'Burb Bites: Orchard Park building set for demolition
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The school that first opened in 1956 has been deemed unsafe due to heavy water damage. Photo: Justin L. Mack/Axios
This week's news from around the region includes a demolition in Carmel; public safety and development investments in Noblesville; and a burger bye-bye in Zionsville.
🏫 Carmel Clay Schools will tear down the former Orchard Park Elementary building after a water main ruptured beneath it Oct. 14, flooding much of the facility.
- The board voted 5-0 during a special meeting called last week to demolish the building after engineers found extensive damage, including an eroded foundation, failed mechanical systems and a displaced roof.
- The city deemed it unsafe, and the district plans to explore future educational uses for the property by March 2027.
- The school operated from 1956 to 2021 before becoming a storage facility.
🚔 Noblesville has broken ground on a new police headquarters at 1715 Division St.
- The nearly 59,000-square-foot facility will consolidate operations that have been spread across multiple locations since the department moved into its current Maple Avenue headquarters in 1992.
- The project has a $50.2 million guaranteed maximum construction price, supported by $45.7 million in bond financing, and is expected to open in late 2028.
🤸 Also in Noblesville, USA Gymnastics' move to HamCo is taking shape, with the city outlining up to $37 million in incentives for its planned $100 million headquarters and training center at Innovation Mile.
- IBJ reports that the package also includes 15 acres of city-owned land and $3 million for preliminary design and site work.
- In exchange, the organization plans to relocate 43 jobs from Indianapolis, add three positions and bring major competitions to the 200,000-square-foot facility, which is expected to begin opening in phases in 2028.
🍔 Bub's Burgers has closed its doors for good in Zionsville.
- The burger joint's Boone County location had its last day of business Sunday, closing more than a decade serving its "Big Ugly" burgers and ice cream.
- No reason for the closure was given in the social media announcement. The Carmel, Bloomington and Indianapolis International Airport locations remain open.
🐕 Fishers has opened its long-awaited public dog park at the Fishers Community Center, delivering an amenity residents identified as a priority in a 2021 community survey.
- The nearly two-acre park, part of the city's broader $60 million community center investment, features separate fenced areas for small and large dogs.
- Demand is already strong with all 300 memberships sold out.
🗳️ Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam is has announced that she is running for a second term.
- Finkam, who succeeded seven-term Mayor Jim Brainard in 2024, has highlighted public safety and government accountability as priorities.
- Her first term has also included clashes with the City Council, particularly over the annual Christkindlmarkt celebration that returns on Nov. 21.
- The municipal primary is May 4, 2027.