A lot of time has passed, but I believe the year was 1970.  I had my first full-time radio announcing job at WIFN, 95.9 FM, in Franklin, Indiana (a station that no longer exists).

WIFN tried to be a local station.  One of my first assignments outside the studio was working a remote broadcast from a local nonprofit organization fish fry.  My job was to talk with people there and encourage locals to support the fish fry.

Let’s just say I had my baptism of fire.  This was my first such assignment.  I stumbled around and essentially made a fool of myself trying to handle this remote broadcast.  I sounded like a rookie.

The person at the controls back at the station was an experienced radio hand that intervened and struck up a two-way conversation with me, sensing I was in trouble.  Jim Walsh worked part-time but had worked in radio a while and knew what he was doing.

By striking up a conversation with me in the remote trailer and himself in the studio, he essentially saved my broadcast career.  Before his intervention, I was ready to move on to another profession.

I hooked up with Jim many years later when he was working to organize a public radio station, or “community radio,” as Jim liked to describe the concept.  I joked with him that he was responsible for me working in the broadcast business for 14 years, for better or worse.  Had he not bailed me out in 1970, there is no telling where my radio career would have ended up.

I helped Jim as a volunteer to get that community radio station started.  It became what is now known as WITT, 91.9 FM.  It happened because Jim put people together and made it happen.  It took many years, but he got it done.

I discovered on a Facebook page devoted to local radio that Jim Walsh died days ago.  John Rabold wrote a tribute to Jim on that Facebook page.  Here is part of what John wrote:

“Jim rarely had a frown. Always smiling. We always loved it when he would arrive at Skyline Chili when the radio group met every Friday. He LOVED local radio. What the corporation stations were doing, Jim did the opposite. So opposite it was Unpredictable.”

“Jim was a devoted husband, father, family man, friend and radio geek. His voice would light up when I would call him.”

I had the same experience when calling Jim.  His voice would light up and the conversation was special.

Jim Walsh left his mark on our local community by heading-up the effort to create a community radio station.  It was because of Jim Walsh that WITT radio is still on the air.

I will remember Jim for his friendly attitude, the help he gave me as a struggling new broadcaster and I will never forget that big, wide smile.

If there is radio in heaven, Jim is part of it.  May his soul rest in peace.

It’s another long list of road work in and around Fishers for the work week starting Monday, May 1st.

Here is the full listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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To learn more about the State Road 37 Improvement Project and sign up to receive text updates, visit 37Thrives.com. 

STATE ROAD 37 AND 141ST STREET
A pre-construction phase at SR 37 & 141st Street is currently in place. During this phase, 141st Street will be a Right-In-Right-Out (RIRO) traffic configuration. 
This is not the permanent configuration. This will allow for traffic to flow more freely along SR 37 until the next phases of construction can be activated. This will eliminate backups along SR 37 that have caused dangerous stops to the free flow traffic and backups on the 146th Street interchange. Again, this is not the permanent configuration for 141st Street. The full timeline for the 141st Street interchange will be provided after project bids are accepted in the Summer of 2023. View detour routes here.

To learn more about the Clear Path Improvement Project and sign up to receive text and email updates, visit clearpath465.com 

I-465 & I-69
Drivers will see an increase in construction along the I-69 corridor in the coming months. This work will focus on reconfiguring the interchange at I-465 and I-69. New ramps will provide direct movements from eastbound I-465 and northbound I-465 to northbound I-69. Binford Blvd. will also be reconstructed to separate local traffic from traffic entering and exiting I-69 and I-465. Access to I-69 from Binford Blvd. will remain open. Drivers can expect to see significant activity on I-69 at the 82nd Street interchange.

The ramp from I-69 North to 82nd Street and the ramp from 82nd Street to I-69 North is currently closed through late 2023. For detour routes and additional project information, visit clearpath465.com 

To learn more about the Nickel Plate Trail, view the Capital Project Dashboard here.

NICKEL PLATE TRAIL
The City of Fishers is working on the completion of the Fishers portion of the Nickel Plate Trail. The remaining paving work from 96th Street to 106th Street is underway, and construction crews are currently working to clear and prep the area for paving. In the coming weeks, construction crews will begin the paving process.

There are daily lane closures currently on Cumberland Road, just south of 126th Street for sanitary and water line work. The northbound right turn lane and the southbound passing blister will be closed.

Beginning on Monday, May 1, Willow View Road will be closed just north of 96th Street for the installation of a water line and is anticipated to reopen by end of day on Tuesday, May 2. View map here. 

