HAMILTON COUNTY Hamilton County’s Hometown Newspaper www.ReadTheReporter.com REPORTER Facebook.com/HamiltonCountyReporter TodAy’S Weather Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020 Today: Mostly sunny. Tonight: Mostly clear. Arcadia | Atlanta | Cicero | Sheridan Carmel | Fishers | Noblesville | Westfield NEWS GATHERING Like & PARTNER Follow us! HIGH: 81 LOW: 58 Noblesville Schools breaks ground on new stadium Significantly enhanced facility will not use referendum funds or increase tax rate The REPORTER Noblesville Schools broke ground Tuesday on a new community stadium that will host Noblesville High School (NHS) foot- ball, band, track and other activities. The facility, lo- cated off of Field Drive be- hind NHS, will provide 50 percent more seating than the current stadium and is expected to open for track in the spring of 2021, and for football and band in the fall of 2022. “Our current facility Reporter photo by Kent Graham was built in 1969 when No- (From left) NHS football coach Dave Sharpe, NHS Athletic Director Leah Wooldridge, NHS Principal Craig McCaffrey, blesville’s population was Noblesville Schools board member Lisa Sobek, Associate Superintendent David Mundy, Superintendent Beth Niedermeyer, 12 percent of what it is to- Board President Carl Johnson, Building and Grounds Supervisor Roy Wallace, NHS girls track coach Jim Pearce, NHS Band day,” said Dr. David Mun- Director Eric Thornbury, and Head Grounds Supervisor Josh Weigel. dy, associate superintendent german Group • Part of high plex, will remain a district for Noblesville Schools. managing con- school campus to facility to accommodate la- “Demand for more space to struction. Ref- allow for safe ac- crosse, rugby, band compe- accommodate our programs erendum dollars cess to the field titions and other uses. has continued to increase as will not be used • Redesigned “With this addition to we have grown to be one of and the funding crowd flow to our comprehensive plan the largest high schools in will not increase better monitor we’ll now have a home for the state. I’m excited that the tax rate. The and manage large all programs and a cam- after three years of study bond being used student groups pus environment stretching and planning, this expanded to finance the sta- • Enhanced from White River Elemen- stadium is finally becom- dium cannot be Mundy LED lighting tary to Noblesville East ing a reality. We’re hoping used to fund staff, programs • Band director stand Middle School,” Mundy it will provide an exciting or student needs, per state • Locker rooms for added. experience for students and guidelines. home and away teams Currently under con- the entire community.” Highlights of the new • Up-to-date broadcast struction next to the new A new build was found stadium include: technology capabilities stadium is the Noblesville Rendering provided to be more cost effective • 50 percent more seat- • Practice fields Schools Community Center to 22-year-olds with spe- tion, it too will be funded than adding on to the exist- ing to provide needed space • Athletic training space (NSCC), which will house cial needs, and indoor team through a bond with no ref- ing facility. The district will for fans and visitors • Additional storage an alternative education practice space. The NSCC erendum dollars or impact finance the approximately • Expanded concessions The current facility, program, adult education is expected to be completed to the tax rate. $14 million project through and restrooms Beaver Materials Field at classes, community meet- by January 2021. Like other a bond (loan), with The Ha- • On-site parking the Swanson Sports Com- ings, programming for 18- ongoing district construc- See NHS . Page 2 County feeling strain from Jill Acklin named new courts administrator cost of mail-in absentee ballots By FRED SWIFT | ReadTheReporter.com The REPORTER Kathy Williams would cost the keeping a running total as Hamilton County has a new court administra- Across Indiana, nearly told the Report- county $180,000. we spend it so I know, so I tor following the retirement of Ollie Schierholz last 250,000 people have al- er's newsgath- Williams said know if I need to go back month. He had been administrator for nearly 15 years. ready requested mail-in ab- ering partner, the main cost is and ask for more.” Jill Acklin, former resident sentee ballots for the Nov. 3 WISH-TV, that manpower, and Hamilton County is of Clark County, Ind., took over election. Election officials her cost to pro- Hamilton Coun- paying workers $100 a day immediately upon Schierholz’s from counties throughout duce the ballots ty has added 26 during early and absentee retirement. The administrator is the state say the reason for and get them in temporary staff voting. hired by county judges. the greater interest is the the mail is $2.20 members just