Fishers continues to be a busy place for road construction in the coming week.  Watch for lane restrictions along 146th Street and State Road 37 as crews install traffic signals.

There are a number of other projects listed in the weekly report, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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STATE ROAD 37 IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

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.  

Beginning on Monday, September 12 through Saturday, September 17, between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., there will be single lane restrictions on 146th Street for traffic signal loops. 

STATE ROAD 37 AND 131ST/135TH STREET
135th Street, west of SR 37, is currently closed as work progresses on the project. SR 37 will remain open both northbound and southbound and allow right in/right out access at 131st Street. 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.

RINGER ROAD
Ringer Road will be closed to thru traffic on Saturday, September 10 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. to resurface the roadway. Access to the residents will be maintained. Flaggers will be in place. View map here. 

96TH STREET
Daily lane restrictions are currently in place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on 96th Street between Allisonville Road and Masters Road for the installation of small cell structures. 

126TH STREET

ADA ramp and curb reconstruction has started taking place in Brookston Place, Geist Overlook, Hamilton Proper and Valleys at Geist 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.

Road resurfacing work will be taking place on Promise Road between 136th Street and 141st Street on Monday, September 12 and on 136th Street between Cyntheanne Road and Atlantic Road between Friday, September 9 and Tuesday, September 13.

You may have heard about the latest COVID vaccine that includes Omicron and some other variants.  As of September 9, The Fishers Health Department has the new vaccine available.  You can call 317-595-3211 to arrange an appointment to receive the vaccine if you are 12 years of age or older.

Fishers Public Health Director Monica Heltz talks about that and much more in this podcast.

Safety Day in Fishers has had many locations, for many years in a hospital parking lot.  2022 brings the event to the Fishers Municipal Complex as part of the September 10th Farmers Market.

Safety Day is set for Saturday, September 10th, 8am-noon, on the west side of Municipal Drive, near the Fire Department headquarters.  “All Things Safety” is the name of this year’s event, and will happen alongside the Farmers Market.

Here is the schedule of what to expect:

8am                       Opening Ceremonies

                                Fall Creek JR High and Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate/Junior High Choirs

8:30am                 Fishers Junior High Strings

9:30am                 MC Axe and the Fire Crew with Kasey the Fire Dog to perform

9a-11a                   Scout Pack 190 and Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department Bike Rodeo

11am                     Fishers Fire Department Extrication Demo

Here is a partial list of various activities set for Saturday:

Other Events from 8a-12noon:

Versiti Blood Donations

45 Vender Booths

Face Painting

Touch a Truck

Spray water from a fire truck

Military on site

Hamilton County Emergency Management

Music

Food Trucks at the Market

Fishers Farmers Market

State Farm/Indiana Sheriffs Association Seat Belt Convincer

Police Departments

Water Safety

Chimney Safety

Gun Safety

Bike Safety

Personal Protection

Animal Safety

Elderly needs and safety

Utility Safety

Below is a map of Safety Day:

Fishers Arts Council (FAC) is hosting their 3rd Annual Juried Exhibit of Hamilton County
Artists, with the exhibit is free and open to the public as of now.  There also will be a free public “Second Friday” reception on Friday, September 9th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Collaboration Hub Gallery, 11810 Technology Drive, Fishers. The reception will include live music from the Goodman & Joven Duo, refreshments, and adult beverages.

“While this is a juried show and our judge decides the awards, the community gets a say as
well,” says Les Reinhardt, Executive Director. Patrons can visit the gallery in person during
business hours to select their favorite and vote, as well as during the first hour of the Friday
night reception. “The gallery has also gone live on Facebook and everyone has really been
blown away by the talent coming out of Hamilton County. The comments are so positive; plus we include those ‘likes’ in our vote tallying for the People’s Choice winner.” Reinhardt says that those who can’t visit in person can vote for their favorite through the Facebook album pinned to the top of their page at this link, through 7pm on September 9th. The awards ceremony begins at 7:15pm on September 9th and winners will be posted to the album as well as on the FAC website.

