Following what was described by Fishers Police as an “extensive investigation,” there will be no criminal charges filed in connection with a February 16 traffic accident on Allisonville Road between 126^th Street and Orchard Boulevard.  The crash claimed the life of Brent Jameson, 47, from Anderson.

Police issued a news release February 17 saying a Jeep driven by Peter Monn, 49, from Indianapolis, apparently crossed the center line.

“The Fishers Police Department Crash Team determined Mr. Monn suffered a medical emergency which caused him to lose control of his vehicle, cross the centerline, and collide with southbound traffic,” according to a statement issued by police Wednesday.. “Upon review of the evidence there will be no criminal charges filed at this time.”

Three people other than Mr. Monn were hospitalized as a result of the crash.

I began my LarryInFishers.com local news blog in January 0f 2012.  It wasn’t long after that when something new was being presented to the Fishers Town Council.

The town, with the recommendation of then-Town-Manager Scott Fadness, decided to fund a business start-up incubator in the basement of the Hamilton East Library in Fishers, which was not being used for anything else at that time.

The Town Council voted to provide the funding, around $200,000 to $400,000 if my memory serves me correctly.  What happened next was an explosion of entrepreneurial energy.

John Wechsler and Fadness envisioned a place somewhere between starting your new business on the home kitchen table and renting office space.  The idea was to grow local businesses that would remain here and grow the economy of Fishers.

Any way you measure, Launch Fishers was and is a success. Wechsler has been instrumental in creating a Launch Indiana program, growing his idea state-wide.

But anyone knowing entrepreneurs realizes they cannot stay in one place forever.  Wednesday, it was announced that Wechsler is transitioning out of his key roles leading Launch Fishers and the Indiana IOT Lab.  John Wechsler is looking for new challenges, although it is not clear what direction he will take.

“John has been a transformative figure, not just here in Fishers, but also across the state for his insight about how to contribute to building a smart, vibrant, and entrepreneurial city,” Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness said in a city news release. “I am convinced that John has helped build that strong foundation to propel our city into supporting and sustaining entrepreneurs and their ideas for the betterment of Fishers. That momentum will continue with this leadership team in place.”

With Wechsler exiting July 1, here is the list of new leaders taking his place:

• David Bolling, CFO & Executive Director of Launch Fishers
• Jason Pennington, Vice President & Executive Director of The Indiana IoT Lab
• Rachel Drake, Director of Marketing and Communications

“The creation of Launch Fishers in partnership with Mayor Fadness and the Fishers City Council has been one of the most rewarding professional experiences of my career,” Wechsler said. “We have been able to create an environment where innovation and entrepreneurship flourish which has supported the creation of so many high-growth and high-potential enterprises, all while sharing our lessons learned to cities and towns statewide.”

Wechsler will depart Launch Fishers, now in much larger quarters on Technology Drive, in a very good place.  Wherever John Wechsler goes next, he will leave that operation is very good shape as well.

Fishers has just announced a slate of free outdoor concerts this summer to go along with the five ticketed shows already announced.

Talking about that and more , Shannon Jones & Marissa Deckert join Larry in this podcast.

The Fishers Parks and Recreation Department has already announced five ticketed concerts at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater this summer, but we now have the Tuesday night lineup of free concerts (with once exception, July 4th).

Here is the list of free concerts at the AMP for the summer of 2022:

June 7       Cool City Band – A local group from Indy featuring an 11-piece band

June 14    Mike & Joe – A Chicago-area band, with a long 90s playlist and a few 70s & 80s

June 21    Fishers Music Works – a local band kicking-off Spark Fishers week

June 28   Dave & Rae – Locally popular group that started in 1995

July 4      Fool House – Another Chicago group specializing in 90s dance fare

July 12   Big 80s Tribute Band – The name says it all

July 19  My Yellow Rickshaw – Another local favorite, a regular at the AMP for years

July 26  Toy Factory – A wide variety of music in their repertoire

IU Health announced Tuesday morning what it describes as “a significant investment in its healthcare footprint in Fishers, Indiana.”  The IU Saxony Hospital has been a 38-bed facility the past 10 years.

The $287 million investment was approved approved by the IU Health Board of Directors in late Octobe.  It will include “a significant expansion” of the IU Health Saxony in Fishers.  The new hospital campus will be renamed IU Health Fishers, to be phased in throughout the duration of the project.

“Fishers is the sixth largest city in Indiana today, and with notable population growth expected each year, could be as much as 50 percent larger by the year 2040,” said Doug Puckett, president of IU Health’s Indianapolis Suburban Region, in an IU Health news release. “Community members and leaders have told us what they need and want from IU Health to best serve that growth. This investment will allow us to do that.”

The hospital facility itself will grow by 50%, according to IU Health, and will feature physician offices as well.

The hospital expansion will add:

• 50 inpatient beds, bringing the total to 88.
• New and expanded services in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Ear, Nose & Throat, Nephrology, Neurology, and Pulmonology.
• Growth of existing specialty programs in Cardiovascular, Gastroenterology, General Medicine, General Surgery, Orthopedics, Primary Care (pediatric and adult), and Urology.
• Expansion of support services space to accommodate additional staff and higher patient volumes.

Fishers is planning it second road resurfacing contract 0f 2022, but may need to find additional funding within the city budget to complete all the planned work.

City Engineering Director Jason Taylor told the Board of Public Works and Safety Tuesday morning that the bid for this project came in at $2.4 million, but there is only  $1.7 million remaining in the road resurfacing budget.  Taylor asked the board to approve the $1.7 million to move the project forward, but will work with the city controller and mayor’s office to find additional funding within the city budget.

