Another full slate of road construction is on tap for the first week of July.  Here are the details, 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.

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. 

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.

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.

Phase 2A traffic restrictions are currently in place. These restrictions will eliminate left turn movements from 146th Street onto Allisonville Road and reopen to two through lanes on eastbound and westbound 146th Street. Sowers Dr., Wellington Ct., and Kensington Dr. will be closed at 146th Street during this phase. 

Increased utility relocation activity is expected along Allisonville Rd. south of 146th Street. Flaggers will be present when lane or shoulder restrictions are necessary.

Construction crews will be working to complete the connection of Sowers Dr. to Allisonville Road. Saville Road will be closed at 146th Street for construction crews to construct the new frontage road and Saville Road access at 146th Street. Waterway MOT will be installed along the White River to allow crews to begin working on the White River bridges. 

The worksite speed limit will be 35 mph. Please exercise caution while driving through this construction zone.

For additional project information, visit Hamilton County website here. 

There is a sanitary sewer project currently taking place at Metro Airport at 106th Street & Allisonville Road. There are times where lane restrictions may be in place on Allisonville Road. Please use caution in this area.

In a letter to the Fishers community, Police Chief Ed Gebhart identified the victim in the Wednesday afternoon shooting in the Speedway gas station parking lot, on 116th Street just west of Allisonville Road.

The victim is identified as Kaylah Ann Farmer.  She was  the mother of three children.

“We want to extend our sincere condolences to Kaylah’s family and friends,” said Chief Gebhart.  “Our agency will continue to advocate for Kaylah and work closely with the Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to ensure justice is served for her.”

According to Gebhart, his department will focus on bringing “resolution and justice to Kaylah’s family.”

A person of interest in the shooting death, Joshua Alexander Farmer, was taken into custody Thursday.

The “person of interest” in the fatal shooting Wednesday afternoon in a Fishers gas station parking lot is now in custody, per television station WTHR.  For more details, use this link.

Fishers Police are looking for a “person of interest” in connection with a late Wednesday afternoon fatal shooting.  Joshua Alexander Farmer, 32, from Noblesville, is that person of interest.

Fishers Police were called to the Speedway gas station on 116th Street just west of Allisonville Road at 5pm yesterday and found a woman dead from what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds.  Investigators say this appears to stem from an ongoing domestic situation.

Anyone with information regarding Joshua Alexander Farmer should call 317-595-3254. Farmer was last seen driving a 2020 maroon Kia Soul with Indiana license plate 392CDM. Police warn the public not to approach Farmer as he is wanted on several warrants from Hamilton County, and he should be considered armed and dangerous.

As you drive down 116th Street eastbound just past Municipal Drive in downtown Fishers, you have a clear view of the new mural.  In the near future, you will only be able to view roughly the top half of that mural when driving that same route.

That’s because a new Cafe Patachou is coming to that site, along with a plaza. The Nickel Plate Review Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the project in the special downtown district.

The Nickel Plate Review Committee considers proposed projects within the district required to meet a certain threshold for size, intensity or density as detailed by the Nickel Plate Code.

The Fishers Board of Zoning Appeals denied a request by Hieu Van Le to convert his residential single-family home to a short-term rental property.  The vote was 5-0.

According to the Fishers Planning Department staff, the State of Indiana does not allow municipalities to limit short-term rentals when it relates to home-occupation, meaning the property owner must live at the residence. This does not meet the City of Fishers’ home-occupation standards, and therefore requires this special zoning exception to allow short-term rentals.  Assistant Planning & Zoning Director Ross Hilleary told the board this is the first such situation he has seen in his 6 years with Fishers.

Mr. Le did not attend the meeting, but had his property manager make the case that his experience with a long-term  renter with a one-year lease was not positive, and believes changing to short-term rentals would allow cleaning staff to check the property between short-term tenantes. His neighbors on Dawson Drive, near Holland Park, strongly disagreed and all spoke against the proposal.

In other BZA actions Wednesday:

–Bryan Harris was denied his request for a large accessory structure next to his home on 97th Street.

–Burn Boot Camp received unanimous approval from the board to occupy space at The Link at Fishers District Building (fomerly known as Navient).

— Chris Schulhof will be able to expand his Geist-area home with a unanimous yes vote from the board.

Shots were fired at the Speedway gas station on 116th Street, just west of Allisonville Road, Wednesday afternoon, with WTHR reporting one woman has died.

For more from WTHR, use this link.

The Hamilton County Highway Department announced lane restrictions on 146th Street at the construction site at Allisonville Road.  The restrictions start at 7pm June 28th and will end at 5am June 30th.

Here is the text of the announcement:

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Please be advised, beginning on or after Wednesday, June 28 between the hours of 7pm and 5am, 146^th Street between Saville Road and River Road within the existing construction limits, will be under lane restrictions for the placement of a temporary barrier wall. The estimated restriction completion date is by 5am on Friday, June 30, 2023. Only one right-hand lane, eastbound or westbound, will be restricted at a time, while crews complete this wall installation.

Please use extreme caution while driving through this construction zone.

When Geist Waterfront park opened this summer, one amenity offered is kayaking on the lake.  The Fishers Parks & Recreation Department offered an outing to a group of senior citizens from Lake Meadows Assisted Living.  With the cooperation of Wheel Fun Rentals, these seniors were able to have a fun day in kayaks.

I suppose I am technically classified as a senior citizen, although often accused of not acting my age.  These seniors are obviously more adventurous than I.

The City of Fishers shared with me some photos of the Monday kayaking excursion, and I have posted a few here.

Based on the discussion at Monday night’s school board work session, the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools will likely ask voters to approve a reduced operating referendum rate when the proposal appears on the November 7 ballot.  The current referendum rate of .2275 was approved overwhelmingly by voters in 2016.  That referendum expires at the end of 2023.

The board is expected to vote on the rate and exact language to appear on the ballot at the July 12 board session.

Referendum Consultant Steve Klink and HSE Schools Chief Financial Officer Katy Dowling presented 3 scenarios on which rate to place on the ballot.  One would reduce the current referendum rate by 10%, the second by 12.2% and the third by 15.8%.  Dowling recommends the board consider the second option and most board members appeared to agree, although no vote was taken.

That option would ask voters to approve a referendum rate of .1997, resulting in a reduction in the amount generated by the referendum of $1.737 million annually.

LarryInFishers asked Ms. Dowling if her recommended scenario would result in staff reductions, she responded that at this time, it would not impact the teaching staff.  However, an internal committee would study ways to save money and increase efficiencies in other areas.

Referendum consultant Klink told the board if this referendum vote fails in November, the board must wait 2 years to attempt another operating tax rate, unless a petition is filed successfully, allowing another vote in 1 year.

It should also be noted that there is a capital referendum rate established in 2013 when voters approved the funding for the College and Career Academy buildings in each high school.  That referendum rate is .1077 and is not subject to a renewal vote.