Final steel beam is placed on the Fishers Community Center
it was a very hot, but breezy, early Tuesday afternoon as city officials gathered at the construction site of the new Fishers Community Center, near 121st Street and Hoosier Road. The final steel beam was placed on the structure and the city decided it was a moment to celebrate.
The $60 million, 105,000 square foot facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2025. When Jake Reardon McSoley, Director of Recreation and Wellness for the city, said the project was on time and on budget, you could see a broad smile on the face of Mayor Scott Fadness.
Once opened, the Center will provide a large indoor playground, indoor track, dog park, aquatics facility with a two-story waterslide, as well as a café operated by Sahm’s Hospitality Group.
The Fishers Health Department also plans to locate their headquarters in the Community Center.
Several city officials signed the final steel beam before it was hoisted to the top of the building. The beam had an American flag attached, along with a evergreen tree. The tree is a long-standing traditional symbol in construction projects, a salute to the past.
Mayor Scott Fadness, providing remarks at the ceremony marking the final steel beam placed on the building
The Fishers Events Center has another act booked shortly after opening in November. The legendary country-rock group Alabama, along with famed performer-songwriter Lee Greenwood, are set to appear at the Center Monday, December 9.
Both Alabama and Lee Greenwood have been around popular music for a very long time. Alabama has sold 80 million albums during the band’s illustrious career. Greenwood is credited with writing songs such as ‘God Bless The USA” and “A Love Song.”
Tickets go on sale Friday, August 9, at this link.
When it was time to cut the ribbon at the Cumberland Cottages Open House, August 1st, the duty went to one of the first residents of the affordable housing project on Cumberland Road & 141st Street. HAND Incorporated, a Noblesville-based nonprofit organization, constructed the development.
That new resident cutting the ribbon was Constance Grier, a health care professional. I recorded a short conversation with Ms. Grier and you can feel her excitement about her new home.
Hamilton County Highway continues work on the 146th Street overpass at Allisonville Road and the roundabout on ground level on Allisonville Road. Officials emphasize there are no left turns at the intersection for any motorists at this time.
There is a lot of work going on with the bridge and overpass, so HAMCO Highway is asking drivers to observe the 35 MPH speed limit in that area.
Below is an update, map and photos of the construction, as provided by Hamilton County:
Fishers Town Hall completed in 1991, later to become City Hall before demolition
I moved to Fishers in May, 1991, after marrying my wife Jane. She had built a house in Sunblest. The 1990 census counted just over 7,500 people living in the Town of Fishers.
I do not pretend to be an expert on “old Fishers,” but a lot of it was still in place in 1991.
After the economic meltdown of 2008-2009, the Town of Fishers began to move forward with development plans. I retired from my civil service job in late 2011 and started writing this blog in January, 2012. I could sense then that the town council, along with a young, aggressive Town Manager named Scott Fadness, would be working to develop the town, which was seeing major population growth at that time.
The growth spurred a lot of talk among those living in Fishers for many years, before the major increase in population. They expressed their view Fishers had lost its small-town feel and it was their view this was a bad thing.
I asked Scott Fadness, once Fishers became a city and he was elected mayor, how he responded to the assertion that Fishers was losing the small-town atmosphere. His response was clear…a city is either moving forward or backward. He had, and today has, no intention of moving backward.
Scott Fadness has been aggressive in developing the City of Fishers in general, and in particular the downtown Nickel Plate District. Fishers has a population estimated to be just under 105,000 at this time. Those of us living in the 1991 version of Fishers could never have imagined that.
Nearly two years ago, the Fishers City Council approved incentives and a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) plan for land owner Mike Alboher and developer Tony Birkla. They told the Council in August of 2022 the $35 million project would be constructed just south of the Fishers Municipal Complex, across 116th Street. It would be mixed use, with commercial and residential space.
This development would feature a first for Fishers…..condominium units projected to sell for as much as $1 million. It would face the new City Hall/Arts Center and have a prime location next to the Nickel Plate Trail.
