As the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board of Trustees opened the July 27th meeting, Board President Julie Chambers tried to read a statement about Ashley Lansdell, a kindergarten teacher at Fall Creek Elementary School.  Ms. Chambers tried, but could only get through a few words without breaking down in grief.  Ashley Lansdell was a teacher at the school her children attend.  Ms. Chambers finally handed the statement to Superintendent Yvonne Stokes, and she read the following statement.

“It’s with a heavy heart that…I share with you the passing of one of our staff members.  As you may already know, Ashley Lansdell, a kindergarten teacher at Fall Creek Elementary, was recently involved in a very serious car accident.  Her family informed us this morning that Ashley passed away at IU Methodist Hospital, surrounded by those that loved her.  Ashley has been a part of the HSE family since 2012.  For the past ten years, she has been a beacon of light supporting students, staff, families and the greater community.  Please keep Ashley’s family, colleagues and friends in your thoughts as they cope with this difficult loss.  The HSE Crisis Response Team will be working to support students and staff during this difficult time, as we start our new school year.”

Following Dr. Stokes reading of the statement above, a moment of silence was observed.

I will only add that a Go Fund Me page continues for Ashley Lansdell’s daughter Mia.  You can find that page at this link.

On the first day of officially filing for a seat on the Hamilton Southeastern School Board, four candidates filed their paperwork, one for each district.

Here are the filings for July 27:

District 1             Tiffany Pascoe

District 2            Juanita Albright

District 3            Dawn Lang

District 4            Ben Orr

In the 2022 School Board election, each candidate runs within their own district.  Candidates may file until noon on August 26.

Today (Wednesday) is the first day for candidates to officially file to be placed on the November ballot for Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board.

Tiffany Pascoe announced late Tuesday evening she intends to file for the District 1 seat on the HSE Board.  Ms. Pascoe was a candidate in the at-large local school board election in 2020, finishing second in Wayne Township with 31.69% of the vote.  Sarah Parks-Reese won that election with 39.46% of the vote.

In this round of elections, candidates run only within their districts, with only voters within that district boundary voting in that balloting.

In her news release, Ms. Pascoe describes herself as a “long standing and proven conservative candidate.”  She cites her “core objectives are to put students first, return to academic excellence, establish no new taxes, and promote fiscal conservatism.”  She adds, “parents deserve to have a voice concerning their children’s education and future.”

Ms. Pascoe also cited her community involvement with the following activities…”appointee by Hamilton County Council to Hamilton County Tourism, Republican State Delegate, Republican Precinct Committeeman, a Youth Assistance Program Step Up Tutor, Fishers Arts Council volunteer, Meals on Wheels volunteer, Third Phase volunteer, past Co-Chair of local GOP club, Riverview Health Foundation volunteer, and IFRW member.”

Several candidates have announced their intention to run for the HSE School Board, but Ms. Pascoe is the first to specifically announce her intention to file for office.

The Nickel Plate Trail is to be part of a regional trail network, extending south with a bridge over 96th Street, extending to the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, and eventually north connecting to Noblesville’s Midland Trail System.

The City of Fishers took another step in expanding the local Nickel Plate trail south by entering into a $453,000 contract with BF&S for design services for the trail and the pedestrian bridge over 96th Street.  The Board of Public Works and Safety approved the pact Tuesday morning.

In one other item before the board, the city is moving forward with the bidding process for constructing a replacement for the current City Hall, currently named the Arts & Municipal Complex.  This phase is for a transformer and the technical equipment that goes with it.

City Attorney Chris Griesl told board member the final bid, a “substantial” package, will be presented to the board soon for the Arts & Municipal Complex.  It will include HVAC systems, electrical, plumbing, site work, drywall, building enclosures and finishes.  The work is already out for bids and Griesl admitted that there are concerns about “market fluctuation, construction issues…we are seeing it right across the country.”  The board should receive information on how the bids went at a meeting in late August.

Finally, the board held its last meeting in City Hall.  While staff migrate to other facilities as construction activities begin, the meetings, at least for now, will be held in the City Court room located next door at the City Services Building (the old police headquarters).  The public is expected to have access to future board meetings by entering the building through the east entrance.

The National Night Out had been a tradition in many local communities, including Fishers.  It is a night for local police departments to invite the public to interact with officers.  COVID restricted the event for a while, but it is back in 2022.

Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart has issued an invitation foro everyone in the city to come by this year’s National Night Out.

For more details, here is the news release issued by Fishers Police:

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Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart would like to invite the community to the Fishers Police Department’s National Night Out Open House on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, from 5:00-7:00 pm at the Fishers Police Department.

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.

Citizens, law enforcement agencies, community groups, businesses, youth organizations and local, state, and federal officials from 16,377 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories and military bases worldwide will join forces to celebrate the 38th Annual National Night Out – a community crime and safety event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch.

