentator so far, in my view.

His latest column once again beats the drum that Indiana and its political subdivisions involved in offering public money and assets to Amazon have a responsibility to make it all public now.  Briggs details how other states have finally come clean on the details, with surprising results.  In Kentucky, the Louisville Courier-Journal has won a court decision to make that offer public, yet the government is still appealing that decision.

Briggs goes chapter and verse how other states have revealed their offers.  Some of the numbers revealed are staggering.

I once again call on the public to demand that their elected officials do the right thing and make public all details of the offer Indiana made to Amazon in the effort to land the HQ2 jobs prize.

You can read James Briggs’ column at this link.

(NOTE:  You may be limited in how many free IndyStar stories you may access in a month.  My suggestion is you buy a subscription to the Star and held keep columnists like James Briggs writing.  Get your subscription at this link) 

Hamilton County Reporter

Fishers was dealt its first loss of the season on Tuesday, falling to Lafayette Jefferson 68-65 in overtime at the Tiger Den.

It was a battle of two Class 4A Top 10 teams, with the Tigers ranked No. 4 and the Bronchos rated No. 6. The game was as close as those rankings in the first half, with Jefferson leading 16-14 after the first quarter. Fishers stayed with the Bronchos, though, and were within 31-
30 at halftime. Jeffrey Simmons had 13 points in the first half.

Lafayette Jeff took control in the third quarter to lead 45-37, but the Tigers came storming back in the fourth, scoring 23 points to tie the game at 60-60 by the end of regulation. Free-throw shooting was a major factor, as Fishers was 11-of-11 from the line in the quarter.

Justin Long made all six of his foul shots. That sent the game to overtime, where the Bronchos outscored the Tigers 8-5.

Simmons led Fishers with 21 points, followed by Long with 12. Isaac Farah
added 10 points.

The Tigers are 12-1 and host Pike Friday.

What happened on Monday of this week will have major ramifications for the entire Indianapolis metro area.  That was the consummation of the  purchase of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by Roger Penske’s company.

That race track on the west side of Indianapolis hosts the largest single-day sporting event in the world each May.  It pumps millions of dollars into the area economy.  Without the Speedway, the economy of the Indy area would be much different, as in much smaller.

Many may think that this was a natural progression.  It was not.  The race track has seen a handful of owners since Carl Fisher found a group of investors to start the process roughly in 1909.  The Hulman family has owned the Speedway for 75 years.

When it was clear the family wanted to sell, the only family member with a tie to the track and its racing history was Tony George.  He was the one that pitched the idea of selling the track to Roger Penske, and the deal was reached fairly quickly.

Let me say now that if the Speedway had been purchased by, for example, a hedge fund just wanting to squeeze profits from the famed facility, keeping the tradition of the 500 alive would have been difficult.  But Roger Penske is a racing guy and has become a famous car owner by winning the world-famous 500 more than any owner.

Penske has pledged millions of dollars in improvements to the facility just between now and the 2020 Indy 500.  He wants to use the grounds to host more concerts and other events.  He wants to bring Formula One back to Indy.  He wants to explore a 24-hour endurance sports car race.

All ambitious ideas no hedge fund would even countenance.  This is why not only race fans, but all of central Indiana, should be thankful Tony George made the move and Roger Penske decided to buy.  It will maintain and improve the biggest event our area has to offer.

I was with a group of people from all over the world many years ago and there were individuals from Paris, London and even the old Soviet Union in the group.  When I told the crowd I was from Indianapolis, all they wanted to talk about with me was the 500.  It is still our one single biggest claim to fame.

As Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness has said many times, whether we like it or not, we all sink or swim as a region, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area.  Without the Indy 500 a strong and vibrant event, our region would not be the same.

So, let’s look forward to the Penske era as it dawns on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  The crown jewel of our area is in good hands, and that is good for our entire region – including Fishers.

A showing of officials, including Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) assistant chief Chris Bailey and Fishers Chief of Police Ed Gebhart, gathered to appear before the media Monday afternoon, revealing how two arrests in Fishers, related to the shooting death of Fishers police dog Harlej, led to arrests in an Indianapolis crime spree.

Police say the three arrests were related to 2 deaths and impacted the lives of 18 people in the Indianapolis area.  A firearm recovered after the arrests related to the shooting of K9 officer Harlej was used to link that weapon with other crimes.

Here are the accused and charges they face:

• Richard Garrett: 23 counts, including two counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, six counts of criminal recklessness, pointing a firearm, seven counts of battery, aggravated battery, armed robbery, and four counts of carrying a handgun without a license.
• Delance Hatcher: 15 counts, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, five counts of criminal recklessness, pointing a firearm, three counts of battery, armed robbery and three counts of carrying a handgun without a license.
• Rashaana Farrow: 15 counts, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, four counts of criminal recklessness, five counts of battery and four counts of carrying a handgun without a license.

