After months of talk and preparation, the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board voted 6-0, with one abstention, to place a property tax referendum on the November election ballot.  Board Member Tiffany Pascoe was the abstention. Pascoe, in a brief conversation with LarryInFishers, says her abstention is due to her concerns the school district budget is not being handled correctly.

The Fishers City Council met jointly with the school board Wednesday evening and unanimously approved a resolution backing the HSE referendum.

The current operating referendum, passed overwhelmingly by voters in 2016, expires at the end of calendar year 2023, with a property tax rate of .2275.  The referendum to be placed on the November ballot is calling for a slightly lower rate of .1995 beginning in 2024, if voters approve.

State law controls most of the language of the  measure, as it will be shown on the election ballot. School officials expressed concern about the ballot language required by the state, which implies the local tax rate will increase, when the rate will actually go down if the referendum is approved

Here is the ballot language:

Shall Hamilton Southeastern Schools continue to impose increased property taxes paid to the school corporation by homeowners and businesses for eight (8) years immediately following the holding of the referendum for the purpose of funding academic and educationally related programs, maintaining class sizes, retaining and attracting of teachers, essential safety initiatives, and changing the previously approved maximum referendum tax rate from $0.2275 to $0.1995? The property tax increase requested in this referendum was originally approved by the voters in May, 2016 and if extended will increase the average property tax paid to the school corporation per year on a residence within the school corporation by 20.8% and if extended will increase the average property tax paid to the school corporation per year on a business property within the school corporation by 20.8%.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness emphatically endorsed passage of the HSE referendum, telling board members Fishers residents feel good about the community and a major factor is the fact they “are able to live in a place where they genuinely believe that by living here, their children will have a better opportunity than they had, greater future than they had.  And that is due, in no small part, to the institution you represent.”

A political action committee (PAC), Advance HSE, has been formed to advocate for passage of the referendum. Co-chairwomen, Sneha Shah and Laura Smoots will lead this grassroots effort, aiming to rally support for the operating referendum renewal.

“We are thrilled by the overwhelming number of volunteers who have joined our cause so far,” Advance HSE Co-Chair Sneha Shah said. “We welcome all residents of Fishers to get involved and support the referendum.”

Language contained in Hamilton Southeastern Schools student handbooks was the center of a spirited discussion at a Wednesday morning work session.  Some board members did suggest some changes, but administrators reminded the board of a process to vet any changes with staff, parents and students before any revisions are made.  That means any changes would likely be included in the handbooks for the 2024-2025 school year.

The liveliest discussion centered on the handbook dealing with student dress and appearance.  Board member Suzanne Thomas insisted on more specific language about certain types of clothing, particularly what she described as “see-through” clothes.  Juanita Albright said said she believes students should approach dressing for school the way one dresses for the workplace.  DEI Director Nataki Pettigrew warned that some of this suggested language could be construed as misogynistic or possibly “girl-shaming.”  The only consensus among board member appeared to be changing language on hats and hoodies.

Parents will be able to plan lunch with students at their school if scheduled in advance and there is space.  Administrators had recommended not allowing adults to join students for lunch due to the administrative burden but agreed in the end with the board members to allow such lunch visits on a limited basis, based on capacity.

The attendance section of the handbook is being adjusted to comply with state law.  If a student is away 10 consecutive school days, district administrators will decide how to handle the situation, including treating the student as an out-of-state transfer, electing homeschooling or, as provided in state statutes, having the time away excused if for educational purposes, as defined by law.  In some cases, students may be subject to truancy or expulsion procedures.

A discussion of student cell phones resulted in no suggested changes in the handbook language.  The number of cell phone infractions documented is very low, 38 in the entire district.  Teachers generally decide how cell phones are and are not used in a particular class.  There are instances when teachers may ask students to use their cell phones as part of the class on a given day.

After a lengthy discussion about rules for rest rooms, no changes were suggested from the current policy.

Superintendent Yvonne Stokes did say that it is possible changes in dress code or cell phone handbook language could be included in the 2023-2024 school year student handbooks if the board insists.

the Hamilton County Highway Department has moved up slightly planned lane restrictions along 146th Street in the Allisonville Road construction.  The restrictions had been planned for Tuesday, July 19, but has been moved up one day.

