Getting to the Bottom of the Boil Advisory + Funding the Arts in Carmel
- Anita Joshi
- Aug 24
- 8 min read
Hello neighbors,
Please enjoy this recap of recent Carmel City Council meetings! As this was a lengthy meeting, I’ve put together a table of contents so that you can find what’s most important to you.
As always, you can watch the entire City Council meeting here.
CITY COUNCIL MEETING UPDATES
Persons Who Wish To Address the Council
Allie Missler spoke in favor of funding Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts because it is the cultural heart of our community, an economic powerhouse, and a place of development for children.
Council Comments
Councilor Worrell invited the public to the State of Civility at Monon Center on August 28, at 7 pm. The event will launch Project Civility and will give a discussion of the 501C3 he has set up to promote civility and community conversation.
Councilor Minnaar promoted the Safe Sticker program which I was very excited to be a part of along with the Fire Department, the Police Department. In the case of an emergency, these stickers provide information about children in car seats that would be important to first responders.
Land Use Committee Report
We have been working on a micromobility ordinance, which is a very rough first draft and is expected to be heavily vetted. I can assure all of you that I will always ensure that we have a safe bikeable walkable city that promotes physical activity and healthy mobility. Looking forward to further discussions.
We have also been working on the Signature55 apartments for residents 55+, which you can learn more about below.
Economic Commission Report
Jeff Maurer, council appointee to the Economic Commission, kindly updated us about what they’ve been working on:
Reelected their three officers: President Edward Bukovac and appointees Nicki Simon Felix and Jeff
Approved North End Phase II project
Jeff wanted to clarify that a TIF bond is a developer-backed bond that poses no risk to the taxpayer or the city, only to the developer.
Parks Report
Parks Director Michael Klitzing told us about the exciting things happening in his department:
Summer camps are officially over. Here are the stats:
Over 7,500 participants, increasing year-over-year
Thirteen camp options from ages 5-14
No camps were cancelled due to low enrollment and 87% of camps were at maximum capacity.
88% of Carmel-Clay students attended at least one of the camps
The waterpark is winding down for the season. Here’s what the numbers look like so far:
More than 106k people have visited, with 120k-125k total projected
They will be open on weekends only until the end of August, and their last day will be Monday, September 1 (Labor Day).
This is the first year they’ve been able to operate in the post-season, so a big thank you to HR for recruiting great talent!
Brookshire Golf Course
Parks is working on developing a business plan for the golf course
2024 Infrastructure Bonds
Bear Creek Park
Working with the developer on schematic plans
Currently creating a committee to review requests for proposals
Autumn Greenway
Will extend East-West from the Monon to Meridian Corridor
Working with the design team for route options
Veteran’s Greenway
Will extend from the East side of Old Meridian, up through Autumn Greenway, connecting to Main Street
Met with the Veteran’s Commission for a high-level overview
Smoky Row & Ironwood Drive Park
They will begin several rounds of soliciting public input and developing a concept. Once finished, they will put the idea to the Park Board.
White River Greenway Enhancements
Landscaped to be more of a scenic trail
Expanding to 146th Street
There will be a boardwalk system that goes above a drainage area, anticipated to be completed by the end of the year.
Hazel Landing Park/Burr Oak Bridge
This project is a bridge and a series of trails that connect Carmel’s Hazel Landing Park to Fisher's Heritage Park .
Worked with federally-registered tribes, the Delaware, Shawnee, Peoria, and Miami, to come up with the name “Burr Oak Bridge”
Parks wants to be a conduit by which Native American stories are told, and this is an excellent representation of that goal.
Founders Park refresh - watch this video for more information!
In the process of removing the current safety surfacing on the playground and replacing it with a new rubberized version.
Relocating the sand in the playground to the far end of the park so it doesn’t spread throughout the playground
Some play equipment will be refurbished, but will remain functionally the same
Adding an accessibility ramp
Adding robust fencing to separate from the parking area
Founders Park Boardwalk Project
Building an accessible boardwalk
Receiving pricing in spring of 2026
New playground in the Monon Community Center
Introduced the new Luckey climber to the indoor play area
The climber is incorporated with the Monon Community Center’s childcare service.
Sunscreen dispensers
Central Park and Inlow Park offer free sunscreen, but the Parks Department is looking for project sponsors for each park.
Speed limits in school zones
The Parks’ before and after school programs go until six, so they recommend the speed limits stay in effect until then.
The Founders Park Boardwalk Project
Report from the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts
Jeff McDermott, president and CEO of Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts, presented the update.
First, he gave a high-level overview:
Allied is contracted by the city to perform management duties.
The Allied Center consists of three venues: the Payne & Mencias Palladium, the Studio Theater, and the Booth Tarkington Theater.
They are affiliated with the Great American Songbook Foundation, “a nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire and educate by celebrating America’s timeless popular music and its role in our society.”
It is the home of six resident companies:
The Actors Theater of Indiana
The Central Indiana Dance Ensemble
The Indiana Wind Symphony
The Gregory Hancock Dance Theater
Carmel Symphony Orchestra
The Carmel Civic Theater
Then, he shared an economic overview:
They have a $10M budget from three sources:
Earned revenue: tickets, food and beverage, rental spaces
Donations, corporate sponsors, grants, legacy gifts
Management fee paid by the city
Over 100 people employed
In addition to the management fee, they get about $1.7M annually from the city through reimbursements for repairs and maintenance.