2023 RESURFACING PROJECT

There are a couple of important news items about the Hamilton East Public Library, which runs both the Noblesville and Fishers public library buildings.

First, construction on the Fishers structure is entering a new phase.  The library and Ignite studio will both close Thursday, May 4 & Friday, May 5.

A very big change will happen Saturday, May 6.  The main entrance to the building will move from the long-time main doors at the south entrance and move to the newly constructed north entrance.  The parking lot will move to the north entrance as well.

The previous main entrance and parking lot on the south end of the building will close as of May 6.  Due dates will be extended as a result of these changes.

Secondly, IndyStar reporter Rachel Fradette has a story posted online Friday about major changes to the teen and young adult selections at the Hamilton East Libraries.  You can read her story at this link. WISH-TV has a story about protests at the Thursday library board meeting at this link.

The Fishers Fifty Club is all about supporting local police officers and firefighters, particularly in the event of duty-related disability or death.  But the club took time Thursday evening to honor police & fire employees often working behind the scenes.

An awards ceremony held at Knowledge Services recognized one worker each from the police and fire departments.

Fishers Sergeant Angela Ellison was the Unsung Hero award winner on the police side.  Sgt. Ellison began her law enforcement career as a patrol officer in 1996.  She has since served as a training officer, winning a number of awards.  She has debriefed agencies around Indiana in the aftermath of difficult situations.  She is very involved in the subject of mental health.

From the Fishers Fire Department, the Unsung Hero Award winner is Captain Neil Sullivan.  He has been with the department 15 years, serving in both fire and emergency services.  His “behind the scenes” work includes time with the Safety and Training Division.  Cpt. Sullivan is known to take new recruits under his wing, providing important one-on-one instruction.

Congratulations to Angela Ellison and Neil Sullivan, winners of the Fifty Club of Fishers Unsung Hero Award.

A new office building on Municipal Drive in Fishers received approval for one waiver from the Nickel Plate Review Committee Wednesday, but a second waiver was assigned to the city staff to work with the Keystone Group and its architect, Rottman Collier, to iron out the other waiver request.

The proposed AMP West office building, to be constructed next to the existing Flexware office complex, received approval for a waiver of the Nickel Plate Code for its façade masonry, but Fishers Planning and Zoning staff was asked to work with the developer on its request for metal ribbed paneling to be used as a material, proposed at 23.1% of the structure’s exterior.

Several members of the committee commented on the contrasting colors for the outside of the building and the architects appeared willing to work on that with the city.

The purpose of the Nickel Plate Review Committee is to aid in the review and approval of projects within the city-created Nickel Plate District and the City Center Residential Zoning District, per the Nickel Plate Code.

In another matter before the committee, the city staff explained a proposal to expand the Nickel Plate District into the Northeast Commerce Park.  The tech park includes such operations at Launch Fishers, DeVeau’s School of Gymnastics, the Indiana IOT Lab and the Hamilton County Community Foundation.

The proposed expansion received first reading from the Fishers City Council.  The city staff will conduct a virtual town hall with the businesses in the Northeast Commerce Park.  The Fishers Plan Commission will hold a public hearing on the plan, then the City Council will vote on the measure.

I have been a big believer of the power of forgiveness.  A new art exhibit coming to Fishers in the month of May, highlights forgiveness.

Several years ago, artist Carolyn Holder Springer decided that she wanted to try something unique and interesting with her latest approach to her art, so she began “The Forgiving Sea Project.” She said, “The Forgiving Sea was begun in 2015 as a simple gesture to encourage more interaction with visitors to my studio and promote peace. I really wanted to push the traditional boundaries of static gallery-style art and encourage viewers to write on The Forgiving Sea paintings with a name of someone they hoped to forgive.” The spiritual healing of the mind and soul Carolyn hoped would ensue is a release of pain through forgiveness. In addition, she wanted to create a safe environment where visitors could share their feelings without judgment. From that first painting, the project has blossomed into many more paintings.

Ms. Springer begins with an oil painting. Visitors are encouraged to use pastel chalk to write the name of a person they would like to forgive, or a memory they would like to forgive, or anything that lingers in their minds that requires forgiving another person or entity. In the current interactive process, viewers write names of those they wish to forgive on the painting. A new layer of sea waves is painted over the names and washes the names away. The handwriting of the participants can look like tagging or mark-making, building a beautiful layer into the painting. The layers continue to transform into a soulful work of art made by the collective community. As people engage with the work by writing names of those they want to forgive, the names are later covered with paint, making room for the next group of names. Transformed many times, the static painting has many layers beneath its surface as if it were an archeological dig. If the work were x-rayed, thousands of names would be revealed as individual artifacts captured in a moment in time. A finished painting has many layers of words and many layers of paint.

