There are a few items of note in this week’s road construction report.

First, be aware of an upcoming closure in the area of Lantern Road and 116th Street starting January 11, and lane restrictions later.  It is related to water utility work tied to development in that area.

Second, the city includes a reminder of how “zipper lanes” work, because one is currently in operation on  Fall Creek Rd between Brooks School and Carroll Rd.

Here is the weekly report, as provided by the City of Fishers:

Continue reading Road Construction Update for the work week starting Dec. 30 →

I know this is not a Fishers story, but anyone that has spent any time with our neighbor to the north, Noblesville, has likely visited the Jim Dandy Restaurant.  There has been a social media buzz for days that the long-time eatery will soon be closing.

John Tuohy of the Indianapolis Star wrote a story  (Subscription may be required) about the history of the establishment and why the owners are set to close it soon.

It is a familiar story, the owners are aging and younger family members have no interest in keeping the restaurant going.

My major memory of Jim Dandy was when I invited Mark Heirbrandt to appear on one of my podcasts during a recent re-election campaign.  Despite all the background noise, Mark insisted we record at Jim Dandy, a favorite place for the County Commissioner to eat.  The staff was helpful in working out the technical details required to get the podcast recorded.

Jim Dandy is part of Hamilton County history and many in and around Noblesville will miss it.

To all that celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, have a wonderful and peaceful time.  I know many people not of the Christian faith that celebrate Christmas as a holiday anyway, so the best to all of you as well.

What troubles me the most in 2024 is the situation in the Middle East.  Many annual celebrations in the town of Bethlehem are not happening because of the war raging in that part of the world.  My hope and prayer is that those living there, including the Holy Land, find a way to have peace.

I have never visited the Middle East but know many people that have.  It is a sad situation that the civilian populations in that part of the world are forced to deal with war.

But, to all my readers in Fishers and elsewhere, I wish you the best on this special holiday.

The Fishers Arts Council has announced an array of exciting opportunities for visual and performing artists in 2025, promising a vibrant year of creativity and community engagement.

Musical Performances
Musical acts ranging from solo performers to trios are invited to showcase their talent during the council’s paid, indoor events. The first performance is set for Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2025, making it a perfect opportunity for local musicians to spread joy through music. Details on how to submit availability can be found at fishersartscouncil.org/post/2025-musicians.

Visual Art Exhibits
Visual artists are encouraged to submit their work for several upcoming exhibits at two prominent locations: the Art Gallery at Fishers City Hall and the FAC Hub Gallery, located within the Hamilton County Community Foundation. The first exhibit, “The Golden Age: Artists 50 & Better,” celebrates seasoned artists and has a submission deadline of January 17, 2025. Artists facing challenges with the online form can contact the council via email at info@FishersArtsCouncil.org or call 317-537-1670. Detailed exhibit call-outs are available at fishersartscouncil.org/blog.

Geist Half Marathon T-Shirt Design
In a unique partnership with the City of Fishers, the council is hosting a design contest for the 2025 Geist Half Marathon t-shirt logo. The winning design will appear on race participant shirts and may also be sold after the race. The selected artist will receive a $500 prize, with submissions due by January 17, 2025. Design requirements and submission details are available at fishersartscouncil.org/post/geisthalf-tshirtdesign.

More to Come
The council hints at additional opportunities for artists to participate in galleries, receptions, and events in the new year, fostering a dynamic environment for artistic expression in the Fishers community.

For more information or questions, contact the Fishers Arts Council at info@fishersartscouncil.org or call 317-537-1670.

Motorists should begin preparing for a road closure and lane restrictions in the area of 116th Street and Lantern Road in coming weeks.  Fishers Director of Engineering Hatem Mekky told the Board of Works and Public Safety the water utility, Citizens Energy, will be working on underground equipment, making way for the under-construction City View development.  This closure is scheduled to begin Saturday, January 11 and end at 5am the following Monday.  The city will be recommending detours for the area of 116th Street between Lantern Road and Municipal Drive during this period.

A second phase of work by Citizens Energy will require the closure of the Lantern Road southbound lane later in January.  This phase of work will be 9am-3pm.  Phase 3 will come later and work will happen 9am-3pm.

Mekky says this will reduce the need to close traffic to the area, which originally was scheduled to last 7-10 days.

In a related item, AT&T will have a road cut resulting in lane restrictions at 116th Street and Allisonville Road beginning January 7th, and continuing that week.  Police will be directing traffic and there will be signage guiding drivers in the area.  This is in preparation for the coming roundabout construction at that intersection.

In other items before the board at the December 20th session:

–A public hearing was held to approve the public-private partnership between the city and Meyer Najem to construct a park on the White River near 96th Street and Allisonville Road.  The board originally approved the item in October, but did not provide the public hearing as required by law.  The only public comment was critical of the city for not holding the public hearing in a timely manner.  The board again approved the agreement.

–A pedestrian path connecting the Forum Credit Union headquarters with Fishers District and the Event Center will have lighting to help those walking in the dark.  It is hoped the illumination will discourage people from walking along the nearby streets.  The board approved a lighting easement to allow for this installation.

–The city has completed improvements to two areas of private roads under the Barrett Law, which assesses property owners located on the roads for the cost of improving the streets, and the city then takes the roads into the municipal inventory for future maintenance.  The board approved accepting two areas of private roads into the city inventory now that improvements are done.  One is described as Barrett East, including private roads of Parkside Drive, Publishers Drive, and Enterprise Drive.  The second area, labeled Barrett West, takes in private roads of Britton Park Road, Trade Center Drive, and East Park Court.