According to Chief Gebhart, just since March of 2019, 84 firearms somehow related to criminal activity have been taken off the streets of Fishers by his officers, and 56 of those weapons have been checked out and found to have been used in another crime.  Gebhart tells LarryInFishers a majority of those firearms were seized in activity near 96th street, although the enhanced commercial activity along 116th Street has shown an increase in weapons seizures there lately.

The main theme of the Monday news conference was collaboration among the many communities that make-up the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area.

“Crime does not respect political boundaries ,” Mayor Fadness said.  “It doesn’t care whether you are a Republican or Democrat.  All it cares about is causing chaos among the streets of our city as well as the streets of Indianapolis.”

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern won its fourth consecutive game on Saturday, beating Northridge on the road 60-54.

The host Raiders led the Class 4A No. 6 Royals 18-17 after the first quarter, but Southeastern moved ahead by halftime, where it led 32-27. The Royals held a
43-35 advantage after three periods, then maintained their lead in the fourth.

Sydney Parrish scored 32 points, including three 3-pointers, and also pulled five rebounds and made four steals. Jackie Maulucci added eight points, while Bailee Poore collected four rebounds.

Southeastern is 14-2 and plays a Thursday home game with Warren Central.

Hamilton County Reporter

Fishers returned to action on Saturday after a two-week break and continued its undefeated season with a 54-45 victory at Fort Wayne South Side.

The Class 4A No. 4 Tigers led 13-11 after the first quarter and 26-23 at halftime. Fishers
then pulled away from the Archers in the third period, allowing them only four points. The
Tigers led 41-27 at the end of that quarter, then held their lead in the fourth.

Katie Burton scored 20 points, including a 10-of-12 performance from the free throw line. Tamia Perryman added 18 points, while Lydia Stullken scored 10. All three players nearly reached double-double status, as Perryman and Stullken collected nine rebounds and
Burton had eight. Fishers dominated the boards, pulling 40 rebounds. Audra Emmerson made seven steals.

The Tigers are 15-0 and host New Palestine on Wednesday.

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton County and the City of Noblesville will mark the completion of the Logan Street Bridge project with a ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 6.

Reconstruction of the bridge started in July 2018. The $4.3 million project widened the bridge over the White River to accommodate sidewalks on both sides and construct a new bridge deck. An 18-by-150 river overlook area was also constructed along the south side of the bridge.

Dillinger

“The overlook will provide a nice gathering spot for special events,” said Steve Dillinger, president of the Hamilton County Commissioners. “And the new sidewalks will give pedestrians much safer access across the river, especially those walking between downtown, Riverwalk and Federal Hill Commons.”

Completion of the bridge was delayed by a rainy spring which caused the White River to flood, hindering early construction progress. Some minor work, like permanent pavement markings, may need to be delayed until warm weather in the spring.

“We apologize for the delay in construction,” Dillinger said, “But we’re confident this project will have been worth the wait. We appreciate the public’s patience.”

Construction also includes new lighting and other aesthetics. The City of Noblesville is contributing $1.5 million toward the total cost of the project.

Hamilton County Reporter

Richard Garrett and Rashaan Farrow, both involved in the killing of Fishers Police Department K9 Harlej, are two of a three-person crime spree that law enforcement officials say took place during a one-week span in October.

The Fishers Police Department and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department will hold a joint press conference at 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 6 at the Fishers Police Department. Officials from both agencies will provide details regarding the partnership that led to the arrest of three individuals for their participation the crime spree that spanned both Hamilton and Marion Counties.

According to the Reporter’s newsgathering partner WISH-TV, officials have charged Richard Garrett, Delance Hatcher and Rashaana Farrow for their alleged roles in 13 incidents, including non-fatal shootings, armed robbery and the murder of Devon Gillespie, Indianapolis.

Additionally, Garrett has been charged with fatally striking Anthony Mack with his vehicle in the 3500 block of Tacoma Avenue on Oct. 17.

The three have been charged with the following crimes:

• Richard Garrett: 23 counts, including two counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, six counts of criminal recklessness, pointing a firearm, seven counts of battery, aggravated battery, armed robbery, and four counts of carrying a handgun without a license.
• Delance Hatcher: 15 counts, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, five counts of criminal recklessness, pointing a firearm, three counts of battery, armed robbery and three counts of carrying a handgun without a license.
• Rashaana Farrow: 15 counts, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, four counts of criminal recklessness, five counts of battery and four counts of carrying a handgun without a license.