Here is the statement from the county:

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Beginning on or after Monday, July 17, between the hours of 9am and 3pm, 146^th Street between the White River and River Road within the existing construction limits, will be under lane restrictions for the paving of a 90’ stretch of median. This is a one-day restriction. Only the left-hand lane for westbound traffic will be restricted, where it is currently milled.

Hamilton County Highway has two important construction updates for motorists handling the construction zone at 146th Street & Allisonville Road on lane restrictions

Below are the messages from the county”

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Beginning on or after Tuesday, July 18 between the hours of 9am and 3pm, 146^th Street between the White River and River Road within the existing construction limits, will be under lane restrictions for the paving of a 90’ stretch of median. This is a one-day restriction. Only the left-hand lane for westbound traffic will be restricted, where it is currently milled.

Beginning on or after Thursday, July 13 between the hours of 9pm and 5am, 146^th Street within the existing construction limits, will be under lane restrictions for the removal of raised / reflective pavement markings. This is a two-night restriction, with one night needed for each direction of travel along 146^th Street.

Tom Britt started his endeavor in owning media with a monthly publication aimed at those living in the Geist area.  He later branched out with more monthly magazines, such as the one in Fishers.

Mr. Britt is now franchising his media concepts and has sold both Geist and Fishers magazines.  Justin Biehl is now the owner of Geist Magazine and Alison Gatz is the publisher of Fishers Magazine.

All three joined me in a podcast.  You can listing at the link below.

Now that I have resided in Fishers for 32 years, every now and then my mind wanders back to the time of 1991, the year of my move.

on June 16, HAND Inc. broke ground of the Cumberland Cottages housing development, just south of 141st Street on Cumberland Road.  I was there covering it, and had my first chance to have an extended conversation with Hamilton County Commissioner Steve Dillinger.

We were both reminiscing about years past.  Commissioner Dillinger has me beat by a mile in remembering the Hamilton County where he had grown-up in Noblesville.  He was recounting how his State of the County address coming up would focus on the past and the history of Hamilton County.

I was unable to attend that speech, but viewed it online later.  There was the usual update on all the various projects the county has in progress or on the drawing boards, which is to be expected.  But Commissioner Dillinger began his speech showing some photos and telling some stories about the past in Hamilton County.

It is amazing when I look back at the Fishers I found when moving here in 1991.  The population of the town at that time was somewhere close to 10,000.  Compare that with the more than 100,000 souls residing in the City of Fishers now.

When I began my news blog in 2012, it was clear we had a town manager and a town council that planned to be aggressive in developing the city.  We saw the birth of Launch Fishers and the Depot mixed-use development, among other projects.

Then the 2012 referendum cleared the way for Fishers’ first city election.  Our aggressive Town Manager, Scott Fadness, ran for mayor and won.  He remains the mayor today and has no opposition in the upcoming city election.

You can argue that Scott Fadness has been at the center of the growing city, in terms of commercial and residential growth.  He has attracted plenty of high-paying jobs to Fishers and continues that quest.

There are some that long for the Fishers of old.  I get that and understand many liked the small-town feel Fishers had when I first arrived.  But Fishers is able to finance an events center, a new City Hall with the first floor an arts center and a new recreations center recently announced, all without an increase in the property tax rate, only because Fishers is a growing city.

Yes, Fishers did enact a food and beverage tax to partly finance the events center, soon to be home for the Indy Fuel hockey squad and expected to host plenty of events.  The Fishers Town Council considered enacting the food and beverage tax years ago, but since the state limited the funds generated to certain projects like economic development, the town never enacted that tax.  Now, with a specific project in front of them and authorization from state lawmakers, the food and beverage tax is now law in Fishers.

So, I was impressed with Steve Dillinger’s presentation about the history of Hamilton County and our talk on June 16 on how Fishers and most of the county is quite different now compared to 1991.  That does denote progress economically and in terms of population growth.

Fishers may have lost its small town feel, but it is now a growing Indianapolis suburb with some land left for growth.  Remembering our history is good, but keep in mind what growth has meant to us all.

