Now folks this is very interesting.
Cyntheanne Park is being built in the middle of nowhere by the Town of Fishers. The latest in this saga is that the grass was not planted correctly and they have to start over that segment, its only $100,000. Where were the inspectors and oversight while grass was being planted. They have already spend over 2 million dollars, and have hidden costs such as law suits, different budget item, etc and the death of two citizens who were fighting the construction of the park. One of a heart attack over the entire mess and his son by his own hand after a court battle where the town council president told him they would ruin him. Now the Town says they are going to sue the builder to try and get the money back for the bad grass. It’s a smoke screen, you see the builder is gone and out of business. You can’t sue a vacant address. They are just saying it to make people think they are going to do something. More fun and games by the Fishers Town Council.
Now the some of the truth is coming out. The land was owned by a Burton, could it be Representative Dan Burton. Could it be there was a deal to help Dan get rid of the land instead of having to wait years for the growth to catch up. What kind of deal was this? When did he purchase the land knowing the Town was going to buy it. Maybe someone should investigate and not by anyone around here after all it would be put under the rug.
On top of all of this is the fact that this is not a regular park but rather a sports complex of five soccer fields. Why spend 2 million dollars on 5 soccer fields, another pay off and this time to the SPORTS group of the area. So here is a park that is 7.5 miles away on average from the vast majority of the town set up for SPORTS to run organized soccer games. The other day I figured out that every time SPORTS sets up one of its series of games people will drive a total of about 9000 miles that day for the games. That’s a lot of gas. Its also a lot of pollution. But who cares. SPORTS will have its own field support by the Town. Now I am not against the Town supporting SPORTS and providing fields for kids to play on. I am against a total waste of money to accomplish the end result. Also this locks in the SPORTS group and excludes other groups in the area providing activities for children. But then again SPORTS helps quietly to work for the town and its elected officials. Maybe someone needs to also investigate why a non-profit group is so deeply involve in local politics. The taxpayers have paid for Cyntheanne Park and will continue to pay to maintain it. The Town is not finished with the park and more money will be needed.
I think the same could have been accomplished if we needed more soccer fields by adding fields to existing parks and at the High School. That way the fields would be closer to the citizens. But that way the …… to Burton and SPORTS could not be made. This clearly shows a lack of real thinking and concern for the community.
To the citizens of Fishers, its time for you to start asking the hard questions. Only a few people even vote in the elections, so the Town Council believes it can do whatever its wants and none of you will care. Start caring. It’s time for all of you to take back your own government, take back your community. Fishers is no longer a small sleepy town, it’s grown into a city but still with small town questionable politics. It’s time for a change.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Mudsocks bring back that name.
The history of Fishers, IN started with the name of Mudsocks but for some reason the history on Fishers Town web site leave this off. According to the web site the original name was Fishers Switch, then Fishers Station and now Fishers. But I know the real reason Mudsocks was dropped. You see Fishers is moving towards its original namesake. More and more mud pits are developing in the Town of Fishers. Not by mother nature but by the failure of developers and the Town Council to plan. Fishers does not have a master plan nor does it appear it wants one. Instead Fishers has a Master Map. Well maps can be changed with ease, nothing is in writing, however a master plan has words and things to do and therefore it becomes harder to hide what you are up to without being caught. Now I want to be fair so I have started a list of Failures and Accomplishments by Fishers and if you have any other items you want added please let me know.
Fishers Failures
Hamilton Proper Shopping Center - Mud Pit
Britton Golf Course proposed water park and hotel. - Mud Pit
Downtown Complex - Upsetting long term residences - vacant homes - nothing done
River Place - Allisonville & 96th Apartments – open field. Not a bulldozer in sight and its developer has withdrawn.
Geist Annexation - $1.5 million wasted in lawsuits, decrease revenue to HSE Schools.
Cynatheanne Park – Mud Pit with a little grass – behind schedule, over budget, lawsuits, two deaths. It has been proposed that it be renamed "Bloody Cyntheanne."
Airport Conversion – GOOD it didn’t happen. But people are leaving the airport and relocating their planes under fear of the Fishers TC. A great way to show that you are in favor of economic development.
Tax increase – Stormwater Tax and soon to double. What other fees will Fishers increase?
Clarian Hospital at I-69 - Mud pit
3 Month Roundabout at Olio - months and months of nothing then start again. (I understand they ran out of money to finish the job and had to wait a while.) But then again they had to show Carmel that Fishers can build a big overpriced roundabout.
