With S.R. 267 under construction, I dodged the traffic recently trying to get from Hadley Road over to Metropolis. I went up Center Street, hung a right on U.S. 40, and drove from there to the mall. What struck me about that was, even though it was somewhat out of the way, I still got from one end of town to the other in under fifteen minutes. That.s not the norm in many other places in Hendricks County or central Indiana. Managed growth makes this possible, and that.s one of the things that has set this town apart.

As a long time member of the Town Council, we.ve always tried to make sure we.ve had the infrastructure, including roads, water, and sewer, to handle the growth. We.ve been careful about where and when we allow commercial, industrial, and retail businesses, as well as subdivisions, to locate. We.ve strived to balance having the right amenities at the right time, with the right tax base, so that we can enjoy a great quality of life while at the same time maintain low taxes.

Quality of life is obviously one of the biggest reasons people want to locate in Plainfield. We.ve got a great parks system, friendly people, excellent schools, and a growing retail sector that.s the best on the westside. Your elected officials (and I think I.m accurate in including a variety of people who are elected separately from the Town Council, like the school and township boards, with whom we have occasions to work) intend to keep it that way. From the Council.s perspective, that quality of life is something precious to be preserved. It.s why, for example, we enact laws that do things like keep convicted sexual offenders out of the parks for the safety of the children. It.s good for those who live here.

But let me get back to roads here for just a moment. Between INDOT, Hendricks County and the Town, $54 million dollars has been spent in the last two years on streets and roads. I believe when these projects are completed we.ll have the best transportation system of any community in Indiana. I say that with no hesitation. With the exception of the expansion of Hadley Road from Center Street to the bridge over Clarks Creek, all of the other projects underway are scheduled to be completed in 2007. That includes S.R. 267 (Quaker Boulevard), Reeves Road, the Ronald Reagan Parkway, and Metropolis Parkway. Getting around this town will never have been easier. And when Hadley Road and the roundabout at Center Street is completed, which is scheduled before the new high school opens in 2008, you.ll be amazed at how fast you can get from one end of town to the other.

Thanks for your help in making Plainfield such a great place to live, work, and do business!

Sincerely,



Robin G. Brandgard, Town Council President

Although not as dramatic as 2005, which saw the opening of the Metropolis Mall and a huge amount of industrial space built, Plainfield still had an excellent year for economic development. The Town built on the successes of previous years and saw additional retail outlets open, restaurants either open or commit to building in Plainfield, and more than 800,000 square feet of new industrial space constructed. The new Plainfield High School, which started construction during 2005, continued on schedule as the excitement builds toward its expected opening in August, 2008.

Quality of life is an important component of economic devel­opment in Plainfield. With an award-winning trail system, a new recreation center with an indoor and outdoor water park, and a modern, life-style mall, life in Plainfield is highly desirable. Retail attracts shoppers, the schools attract fami­lies, and the Town's pro-business attitude attracts businesses and therefore jobs. Plus, low tax rates (because of the balance between business, industry, and homeowners) makes the community an easy sell. Plainfield's profile has never been higher.

The biggest news of 2006 was not a building but an announcement. Browning Investments decided to build on the past success of Airtech Business Park by starting develop­ment of a new project, All Points Midwest Business Park. Browning requested that the Town annex approximately 800 acres of property for the purpose of developing the new business park, which is projected to top out at 11 million square feet of modern industrial distribution space. Browning eventually partnered with Duke Realty to form a joint ven­ture and more property was added to the project. The first proposed building, which is expected to be built in 2007, will be approximately 700,000 square feet. Along with this project, the Town agreed to undertake major roadway improvements extending the Ronald Reagan Parkway to C.R. 200 South and making improvement to C.R. 200 South itself.

Construction and leasing of modern bulk distribution centers continued to be very strong in Hendricks County. Colliers Turley Martin Tucker's report summarizing 2006 activities showed that Plainfield had the top 3 industrial lease transac­tions in the greater Indianapolis area (OHL and Brightpoint), as well as the sixteenth, seventeenth, and nineteenth positions in the top twenty leases. Plainfield also had one of the top renewal & expansions (Eagle Global Logistics).