Lots of work going on the the area of 106th Street, but that is only some of the many projects listed this week for Fishers-area construction.

Below is the fully 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 Spring 2024. View detour routes here. 

View how to merge safely onto Northbound SR 37 from 141st Street here and onto Southbound SR 37 from 141st Street here. To navigate the merge, remember:

• Use the accel lane to gain speed, not stop
• Use your mirrors and pay attention
• Look for a gap in SR 37 traffic and safely merge

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. 

Beginning on or after Tuesday, July 11, Eastbound 106th Street will be closed, just east of Cumberland Road for utility work. The estimated project completion date is Tuesday, August 15, 2023. The detour route will use Cumberland Road to 116th Street to Hoosier Road or Cumberland Road to 96th Street to Mollenkopf Road. View detour route here.

When you think of the word ‘Library,” one normally thinks about books, videos, music and computers.  A local library is hosting an event thinking in terms of the “Human Library.”

The Hamilton East Public Library (HEPL), with locations in Fishers and Noblesville, is set to host its inaugural Human Library event, offering a special opportunity for attendees to challenge stereotypes, break down stigmas, and foster understanding. The event will take place on Saturday, July 15, 2023, from 1pm to 4pm at the Fishers Library, inviting adult readers to participate in meaningful conversations with individuals who have experienced stereotyping, bias, and prejudice firsthand.

At the Human Library, visitors can “borrow” a person who acts as a Human Book, engaging in a 20- to 30-minute conversation about their unique life story. This innovative approach creates a safe space where attendees can “unjudge” someone, pose questions, and learn from diverse perspectives they might not otherwise encounter.

The Human Library offers a diverse selection of titles for readers to choose from, including “Child of an Alcoholic,” “Suicide Survivor,” “Transgender,” “Asian-American,” “Child of Deaf Adults (CODA),” “Depression,” “Jewish,” “Neurodiverse,” and “Abortion,” among others. Attendees will have the freedom to read one or more Human Books throughout the event and are encouraged to stay for as long as they wish.

While registration is requested, it is not required, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to participate. Interested individuals can sign up to secure their spot at this link..

The concept of the Human Library originated in 2000 and has since become an international not-for-profit learning platform. By facilitating personal conversations, the Human Library aims to challenge societal stigma and stereotypes. The impact of the Human Library has been profound, with thousands of readers worldwide embracing the opportunity to broaden their perspectives.

HEPL’s decision to host a Human Library event aligns with its strategic priorities, which emphasize celebrating diversity and fostering civic conversations within the community. Several other Indiana libraries, including Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library, Muncie Public Library, Allen County Public Library, and Monroe County Public Library, have recently organized successful Human Library events.

For those interested in learning more about the Human Library and its mission, please visit their official website at this link.

For more information on the local event, use this link.

When starting my LarryInFishers.com news blog in 2012, it took a few months to setup a Twitter account for the blog, which I still use (@larryinfishers).  I also post links to stories posted here on my personal Facebook page.

However, I began to see that Twitter has been going through some strange changes.  Everything hit the fan a few days ago when Twitter started limiting the number of Twitter posts one could access if you have not paid the fee to be verified.

I saw months ago that Twitter was changing its business model.  Several months ago I began posting on Mastodon and post.news just in case Twitter melted down completely.  You can find me on either of those Twitter-like sites with my user name (@larryinfishers).

Just days ago, Meta (the Facebook and Instagram firm) has started a phone app called “Threads.”  It looks a lot like Twitter but promises to be different.  So, I started posting links to my posts on this blog on Threads…my user name there is “larryinfishers2012.”  (2012 is the year I started the blog)

Threads is, so far, only a phone app but expect a version for desktop, laptops and other methods to access the site soon.

So, I am doing my best to keep up with the changes in social media, always a tricky thing to do.  Thanks to all you you reading this blog.  I appreciate each and every one of you!

The Indianapolis Star is reporting that a Fishers resident and student at Purdue University was one of three people killed in a head-on vehicle collision in northwest Arkansas.

Abigail Cox, 20, a Hamilton Southeastern High School graduate, died in that crash.  For more details from the Indianapolis Star, use this link.