Fishers Accomplishments
Stormwater Tax – or how to bypass property tax increase.
Development of mud pits to move back to the areas original name Mudsocks.
Fishers Failures
Hamilton Proper Shopping Center - Mud Pit
Britton Golf Course proposed water park and hotel. - Mud Pit
Downtown Complex - Upsetting long term residences - vacant homes - nothing done
River Place - Allisonville & 96th Apartments – open field. Not a bulldozer in sight and its developer has withdrawn.
Geist Annexation - $1.5 million wasted in lawsuits, decrease revenue to HSE Schools.
Cynatheanne Park – Mud Pit with a little grass – behind schedule, over budget, lawsuits, two deaths. It has been proposed that it be renamed "Bloody Cyntheanne."
Airport Conversion – GOOD it didn’t happen. But people are leaving the airport and relocating their planes under fear of the Fishers TC. A great way to show that you are in favor of economic development.
Tax increase – Stormwater Tax and soon to double. What other fees will Fishers increase?
Clarian Hospital at I-69 - Mud pit
3 Month Roundabout at Olio - months and months of nothing then start again. (I understand they ran out of money to finish the job and had to wait a while.) But then again they had to show Carmel that Fishers can build a big overpriced roundabout.
Fishers Accomplishments
Stormwater Tax – or how to bypass property tax increase.
Development of mud pits to move back to the areas original name Mudsocks.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Another Indiana Tax Increase
Here we go again. Indiana’s State Sen. Luke Kenley, the Noblesville Republican has put together a plan to raise your taxes. The reason we need to have sports. So to get around the Property Tax Cap he proposed, he is now going to tax you very which way he can.
Wasn’t it Rome that kept the people in check with sports, lions eating people and fighting to the death. Is Indiana moving in this direction.
Indiana with the highest out of work in the nation, but we have football and basketball. Indiana keeps coming in at the lowest ratings in the nation in health care, etc.
Maybe Mr. Kenley should work on those problems first.
Wasn’t it Rome that kept the people in check with sports, lions eating people and fighting to the death. Is Indiana moving in this direction.
Indiana with the highest out of work in the nation, but we have football and basketball. Indiana keeps coming in at the lowest ratings in the nation in health care, etc.
Maybe Mr. Kenley should work on those problems first.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Another High School?
The Hamilton Southeastern Schools is one of the best districts in the State of Indiana. But I just went to a meeting on the future of the district and the need for another high school. I have got to stop going to theses type of meetings.
At my table to get public input were two high school students and four teachers. Not what I would call public input. The questionnaire and presentation was designed and slanted to move to one answer. Damm the torpedoes full speed ahead and spent for a new high school. The “study” that was presented did not show a full inventory of buildings currently used by the district and utilization rates over the next ten years. While the study may show some of these items directly to the Board it failed to show them to the public. In the presentation overall costs based on different solutions were left out because a few people didn’t feel right about the direction. I was told at the last “public” meeting the citizens don’t want Junior High Schools and it was not viewed. Well, if the public was the same group as at this meeting, it was not the public but rather the customers of the system. A Junior High School Concept would overnight reduce the High School population by 25%. But then it removes the need to build a new high school by about 10 years or so. You might have to build a smaller school or expand, at a much lower costs, another building. But we don’t like the idea, so leave it out, because the tax payers might like it.
Also leave out the operating costs of each solution. Expanding the current schools means less administration costs, maybe we could raise the teachers pay instead.
This study and meeting was an old fashion sales pitch for a used car by a guy in a plaid jacket.
One of the comments I heard from the “public” was rather interesting: If we expend one High School size it would have more students and then they would have more to select from and have an advantage in sports.
No one noticed in the materials the time lines for the expansion of the amount of students that they would not get to the extra 1000 students in the High School for years and years, but we need a 2000 student expansion now. Also most of it is based on re-zoning of vast amounts of farmland into residential subdivisions by Noblesville. I didn’t see an economic analysis of the area growth pattern based on the current trends but rather it was based on the past ten years. So maybe the trends are not too accurate. Building permits are down and the community is aging.
What if the farmland remains farmland? What’s wrong with expanding the current high schools? Well one answer at my table it gets too big and maybe 4000 students in one building is far too much, but it works in Carmel. Another very good district. My High School had 6000 students and to this day it gets listed in the top 100 HS in the US every year.
