County departments move — The Hamilton County Coroner and the Hamilton County Parks & Recreation Dept. recently relocated their offices. They are now sharing quarters in a newly renovated office building at 400 Lafayette Rd. in Noblesville. The Coroner’s Office, in Suite 402, outgrew the space it originally shared with the Hamilton County Health Dept. at 18030 Foundation Drive. The Parks & Recreation Dept. moved from an aging home on the property of Cool Creek Park in Carmel. Although the new space in Suite 400 has a smaller footprint, it offers new amenities, like meeting rooms and parking, that were missing at the former location.
Bike donation event — The City of Carmel and Bike Carmel will join Freewheelin’ Community Bikes in hosting a donation event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 30 in the Carmel City Hall parking lot at 1 Civic Square. Bicycles and bicycle components may be donated to help Freewheelin’ Community Bikes fulfill its mission to provide safe, reliable and affordable transportation.
Invasive species trade-in program — The Hamilton County Invasives Partnership and Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District are offering an invasive species trade-in program. For a limited time and as supplies last, property owners can show proof of removal of an invasive species on their Hamilton County property and receive one five-gallon native species specimen valued at more than $50 for free. The three native species available for trade include American hornbeam, hop hornbeam and tulip poplar. Invasive species include callery pear, burning bush, Japanese barberry and Norway maple. Learn more at hcinvasives.org.
Safest midsize city — Carmel has been ranked the No. 1 Safest Midsize City in America by online business research and reporting site AdvisorSmith, a New York based financial services company, which established its ranking on a variety of factors using federal crime data. The study was based upon data provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Reporting Data Set. Carmel earned the number one spot because of its low incidence of violent and property crimes – only 2.1 per thousand people for violent crimes and 5.9 per thousand for property crimes per year of publication. Carmel was also recently ranked as the 2nd Best Small City in America, according to WalletHub.
Neighborhood network meeting — The Carmel Neighborhood Association Network will hold its quarterly meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 28 at City Hall, 1 Civic Square. Carmel homeowner’s association presidents and board members are invited to attend. For more information, contact Kelli Prader at [email protected].
CCPR news — Lana Ramer, Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation volunteer coordinator, has been appointed by the National Recreation and Park Association’s Education Network as the practitioner-researcher to the National Research Sessions. CCPR Director Michael Klitzing has been elected by his peers to the Board of Directors of the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration.
Local DAR chapter sponsors essay contests – The Horseshoe Prairie Chapter of the National Association of the Daughters of the American Revolution is sponsoring two American History Essay Contests. The deadline to submit essays is Nov. 5. Students in grades 5 through 12 in Hamilton County are eligible. For essay contest rules and submission details, contact the DAR American History Chairperson at [email protected].
Republican interns — The Indiana Senate Republican Caucus is offering paid spring semester internships in its communications, information technology, legal, legislative and policy offices during the 2022 session of the Indiana General Assembly. Qualified candidates may be of any major and must be at least a college sophomore. Recent college graduates, as well as graduate and law school students, are also encouraged to apply. Interns earn a $750 biweekly stipend and benefit from scholarship and academic credit opportunities, professional development, community involvement and networking. Apply by Oct. 31 at IndianaSenateRepublicans.com/intern.
Teen muralist sought — The Carmel Clay Public Library is soliciting designs from teen artists for a mural for the new teens space at the renovated Main Library. Young people in grades 9 through 12 who live or attend school in Carmel are invited to submit their concepts to the library through Dec. 15. The winning artist will receive a $2,000 stipend and have their work transformed into a wallcovering that will become the bold focal point for the new space. Complete contest details are available at carmelclaylibrary.org/teens.
Pedal Perks — Hamilton County Tourism’s Pedal Perks promotion returned this month for its fourth year. The goal is to incentivize locals and visitors to explore Hamilton County by bicycle. From May 1 through Oct. 31, more than 30 participating Hamilton County businesses are offering deals and discounts redeemable on a smartphone. Visit PedalPerks.org to learn more and register.
Manelé Café now open — Manelé Café is now open at 703 Veterans Way on the interior plaza of Carmel City Center, near Hotel Carmichael. The Hawaiian-inspired counter service restaurant features a 75-seat dining room along with patio space for guests to enjoy a health-forward menu of breakfast items, salads and rice bowls, sandwiches and wraps. A wide variety of iced and hot coffee drinks and frozen drinks are on the menu. Hours beginning Oct. 25 are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.
New City Center studio — 317Home, a furniture restoration and workshop studio, was set to open at 10 a.m. Oct. 26 at Carmel City Center on the southwest corner of Range Line Road and City Center Drive. Owned by Indiana native, Rebecca Null, 317Home brings the Annie Sloan brand to Carmel as an exclusive stockist and art studio. The first workshop is set for 11:30 a.m. Nov. 13, where attendees will learn various decoupage techniques. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (317) 501-8271. 317Home will be open Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Carmel Small Business Network luncheon — The City of Carmel’s quarterly Carmel Small Business Network luncheon is set for noon Oct. 28 at City Hall, 1 Civic Square. Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard and his staff will present information on issues that affect businesses, such as infrastructure improvements, economic development projects and more. RSVP to Kelli Prader at [email protected].
County S&P ratings –S&P Global Ratings raised its long-term rating to AAA from AA+ on Hamilton County’s existing general obligation bonds and its lease debt not subject to annual appropriation. At the same time, S&P Global Ratings assigned its AAA long-term rating to the county’s 2021 general obligation refunding and project bonds, with a preliminary par amount of $38.61 million. Hamilton County is the only county in Indiana to receive Standard & Poor’s AAA rating.
Allied Solutions acquisition — Allied Solutions, a provider of insurance, lending, risk management, and data enabled products to financial institutions, has acquired a majority interest in TrxNow, a technology solutions provider for roadside assistance and service logistics. This acquisition will expand Allied’s distribution opportunities in Canada and supports broader key initiatives across the enterprise.
KAR Global partnership expands — Carmel-based KAR Global and Black Book have announced an expanded relationship aimed at helping franchise and independent car dealers, original equipment manufacturers and third-party providers deliver a faster, easier and more digital experience to their retail consumers. By integrating Black Book’s VIN decoding and pricing algorithms with KAR’s digital capabilities, industry-related companies of any size will be able to deliver instant, VIN specific guaranteed trade-in values to consumers via their own website or mobile app. The relationship will also leverage KAR’s growing digital dealer-to-dealer marketplace, BacklotCars, to help dealers wholesale any unwanted trade-in inventory that results from those retail sales.
Vaccination clinics at businesses — The Hamilton County Health Dept. is offering on-site COVID-19 vaccination clinics to Hamilton County businesses. Businesses should consider hosting a workplace vaccination program only if they have enough space to stand up a clinic while maintaining social distancing through the entire process, from screening to post-vaccination observation. Businesses interested in setting up an on-site clinic can contact Chris Walker at [email protected] or by calling 317-776-8500.
Mass vaccine clinic — The Hamilton County Health Dept. has reopened its mass vaccination clinic at the 4H Fairgrounds in Noblesville. Hours are 1 to 7 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Only those who are 65 years of age or older as well as those who are 18 years and older with underlying medical conditions or who live or work in high-risk settings are eligible for a Pfizer booster. Walk-ups are welcome, but appointments are preferred. To register, visit ourshot.in.gov.