The resurfacing contract approved by the board includes (see map above) –  Asphalt road resurfacing & miscellaneous paving work in sections of: Cumberland Rd, Promise Rd, 136th St, 116th St., Ringer Rd, Florida Rd, 104th St., Brookston Place subdivision, Geist Overlook subdivision, The Woods at Grey Eagle, Geist Bay Estates, Hamilton Proper sections
-Chestnut Hill, Audubon Trace, Heather Pointe, Talon Bluff, Turne Grove, Sutton Crossing subdivision, Valleys at Geist subdivision.

The resurfacing is mainly funded by the local Wheel Tax and the city’s share of the Local Motor Vehicle Tax.

The board also approved three Verizon 5G cell tower locations in the Sunblest neighborhood, all north of Holland Park and south of 126th Street.

Board members Jeff Lantz and Jason Meyer were at the Tuesday meeting.  Mayor Scott Fadness, the third board member, was not able to attend the Board of Works session.

Students are heading back to classes in Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools starting Monday, April 11th.  Spring break is over, and the school year is beginning its final weeks.  The final day of school for the HSE District 2021-2022 school year is scheduled to be Friday, May 20th.

With spring break at an end, there are a number of things to watch in and around Fishers in the coming week.  Here are just a few:

–Registration is now open for parents with children planning to attend kindergarten beginning with the 2022-2023 school year.  Your child must be 5 years old on or before August 1, 2022.  Schools will have an open house for the parents and kindergartners on Thursday, April 14, 5-7pm.  For more details, use this link.

–The Fishers Board of Works and Public Safety has a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 12, at 9am.  A full agenda is not available as of the time of this writing, but it is expected three Verizon 5G towers will be considered by the board in the Sunblest neighborhood.  The towers are proposed to be placed at the following locations:  12499 Bentley, 12526 Saksons & 12430 Farley Drive.

–The Fishers Parks & Recreation Department has already announced five ticketed concerts this summer season at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater ($20 in advance, $25 day of performance).   The department is expected to announce its slate of free concerts at the AMP this summer on Tuesday nights sometime this week.

–The city continues work behind the scenes to design a new City Hall with an arts center included in the complex.  The current Hall is sinking into the ground and the current structure will be demolished to make way for a new building.

–The Hamilton Southeastern School Board will meet Wednesday night.  According to the posted agenda, the board will receive proposals for “adjustments” to the 2022-2023 school calendar.  The agenda does not detail what adjustments will be presented to the board.  Also, calendars for school years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 will be presented for board information and discussion.  The calendar items are listed as information and discussion items only at this time.  Also, the board is scheduled to approve a contractor for the renovation of Durbin Elementary school and will present options on future ways to provide custodial services to the school buildings.

If I were to tell you about a new film all about a small Chinese laundry business under tax audit, you might not find that so interesting.  Add in a complex Sci-Fi angle and the story gets much more interesting.

Here is my review of Everything Everywhere All At Once.

HSE High School basketball fans remembers Sydney Parrish as the Indiana Miss Basketball that led her local women’s team to a state title.  After two years at Oregon, she is returning to her home state and will play for Indiana University next season.

Sydney Parrish made the announcement on social media Saturday morning.

She has three years of eligibility remaining.

Ms. Parrish joins an IU squad that just finished the past season with a 24-9 record and a Sweet 16  NCAA tournament run, losing to perennial women’s hoops power Connecticut.

So, friends and family wanting to see Sydney Parrish play a home basketball game as of next season have a short drive to Bloomington, not a long flight to the west coast.

Road construction remains the same along State Road 37 in the coming week, and the resurfacing of Technology Drive will also continue.  Look for periodic workday lane restrictions at Cyntheanne Road & Southeastern Parkway.

Watch for downtown lane restrictions during the workday on 116th Street April 13th.

Hamilton County has a project on 106th Street east of Allisonville Road starting April 18th.

Here is the full road construction listing, as provided by the City of Fishers, for the week of April 11th:

==============

STATE ROAD 37 AND 146TH STREET
All left-turn lanes are currently restricted on SR 37 and on 146th Street with traffic moved to the interior lanes. Thru traffic and right turns on SR 37 and 146th Street will remain open. Drivers are encouraged to seek alternate routes for all left turn access. View an alternate route map here.  

STATE ROAD 37 AND 131ST STREET
131st Street east of SR 37 is currently closed as work progresses on the interchange. SR 37 will remain open both north and southbound. View the detour map here.

131st Street west of SR 37 is now open! This will allow right-in/right-out access for southbound SR 37 until the bridge is fully complete later this year.

Please drive with caution through this area. To learn more about the State Road 37 Improvement Project and sign up to receive text updates, visit 37Thrives.com.

The inside lane of the Technology Drive is currently closed to traffic to allow for construction of new pavement in the inside lane.  One-way traffic will be in place in the outside lane as shown here.  Access to all businesses will be maintained during the construction.

Utility work is currently taking place at the Southeastern Pky. & Cyntheanne Road intersection as part of the roundabout construction project. On-going periodic lane restrictions will be in place daily between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for unloading material and equipment. The walking path along Southeastern Pky. will also be closed during the duration of the project. Barricades will be placed across the path. 

On Wednesday, April 13, the westbound outside lane of 116th Street between Moore Street and Municipal Drive will be restricted between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Arrow boards and barrels will be in place.   

Beginning on or after Monday, April 18, 106th Street, just east of Allisonville Road will be under lane closures in both directions, one at a time, for bridge deck patching. These closures are expected to last throughout the week, beginning at 9am and opening back up to all traffic by 4pm each day. Flaggers will be in place directing traffic. We ask that you use extreme caution while driving through this construction zone.