The Metropolis Mall continued to expand with the addition of Lids, Children's Place, Claire's, Glace's Nails, Panera Bread, The Buckle, Ulta, Coldstone Creamery, Dolce Sorella, Zales, LensCrafters, Select Comfort, Charlotte Russe, Deb Shops, Schumaker Homes, Sprint, and Portrait Innovations. Other retailers who located outside the mall area included T.J. Maxx at Plainfield Commons, 96th Street Steakburgers, and Logan's Roadhouse. A new strip center, Plainfield Village, was built on U.S. 40 west of Andy Mohr Chevrolet. Elsewhere in Plainfield:

• The Dairy Queen built a new restaurant (replacing its old one) on the western side of town.
• CVS/Pharmacy built a new store at Saratoga.
• Value City Furniture remodeled and located in the original Wal-Mart building at Shady Lane and U.S. 40 (where Galyan's once had their headquarters).
• Johnny Provelone's Pizza located in a building across from the Wal-Mart Supercenter (where La Famiglia used to be).
• The Animal Clinic of Plainfield built a new, high tech veterinarian clinic on the site of its former building.
• National City Bank built a new building in an outlot at the Value City Furniture location.
• Woodfire Grill opened in the former Sonic.s location.
• Raymond's Alignment made a significant addition to their current location on Clarks Creek Road.
• The Harley-Davidson dealer in Cambridge Square added a new storage facility.

Plainfield continued to build on its efforts to attract high class office space. In 2006, Brightpoint leased space for its executives in the former Galyan's headquarters, adding to the luster of that building, which also houses a team from Rolls-Royce Aerospace. In 2006, Rolls-Royce located ites team working on the F-136 engine for the U.S. military's Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.

Mann Properties began building Plainfield Trade Center, a new type of office/warehouse development located just east of S.R. 267 on Perry Road. The property contains spaces for both retail offices and warehouse needs. Construction is expected to be complete in 2007.

Home construction was active in traditional custom home subdivisions like Oak Park, Augusta Woods, Avalon Estates, Providence Estates, Nottinghill, Rockingham, and Willow Pointe subdivisions. Habitat for Humanity continued their home construction program in Plainfield with the addition of another home on Vine Street, bringing their total to four since 2003. Part of the decline in single family production homes was due to two of the bigger production builders, C.P. Morgan and bentwood and Ryland Homes at Fairfield Woods, completing their developments. Ryland has moved on to Yorktown subdivision, but the national downturn in the housing market reached Plainfield. still, 218 single family home building permits were issued in 2006.

The Town of Plainfield believes strongly in controlled growth. With controlled growth, the town is able to plan for long term infrastructure needs like roads, water, and sewer. This planning also enables the town to have support services in place so that they.re ready when required. Whether it.s roads to handle traffic coming into Metropolis, or water and sewer to handle millions of new square feet of industrial warehouse space, or police and fire protection for additional businesses and homes being built in the Town, the needs have already been identified and plans to fulfill those needs have already been implemented or completed. By keeping control of growth, town leaders have the ability to be ready for the future.

While the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is working on the reconstruction of S.R. 267 (Quaker Boulevard) and that has certainly affected traffic flow in Plainfield, the Town has been planning ahead to have alternate roadways ready so town citizens can get around the delays. For example, the Town has worked to ensure access to I-70. Roads such as Reeves Road east of S.R. 267 are important connectors that get citizens to the town's Perimeter Parkway (Perry Road on the east side). Reeves was widened to three lanes and opened in 2006. Hadley Road, also part of the Perimeter Parkway, was widened to four lanes east of S.R. 267 with the stoplight moved back from Cambridge Way to Clarks Creek Road. With traffic restrictions now in place at the Cambridge/Hadley intersection, traffic backups are more manageable. As INDOT completes the Hadley Road/S.R. 267 intersection in 2007, traffic should move more smoothly through the intersection.

The Town also completed and opened Reeves Road from S.R. 267 west to the new high school site in 2006, which opened up Reeves all the way west to Center Street. (Red Pride Drive, connecting the high school to Hadley Road, was also completed during 2006 but is open only to construction traffic, taking that traffic off Reeves.) To help manage the traffic problems caused by INDOT's reconstruc­tion of S.R. 267, the Town has delayed its work to expand Hadley Road until after the INDOT project is completed. The Town will not begin work on Hadley until after the reconstruction of Reeves Road from the high school site to Center Street, including the new roundabout at the Reeves/ Center intersection, is done. This will help ensure east/ west movement through the Town.

• Persuading the county to open the Ronald Reagan Parkway from Stafford Road to Airtech Boulevard, taking some truck traffic off Stafford Road. The county had con­sidered waiting until the Parkway was completed to U.S. 40.
• Widening and reconstructing Shady Lane south of U.S. 40 as the primary entrance to the Wal-Mart Supercenter.
• Completing Clarks Creek Road south of U.S. 40. This gave shoppers better access to the west side entrance to Wal-Mart, as well as other retailers and homeowners located off Clarks Creek Road
• Completing construction of the pedestrian trail between the skate park and Friendship Gardens, enabling those using the trails to go from Hummel Park to Friendship Gardens and beyond, without crossing Center Street.
• Completing construction of a new Moon Road approach south of U.S. 40. The project provided significant improvements to the intersection.

