Lantern Road Elementary School is about to received a $14 million makeover.  The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board was briefed Wednesday night on the timeline, which includes hiring an architect and a construction manager.  Then, in September of this year, administrators will have a recommendation on a construction bid that will allow the project to move forward.

There were a number of other issues before the board at the most recent meeting:

–The board will vote in early February on an award for a 2-year 16.5 acres farmland lease that will produce rental income for the school district.

–The board voted to join many other school corporations in a lawsuit against Juul to “recover costs and expenses that HSE and other school districts have incurred to mitigate the detrimental impacts of vaping by students.”  Attorney fees will be paid only if there is a judgment or settlement in the case.

–The board voted to move forward with a $1.5 million renovation of Durbin Elementary, allowing the FOCUS program to move into that building from its current home at Fall Creek Junior High.  FOCUS provides the same academic program as other students at HSE Schools, but also works to deal with obstacles those students must face.

–Approval was provided to replace the Riverside tennis courts.

–The board voted to move ahead with temporary loans needed to keep the school district funded as it awaits money distributions from the state.

–Chief Financial Officer Katie Dowling provided a year-end financial report to the board with no major financial challenges on the horizon.

Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools have been asking the community for help in boosting the cadre of substitute teachers.  Administrators say the public has been responding.

Kim Lippe, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, told the school board Wednesday night the district has 383 general substitute teachers, with 9 new ones added just this week.

“We’re receiving a lot of calls and interest and people trying to get processed to sub in our buildings,” Lippe told the board.  “Our data is trending in the right direction.”

Also, Superintendent Yvonne Stokes said HSE is following the COVID guidance provided by the Indiana Department of Education and the Indiana Department of Health.  HSE Schools have a mask requirement in place that would not be relaxed until Hamilton County is out of the Red (highest risk) COVID category for 2 weeks.  Hamilton County is in the Red, as are all Indiana counties at this time.

Stokes also said the district is easing the burden on teachers by not requiring Professional Learning Committee (PLC) meetings and other meetings to ease the burden while so many teachers are covering classes with no substitute teachers available.  Administrators will revisit that decision on February 14th, according to Dr. Stokes.

Board Vice President Sarah Donsbach chaired the board session.  Board President Julie Chambers attended the meeting remotely.

With sub-zero wind chills, it does seem a bit odd to be talking about a summer festival, but the Fishers Parks & Recreation Department is already taking applications for Spark Fishers Festival vendors.  The summer celebration is scheduled for June 21-25 this year.

Festival organizers are looking for participants, including businesses, non-profits, artists, musicians, vintage car enthusiasts, food & drink vendors, with openings for the Artisan Tent, Street Fair, Parade, entertainment stages, and the Car & Art Show.

First Internet Bank returns in 2022 as the Spark Fishers event sponsor.  2022 will mark the 4th year for the festival.

To apply for any of the opportunities to be a part of Spark Fishers, use this link.

The Fishers Parks Department has a lot to plan already, here are some of the events:

–Summer camp registration begins February 1, more information at this link.

–The Heart Hike is the Saturday  before Valentine’s Day…more at this link.

–The Pre-K Prom is coming February 12.  Use this link to learn more.

–The first 2022 Fishers Farmers Market is set for May 7, but vendors need to apply by February 25th.  For more details, use this link.

–Mayor Scott Fadness is planning another Twilight Town Hall, this time with Parks & Recreation Director Sarah Sandquist.  To register for the online event, access this link.

The City of Fishers has been waiting for months and the outside contractor’s “Housing Needs Analysis & Strategy” report is finally available.  The document is lengthy and a presentation before members of the City Council January 18 could not be completed in the time allotted.

The report, put together by Urban Partners, a firm headquartered in Philadelphia, is 91 pages, not including the index at the end of the document.  It contains much data and some recommendations.  Planning and Zoning Director Megan Vukusich told council members that a group of local people were part of the process, but not everyone involved agrees with all the recommendations contained in the report.

Although Council members only received a partial presentation on the study, much intriguing information was provided.  Here are some of the highlights:

–Population in the City of Fishers rose by 26% from 2010 through 2019.  Hamilton County’s population growth during that same period was 24%

–The largest age growth segment was school-aged children, (ages 5-17) which is 23% of the Fishers population.

–Senior citizens also grew as a part of the Fishers population.  Those aged 65 & over made up 5% of the city’s residents in 2010 – that percentage is 9% in 2019.

–Of those moving to Fishers from outside Hamilton County, these residents are 3-times as likely to be young adults, ages 25-34.

–In 2016, there were 19, 526 jobs located in Fishers – in 2018, that number was 37,336.

–Of Fishers residents, 47.5% work in Indianapolis, 13.7% in Fishers, 9.8% in Carmel and 5% in Noblesville.

–Fishers housing projections are centered on seniors.  Over the coming 20 years, 42.5% of all net household growth will be headed by those 65 & older.

That is just a snapshot of some data shared with the Council and a small amount of the data contained in the report.  You can read the entire document at this link.

Once Urban Partners completes the presentation to the council, it will be up to the mayor and council members to decide what to do about the report’s recommendations.

