I will soon be reviewing the year-end stories for this local news blog and my local podcasts soon.  That is something I do each year.  But there is something else to contemplate as 2023 comes to an end.

This year will mark the completion of my 12th year writing this local Fishers, Indiana news blog, and the 8th year of producing local podcasts.  My thoughts went back to 2012.

After retiring from federal government service in September, 2011, I spent the last 3 months of that year dealing with personal family issues.  As 2012 dawned and retirement in place, what do I do next?  There was that job advising people about their taxes (I spent nearly 20 years as a government tax law specialist) then 5 years in a teaching gig with Indiana University.

But even with all that, there was plenty of time on my hands.  What do I do with all that time?  After all, although I love film, there is only so much film to watch and only so many books to read.

Before entering the federal civil service in 1983, I had spent 14 years in the radio broadcasting business, the last several years as a news reporter & anchor.  Journalism is hard work, but I loved every minute of my time in radio news.

Since I had done news reporting, a survey of the local news landscape revealed local news was hard to find, even in 2012, for my home since 1991, Fishers, Indiana.  I was no technical wiz, but putting a simple blog together and writing local news appeared to be an option, so why not try?  I did.

Looking back on 12 years of writing this blog, several things continue to amaze me.

My goals in 2012 were simple.  Write a news blog by attending Fishers Town Council meetings and Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board meetings.  I would also link to other local media outlets when they would write about Fishers (there were no paywalls then).

Perhaps a few hundred government geeks like myself would likely read this blog, I thought.  I would just sit with the public in these meetings, write about what I heard and saw, and that would be it.

That all changed a few months into 2012 when a member of the Fishers Town Council, John Weingardt, walked up to me before a council meeting and asked, “Are you Larry?”

Yes, I responded, expecting to hear a complaint about something I had written,  No, John just told me he had been reading my blog, along with others around town, and he wanted to meet and talk with me.

That’s the moment I realized something was happening here.  I had done virtually no promotion of the blog, but word was getting around.  There is some local guy writing about Fishers.

My blog count of unique visitors was a few hundred in 2012 as this all began.  In 2023, my unique visitor count will exceed 91,000.  For a locally focused news blog in a city of just over 100,000, that is an amazing number.

All I have ever tried to do was write about what is happening in my home of 32 years.  It is clear there is a demand for local news coverage and I have done my best to fill that hole in local news.

In 2016, I discovered that podcasting was making a comeback with cell phone technology.  I used my radio broadcasting background, learned more about the technical side of podcasting, and began the LarryInFishers podcasts in 2016.  I have had well over 100,000 occasions where someone has listened to one of the local podcasts I produced.

While looking back on 2023 and reviewing the entire year, I cannot ignore the fact that you, the readers of my blog and listeners to my podcasts, have made this all worthwhile.  I have been paid a small amount for some of this work, but this news blog and podcast serve as mostly a volunteer endeavor.

The only reason this continues is you.  The messages I receive, the comments you make and the support you have provided gives me the urge to continue.  I tried to quit this blog twice, but it was all of you, collectively, that convinced me to carry on.

I am not as young as I used to be, so there has been some slowdown in my work.  But as long as I have my health, my goal is to continue my news blog and podcasts.

A large thank-you to my wife Jane for supporting me in this work.  I would not be able to do all this without her support.

My most important “thank you” goes out to all of you, the readers of this blog and listeners to my podcasts.  You have made this work worthwhile.

May God bless each and every one of you as I look back on 2023 and buckle-up for 2024.

The major reconstruction of the 146th Street & Allisonville Road intersection continues by the Hamilton County Highway Department.  Above, you will find the latest map of how traffic is routed as of December 8.

Below you will find the latest information.  The restriction eliminating left turns from 146th to Allisonville remains.  HAMCO Highway officials say the next change in the traffic pattern will happen next month, with specifics coming later.  Continue to be on the lookout for lane restrictions in the area.  See the update below for more details.

At a recent Fishers City Council meeting, Councilor David Giffel asked about the possibility of entering into a trash collection contract with a private firm to provide trash collection services to those living in Fishers.  Mayor Scott Fadness has charged his Chief of Staff, Jordin Alexander, to present to the Council the process related to investigating such a bidding process.