Guests can visit the gallery in person at 11810 Technology Drive Monday-Friday 9am-5pm,
excluding holidays. You can also see the juried exhibit in their online gallery at
this link.

A juried exhibit is one in which artists pay a fee to enter, and a juror reviews their works digitally before deciding if they will be part of the exhibit. Once chosen, artists bring their art to the gallery where the juror reviews the art in person, and selects winners based on their skill and presentation. The juror for 2022 is Terry Lacy, selected by Fishers Arts Council’s Juried Exhibit Committee, chaired by Pat Grabill. Lacy received his BFA from the Herron School of Art and his MFA from Indiana University. After teaching graphic design at Purdue University, he and his wife Fran started Lacy Design in Carroll County. Lacy has exhibited widely and accepts commission work in handmade paper in addition to watercolor and oil. This year was the largest turn out of artists and artwork submitted to the FAC exhibit. Lacy explained the responsibility of jurying the show, “I found the 2022 Juried Exhibit of Hamilton County Artists show to be very diverse and of a high quality across the board. The range of subjects, the multiple painting techniques,
and the surprising skill levels are very impressive. I liked several pieces very much and would readily hang several of them on my walls. It is reassuring to know so much good work is being produced in Hamilton County.”

“We are honored to showcase the incredible talent of Hamilton County in our gallery – with
Westfield, Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, and even that little slice of Indianapolis inside the
Hamilton County border represented – we hope to keep growing to include artists from all of our towns. This truly is a beautiful exhibit of Hamilton County Artists,” says Reinhardt.

Jiffy Lube of Indiana is sponsoring this exhibit.

The Indiana State Senate District 31 race is shaping-up to be one of the most competitive in the state, and endorsements have been coming in for both candidates.  The latest is from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and former Indiana State School Superintendent Jennifer McCormick, each endorsing Democrat Jocelyn Vare.

“Jocelyn Vare has proven to be a tireless advocate for students, showing her incredible support for public school students, educators, staff and administrators,” says Dr. McCormick in a Vare campaign news release.. “Her voice in the State Senate is essential and will have a promising impact on Indiana’s future.”

Vare says she opposed House Bill 1134, which some called the “anti-CRT” legislation, dealing with what is taught in public school classrooms on certain academic subjects.  Vare’s opponent, Kyle Walker, voted for HR 1134.

“I am committed to strengthening our public schools,” Vare emphasizes. “The fact that the
Supermajority championed such a destructive bill provides insight into how out-of-touch they have become with their own communities.”

Walker currently holds the Indiana Senate seat, elected by a Republican caucus after long-serving Senator Jim Merritt resigned from the seat during his term.  Vare is an at-large Fishers City Council member.

Senate District 31 encompasses all of Fishers and a portion of Lawrence Township in Marion County.

I took a few days off blogging around Labor Day to relax a bit.  After all, Labor Day is the unofficial green flag to begin election campaigns.

Locally, there are four seats at stake on this Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board in this election cycle, a majority of the 7-member body.  There are 11 candidates in all, each running within their own district lines.  I am planning on inviting each candidate to a podcast interview.  I will be announcing more on my plans in the coming days.

Covering Fishers as a volunteer journalist is more than enough to keep my busy.  Most of the county-wide offices are unopposed with Republicans set to take office or be re-elected.  One county-wide race many will be watching is for Hamilton County Prosecutor, with Republican Greg Garrison facing Democrat Jessica Paxson.

Fishers is in the middle of what local political insiders believe to be a very close election for Indiana State Senate District 31, with Republican Kyle Walker and Democrat Jocelyn Vare.  Walker was elected by a caucus to serve the remainder of long-time Senator Jim Merritt’s term after Merritt decided to leave office.  Vare has been serving on the Fishers City Council as an at-large member since 2020.