When Indianapolis media pay attention to Fishers, I try to point it out to my readers.  Two stories have been published in the past few days worth noting, one in the IndyStar, the other in the Indianapolis Business Journal.

Reporter John Tuohy writes about a variance approved by the Fishers Board of Zoning Appeals in the IndyStar.  The Alhuda Foundation will be consolidating its schools into a new large facility near Launch Fishers, which is not far from the Islamic mosque on Lantern Road.  You can read the story at this link, but may need a subscription to access it.

The Indianapolis Business Journal features a question and answer session with First Internet Bank CEO David Becker.  Reporter Cate Charron conducted the interview, which explains Becker’s transformation from a critic of apprenticeships to a supporter, following a trip to Switzerland, where he discovered first-hand how well the program works there.

You can read the Q&A with Mr. Becker at this link, but, again, may need a subscription to access the story.

Once again, I encourage my readers to subscribe to your local media.  If you do not, it will go away.

Cam Hausinger had one impressive night of hockey Saturday night at the Fishers Event Center, leading the Indy Fuel to a 5-2 victory over the in-state rival Fort Wayne Komets.  Hausinger earned the first-ever hat trick in the Fishers Event Center, and topped off the night with an assist to boot.

It took exactly 9 seconds into the first period when tempers flared and fisticuffs ensued.  The bad blood between these two teams was clear throughout the game, with lots of pushing and shoving.

The first period, other than the opening fight, was mostly uneventful with no scoring.

Hausinger picked up his first goal 4 minutes into Period 2 and added his second goal 8 minutes later.  Brannon McManus netted the first Komets goal later in the period.

Hausinger got his third goal 4 minutes into Period 3.  A Komet goal initially waived off by officials was overturned after video review…the Fuel then led 3-2.  Ryan Ganier put the Fuel up 4-2 with a score.  Fort Wayne pulled their goaltender with 4:30 left in the game, which resulted in an open net goal for the Fuel by Andrew Ballent, for a final score of 5-2 .

It was a satisfying victory for the 6,312 on hand for the contest.  The Fuel will face these same Fort Wayne Komets at the Fishers Event Center Friday, December 27.

There are plenty of projects that will impact traffic flow, so read this weekly update carefully.

Here is the full area road construction listing, as provided by the City of Fishers, for the week starting Monday, December 23:

Continue reading Road construction update for the work week starting Monday, December 23 →

The Indy Fuel faced off against the Fort Wayne Komets on Friday night in their first clash of the season, but a tough, hard-fought game saw the Fuel shut out, 3-0.

The Komets claimed an early advantage in the weekend series, with the two teams set to meet again Saturday night in Fishers.

The game opened with a physical and defensive tone, as both teams exchanged early penalties. Indy’s first power-play opportunity came at 3:54 after Nolan Volcan of the Komets was sent to the box for slashing, but the Komets successfully killed it off.

Fort Wayne capitalized on their first real opportunity at 11:00 when Justin Taylor found the back of the net, assisted by Jack Dugan and Volcan.

Despite their best efforts, the Fuel couldn’t convert on a goaltender interference penalty against Brandon McManus later in the frame. The period ended with a controversial moment as a Komets goal was waved off after a review showed Ben Gaudreau had been interfered with in the crease.

At the buzzer, the Komets held a slight edge in shots, 9-8.

The second period flew by with few stoppages and no scoring, but the penalties continued to mount for both sides. The Fuel took their second too many men penalty of the game at 11:17, but the penalty-kill unit remained solid.

Nick Grima was sent to the box for the second time with another slashing call at 18:27, but Indy’s defense held strong to keep the game within reach heading into the third.

Fort Wayne extended their lead in shots, finishing the period with an 18-15 advantage.

Indy started the third period by successfully killing off Grima’s penalty but continued to struggle offensively. Despite a few solid opportunities, they couldn’t break through Fort Wayne’s defense.

The Komets doubled their lead at 15:00 when Dugan scored his second point of the night, and less than a minute later, Harrison Rees added another goal to put the game out of reach.

In a last-ditch effort, the Fuel pulled Gaudreau for an extra skater in the final minutes but couldn’t generate enough pressure to find the net.

The Komets narrowly missed an empty-net chance, but it didn’t matter as the clock expired with a 3-0 final score.

The Fuel will have a chance for redemption as they host the Komets in a rematch Saturday night at the Fishers Event Center. Indy will look to regroup and generate more offense in front of their home crowd.

Stay tuned as the rivalry between these two division foes continues to heat up!

In the past, getting a ticket to a Mudsock basketball game was difficult.  The high school gyms can only handle so many fans.  The one time years ago the game was hosted by the Fairgrounds Coliseum was a disaster because winter weather descended on the area and it took fans hours to get home in Fishers.

2024 marks the start of a new Mudsock basketball era.  The game was played Friday night at the Fishers Event Center.  Over 5,600 tickets were sold, not a sellout but a large crowd.

The HSE Royals took the trophy in the girls game, 47-34 over the Fishers Tigers.

But the Tiger boys won the second contest of the evening, defeating the Royals 65-49.

But the night featured more than two basketball games…here is what happened in addition:

–Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness honored retiring Fire Chief Steve Orusa.

–A new award, the Superintendent’s Impact Award, was presented to Fishers High School senior Sam Quagliaroli for his athletic and academic accomplishments.

–The Fishers Tiger state champion boys basketball players from last season were honored at halftime of the girls Mudsock game.

A new tradition began as the Mudsock games were the first to make use of the historic basketball court at the Fishers Event Center.  Most importantly, every fan that wanted to view these games in person had the opportunity to do so in 2024.

Fire Chief Orusa and Mayor Fadness embrace at the Mudsock game