The School Board has to take this to the voters to approve the building of a new school and I can already see what they are doing to pull the wool over the eyes of the public to spend over 100 million tax dollars.
We need a study but by a totally independent organization and not the group that presented this one sided steer the answer group.
Maybe we do need a new High School, but so far the “study” that was presented is not a “study.”
At my table to get public input were two high school students and four teachers. Not what I would call public input. The questionnaire and presentation was designed and slanted to move to one answer. Damm the torpedoes full speed ahead and spent for a new high school. The “study” that was presented did not show a full inventory of buildings currently used by the district and utilization rates over the next ten years. While the study may show some of these items directly to the Board it failed to show them to the public. In the presentation overall costs based on different solutions were left out because a few people didn’t feel right about the direction. I was told at the last “public” meeting the citizens don’t want Junior High Schools and it was not viewed. Well, if the public was the same group as at this meeting, it was not the public but rather the customers of the system. A Junior High School Concept would overnight reduce the High School population by 25%. But then it removes the need to build a new high school by about 10 years or so. You might have to build a smaller school or expand, at a much lower costs, another building. But we don’t like the idea, so leave it out, because the tax payers might like it.
Also leave out the operating costs of each solution. Expanding the current schools means less administration costs, maybe we could raise the teachers pay instead.
This study and meeting was an old fashion sales pitch for a used car by a guy in a plaid jacket.
One of the comments I heard from the “public” was rather interesting: If we expend one High School size it would have more students and then they would have more to select from and have an advantage in sports.
No one noticed in the materials the time lines for the expansion of the amount of students that they would not get to the extra 1000 students in the High School for years and years, but we need a 2000 student expansion now. Also most of it is based on re-zoning of vast amounts of farmland into residential subdivisions by Noblesville. I didn’t see an economic analysis of the area growth pattern based on the current trends but rather it was based on the past ten years. So maybe the trends are not too accurate. Building permits are down and the community is aging.
What if the farmland remains farmland? What’s wrong with expanding the current high schools? Well one answer at my table it gets too big and maybe 4000 students in one building is far too much, but it works in Carmel. Another very good district. My High School had 6000 students and to this day it gets listed in the top 100 HS in the US every year.
The School Board has to take this to the voters to approve the building of a new school and I can already see what they are doing to pull the wool over the eyes of the public to spend over 100 million tax dollars.
We need a study but by a totally independent organization and not the group that presented this one sided steer the answer group.
Maybe we do need a new High School, but so far the “study” that was presented is not a “study.”
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Fishers Where Are You on the Simulus Bill?
Fishers where are you?
You are not on the list?
What List?
The State of Indiana has a list of shovel ready project they hope to get funded under the Stimulus Bill. The total of cost of all the projects submitted by Indiana is $2,598,965,295.
Who is on the list?
Carmel • Crawfordsville • Crown Point • East Chicago • Evansville • Fort Wayne • Gary • Hammond • Hobart • Indianapolis • Kokomo • Kokomo, IN • Lake Station • Lawrence • Merrillville • Michigan City • Mishawaka • Muncie • Plymouth • Richmond • St. John • Terre Haute • Whiting
Notice all of these are cities, no towns, how come? You see the list comes from the "shovel-ready" projects the mayors submitted in the 2008 U.S. Conference of Mayors report.
Will Fishers be totally left out – No. But they will have to file for Federal Grants after the fact, so while they are filling out a grant application, Carmel will be building more of their silly roundabouts and Fishers will still be going in circles on paper.
Will all projects be funded from this list, no, but they will have a head start in the funding process.
Where can you find the list? Glad you asked. Please go:
http://www.stimuluswatch.org/project/by_state/IN
In the Saturday Indy Star is an article “City to get $11.6M from feds” The article starts out by stating “first wave of stimulus money heading to states and cities.” Once again the word town was left out. Many of the road projects that were listed in the article also appear to be going to cities and not towns.
The overall problem is a Federal mindset that a city is a city and a town is 4 stoplights and 2000 people.
Now back to the first question. Fishers is a town and therefore will always play 2nd fiddle to any city even ones much smaller in population in the eyes of those far away looking at giving away Federal money. Don’t forget they see the word Town and have no clue about what the town really is a large city with the wrong name.
You are not on the list?
What List?
