The roundabout at 106th Street & Hoosier Road is open to traffic, based on the weekly update from the City of Fishers.  However, the Engineering Department warns that more work will be needed at that location once weather allow.

Below is the full road construction summary for the week, as provided by the city:

================ Continue reading Road Construction update – 106th & Hoosier Rd roundabout open to traffic →

I am wrapping-up my 12th year of writing a local Fishers news blog.  When starting this volunteer endeavor in 2012, I never imagined over 95,000 unique visitors in one year, but that is the number for 2023.  I appreciate all my readers and will work at providing something of value as we head into 2024.

That said, I have worked at finding my 15 most important news stores in Fishers from 2023.  As I have written before, in most newsrooms, it takes many days of arguing, screaming and throwing things at each other to come up with a list like this.  Since this blog is a one-man-band, I spend time going back and forth on this list myself.

So, this is the best I can do, as one guy trying to cover Fishers news in 2023.  Some of you may agree with the listing, others may not.  That is fine.  There are no right or wrong answers.

So, here we go, the top 15 Fishers news stories in 2023 as reported on LarryInFishers.com.

15  Fishers faces trash crisis

Okay, crisis may be too strong a term, but individual homeowners and Homeowners Associations (HOAs) have seen large increases in the cost just to collect trash.  Only 2 trash collection firms are operating in Fishers at this time.  A big story as we enter 2024 will be whether the City of Fishers will take bids on a city-wide trash collection contract with a private company.

14  Restaurant letter grades from Health Department

Health departments routinely inspect restaurants within their jurisdiction and issue reports.  if there are major problems, the restaurant might be closed down until the problems are corrected.  The Fishers Health Department issued letter grades to local establishments, which can be easily seen when you enter the eatery.  The grades are A, B & C.  Below C means the department needs to work with the restaurant to correct problems  So far, the system seems to be working well.  I have not received many complaints.

13  Bastian plans large operation on Fishers border

Why would Fishers have any concern about a new industrial development in Noblesville?  Because the Bastian Company, a supplier for a major auto manufacturer, plans to locate just north of 141st Street, east of Promise Road.  Many Fishers residents on the south side of that planned development have had questions about how this will impact their quality of life on issues such as noise and traffic.  So far, Noblesville and the company have attempted to address those concerns.  Time will tell how this works out overall.

12  Kroger to locate in new store north of 116th on Allisonville Road

The saga of the Kroger store in this area of town has been interesting.  Originally, there was a plan to move the Kroger grocery north of 116th Street on Allisonville Road across the street to a newly-constructed location. Market conditions changed and Kroger decided to stay in the current location instead.  A large study on the future of the Allisonville Road corridor in Fishers revealed Kroger has decided to build a new store in the east side of Allisonville Road after all.  It now appears Kroger is committed to the new grocery in that area, but we will watch developments.

11.  Cumberland Cottages development breaks ground

A new housing development on Cumberland Road, just south of 141st Street, broke ground in 2023 with completion expected in 2024.  There will be 11 units, half or less will be for affordable housing, the rest at market rate rents.  The development is being built by HAND, a Noblesville-based nonprofit organization that has constructed a number of affordable housing projects in the area.

10.  Geist Waterfront Park opens

After much planning and construction the Geist Waterfront Park opened with the only public space on the Geist Lake.  But two issues arose quickly.  First, the city, wanting to ensure local residents had access to the park, instituted a $50 parking fee for nonresidents, which resulted in a rash of bad publicity for Fishers, with some basically arguing Fishers was trying to keep outside people out of a public park.  Secondly, there were some water quality issues on the beach, but the Parks Department was testing the water and after a short closing, the beach reopened when water quality tested at an acceptable level.

9  City Council looks at HOA governance issues

When hedge funds started buying-up homes in neighborhoods throughout the nation, including Fishers, there were discussions about what could be done about it.  It appeared that Homeowners Association (HOA) rules could be used.  But when a proposal went before the Fishers Plan Commission lowering the common language requiring 75% of homeowners to change such HOA rules, several industry representatives argued against lowering the normal 75% threshold for changes in HOA covenants, citing unintended consequences that would follow.   In the end, the city decided to allow lower HOA voting thresholds only in newly-formed HOAs, which would impact only a handful of HOAs.