Findings from an economic report done by a third party:
GDP impact of Carmel due to Allied: $22.9M (2023)
GDP impact of Hamilton County due to Allied: $27.4M (2023)
Local and state tax revenue: $3.95M
Fishers and Noblesville are both mimicking Carmel by opening up similar centers.
Carmel’s commitment to the arts generates a huge amount of media impact, as in lists like “Best Places to Live in the U.S.” or “Best Places to Live in Indiana.”
The report also found the value of Allied’s stewardship:
Delivers a “near optimal community value” compared to peers.
Operates “more efficiently” compared to peers (far lower cost than if operated by the city or for-profit)
$581 less per seat than peer average
Place within Carmel’s budget:
Allied’s management fee is $2.25M or .97% of the total budget.
Support for the arts general fund is $1.47M or .63%.
Carmel also pays utilities, assessment fees, and repairs & maintenance.
Cultural impact of Allied:
First and foremost, they are mission-driven.
Classical, jazz, international, family, and songbook programming represent this commitment.
Some of the less popular mission shows are bolstered financially by more commercial shows.
Their transportation grant allows underprivileged schools to come see free theater–every school that has applied for the grant has gotten it.
They also host free public events like naturalization ceremonies, political debates, MLK Day programs, Holocaust Memorial events, free military concerts, and free student matinees.
Gets both regional and long-distance visitors
Carmel has formed as part of its core identity a strong commitment to the arts. The arts is what allows us to be fully human and engage with each other in creative and uplifting ways. The support of the arts as a city is something that I am very passionate about and will always champion.
Utilities Report on the Boil Advisory
Carmel recently had its first boil advisory in over seventeen years.
It was caused by a sudden return of water pressure to the 36-inch mainline that blew a fire hydrant, which lowered the water pressure.
The decrease in pressure could theoretically allow a smaller unknown leak somewhere in the system to have occurred and so following IDEM protocol an advisory must be issued when the pressure drops below a certain level.
Even though the risk was theoretical it was a risk and so it was prudent to issue the boil advisory.
The problem was discovered within twenty minutes and fixed within two hours.
Meanwhile, Paterson, NJ, recently had a 4-day-long advisory.
Utilities have no mass communication platform, but they started a phone chain to inform critical customers — hospitals, daycares, schools, etc.
We discussed ways to improve Utilities’ communication. They recently invested in a platform that can send customers a direct email or text, plus a map feature that signifies whether you’re in the boil area.
We also considered using city marketing to broadcast more widely.
Rest assured, we will take this lesson to enhance Utilities’ reporting.
Old Business
Ordinance D-2778-25 & Ordinance CC-08-18-25-01
Sent to Land Use Committee
Ordinance D-2778-25: Ordinance authorizes the issuance of developer TIF bonds by the City of Carmel, Indiana, to finance certain improvements to support the development of the Rebar Old Meridian Project
Ordinance CC-08-18-25-01: This resolution authorizes the City, acting through its Board of Public Works and Safety, to acquire certain real property from the City of Carmel Redevelopment Commission to be used for certain public park purposes in connection with a mixed-use development project within the Old Meridian Economic Development Area.
CEO of Rebar Development, Tom Dickey, told us about their new senior-living development, Signature55
A 200-home rental community on Old Meridian, south of Main Street
The development is for those looking to age-in-place while having access to fitness, social events, and other amenities.
It will sport some of the highest rents in Carmel.
The school system will receive $66k a year from the project.
Part of the development site features a park, bathrooms, and public parking.
I am adamant that several units should be set aside for veterans’ who want to join the community.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars commander came to the recent Land Use meeting and spoke in favor of the project.
Ordinance D-2779-25
Sent to Finance
Establishes the 2025 salaries for employees of the Executive Branch. We are concerned as councilors that we have a chance to understand the information being presented and the rational for this. As we have been told to date
The city is working on updating job titles to better reflect the actual tasks.
They will widen salary bands by 10% at the bottom and the top.
Automatic step increases will be discontinued in January. I do however reject the notion that this is being done to encourage better performance. I believe the employees who work for this city do it because they genuinely care and not because of the pay structure.
This proposed compensation plan has been presented to accomplish the following:
Attract top talent
It may reduce employees but not clear on which ones or why
Increase fairness again I think a better explanation of what that means is forthcoming
Align with overall goals, a continued discussion on the goals and best ways to reach them will continue in the finance committee.
Ordinance D-2781-25
Sent to Finance
This makes it finable to take up more than one parking space
Ordinance D-2782-25
We table the discussion of this school zone speed limit ordinance until the next common meeting
Events Around Carmel
Come to Carmel Food Truck Nights at Ginther Green every Friday from 5pm to 8pm for great food and even better company!
Bring the family to Sing 2 as part of the Movies at Midtown series at the Midtown Plaza on Tuesday, August 26, and Thursday, August 28.
Have some adults-only fun with the Slow Roll Dinner Cruise bike ride on August 26, at 5:30 pm, starting at the Midtown Plaza.
On August 27, enjoy the music of the Bishops as part of the Summer Family Concert Series at the gazebo in Civic Square. Music starts at 7 pm!
Come to the Carmel Summer Farmer’s Market every Saturday from 8 am to 11:30 am until September 27.
Thank you all for reading this recap, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions.
Caring for Carmel,
Dr. Anita Joshi
If you have a fifth grade Carmel student who would like to give the mayoral update at a council meeting, please reach out to me and I will be happy to put your student's name forward.
If you’d like to attend a City Council meeting, committee hearing, or other council events, please visit our website for the calendar.
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