We encourage all of our citizens to join us for a great evening of fun and fellowship. We have a number of activities planned for all ages to include vehicle, drone and equipment displays, crime scene collection display, crime prevention information and much more. Free hotdogs, chips and water will also be provided.

Students in the local Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools return to the classrooms for another school year starting Wednesday, August 3.  The Fishers Health Department has announced a series of immunization clinics to allow parents to have their students receive vaccines.  For more details, see the Fishers City news release below:

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Fishers’ Technology Drive, located in Northeast Commerce Park, is normally a very busy place.  It contains the Fishers Health Department, Launch Fishers, The Indiana IoT (Internet of Things) Lab, DeVeau’s Gymnastics, The Fieldhouse….well, you get the picture.  And there are many more I could add to that list,

Motorists faced with the challenge of a one-way street on Technology Drive will soon be getting some relief.  The city’s Director of Engineering, Jason Taylor, tells LarryInFishers the contractor is in the final phase of reconstructing that street and two-way traffic should be restored by the end of August.

Technology Drive has had an upgrade constructed on the road surface during the construction this summer.

It is fitting that I begin a podcast series all about the history of Fishers with someone familiar with the American Indian Tribe that roamed this land long before 1872.  As part of the Fishers Sesquicentennial, I have partnered with the City of Fishers to provide historical perspective on our 150th birthday.

Diane Hunter is an expert on the Miami Tribe that inhabited this region even before the Delaware and Lenape tribes lived in what we now know as the Fishers area.

Learn about the first inhabitants of the area we now know as Fishers by listening to my podcast discussion with Diane Hunter.

As Fishers celebrates its 150th birthday (Sesquicentennial) local publisher Tom Britt decided to take one of his favorite items, a time capsule, and place it into the new Arts Center/Municipal Complex set to begin construction later this year.

Tom is putting his Towne Post Network behind the idea of fashioning the time capsule.  But if we Fishers residents want a time capsule, how do we decide what to include in the capsule for people in the future Fishers to see many years from now?

You can be a part of all that.  Just use this link, fill out the form and tell Fishers what you would like to place in the time capsule.

Watch for overnight lane restrictions along State Road 37 in Fishers July 25 through July 28.

For more on that, and other road construction projects in and around Fishers, here is the weekly road construction update, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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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/135TH STREET
135th Street, east of SR 37, is currently closed as work progresses on the project. This closure will be in place until early July. SR 37 will remain open both northbound and southbound and allow right in/right out access at 131st Street. View the detour map here.

Beginning on Monday, July 25 through Thursday, July 28, there will be single lane closures on SR 37 between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. to set barrier wall, place pavement markings and signage for Phase 6. Northbound will be moved first onto the newly constructed pavement and will be able to utilize 135th Street via right in/right out. Southbound will be last and will no longer have access to 135th Street, west of SR 37. View the detour map here.  

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.

The intersection at Southeastern Pky. & Cyntheanne Road is currently closed for roundabout construction and is anticipated to reopen by the end of July. View the detour map here.  Schoolhouse 7 Café will remain open for business during construction. View how to access their business here.  

Beginning on Monday, July 25 through Thursday, July 28, milling and road resurfacing will be taking place on Cumberland Road. The southbound lane on Cumberland Road between 131st Street and 126th Street will be restricted daily between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. The roundabout at 131st Street will be reduced to one internal lane to prevent traffic exiting southbound onto Cumberland Road. Flaggers will be in place at 131st Street and 126th Street to help direct traffic. 

Olio Road between Geist Reservoir and Haven Cove Lane, the first road south of the Geist Reservoir Bridge, may have daily lane restrictions for the reconfiguration and installation of access to Geist Waterfront Park and the Marina. These lane restrictions will occur between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday thru Friday. The estimated completion date is August 1, 2022.  

Beginning on Tuesday, July 26 through Thursday, July 28, road resurfacing will be taking place on 104th Street, east of Olio Road to Cyntheanne Road. Flaggers will be in place to help direct traffic. 
 

Comcast will have daily lane restrictions in place on westbound 116th Street between Cameron Drive and Allisonville Road and northbound Allisonville Road between 116th Street to the Kroger signal for overhead work. Restrictions will be in place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

ADA ramp and curb reconstruction has started taking place in Delaware Point, Hickory Woods, Overlook at Beaver Ridge and Waterford Gardens as part of the 2022 Resurfacing Project. Homeowners will be notified via door hangers prior to any curb reconstruction near their home. After ADA ramp and curb reconstruction is completed, those areas will be restored with topsoil and seed. It is the responsibility of the homeowner to water the seed for the seed to germinate. Prior to road resurfacing, residents will be notified via street signage for street parking restrictions.