Larry Lannon, Fishers resident and blogger.

The Latest Happenings Around Fishers

Here are the latest happenings around Fishers for June 2024:

  • Changes are coming to Geist Waterfront Park. The nonresident parking fee will be reduced from $50 a day to $25 a day this summer, and only levied during peak times. Fishers residents will no longer use the city phone app to enter the parking area for free, and a driver’s license showing a Fishers address will suffice. Mayor Scott Fadness added at the April 15 City Council meeting that, for instance, out-of-town grandparents driving their grandkids to the park could provide some other identification, such as a student ID, and that his staff is working on that situation. Also, nonresidents paying to park will no longer need advance reservations. They can just pay cash as they park.
  • The City of Fishers has received a bid of $37.6 million to construct a roundabout at 141st Street and State Road 37, in line with where the city wants the construction costs. A previous round of bidding resulted in contractor proposals of over $40 million. Fadness told the City Council April session that waiting to rebid the plan has saved the city “several million dollars.” The Indiana Department of Transportation must review and approve the project, but Fadness says this work can be completed this year.
  • With the cancellation of a contract with Panorama to conduct a survey for Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools over one year ago, administrators are working on a replacement survey. Deputy Superintendent Dr. Matt Kegley told the school board Wellness Committee April 25 that there was a meeting that same week on replacing Panorama among top officials of the district. Kegley says any new survey needs to be tied into the program creating the “Portrait of a Graduate.” Kegley also says feedback from building principals will be part of putting together any new survey.
  • Christi Thomas has spent the past 11 years serving as the Geist Elementary School principal, but will be moving into a new position as the current school year ends. Thomas will join the HSE Schools central office as the new director of student services. Thomas has a total of 25 years of experience as an educator. This announcement is a part of the central office staff restructuring, since the current school board majority assumed office in January of 2023.
  • Jamie Nieves will continue to serve as president of the Fishers Economic Development Commission following a commission vote April 22. Maggie Sadler has been named a new member of the commission. There is an opening for a third appointment to the commission that is currently vacant until the mayor makes the appointment. Sadler will serve as commission secretary in 2024.

Fishers announced three local educators April 18 with Educator Innovation Grant money. They are:

  • Lisa Harvey (third-grade teacher at Fishers Elementary): $4,500 to bring hands-on and experimental learning to the classroom through the LEGO Education SPIKE program. LEGO Education engages students in hands-on investigations of STEM concepts. The lessons also include connections to real-world careers in STEM, to inspire students to begin thinking about their future careers.
  • Robyn Stout (fifth-grade teacher at Sand Creek Intermediate): $3,600 to expand the STEM lab and robotics program with pneumatics kits, to provide students with real-life applications as to how robots play a part in automating jobs in various industries. Prior to the launch of the project, Stout will partner with local industry leaders to get an overview of what pneumatics looks like from an industry standpoint. Through the STEM Lab, students will learn how pneumatics work on a micro level and simulate jobs that occur in real-world manufacturing plants.
  • Becky Schroeder (11th-grade teacher, Hamilton Southeastern High School): $22,000 for a pilot program to bring virtual reality to high school students. The immersive virtual reality platform will allow students to experience a wide range of educational content in an engaging and interactive way. Students can explore historical sites, scientific concepts and cultural landmarks from around the world in a safe and controlled environment. “By using VR technology, we can transport our students beyond the walls of our classrooms and provide them with meaningful, real-world experiences,” said Schroeder.

The gym floor at Fishers High School is 15 years old, has been sanded once, and is reaching its end of useful life. HSE Schools Facilities Director Matt Rapp told the facilities committee April 18 that the project replacing the gym floor is expected to cost roughly $72,000. Rapp plans to review the proposal with the school board finance committee before presenting it to the full board.

The Ascension St. Vincent Hospital facility in Fishers has become a part of the local fabric, and you need look no further than the number of births it has provided. Ascension St. Vincent Fishers had its 5,000th birth, welcoming Neela Annette Cripe, born at 8:30 a.m. on April 10, 2024, weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and 20 inches in length. Born to Dafne Sanchez and Trevor Cripe from Ingalls, Indiana, Neela is their first baby and they say delivery was very smooth. “Pregnancy was honestly pretty easy, delivery was really easy, the staff here was great, so we’re really happy overall,” said Sanchez, mother of baby Neela. “We didn’t realize she was going to get the balloons and all this attention, but she’s loving it.”

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