George Kehl basically created the Fishers Police Department, a force of just a handful of men initially, and retired as the city’s Chief of Police after seeing massive growth.  But George Kehl was not done with Fishers upon his retirement from law enforcement.  He then went to work handling inventory for the Fishers Department of Public Works (DPW,) which he continues to handle to this day.

At Monday night’s Fishers City Council meeting, DPW Director Eric Pethtel issued a certificate to Mr. Kehl honoring him for 45 years of service to the city.  George Kehl is the first person ever to have completed 45 years of service to Fishers.

Another Kehl was honored Monday night, this time Scott Kehl for his 30 years of service to the Police Department.  Barb Hathaway was recognized for 25 years serving the billing department in Emergency Services and then handling vital records for the Fishers Health Department

It is once again time to talk about the Spark Fishers Festival.  The 2023 version will so some changes in the final night and there is a new parade route.

I spoke with Marissa Deckert, Director of Parks & Recreation for the City of Fishers, about the summer festival and more in this podcast.

The Fishers City Council had a busy Monday night meeting, voting for two new developments on South Street downtown, plus approved funding for a new Community Center.

The Council voted for the $60 million funding package for the Community Center.  Councilor Jocelyn Vare moved to delay the approval process by one month and her motion was defeated on a 6-2 vote, with Vare and Crystal Neumann the two votes supporting the motion.  Councilman Pete Peterson abstained because his employer is involved in the project.

The final vote to approve the funding for the Community Center was 7-1 with Vare the only no vote.  Vare emphasized she is not against the project but wants more time to sift through the funding.

Video fly-throughs of an animated look at the Community Center are above and below this text.

The council also voted to move forward with incentives for two South Street developments in downtown Fishers.

The City View development is a residential rental project for the over-55 group.  Hageman is developing this plan with an incentive package.  Another South Street development, District South, with include roughly the same incentives from the city.  Both involve Tax Increment Financing (TIF), but HSE Schools will receive the property tax money from the school referendum.

Fishers Police arrested a woman early Sunday morning on an OWI charge, now identified as a Greenfield Police Officer.  Nicole Gilbert, 45, from Fortville, was driving in the area of 96th Street and Olio Road when a Fishers patrol officer found a vehicle with one missing headlight.  The officer also, according to Fishers Police, found the vehicle was “using unsafe lane movement.”

The vehicle driven by Gilbert was pulled over and, again, according to Fishers officers, “developed probable cause to believe the driver was operating a vehicle while intoxicated. The driver was arrested and transported to the Hamilton County Jail without incident.”

Gilbert faces a misdemeanor charge of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated (OWI).

Television station WTHR reports Gilbert is a 13-year veteran of the Greenfield Police Department.  She will be placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Fishers gained another notch in efforts to expand the presence of life-science businesses in the city. Pure Pharmacy executives announced their plans to expand to Fishers, including investing more than $2.5 million in capital and increasing their employee count by 50 by the end of 2027. The new jobs will focus on the compounding, compliance, dispensing, and support areas of the company.

“We are very excited to expand our operations to Fishers and appreciate the support that the city has given us,” said Ryan Hayes, co-owner of Pure Pharmacy, in a Fishers City news release.

Pure Pharmacy is currently valued at $3.4 billion.

“It’s incredible to see the life science innovation that is happening in Central Indiana right now,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness. “With the addition of Pure Pharmacy, Fishers’ I-69 corridor is competing across the life science industry in new technologies and the momentum is just getting started.”

The new compounding facility will be located at the Patch Development building under construction at 96th Street and Masters Road.

It is another very busy week of road & trail construction in and around Fishers.

Below is the latest update, as provided by the City of Fishers, for the work week beginning Monday, June 19:

===============

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.

Local roadways and access points will be impacted due to the Spark!Fishers festival happening Tuesday, June 20 – Saturday, June 24. Please find details about closures and restrictions here. Thank you for your patience during this time and hope to see you at Spark!Fishers!  

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 1 construction for the grade separation intersection improvement is currently taking place at 146th Street and Allisonville Road. One through lane and one left turn lane in all directions will be closed through the intersection. In addition to these closures, 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. 

As anyone traveling in that area knows by now, construction continues at the intersection of 146th Street & Allisonville Road.  Hamilton County Highway says the current traffic pattern will remain until June 22nd, then look for changes.

The new June 22nd restrictions will eliminate left turns from 146th Street onto Allisonville Road and allow two through lanes on eastbound and westbound 146th Street. Sowers Drive, Wellington Court and Kensington Drive 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 Drive 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.

When complete, the interchange will feature a roundabout for traffic for north-south on Allisonville Road with an overpass handling motorists on 146th Street.

Fishers city officials have been saying for some months that the final piece of the State Road 37 project at 141st Street would be bid in August of this year with construction in 2024.  Now, city engineering officials say the bids will be taken in the spring of 2024, but the construction is expected to begin in 2024, as originally planned.