The Town of Fishers went through the process in 2013 and did not follow through due to public pressure not to establish a city-wide trash collection contract.

On Friday, city officials posted on social media a survey asking input from local residents about trash collection in Fishers.

You can access the survey at this link.

The Fishers Advisory Committee on Disabilities has been a long-standing body and is now part of the City of Fishers ordinances.  The committee has a special meeting Tuesday, December 12, feature the Indy Fuel hockey team’s mascot Nitro.

The flyer with more information is available above.

Although the organization’s Web site describes Adam Kallick as the Executive Director of the Fishers Century Club, he says the better term to describe the founder of the group is to call him lead volunteer.  The club meets once a quarter and has a process to choose one area charity to financially support.

Learn more about the Fishers Century Club at this link and by listening to the podcast linked below.

Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools have been reimbursing employees for mileage incurred in their work at 43 cents per mile for at least 10 years, mostly as a cost-saving measure.  The 2023 IRS standard mileage rate is 65.5 cents per mile and that rate has exceeded 43 cents since September of 2005.

According to preliminary numbers gathered by school administrators, had HSE Schools reimbursed mileage based on the IRS standard mileage rate, it would have cost the school district an extra $12,000 last year.

The school board policy committee is looking into raising the reimbursement rate for HSE staff to match the IRS rate in the future in 2024.  Any final action is up to the school board.

The next Policy Committee meeting is scheduled for January 11th.

At the October 11 Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board meeting, Board President Dawn Lang updated the public on the search for a new superintendent, and announced that in the future, “we will be having a community forum to engage community members and dialogue about this discussion.”

Thursday morning, following the school board Policy Committee meeting, President Lang told LarryInFishers this community forum has already been completed.  According to Ms. Lang, the superintendent consulting firm, Administrative Assistance, conducted a focus group about the selection of a new HSE Schools Superintendent, and that was the “community forum” referenced in her October 11th statement at the board meeting.

Lang says the results of that focus group session will be revealed at a future board meeting.

When the Drive Planning investment firm had its proposed new building near 116th Street and Olio Road before the Fishers Plan Commission, two votes were taken.  The vote for a favorable recommendation to the City Council failed to receive the required 6 votes.  The next vote for an unfavorable recommendation also failed to garner 6 votes.

Therefore, the Drive Planning office building plans will now head to the City Council with no recommendation from the Plan Commission.

Faegre Drinker Attorney Murray Clark told the Commission Drive Planning has worked with the neighbors to work out any issues, but there are a few remaining.  There were 4 speakers during the public hearing, all expressed that most issues were addressed, one described it as 95% solved, but still had concerns about the remaining 5%.

City Councilor & Plan Commission member Selina Stoller voted no because she does not like the building design.  Another Councilor and Commission member Todd Zimmerman voted no because he still has concerns that Drive did not show up for the first reading of this proposal before City Council.

The proposed office building now goes to the City Council for a final vote.

The Fishers Plan Commission unanimously voted for a favorable recommendation to the City Council Wednesday night as the proposed Community Center moves forward.  The complex is to be constructed at the intersection of 121st Street and Hoosier Road.

There were three public comments.  One hearing-impaired resident with property adjacent to the Center raised concerns about a tree-line currently on the property and whether his property will have such a buffer once construction begins.  He also asked about plans for sidewalks in the area where none exist now.

There were other concerns raised, particularly about increased traffic.

Planning and Zoning Director Ross Hilleary says he will work with residents on the tree buffers.  He does not see a roundabout at 121st & Hoosier Road at this time, but there are plans for deceleration and acceleration lanes in the approaches to the Community Center.

The Community Center plans will now go to the City Council for a final vote.

Indiana state lawmakers approve budgets for 2 years at a time, and the current spending plan provides a boost to funding for local health departments.  The Fishers Health Department is in line to receive $1 million in extra cash this year and $2 million next year.  After that, it will be up to the General Assembly what is next.

I asked Mayor Scott Fadness and Public Health Director Monica Heltz to appear on this podcast to discuss how the city plans to use this extra funding.  We also talk about the creation of the Fishers Health Department during the height of the COVID pandemic, and much more.