The State of Indiana has a list of shovel ready project they hope to get funded under the Stimulus Bill. The total of cost of all the projects submitted by Indiana is $2,598,965,295.
Who is on the list?
Carmel • Crawfordsville • Crown Point • East Chicago • Evansville • Fort Wayne • Gary • Hammond • Hobart • Indianapolis • Kokomo • Kokomo, IN • Lake Station • Lawrence • Merrillville • Michigan City • Mishawaka • Muncie • Plymouth • Richmond • St. John • Terre Haute • Whiting
Notice all of these are cities, no towns, how come? You see the list comes from the "shovel-ready" projects the mayors submitted in the 2008 U.S. Conference of Mayors report.
Will Fishers be totally left out – No. But they will have to file for Federal Grants after the fact, so while they are filling out a grant application, Carmel will be building more of their silly roundabouts and Fishers will still be going in circles on paper.
Will all projects be funded from this list, no, but they will have a head start in the funding process.
Where can you find the list? Glad you asked. Please go:
http://www.stimuluswatch.org/project/by_state/IN
In the Saturday Indy Star is an article “City to get $11.6M from feds” The article starts out by stating “first wave of stimulus money heading to states and cities.” Once again the word town was left out. Many of the road projects that were listed in the article also appear to be going to cities and not towns.
The overall problem is a Federal mindset that a city is a city and a town is 4 stoplights and 2000 people.
Now back to the first question. Fishers is a town and therefore will always play 2nd fiddle to any city even ones much smaller in population in the eyes of those far away looking at giving away Federal money. Don’t forget they see the word Town and have no clue about what the town really is a large city with the wrong name.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Joe's Leading Indicators Show Economy Going Up.
Joe’s leading indicators show the economy getting better in about 5-6 months and it has started to move upward.
For those of you who read my blog and don’t know this I also make and sell reproduction military insignia, www.1903.com, if you want to look. Well this is not a giant field and it the insignia is sold to collectors, re-enactor and museums. So in a way a limited crowd, but a worldwide crowd. I ship overseas at least 3-4 packages a week. A few months ago when the Euro ruled I was shipping 8-10 packages a week and my US sales tanked. Then everything tanked.
Now I call this my leading indicators because I can track sales shipments and get a general feel for what is going on. For example, last July sales dropped 50% from June and then remained low until December, when I saw an up tick But all of a sudden in January the sales moved up ten percent over Jan 08 and this February is already up 33% over last year with 4 days to go.
So if I look over my sales the drop was predicted about six months before all hell broke use and so I now have to say in 5-6 months we should be moving up again.
For those of you who read my blog and don’t know this I also make and sell reproduction military insignia, www.1903.com, if you want to look. Well this is not a giant field and it the insignia is sold to collectors, re-enactor and museums. So in a way a limited crowd, but a worldwide crowd. I ship overseas at least 3-4 packages a week. A few months ago when the Euro ruled I was shipping 8-10 packages a week and my US sales tanked. Then everything tanked.
Now I call this my leading indicators because I can track sales shipments and get a general feel for what is going on. For example, last July sales dropped 50% from June and then remained low until December, when I saw an up tick But all of a sudden in January the sales moved up ten percent over Jan 08 and this February is already up 33% over last year with 4 days to go.
So if I look over my sales the drop was predicted about six months before all hell broke use and so I now have to say in 5-6 months we should be moving up again.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Letter to Secretary of State Todd Rokita
In Indiana the Secretary of State is charged with running the elections. Needless to say I don't think he is doing a good job. In fact as you read below I think he is doing what can be expected of someone in one party protecting his own party. Letting the party politics get in the way of doing his job. Rumor has it he is going to run for Governor of this State, so to him I say before you run for Governor, clean up your current job.
The following is a copy of a letter mailing out today to Mr. Rokita. Look for his answer on this blog, or maybe you will never see an answer. Would not surprise me.
Joe
Joseph L. Weingarten
14066 Deer Stone Ln
Fortville, IN 46040
February 6, 2009
Mr. Todd Rokita
201 Statehouse
302 W Washington St # E111
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-6536
Fax (317) 233-3283
Dear Secretary Rokita;
On October 9, 2009 I faxed a letter to you of complaint of Ms. Kathy Richardson conducting her own election. To date I have not received a response on any action taken by your office. Ms. Richardson was a candidate as defined by IC 3-11-8-18
Ms. Richardson was clearly in violation of IC 3-11-8-15 as a candidate in a polling place on numerous occasions.