As the project grew and progressed, Ms. Springer wanted to involve more of the senses, and she and her musical collaborator, Joseph Lamm, decided to have viewers observe each layer while accompanied by music. The result is a soundtrack that reflects the spirit of The Forgiving Sea Project. Springer and Lamm partnered on this project to engage both the visual and auditory senses of participants.

Come and see what all the excitement is about with Carolyn Springer (artist) and Joseph Lamm (composer), along with Fishers Arts Council, and experience “The Forgiving Sea Project” exhibit at the Collaboration Hub at Hamilton County Community Foundation during our Second Friday Reception on Friday, May 12, 2023, from 6-8 p.m. The Forgiving Sea Project is part of the Arts Council’s celebration of May as Mental Health Month, and The Forgiving Sea Project has healing elements for everyone.

Additional FREE public events will be offered during the month of May, made possible by a grant from Fishers Art + Culture Commission, all located at the Hamilton County Community Foundation.

Saturday, May 6 from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Family Day & Spiritual Healing Event with Gym Roots and the Pranic Healing Community. Join us in playful partnership as we build our relationship with forgiveness through movement and meditation. This is an outdoor event.

Lunch Talks from 12:15-1:00 p.m. – bring your own lunch and join us

Tuesday, May 16: Licensed art psychotherapist Katy Wagner, MA, ATR-P, LMHCA. Learn about the fascinating world of art therapy and the power of the creative process as a way of healing through hands on creative wellness experiential. No skills required, user friendly for all abilities! Thursday, May 25: Artist and Founder of the Forgiving Sea Project, Carolyn Springer, will share the journey of The Forgiving Sea Project from an art painting and installation to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a Q & A session to follow.

The exhibit is open to the public from May 1-26, Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Fridays by appointment. To make an appointment, please contact Fishers Arts Council directly.

I am a lover of jazz and I suspect there are many just like me around Fishers.  For jazz lovers, a concert is on tap May 9th at Hub & Spoke, featuring the local Mudsock Jazz Combo.  The Fishers Community Chorus will also be on hand to perform.  Both groups are part of Fishers Music Works.

The Fishers Community Chorus (founded in 2015) is an all-volunteer adult vocal ensemble that provides a creative performance outlet to the musical citizens of Fishers. They are a mixed chorus, with members from every walk of life.

Mudsock Jazz Combo is a group of musicians who get together several times each month to rehearse and perform for the public and private organizations. The group features instrumental and vocal arrangements of Jazz standards, Dixieland and Jazz Rock.

The concert starts at 7:00pm and the public is invited.  Hub & Spoke is located at 8100 East 106th Street.

If you are interested in becoming a part of the Chorus, contact them at FCC@Fishers MusicWorks.org.

Television station WTHR reports that a Fishers day care worker faces felony battery charges.  For more details, read the WTHR story at this link.

I have written and podcasted about a number of important nonprofit organizations in the Fishers area, and one of the most important is the Hamilton Southeastern Education Foundation.

As spring break is over with just a few weeks of school remaining, the Foundation is providing the community with an easy way to thank an educator in the Hamilton Southeastern School District.

A $10 donation results in

• a cookie delivered to them at school
• a personalized certificate recognition on the HSEF Educator Honor Roll on our social media
• recognition on the HSEF Educator Honor Roll on our social media

Thanking an educator is very easy to do.  Just use this link.

After 11 years of writing this blog, I have always tried to keep things up to date as possible and write information for the Fishers community.  At least, as well as a one-person volunteer operation can.

I must admit I have not been up to my usual standard lately.  Let me explain why.

I was hit with a particularly nasty respiratory infection.  It resulted in a persistent cough, with occasional coughing fits that would last several minutes.  I had to leave the last school board meeting twice when my cough went out of control.

Let’s just say this illness knocked me down good.  On top of all that, I’m not as young as I used to be so getting over it took a long time.

Not making excuses, just a matter of explaining why the blog may not have been up to my usual standard in recent weeks.

There are also family obligations that keep me busy as well, but be rest assured I am still writing the blog and will update when I can.

It is good to be feeling better, and it feels good to be working on the computer keyboard again.

Thanks for reading and take care!