In a fusion of athleticism and artistry, Fishers native and Orlando Magic professional basketball player Gary Harris has joined forces with local artist Koda Witsken to unveil two basketball court murals at Brooks School Park. The collaboration aims to inspire the next generation of Indiana basketball talent while adding a vibrant splash of creativity to the community.

The design concept for the murals incorporates vibrant colors, cosmic elements, and Harris’ iconic “GH” brand symbol. These elements, coupled with symbolic out-of-this-world imagery, are intended to ignite the imagination of young athletes and encourage them to strive for greatness.

Harris, a standout player at Hamilton Southeastern High School, expressed his enthusiasm for giving back to his hometown. “My love for basketball began right here in Fishers, in the heart of Indiana. Basketball has given me so much, and I wanted to pay homage to that by bringing these statement-making courts to the community,” said Harris. “Partnering with Koda and the City on this project is a dream come true, and I can’t wait to see the impact it has on future generations.”

Koda Witsken, also a Fishers native, shared her excitement about the project, emphasizing its significance in honoring Harris’ legacy and providing a space for youth players to gather and dream. “This project represents the intersection of sports, art, and culture, where magic truly happens. I’m honored to be a part of it and grateful to Gary and his family for this opportunity,” Witsken said.

The installation of the court murals is scheduled to commence on April 5th and is expected to be completed by May 1st, 2024. To commemorate the mural’s completion, Fishers Parks will host an outdoor 3×3 basketball tournament for ages 16 and older, along with a 3-point competition for ages eight and older, on Saturday, May 18th at Brooks School Park. Registration details will be available soon on the Fishers Parks website.

Marissa Deckert, Director of Fishers Parks, expressed her enthusiasm for the project and its potential to enhance community engagement. “This collaboration between Gary Harris, Koda Witsken, and the City of Fishers embodies the spirit of creativity and inclusivity that we strive for in our parks,” said Deckert. “We’re thrilled to bring this vibrant addition to Brooks School Park and look forward to celebrating with the entire community.”

This project follows the unveiling of a new Art Wall at Brooks School Park in the summer of 2020, which features rotating murals by local artists and students.

For updates and registration information for the upcoming basketball tournament and 3-point competition, interested individuals are encouraged to visit FishersParks.com/BrooksSchoolCourts.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board has accepted the resignations of Chief Financial Officer Katy Dowling and Chief Operations Officer Jimmy Lake, at the Wednesday evening board session.

Dowling has served as the district’s Chief Financial Officer since June of 2021.  Lake has served as COO for HSE Schools since May of 2022.  The item posted on the school board agenda says each of their contracts have been “paid in full.”

The board approved the consent agenda unanimously, which contained approval of those two resignations.

There have been a number of changes in the HSE Schools administration lately, starting with the resignation of previous superintendent Yvonne Stokes last September, then the recent hiring of Patrick Mapes as the HSE Schools Superintendent.

The Fishers Century Club voted Tuesday night on a charitable organization to support and the Fifty Club of Fishers was chosen.  The Fifty Club of Fishers provides supplemental death and disability benefits to police officers and firefighters of the City of Fishers who die or become disabled while in the line of duty.

The Fishers Century Club gathers once a quarter to draw 3 eligible charities names out of a hat, hear a presentation for each, and vote on which organization to send a contribution.

The Fishers Century Club is made of members, all bringing a check for $100 to each meeting without a name of the charity on the check.  Once the vote is final, all members write the name of that charity on the check.

During their previous meeting, the group voted to support the Youth Mentoring Initiative (YMI) with a contribution of $3,300.

Find out more about the Fishers Century Club at this link.

For more about the Fifty Club of Fishers, use this link.

Fishers Police had a busy weekend arresting suspects during traffic stops.

The first arrest made during weekend traffic stop was a suspect identified by police as Anthony M. Medeiros. from Noblesville, taken into custody on charges connected to two separate shootings in Fishers in 2022 and 2023.  No injuries were reported in either incident.  Fishers Police credit the department’s Criminal Investigations and Forensics Teams in identifying Mederios and the weapon used in both incidents.