8.  New Fishers Events Center on the way

Construction began on a new Fishers Events Center, to become the new home of Indy Fuel minor league hockey team.  It was also announced that a new indoor football league team will be coming, named the Fishers Freight, in 2025.  The center is scheduled to be completed in November of 2024.  Fishers has hired a well-connected firm to handle bookings of other dates for the events center.  It is also expected that local graduation ceremonies and the Mudsock basketball games between Fishers & HSE High Schools (girls & boys) would be played at the new center.  HSE Schools indicated they would apply with the IHSAA to host state tournament basketball games at the new center.

7.  141st Street & State Road 37

This intersection was bid, but the bids received were way, way over the engineering estimates.  The bids were taken at a time when the construction industry was recovering from the COVID.  Those bids were way over budgeted amounts.  The decision was made to wait and bid in the spring of 2024.  Meanwhile, that intersection is right-in right-out east-west on 141st Street for the time being.  City officials have assured residents this is just a temporary solution and a roundabout will be constructed for east-west motorists along 141st Street by early 2025.

6.  146th Street & Allisonville Road

The Hamilton County Highway Department has taken on the issue of major traffic backups in this area by reconstructing the intersection.  Construction continues into 2024, building a roundabout on Allisonville Road on ground level, with ramps to enter and leave 146th Street, leaving 146th with no interruption in traffic flow.  The construction phase has been painful for many, particularly those living in the area.  But the end result will allow for much better traffic flow in that area.

5.  New Community Center plans revealed

The City of Fishers conducted a survey of citizens, asking what they would want from a city community center.  There were thousands of responses.  The demand for arts classes was a surprise to many, and will be part of the new City Hall complex currently under construction.  But the plans for the new Community Center, to be located a 121st Street and Hoosier Road, were announced in 2023.  Preparations continue and ground-breaking for the new facility is expected in early 2024.

4.  City Council election

Every 4 years, cities in Indiana elect the mayor and city council.  For 2023 in Fishers, there were no opponents for incumbent Mayor Scott Fadness in the primary or general election, so he will have 4 more years in the mayor’s office.  However, all but one City Council race had one opponent.  In the end, incumbent Democrats Jocelyn Vare and Crystal Neumann and incumbent Republican David Giffel lost in their bids for a 4-year term.  New members of the Council taking office in 2024 include Republicans John DeLucia and Tiffanie Ditlevson, along with Democrat Bill Stuart.  City Clerk Jennifer Kehl won another term and City Judge Den Henke was unopposed.

3  New HSE School Board

Four new members of the Hamilton Southeastern School Board took office in 2023, and there were controversies galore.  After considering the refusal of a $5.7 million mental health grant, the board decided not to stand in the way of accepting the gift.  The Panorama Survey was cancelled, even though the district had paid $152,000 in advance for surveys that will not be done, with no legal way to recover those funds.  The board fired long-time law firm Church, Church, Hittle and Antrim and hired Barnes & Thornburg to handle the board’s legal matters.  The board voted to remove language on microaggressions from the student handbook. Top administrators did not have their contracts renewed, normally a routine matter.  And, the biggest controversy the board had in 2023 was the resignation of Superintendent Yvonne Stokes with a large separation agreement.  The board expects to hire a new superintendent in early 2024.  Whether you agree or disagree with the board’s actions and inactions, controversies were plentiful.

2  Hamilton East Library Board

Many will question why this is not number 1, but that will be addressed later.  A majority of the Hamilton East Library Board voted to institute a policy of reviewing every book in the young adult section based on its content, judged by criteria written by the board.  When author John Green objected to one of his books being moved from the young adult to the adult collection, his social media comments made national and international news.  Even when the board said his book would be returned to the young adult section, Green pressed for the board to end this policy.  Green granted interviews to the Indianapolis Star and New York Times to make his case.  The board later voted to “pause” the book reviews, then when a new majority emerged on the board following resignations and a new appointment, the board voted late in 2023 to end the young adult review of books.