Walker has already released a television ad on YouTube, which is available at this link.  Vare and fellow Democrat on the City Council, Crystal Neumann, are sponsoring a session with Police Chief Ed Gebhart Friday.

The state senate campaign will be one worth watching.

The Hotel Nickel Plate is one step closer to reality following a ground breaking ceremony Friday.  The project is described by the developer as a 5-story, 116-room, upscale, boutique hotel.

The development will include a full-service restaurant on the ground floor and there will be access to the Nickel Plate Trail.

On hand for the event were Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, other city officials, Browning Chief Development Office Adam Chavers and Dora Hotel Company President Tim Dora.

The hotel will be located between the First Internet Bank building and the Nickel Plate Trail.

Watch for lane restrictions along 146th Street and closure of the 146th Street bridge over State Road 37 and that project moves into its final stages.

For more on that, and many more street & road projects, here is the weekly construction update, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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STATE ROAD 37 IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

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.  

On Friday, September 2, between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., there will be single lane restrictions on 146th Street for grooving and permanent pavement markings.

On Tuesday, September 6 through Saturday, September 10, between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., there will be single lane restrictions on 146th Street for grooving, permanent pavement markings and traffic signal loops. 

On Wednesday, September 7 and Thursday, September 8, between midnight and 4 a.m., the 146th Street bridge deck will be closed for permanent pavement markings. Ramps will remain open for exiting and entering SR 37, but 146th Street thru traffic will be temporarily not allowed. 

STATE ROAD 37 AND 131ST/135TH STREET
135th Street, west of SR 37, is currently closed as work progresses on the project. SR 37 will remain open both northbound and southbound and allow right in/right out access at 131st Street. 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.

RINGER ROAD
Ringer Road will be closed to thru traffic on Saturday, September 10 to resurface the roadway. Access to the residents will be maintained. 

96TH STREET
Daily lane restrictions are currently in place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on 96th Street between Allisonville Road and Masters Road for the installation of small cell structures. 

116TH STREET
On Wednesday, September 7, there will be temporary lane restrictions of the right turn lane on 116th Street at Commercial Drive between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for utility work at the traffic signal.   

ADA ramp and curb reconstruction has started taking place in Geist Overlook 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.

Base repair, milling and road resurfacing will be taking place on Promise Road between 136th Street and 141st Street between Wednesday, September 7 and Monday, September 12 and on 136th Street between Cyntheanne Road and Atlantic Road between Friday, September 9 and Tuesday, September 13.

HAND, a local nonprofit headquartered in Noblesville, specializes in affordable housing in Hamilton County and some surrounding areas.  HAND’s first Fishers project is realizing the same inflation we all see, but the organization is working to find a solution.

Andrea Davis, HAND’s Executive Director, talked about the status of Cumberland Cottages during a September 2nd podcast recording session.  According to Davis, the cost of Cumberland Cottages has risen 30% since receiving a $1.5 million government grant.  Since that grant, the estimated cost of the project has risen by $1 million.

HAND has been in “problem-solving mode” ever since, trying to identify some additional funding, and also looking at tweaks to design lowering construction and development costs.

“We’re getting close, we hope to have (a) solution in the next couple of weeks,” Davis said in the LarryInFishers.com Podcast.

Davis says if everything is “buttoned-up” in the next two weeks, Cumberland Cottages could be under construction during the spring of 2023.

Cumberland Cottages is planned for an area along Cumberland Road, just south of 141st Street.

A Fishers man faces felony charges after police say a handgun discharged during a family dispute.

Just after 4:00pm Thursday, police were called to the 13400 block of Lantern Road. The 911 call center received a report that a man had discharged a handgun in a residence, the son of the caller.  The son could not be found when police arrived at the scene.  After establishing a perimeter, officers found Darion J. Murray, 18, from Fishers.

Murray surrendered to officers and was transported to the Hamilton County Jail.

No one was injured.

Murray faces charges of criminal recklessness, intimidation and pointing a firearm, all felony counts.