When I started reporting Fishers area news in 2012, I vaguely remembered a small notation on the first Fishers Town Council meeting I covered. I went back and checked the story about that Jan. 17 session and found the following last sentence in that piece: “A new town employee, engineering consultant Jeff Hill, was introduced to the council.”
Jeff Hill began his stint as an employee for the town, later the city, of Fishers in January of 2012, about the same time I began writing LarryInFishers.com.
As the Director of Engineering for the city, he oversaw the department’s staff. But Jeff accomplished some major tasks when it came to managing vehicular traffic.
Hill
Anyone remember when IKEA opened its doors in Fishers? That was Oct. 11, 2017. Local residents were predicting a motorized apocalypse, with gridlock in all directions once the IKEA story opened its doors.
Granted, there were traffic challenges, but I heard stories of how Jeff Hill was presiding over a command center to manage all the traffic coming in from all directions, especially Interstate 69. There was a lot of traffic, but the predicted apocalypse never materialized. You can credit Jeff Hill for managing what would appear to have been an unmanageable situation.
A growing suburb needs a plan to control traffic and anyone living here for any length of time has experienced traffic jams. But I suspect our traffic situation would have been much worse had Jeff Hill not been on the job.
City Spokesperson Ashley Elrod confirmed for LarryInFishers a rumor going around town the last day or so – Jeff Hill will be leaving his position with the city in early April. I don’t have all the details, but it appears Jeff received an offer from the private sector he simply could not refuse.
With this major staff opening, it will be interesting to watch Mayor Scott Fadness and what he will do. Will he simply replace Jeff Hill or will he reorganize some city staffing arrangements?
I know one thing for sure, Jeff Hill will be a hard person to replace. I wish Jeff Hill the best of luck in his new job. He has always been friendly, professional and straightforward in dealing with me in my reporting duties. He will be missed.