1.  HSE School referendum passes

This is my number 1 story of the year because this vote will impact the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools for 8 years, beginning in 2024.  The 2016 funding referendum expires at the end of 2023, so the local school board voted to put a referendum question on the November ballot, continuing the funding referendum with a slightly lower property tax rate.  Voters overwhelmingly cast yes ballots, ensuring HSE Schools will have adequate funding to keep class sizes at a reasonable level in the lower grades, provide competitive compensation to the teachers & other staff members and continue important programs.  The board’s decision to place the referendum question on the ballot was an important one.  No organized opposition to the referendum emerged during the election campaign.  The Advance HSE Political Action Committee (PAC) drew plenty of volunteers and they worked throughout the HSE community advocating passage of the referendum.  Because this referendum vote has a long-term impact on our local schools, I judged this the number 1 Fishers story of 2023.

Well, there you have it.  You may wonder why I didn’t mention the new City Hall/Arts Center.  That was under construction all of 2023 so the lack of any news is a good thing.  There were plenty of personal items you, my readers, allowed me a point of personal privilege to write about on this blog.  I lost my mom and youngest brother in 2023, but celebrated the birth of my granddaughter Callie.  My grandson Dakota turned 3 years of age.  And, I humbly accepted a Jefferson Award, about the highest honor a volunteer in America can receive.

So, agree or disagree with my decisions, this is the best list I could put together as one guy doing his best to cover news in my local community, Fishers.  Once again, I thank my readers of this blog and listeners of my podcasts.  You continue to be there, in record numbers during 2023.  I will try to honor your trust in me by providing the best coverage possible.

Thanks and happy new year to everyone!            

The City of Fishers will be paying more for property and casualty insurance in 2024, and the city’s insurance broker says market conditions are the culprit.

According to a document approved by the Fishers Board of Works & Public Safety Wednesday morning, the city will be paying $123,000 more for the insurance coverage next year.  The total bill for the city is just under $1.2 million.

The approved city documents cite MJ Insurance, the city’s broker, as saying the “increase is predominately due to market increases for property insurance due to replacement values and reinsurance, auto insurance due to increased rate due to composite rate due to claims, cyber insurance and police professional insurance along with increased general liability insurance due to increased budget.”

In one other item before the board, approval was given to the city’s Health Department to enter into what is described as a “credentialing process” as part of a provider agreement with Anthem and Aetna health insurance companies.  Currently, a third-party processor charges the city a $20 monthly fee and $10 per inoculation or test when the city bills a citizen’s insurance company for the shot or test.  This action will save the city those fees when dealing with those 2 insurance firms.

Christmas Eve is a special time every year for me.  But it is not so with many others.

Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has expressed concern about how being lonely can impact one’s health.  Loneliness can be deadly for some people.

On this Christmas Eve, I would urge you to contact someone you know that may not have much in the way of family or friends during the Christmas Holiday season.  A simple thing like that could make so much difference.

I always appreciate my wide range of family and friends on this Christmas Holiday.  Seeing so many family members is special for Jane and myself.

Let me take this opportunity to express a special thanks to my readers of this blog.  I recently posted a story about completing 12 years of writing this local Fishers news blog.  What has heartened me is the support received in so many messages from so many people.  It was not just the number of people writing and thanking me for 12 years of mostly volunteer news reporting, but the fact that people of both political parties and many political persuasions have supported my work.

Trust me, I have worked hard to play it straight on most local issues.  There have been a few times I have written a commentary, but only if there is a compelling reason and no one else is commenting on what I think is an important Fishers issue.

So, Merry Christmas.  If your religious beliefs are different, I respect that and hope you celebrate this season in your own way.

Thank you, Fishers!

In 2016, after 4 years of blogging about local Fishers news, I went back to my roots as a radio broadcaster.  I had hosted several radio talks show in my day from the mid-1970s through 1982.  I had heard about this thing called podcasting.

Once I investigated, it turns out to be a lot like doing radio.  So, I read some books, did some online research, got some good advice from my good friend and tech guru Scott Fulton and plunged right in.

My first podcast in February of 2016 was Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness.  He was kind to give me his time then and many times since.  He is, not surprisingly, prominent in the listing below.

I decided to peruse all the data from my LarryInFisher.com local podcasts in 2023 and list those with the most listens.  Although the local election in Fishers did not show much traction in those reading my blog, it did turn out to be popular among my podcast listeners.  Half the top ten consist of podcasts tied to the November, 2023 Fishers municipal election (along with the school referendum).