Mederios faces several felony charges, including Attempted Aggravated Battery and Criminal Recklessness.  He was transported to the Hamilton County Jail.

There were two other traffic stops in Fishers over the weekend, both yielding the arrests of suspects charged with Armed Robbery in Marion County.

Make 48, a competition pitting groups of inventors against each other, is returning the Hub & Spoke in Fishers.  Last year, a Fishers family won the contest.

This year, the event is scheduled for the Makerspace, May 3-5.

The Fishers Board of Public Works & Safety approved the professional services agreement with Make48 allowing the competition.  There is no cost to the city.

Makerspace Manager Nick Snyder told the board this event will be broadcast on PBS and a streaming service available on a Roku device.

In other actions by the board at its Tuesday morning session:

–MJ Insurance, the city’s insurance broker, has recommended a renewal of the city’s worker’s compensation policy, showing an increase of $86,000 over the previous year’s policy.  The increase is due to increased payroll amounts across the City, particularly for Public Safety personnel and for lifeguards at Geist Waterfront Park, according to controller Lisa Bradford.

–The board approved a resolution allowing Converge Systems Network to install Wi-Fi systems for the new Events Center.  The system will be financed through revenue generated by the Center.  The Events Center will be home to the Indy Fuel hockey squad, the new Fishers Freight Indoor Football League team and the  Indy Ignite women’s professional volleyball team.  Mayor Scott Fadness hinted announcements may be coming soon of other events booked in the facility.  The Fishers Events Center is scheduled to open in November of this year.

When I arranged to record a podcast with Fishers Department of Public Works Director Eric Pethtel and Mayor Scott Fadness, the subject was celebrating the time capsule to be placed underneath Fishers new City Hall/Arts Center, and we did talk about that.

However, I had to ask the mayor about a news story that broke late last week, where a Marion County Judge ruled a state law provision unconstitutional, sending about $10 million a year of local income tax money from Carmel to Fishers as what the mayor described as a “temporary solution” to what the City of Fishers views as an unfair tax distribution system.

This situation also ties into Fishers’ history, since the Town of Fishers, going back to the days of Scott Faultless as Town Council President and Scott Faddness’ time as an intern with the Town staff, Fishers officials have been warning about an unfair tax distribution system established by the state.  Fadness describes last week’s court decision as “a dramatic turn of events…an unfortunate one.”

Mayor Fadness argues that if you combine the 2 major revenue streams for Fishers, property and income taxes, Carmel receives $60 million per year more than Fishers, even though the 2 cities are similar by most measures, including population.

As to what may come next, Mayor Fadness did not comment specifically, but added, “We are still evaluating everything.”

The $10 million in local income tax funds from Carmel to Fishers is described by Fadness as a temporary solution, making the situation “tolerable,  Doing away with that (temporary solution) makes the financial realities literally unsustainable under the current form.”

It should also be pointed out that Carmel sued the State of Indiana in this legal action.  Any decision on appealing this court ruling is up to state officials.

You can hear the mayor’s comments in full in the first part of the podcast linked below, but the remainder of the podcast is focused on the history of Fishers.  Also, below, see a couple of photos from old Fishers.

The Prairie Dash 5K is set for 2024 on Saturday, May 18, 9:00am at Conner Prairie.  The event is sponsored by the Hamilton Southeastern Education Foundation, the Lawrence Township School Foundation and Conner Prairie.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit each school district’s foundation.  It will be held entirely within the grounds of Conner Prairie.

Registration is $25, and includes a race tee, timing bib and a commemorative medal.

In the event of severe weather/lightning, the race will be delayed up to 30 minutes on May 18th. Should severe weather persist after a delayed start, Conner Prairie may cancel the race. No refunds will be provided to participants if the race is cancelled.

You can register for the Prairie Dash 5K at this link.

It was the late Republican leader in the U.S. Senate, Everett Dirksen, that was supposedly quoted as saying, “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.”  I always thought that quote was genuine.

Come to find out, according to the Dirksen Congressional Center in Pekin, Illinois, there is no evidence Senator Dirksen ever actually said or wrote that.