for “Some of the people The $97,000 per year job in- coronavirus pandemic. per ballot. early and absen- will work the 29 days of volves maintaining court sched- The printing costs vary Hamilton Williams tee voting. early voting, as well as ules, preparing juries for service from county to county. County is expecting to send “I had to go back and coming in these three weeks and other duties as may be as- Acklin Hamilton County has re- out from 60,000 to 70,000 ask for more money, so, no, earlier. Not everyone is signed by the seven local courts. ceived close to 25,000 ap- mail-in absentee ballots for it was not within the 2020 working every day. We do Schierholz’s retirement last month was not an- plications for mail-in absen- the general election. Prior to budget,” Williams said. “I have several that are work- nounced publicly at the retiree's request, nor was the tee ballots. the pandemic, Williams es- went back and asked for ing between now and Nov. new appointment announced by the county public re- Hamilton County Clerk timated the Nov. 3 election an additional $30,000. I’m 2,” Williams said. lations officer. Noblesville’s Ivy Tech receives new name Fishers mayor named The REPORTER diana. Bringing then moving sites, that were once part of Ivy Tech Communi- a campus with to the Carmel the Central Indiana campus ty College has announced additional pro- Learning Center service area, will now be to FCC advisory panel plans to expand its presence gram offerings to in 2000, now at aligned with the Columbus By LARRY LANNAN wireless tower rollout. and offerings in Hamilton Hamilton Coun- the Noblesville campus. The Mooresville LarryInFishers.com “I am honored to serve County. The community ty will expand site since 2014. site, once part of the Cen- the City of Fishers through college’s Noblesville site our footprint to a This will be the tral Indiana campus service My understanding of the this new role, and I look for- will be rebranded to be growing commu- first Ivy Tech area, will become part of the FCC (Federal Communi- ward to using the learning known as Ivy Tech Hamil- nity, and provide campus in the Bloomington campus ser- cations Commission) goes experiences we have had ton County. In the past, the more pathways county. vice area. The Greencastle back to 1969, which I took with the deployment of 5G in Noblesville campus was to high-wage and Jensen "Ivy Tech has site will return to the Terre a written test to our community to a satellite campus of Ivy high-value jobs.” been such a bless- Haute campus service area qualify for a third- advocate for our Tech's Indianapolis location. “Ivy Tech ing to Hamilton after being part of the Cen- class engineer's li- resident and com- Along with a new name has been valued County. There is tral Indiana service area the cense with broad- munity’s needs at the Hamilton County cam- partner in our an enormous ef- last few years. cast endorsement. the Federal level,” pus will no longer serve as community and fort to stimulate A new set of eight-week It wasn't much of said Mayor Fad- a satellite location and be- their willingness work force devel- courses start at all Ivy Tech lo- a certification. I ness in a city news come Ivy Tech’s 19th cam- to listen to busi- opment efforts in cations and online on Oct. 26. could read meters release. “The de- pus effective July 1, 2021. ness leaders in our community,” About Ivy Tech on a broadcast ployment of this A chancellor for the new our communi- Hamilton Coun- Community College transmitter and infrastructure has campus will be recruited ty and adapt to ty Commissioner Ivy Tech Community know enough to Fadness presented many from a national search and their training and dillinger Steve Dillinger College serves communi- contact the chief challenges due to named at a later date. education needs is a great said. “I believe this move ties across Indiana, provid- engineer (with a first-class federal laws which largely Enrollment at the Ivy asset,” Noblesville Mayor by Ivy Tech will help to ing world-class education engineering license) who preempt the City’s regulato- Tech Noblesville site has Chris Jensen said. “Tomor- develop programs that are and driving economic trans- would handle the issue. ry authority. grown rapidly as annually row’s workforce will re- tailored to enhance the pro- formation. It is the state’s The FCC is the agency “Notwithstanding, in more than 1,200 students at- quire a new set of skills and gression of this program" largest public postsecond- that regulates over-the-air April 2017, I led our City tend classes at the location. Ivy Tech’s Future of Work The search for a chan- ary institution and the na- broadcasting and wireless to take emergency action to Ivy Tech began offering Lab will give us the envi- cellor for the Hamilton tion’s largest singly accred- communications in general.