So, here is a listing of the top ten LarryInFishers.com podcasts in 2023, based on the number of people listening.  (NOTE: You have links to each podcast if you wish to listen)

10.  David Giffel 

David Giffel was appointed to fill the term of long-time Council Member David George and ran for a full term in the Southwest City Council District.  He lost to Democrat Bill Stuart in a close race.  David was quite relaxed during this campaign interview with myself and retired teacher Mike Fassold and answered all our questions.  Whatever you may think of his political views, I like David personally.  Perhaps that is why so many people listened to his campaign interview in this podcast.

9.  Advance HSE

This is another podcast linked to the election, focused on the Political Action Committee (PAC) “Advance HSE” which advocated for passage of a property tax funding referendum for the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District.  HSE Schools encompass the entire City of Fishers, but also include all of Delaware, Fall Creek and Wayne Townships.   The PAC accomplished its objective when the referendum passed by a wide margin in the November balloting

8.  New owners for Fishers & Geist Magazines

In 2023, I entered into an agreement with local publisher Tom Britt to provide content for  his monthly publication Fishers Magazine.  I am paid a small amount and provide Mr. Britt with news content for Fishers Magazine.  Tom Britt sold the Fishers and Geist monthly magazines but supports them through a franchise arrangement.  I recorded a podcast with Tom Britt, new Fishers Magazine publisher Allison Gatz and Geist Magazine owner Justin Biehl, to explain all the changes.

7.  Todd Zimmerman

Todd is featured in 2 podcasts on this list.  This is the interview Mike Fassold and I had about his re-election campaign.  I have known Todd a long time and he was kind to once again provide time for us to hear his views on the campaign podcast.

6.  Future Black Leaders, Fishers High School

At each HSE School Board meeting, the first item on the agenda is a “Snapshot of Success.”  One such snapshot was of the Future Black Leaders club at Fishers High School.  Through the school administration and the teacher sponsor, I arranged to record a podcast with three club members – Katrell Readus, Bailey Liner and Myla Cantrell.  This was an honest discussion with these students on their club and what they do.

 5.  Fishers Community Center 

This is the second podcast on this list featuring City Councilor Todd Zimmerman…another city official, Jake Reardon McSoley, joins the podcast.  We talk just after the official announcement of the new Fishers Community Center, to be located at 121st Street and Hoosier Road.  Ground breaking for this new facility is set for early 2024.

4.   Jody Britten – the Fishers Bubble

I moved to Fishers in 1991 and have always enjoyed living in this community.  Jody Britten and her family have also lived in Fishers for a while and says she has many good friends here in the city.  But she also travels extensively in her work.  She wrote a blog post that caught my eye.  She argues that most of us living in Fishers live in a bubble.  In other words, we do not always understand how people outside Fishers see us.  This podcast is worth a listen.

3.  Tiffany Ditlevson 

This was a close at-large election, but Republican Tiffanie Ditlevson did win a seat on the Fishers City Council.  We discussed a number of subjects in this podcast about her campaign, including her time on the Hamilton East Library Board and her views on Moms for Liberty.

2.  Howard Stevenson 

Unlike Tiffanie Ditlevson, Howard Stevenson came out on the short end of the at-large City Council election.  Mike Fassold & I talked with Howard about a number of subjects and his campaign.

Number 1

Scott Fadness

It should be no surprise the number 1, most listened-to LaryInFishers.com podcast in 2023 featured Mayor Scott Fadness.  The mayor had just provided comments to the Indianapolis Star and other local media outlets about the controversies surrounding the Hamilton East Library, serving Fishers and Noblesville.  A library board policy reviewing books in the young adult section for possible reshelving in the adult book collection drew the ire of local author John Green, which created a bevy of publicity about our local community.  The mayor has always made clear he doesn’t weigh-in on most social issues, but he did provide some measured comments about the library situation.  I also talked with the mayor about some other subjects in this podcast, but most of the time was spent on the library issue.  FYI, there has been a change in the membership of the library board and the controversial policy has been reversed by the new board majority.

So, that’s the list featuring the most-listened-to LarryInFishers.com podcasts for 2023, after a look at the data provided by my hosting company, Soundcloud.  Based on that, the number of total listens to all my LarryInFishers.com podcasts for 2023 exceeds 10,000.  Once again, thanks to all of you for reading this blog and listening to my podcasts.  You are the only reason I do all this.