141st Street at State Road 37 is currently an east-west right-in right-out intersection.  It had originally been planned as a roundabout, much like the SR 37 interchanges at 126th & 131st Streets.  The original bids on the 141st Street roundabout were so high due to post-COVD expense increases the city chose not to award a bid at that time.

City Spokesperson Ashley Elrod says city officials had input from the state highway department that too many road construction projects are up for bid in August of this year, and the bidding should be better for the city in the spring of 2024.

So, if that timeline remains, Fishers will be awarding a bid in the spring of 2024 for construction to begin on a roundabout at 141st Street and State Road 37 the same year.

HAND Incorporated is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Noblesville that works to provide affordable housing opportunities for local residents.  HAND Executive Director Andrea Davis presided over a ground-breaking ceremony for HAND’s first Fishers project Thursday, Cumberland Cottages, just south and west of the roundabout at 141st Street and Cumberland Road.

Davis opened the gathering by explaining how long it had taken to bring this plan together, including COVID complications and a rezoning that passed the Fishers City Council by one vote.

Tom Kilian of the Hamilton County Community Foundation told those assembled that his foundation, which Davis credits for providing the final piece of funding allowing Cumberland Cottages to happen, works to provide people in this county with equitable opportunities for reaching their full potential. He described Cumberland Cottages as a perfect example of reaching that mission.

“This project is going to allow us to keep our work force in Hamilton County,” said Kilian.

Cumberland Cottages will provide 11 housing units on just under 2 acres of land, with 5  at market rate and 6 will have rents based on the tenant’s income.  Plans call for building four two-bedroom units and seven three-bedroom units in what’s known as a cottage court layout, clustered around shared green space.

Construction is expected to take about 10 months.

Several local elected officials were on hand for the ground-breaking, including County Commissioner Steve Dillinger, State Representative Victoria Wilburn, along with Fishers City Councilors Crystal Neumann and Jocelyn Vare.

Tom Kilian of the Hamilton County Community Foundation, speaking at the ground-breaking

If you peruse downtown Fishers along 116th Street, you will see much new development along North Street, one block to the north.  But one block to the south, there is South Street.  Based on an announcement from the City of Fishers Thursday evening, there are big plans for South Street, removing older structures and constructing new developments.

HighGround, a subsidiary of Carmel-based Hageman, and Rebar Development, a Fishers-based development firm, will present proposed projects for parcels along South Street to the Fishers City Council Monday night.

“I’m excited to see the dynamic facets of these developments breathe new life into this area of the Nickel Plate District,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in the city news release. “The transformation of this area will be incredible with high-end architecture, and new spots for small businesses to call home, all bringing a variety of people together from the corporate headquarters location to the 55+ community to visitors enjoying the amenities.”

First, CityView, a mixed-use building located along 116th Street at Lantern Rd, bringing $90 million of investment to the City of Fishers, anchoring the eastern gateway to the downtown district. The six-story building will include 184 luxury apartments specifically designed for the 55+ active adult community with incredible amenities, 16,000 sq. ft. of commercial space on the first floor, potential for outdoor restaurant seating, and a 280-space parking structure with electric vehicle charging stations. CityView will break ground February 2024 and is slated for completion spring 2026.

“Our age-qualified communities are purpose-built and designed around the lifestyle of active 55+ residents,” said Tom Dickey, President of HighGround. “CityView living promotes an authentic, connected experience uniquely suited for building relationships, health and wellness, entertainment, and convenience.”

Second, Rebar’s District South will redevelop the south side of South Street between Lantern Rd. and the Nickel Plate Trail, transforming six vacant properties into a $32.5 million mixed-use urban village. Anchored by a four-story mixed-use building, the development will feature the new headquarters location for Annex Group, seven small business retail units, 38 loft residences, a fitness center, café lounge, shared conference room, and civic plaza and courtyard. Additionally, the village will include 44 multi-family units with modern finishes. Rebar will break ground on District South in the fall of 2023 and will welcome residents and businesses beginning early 2025.

“District South will be a thriving urban village with an inspired mix of office, small businesses, high-end residential, and an outdoor plaza, all anchored by an industry-leading company in Annex Group,” said Shelby Bowen, President of Rebar Development. “With direct connections to both the Cheeney Creek Trail and Nickel Plate Trail, District South offers a walkable, bike-friendly, pet-friendly neighborhood for our residents, tenants, and visitors.”

The Annex Group, a multi-family housing developer, general contractor, and owner, will relocate to Fishers to support their business growth. The Annex Group anticipates adding an additional 40 full-time employees by 2028.

The Fishers City Council will vote on economic development agreements for CityView and District South at June’s City Council meeting on Monday, June 19 at 7 p.m.