She was also in violation of the following codes:
3-11-10-2 during the receipt of Absentee ballots while as a candidate for office and within fifty feet of the poling place.
3-11-8-18 when she repeatedly offered assistance to voters during voting, while a candidate and within 50 fifty feet of the poling place.
As a result Ms. Richardson ‘s certification of election should be removed for her violations of the Indiana Code and the election re-accomplished under ethical and fair circumstances. Or is it your policy to permit members of your own party to act with impunity when it comes to elections.
Respectfully Submitted
Joseph L. Weingarten
1 Atch October 9, 2008 Ltr
Here is the October 9 letter
Joseph L. Weingarten
14066 Deer Stone Ln
Fortville, IN 46040
October 9, 2008
Mr. Todd Rokita
201 Statehouse
302 W Washington St # E111
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-6536
Fax (317) 233-3283
Dear Secretary Rokita;
As Secretary of State for Indiana your office is responsible to insure that fair elections and integrity of the vote take place in this state.
I request that you take immediate action to suspend all voting in Hamilton County until such time as Ms. Kathy Richardson is replaced as Election Administrator. Ms. Richardson is a candidate for State Representative in the 29th District.
Ms Richardson is running her own election. She is in full view of people entering to vote early or to request absentee ballots. This places a candidate within full view of voters during the time of election directly within the boundaries of the polls. She counts her own votes and based on questionable past actions this raises a concern over the integrity of the vote. I request the State of Indiana immediately take over full control of the elections in Hamilton County and insure that the ballot is correctly placed and counted before all voters. Ms. Richardson must be removed from the election office. Or she can withdraw from the election. Failure to do so brings into question the integrity of elections throughout the State of Indiana.
Respectfully Submitted
Joseph L. Weingarten
The following is a copy of a letter mailing out today to Mr. Rokita. Look for his answer on this blog, or maybe you will never see an answer. Would not surprise me.
Joe
Joseph L. Weingarten
14066 Deer Stone Ln
Fortville, IN 46040
February 6, 2009
Mr. Todd Rokita
201 Statehouse
302 W Washington St # E111
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-6536
Fax (317) 233-3283
Dear Secretary Rokita;
On October 9, 2009 I faxed a letter to you of complaint of Ms. Kathy Richardson conducting her own election. To date I have not received a response on any action taken by your office. Ms. Richardson was a candidate as defined by IC 3-11-8-18
Ms. Richardson was clearly in violation of IC 3-11-8-15 as a candidate in a polling place on numerous occasions.
She was also in violation of the following codes:
3-11-10-2 during the receipt of Absentee ballots while as a candidate for office and within fifty feet of the poling place.
3-11-8-18 when she repeatedly offered assistance to voters during voting, while a candidate and within 50 fifty feet of the poling place.
As a result Ms. Richardson ‘s certification of election should be removed for her violations of the Indiana Code and the election re-accomplished under ethical and fair circumstances. Or is it your policy to permit members of your own party to act with impunity when it comes to elections.
Respectfully Submitted
Joseph L. Weingarten
1 Atch October 9, 2008 Ltr
Here is the October 9 letter
Joseph L. Weingarten
14066 Deer Stone Ln
Fortville, IN 46040
October 9, 2008
Mr. Todd Rokita
201 Statehouse
302 W Washington St # E111
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-6536
Fax (317) 233-3283
Dear Secretary Rokita;
As Secretary of State for Indiana your office is responsible to insure that fair elections and integrity of the vote take place in this state.
I request that you take immediate action to suspend all voting in Hamilton County until such time as Ms. Kathy Richardson is replaced as Election Administrator. Ms. Richardson is a candidate for State Representative in the 29th District.
Ms Richardson is running her own election. She is in full view of people entering to vote early or to request absentee ballots. This places a candidate within full view of voters during the time of election directly within the boundaries of the polls. She counts her own votes and based on questionable past actions this raises a concern over the integrity of the vote. I request the State of Indiana immediately take over full control of the elections in Hamilton County and insure that the ballot is correctly placed and counted before all voters. Ms. Richardson must be removed from the election office. Or she can withdraw from the election. Failure to do so brings into question the integrity of elections throughout the State of Indiana.
Respectfully Submitted
Joseph L. Weingarten
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