Steve Dillinger is back as President of the Hamilton County Commissioners.  He succeeds Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt in leading as president of the board.  Christine Altman was elected vice president.  The commissioners in Hamilton County traditionally rotate in the role of president.

There are three commissioners in most Indiana counties, often referred to as the “mayors of the counties.”  Dillinger, Heirbrandt and Altman are the three Hamilton County Commissioners.

A county news release says Commissioner Dillinger has held this office since 1989, meaning he is the longest-serving county commissioner in the state.  Dillinger represents District 2, which includes the City of Fishers, City of Noblesville, and both Delaware and Noblesville Townships.

Prior to his election as a commissioner, Dillinger served on the Noblesville City Council and Hamilton County Council.

I recall the October 12th Fishers City Council session where councilors of different political stripes were debating how to make council appointments to boards and commissions, as well as how the council planned to formally establish its committee system.  The original proposal was to have the council president make decisions on appointments.

After much work, a council committee, made up of then-Council-President Selina Stoller, with other members John Weingardt, Cecilia Coble and Crystal Neumann, hammered out a final agreement allowing the council itself to have the final word on appointments after consideration from the Rules Committee.  The compromise, enacted unanimously at the January 18th council session, also provides minority representation on the three standing committees – Budget & Finance, Rules and Non-Profit.

The council consists of 7 Republicans and 2 Democrats.

Councilor Neumann, the sole Democrat on the panel proposing this system, said the final outcome came after a lot of work.  “Through collaboration, we have come to a compromise,” Neumann told her fellow Council members. “Especially in the political climate that we’re in, and the political divide amongst the nation, Fishers really leads the way in coming to a collaboration.  It just makes me really proud.”

In October, several council members objected to having the Council President make final decisions on council appointments to boards and commissions, as well as the council’s standing committees.

After witnessing that debate, and seeing the compromise reached that led to the unanimous vote on the policy in January, I find that refreshing.  Having covered Fishers government for 11 years, it is good to see local people coming together and working out their differences to come up with a policy everyone can support.

Perhaps Councilor Neumann is correct.  Maybe, just maybe, by coming together to solve this problem, could that lead to better solutions on future issues coming before the Fishers City Council?  Just maybe.

Road construction continues on State Road 37.  Also, watch lane restrictions coming up downtown along 116th Street and one lane traffic on Technology Drive in the Northeast Commerce Park area.

For details, see the weekly road construction report, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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When Hamilton County celebrates its workforce, you begin to see the length of service and meritorious recognitions and realize our local county government has a lot to celebrate.

Leading the way is Kathy Williams, receiving a certificate for 45 years of service to Hamilton County.  But she was not alone. 164 county employees were part of the celebration.

County Human Resource Director Sheena Randall provided a service pin with the number of years serving the county to each of the 164 workers.

“Hamilton County has always been a great place to work,” Williams said in a county news release. “Frankly, it is like home to me. I started working in the Clerk’s Office when I was 19 years old, so I’ve basically spent my entire life here. I love the work I do and the people I work with.”

It was first Brixx Pizza, now the Depot development space at 116th Street and Municipal Drive is occupied by the Park Place Pub.  The Fishers Board of Works and Safety approved an encroachment onto the city’s property allowing Park Place to construct an outdoor dining area (see rendering above).  The board unanimously approved the encroachment agreement.

Also, at Tuesday morning’s board meeting, the city set rental fees for the Nickel Plate Amphitheater, located north of City Hall.  The board voted for a proposal from the Parks & Recreation Department, which studied rental structures for similar facilities in the general local area.  The basic rental fee is set at $5,000.  If the group renting the facility wants other services, such as audio-visual or office space, the fee could be adjusted.  Hamilton Southeastern Schools and their affiliates are allowed complementary use of the stage
with prior approval from the city.  Parks and Recreation Director Sarah Sandquist told the board her department will work with nonprofit organizations seeking to rent the Amphitheater.  The board unanimously approved the rental fees.

The Fishers Board of Public Works & Safety considered 5G tower proposals by Verizon in four neighborhoods, denying a total of 4 5G towers and approving 6 others.

One tower proposed in the Glenn Abbey neighborhood was denied, but Mayor Scott Fadness says his reasons for voting “no” were unrelated to arguments presented by the Windermere neighborhood residents and an attorney representing the neighborhood (Glenn Abbey is part of Windermere).  The mayor says there were other locations as little as 100 feet away from the proposed tower that would be less intrusive to the residents in that area.  Neighborhood residents argued the board has the legal authority to deny this tower because it would violate city ordinances and neighborhood aesthetic standards.  The residents also pointed to a petition of residents with 238 signatures opposing the 5G tower.  All three board members voted “no” and the proposed tower was denied in the end.

The board approved two towers and denied one for the Weaver Woods neighborhood.  In Conner Knoll, 2 towers were denied and one was approved, with one of the denied towers to be moved out of the neighborhood.  A total of 3 towers were approved Cottingham Estates.  All votes were unanimous.

The Fishers Board of Works and Public Safety consists of Mayor Scott Fadness and his 2 appointees, Jeff Lantz and Jason Meyer.