Most counties in Indiana have 3 county commissioners that act much like mayors of cities…commissioners run the county and the county council generally has jurisdiction over the budget. Hamilton County Commissioners Mark Heirbrandt and Christine Altman fully expected to be in the audience watching fellow Commissioner Steve Dillinger deliver the 2022 annual State of the County address.
Then it became known that Dillinger had tested positive for COVID-19. That caused some scrambling, with Commissioners Heirbrandt and Altman working on a tight deadline to rework the presentation for the two of them Wednesday at the 4-H Fairgrounds.
The Noblesville Chamber of Commerce, sponsor of the event, announced at the outset that they had booked a full house for the lunch and address.
Heirbrandt and Altman did a tag team on presenting the update on Hamilton County government. The duo led the speech with an update on State Road 37. As reported earlier on this blog, the planned interchange at 141st Street and State Road 37 will be rebid. High construction costs and some other issues will delay that project, possibly into 2024, because the bids were far too high at this time.
The commissioners then turned to the planned rebuilding of the intersection at 146th Street & Allisonville Road. “We knew we needed to address this sooner than later,” said Heirbrandt. “You can see during rush hour this thing is backed up for miles.” There will be an overpass on 146th Street and a roundabout on ground level. Construction is to start in the spring of 2023 with completion set for the fall of 2024. The cost to the county will be $35.8 million, with $9.5 million in federal funds.
Altman did have some bad news for motorists on Allisonville Road. During the construction period, it will be necessary to close Allisonville Road for 90 days. County officials will announce the exact dates once that is determined.
The commissioners cited a number of other items the county is handling, including other road projects and a major upgrade to the county fairgrounds.
It was also announced that the county has 16,000 job positions open, the most on record.
The county has purchased land in the Noblesville area for a Women’s Shelter, in the area of State Road 38 & River Road. County officials are working with the nonprofit group Prevail on details of that planned facility.
Finally, the Noblesville Chamber cited Beth Niedermeyer for her service as Noblesville Schools Superintendent. Dr. Niedermeyer is retiring and her last day on the job is June 30. I got to know her during her time as an assistant superintendent for Hamilton Southeastern Schools. I wish Beth Niedermeyer all the best in her well-earned retirement years.