But you don’t need to go all the way up to billions in getting to real money.  In Indiana municipal budgets, millions will do.  I thought about that when reading the Indianapolis Star story posted online March 21, about the court case involving Carmel, the State of Indiana, Fishers and the income tax distribution formula used by state lawmakers.

Marion Superior Court Judge John M.T. Chavis II ruled for Carmel and against the State of Indiana, saying that a provision of state law sending local income tax money from Carmel to Fishers is inconsistent with Indiana’s Constitution.

When learning of this ruling, I asked the mayor’s media relations office for comment and they had no comment at the time.  The next day, Mayor Fadness did have comments for the Star’s government and politics editor Kaitlin Lang.

The Star piece says Fishers could lose $10 million a year in local income tax revenue as a result of this judge’s ruling,  even though Fishers and Carmel are similar in many ways, including population.  The state distribution formula for passing out local income tax money provides Carmel with a lot more of that cash.

Obviously, Carmel takes the position that this is their money according to the state formula.  Fishers says the formula is flawed and Carmel benefits from an unfair share to income tax revenue.  Fadness told the Star this discrepancy is “almost becoming impossible to overcome.”

So, if Fishers is set to lose $10 million a year in its municipal budget, how does one put that into the proper context?  Let me say at the outset I am no expert in Indiana local government finance, and I have seen Scott Fadness juggle finances in ways others cannot.

However, I looked at the current 2024 Fishers city budget.  How would that have been impacted if $10 million were taken away?

In 2024, Fishers city workers received a 5% pay increase, The Police Department added 3 uniformed officers, 2 School Resource Officers and a lab technician.  The Fire Department added 3 firefighters.

Using general numbers, the entire Fishers Police Department has a  2024 budget of about $19 million.  Fire and Emergency Services funding is just under $22 million.  The Department of Public Works Budget is $21 million.

$10 million equals roughly half of the entire 2024 budget of each department named above.  I could go over many other parts of city government, but you get the picture.  A $10 million cut would hurt the city’s operations.

The entire Fishers City Budget for 2024, including debt service, is $164 million.  $10 million represents about 6% of all city spending in the current year.

Presuming this court ruling stands and there are no other changes in the offing soon, we should know more when Mayor Fadness begins the process of putting together the 2025 budget proposal to present to the City Council.  The mayor’s budget process normally begins during the summer months, with final approval from the Council in October.

Expect Mayor Fadness and his staff to be working on next year’s budget proposal with a fine tooth comb.

As a small local news blogger, I am not always notified of some events by large companies.  Such was the case on March 18 when Kroger broke ground for its new grocery on Allisonville Road, north of 116th Street.  Perhaps it was just as well, since the Twitter (excuse me, X) post describes a cold ground-breaking ceremony.

The only reason I would have wanted to be there is the long and winding road this project has traveled.  It was either 2017 or 2018 when Kroger originally announced plans to take the existing grocery north of 116th Street, just west on Allisonville Road, and move it across the street to another strip mall development east of Allisonville.  The City of Fishers had preliminary plans for public space where the current store at that time existed.

It was in 2018 that Kroger said several developments in the grocery market, particularly Amazon’s stated intention to enter the grocery business, resulted in the company halting new projects.  The Fishers move plan was scuttled at that time.

Last year, Kroger said it was ready to move on the previously dormant plan.  The vacant lot in the strip mall north of 116th Street just east of Allisonville Road was still there, so the land was available to go ahead with the new Kroger grocery store.

This is part of a development plan for a large section of Allisonville Road, once the commercial hub of Fishers when I first moved here in 1991.  The Kroger move comes as the city is planning to replace the automatic traffic signals at 116th Street and Allisonville Road with a roundabout.

As a former resident of the Sunblest neighborhood, I am so happy for the residents in that section of Fishers.  The new Kroger grocery will be a boon to the area.  Things are looking up for that part of Fishers.

The City of Fishers does a nice job of providing updates each week on road construction, not just city projects, but other work going on in and around Fishers.

Here is the latest report, as provided by Fishers:

Continue reading Fishers area road construction update for the work week starting Monday, March 25 →