However, at the July 31st meeting of the Fishers Redevelopment Commission , the city’s Economic Development Director Megan Baumgartner told commission members the project announced in August, 2022, will not be moving forward. The city is working with land owner Mike Alboher to keep the city’s options open to develop that location. It is clearly a valuable piece of land and ripe for development similar to the mixed-use structure announced in 2022.
The city wants everyone to know that there are still efforts to put together a “transformational” mixed-use development at that location, working with land owner Alboher.
Mayor Fadness has been aggressive in promoting developments such as the one proposed on 116th Street in August of 2022. No doubt, another plan will surface in the future on the piece of land. Not every plan comes to fruition as originally announced.
Fishers is moving forward, with residential, commercial and job creating development. This is not the old Fishers. Some of the long-time residents may see this as a bad thing. However, people are voting with their actions….the population of Fishers continues to grow.
This may be the longest list of road construction activity for the 2024 summer season. Pay particular attention to the State Road 37 northbound lane restrictions coming up. Also, along 141st Street, east of State Road 37, be on the lookout for construction closures in the Prairie Lakes area
Here is the full listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:
Patrick Mapes has been the Superintendent of Schools for the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) District about 5 months and is preparing for his first start of the school year at HSE August 7th.
Mr. Mapes talks about preparing for the school year, changes in state law impacting schools, proposed changes in high school diploma standards, the ULP filed by the local teachers’ union and much more in this podcast, linked below.
New Cumberland Cottages tenant Constance Grier cuts the ribbon
HAND Inc. is a nonprofit organization with its headquarters in Noblesville, aimed to addressing housing needs for low and moderate income people. HAND held an open house for its first project in Fishers, Cumberland Cottages, on Cumberland Road at 141st Street Thursday morning.
Cumberland Cottages has 11 units. HAND Executive Director Andrea Davis says some potential renters are going through the vetting process, but there are currently 30 people on the waiting list to become tenants.
There are two major sporting events each year in Fishers, the football and basketball contests between Fishers and HSE High Schools. They are each called the Mudsock Game.
Mudsock is a term that goes back to the origins of Fishers in the 19th century when it was a swampy area and people here had plenty of mud on their socks.
The new Fishers Events Center announces that the Girls and Boys basketball games in 2024 will be played in the new venue, expected to open in November this year. The date is Friday, December 20th, with the girls contest tipping off at 6pm, the boys at 8pm.
Since the Mudsock basketball game has been played mostly in the high school gymnasiums, tickets have been hard to get. The Events Center will seat up to 7,500 fans.
Here is the ticket information:
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, August 9 at 10 a.m. at FishersEventCenter.com.
General Admission $10 | Reserved Loge and Premium Club $20 | Reserved Courtside $25
8 ticket limit per purchase
Children 5 years and under are free with an accompanying adult ticket
“The rivalry between Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern is the highlight of the sports season,” said Fishers High School Athletic Director Jim Brown. “Every year, the highly anticipated matchup draws a large crowd, creating a vibrant and competitive atmosphere at the venue. Bringing Fishers and Southeastern basketball to the new Fishers Event Center is generating excitement throughout the community. The facility promises an enhanced game-day experience for players and fans alike, with top-notch amenities and a larger seating capacity. This move is seen as a significant step forward for both schools, fostering greater local support and elevating the high profile of the Mudsock rivalry.”
“We could not be more excited to partner with the City of Fishers to host Mudsock Basketball at the new Fishers Event Center,” said Hamilton Southeastern Athletic Director Jim Self. “A Friday night, prime time girls and boys basketball double header between the Royals and the Tigers right before the holiday season in a facility that can accommodate over 7,000 fans is going to be awesome. What a tremendous opportunity for our athletes, coaches, fans, and the Fishers community.”
“The Mudsock Rivalry Game is a legendary addition to the opening series of events we’ll host in the first month of opening Fishers Event Center,” said Fishers Event Center General Manager Mitch List. “We are excited to be the new home court for this widely anticipated tradition. This is just the beginning of many unforgettable events to come.”