The Fishers Arts Council is already looking ahead to March of 2024 and Disability Awareness Month.  The group is already in search of artists.  The Arts Council has released information on what is planned and deadlines.  See that information below:

During the month of March 2024, Fishers Arts Council – along with the Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability and Ignite Studio at Hamilton East Public Library – is looking to exhibit artwork created by artists who live with developmental or intellectual disabilities. The artwork will be featured at Fishers Arts Council’s Hub Gallery at the Collaboration Hub and Ignite Studio. This is a way to demonstrate the importance of art as we get “Fueled for the Future” during the month of March in the City of Fishers.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: Artists interested in participating must submit a request by 3 p.m. on January 26, 2024, to info@fishersartscouncil.org indicating their desire to participate or fill out the online form at https://www.fishersartscouncil.org/submit-your-work and select EXHIBIT March Disabilities Awareness from the drop down menu. For email submissions, please make your Subject Line: March Awareness and include the following in your email: · Artist’s name

· Full physical mailing address

· Phone number

· Email address

· One or two sample(s) of artwork in jpeg or pdf format. Please limit the file size of each image to 2MB or less. (Do not embed images in your email.)

ELIGIBILITY: Artists must:

· Have a developmental or intellectual disability,

· Be a 2D visual artist,

· Be able to provide at least two (2) to six (6) pieces of family friendly art for exhibit, and

· Agree that Fishers Arts Council or Ignite Studio may alter artwork for proper hanging and installation in the galleries if said artwork is not properly equipped for display.

· Artists may also be represented by organizations that serve individuals with disabilities.

Selection Process: Representatives from Fishers Arts Council will review submissions and select artists for the exhibit.

Notification: Artists will be notified of their acceptance into the exhibit by February 2, 2024. Delivery: Artists will be required to deliver artwork to the Ignite Studio on Saturday, February 24, 2024, from 3-5 p.m. or Sunday, February 25, 2023 from 1-3 p.m. Questions: For more information, contact info@fishersartscouncil.org

The Fishers Arts Council is looking for artists to display their work alongside artists from Fall Creek Junior High School.  For more information on all this, the the items below provided by the Arts Council:

Fishers Arts Council will be displaying the work of Fall Creek Junior High visual art students alongside professional artists from Fishers and surrounding areas for the annual Embracing Black Culture Exhibit.

Dayna Colbert is changing her role in Democratic politics.  The Hamilton County Chair since 2021, she will assume a post with the state-wide party, Executive Director for Indiana Democrats.  In this podcast, she says no definite date has been set for the caucus to select her successor.  Former Fishers City Councilor Jocelyn Vare has announced her intention to run for Hamilton County Democratic Party Chair, but Dayna is not backing anyone at this time to be her successor.

Dayna Colbert talks about her time as county chair and what she will be doing with the state party organization in this podcast.

The Fishers weekly road construction update has been issued early this week with the holidays.  There are two parts of this week’s report of note.

First, the city engineering department is holding to the assertion that the roundabout at 106th Street & Hoosier Road will be open by the end of this year.  For more details on the delays, read the update.

Secondly, there will be one lane of traffic open on Lantern Road from 9 am to 3 pm between South Street and Morgan Drive, December 26th.

Below is the latest update, as provided by the City of Fishers:

Continue reading Fishers Road Construction update →

The land owner of commercial space at 104th Street and Olio Road asked for a zoning variance, allowing a Bigby Coffee Shop at that location.  The Fishers Board of Zoning Appeals denied the variance request Wednesday night.

Only 3 of the 5 member of the Board of Zoning Appeals were in attendance, meaning all 3 members at the Wednesday session had to unanimously agree to any request.

The motion to deny received votes from board members Howard Stevenson and Jeffrey Silvey…Board President Steve Ferrucci voted not to deny the request.  A motion to approve the variance was made by Ferruci, but died for lack of a second.  The end result is denial of the zoning variance.

The owner of the property was asking to allow the coffee shop to be built on .7 acres of land, below the requirement of 1 acre in the Fishers Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).  That triggered the requirement of a zoning variance for the Bigby coffee shop.

It is not known whether the land owner will attempt to bring Bigby into the commercial development at 104th & Olio in a way that would not require a zoning variance.