With the agreement in 2005 to take over the Liberty Water System, Plainfield became responsible for operating the system and studied the problems. Plainfield has put in place plans to extend a new water main from Plainfield to the plant. Connecting the systems will improve fire protection, water quality, and provide a secondary supply. The project could be completed by the end of 2007.

During 2006 Plainfield made efforts to clean up the Belevile Conservancy District sewer plant and repair the system. Improvements were made, including a new sludge holding tank and system pumping stations set up to monitor and track peak flows. Because of extended rainfal late in 2006, high flows showed up again at the plant. The Town is analyzing the flows and considering possible sources of the problems. The Town has begun designing of an interceptor sewer that would connect to the new south wastewater treatment plant and alow the elimination of a nearby lift station and the existing Belevile plant. Plainfield is also adding two new wells, one in Swinford Park and another in Anderson Park.

Perhaps the most important achievement during 2006 was the creation of a Stormwater Department. This was done in response to a federal mandate under the Clean Water Act. The department has the responsibility of building, maintain-ing, and improving stormwater drainage systems. Among other things, the mandate requires the separation of storm sewer and sanitary sewer systems (some older areas of Plainfield still have combined flows), the improvement of stormwater quality before the water gets to the streams, and relief from flooding conditions.

To accomplish this, the town has identified five high priority projects that need attention. They are: 1) the Harlan/ Tucker/Gibbs Street Storm Sewer; 2) Maple Grove Drainage Improvements; 3) Buchanan Street Drainage Improvements; 4) Plainfield Baptist Church Drainage Improvements; and 5) Denver Street Drainage Improvements. The funding for these projects are through an additional monthly biling to both residential and commercial customers. Biling began in November and planning has begun for the projects, estimated at $6.5 million. The Stormwater Department also will help with the long term plan to address the combined storm sewer and sanitary sewer overflow (CSO) problems. The Town submitted its plan to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) in 2004 and has been waiting for approval. In 2006, IDEM issued what appeared to be an approval of the plan. The Town was reviewing the agreed judgment at the end of the year.

Plainfield’s south wastewater treatment plant, completed in 2005, had very few problems in 2006 and is showing lower operational costs than the older north plant. Major changes will be needed to upgrade the north wastewater treatment plant in order to be able to comply with the CSO agreement with IDEM. However, advancements in technology that will be used to upgrade the plant will also make it more efficient. No timetable was set in 2006 for the upgrade.

During 2006 the employees of the Street Department of the Department of Public Works maintained equipment, patched potholes, picked up trash, mowed the grass, swept the streets, sprayed for weeds, trimmed weeds, put stone in aleys and graded when needed, bermed roadsides, and handled snow removal and leaf colection duties.

Employees of the Water Department instaled new water and sewer mains, maintained storm drains, installed new hydrants, instaled and turned on valves, flush and chlorinated new construction, among other duties. They also assisted with snow removal and leaf colection.

Employees of the Water Distribution Department set meters, repaired main breaks, checked for leaks, and handled turn on/offs, rereads, water/sewer inspection and water turn offs from non-payment. This year they had the added responsibility of caring for the Liberty Water plant. Acquiring Liberty Water led to an increase in number of gallons of water pumped in total, nearly 1.2 billion, although in Plainfield the treatment plants pumped 67 millions gallons less than in 2005.

Calls to the Department of Public Works office totaled 5,220 calls. These included general inquiries and miscellaneous questions regarding trash pickup, snow removal, leap pickup, water and sewer questions, inspection requests, storm water and flooding inquiries, and street inquiries.

Plainfield's Parks & Recreation facilities are an important part of everyday life within the community. It is the departmental mission of the Plainfield Parks & Recreation Department to help residents enjoy life by providing safe and clean recre­ational facilities with satisfaction-guaranteed leisure opportunities and programs. Hundreds of people use the greenways trails daily as a way to keep fit or just enjoy nature. The Recreation and Aquatic Center, in its second full year of operation in 2006, had a total attendance of 264,385, which did not include Splash Island. Splash Island, in its third season of operation, had an average daily attendance of 1,039, an increase of 5% over 2006. These facilities are a major contributor to the quality of life of Plainfield and the envy of surrounding communities. The Parks & Recreation Department works hard to maintain and operate these amenities.

Parks & Recreation Facilities within the Town Limits:

• Swinford Park
• Anderson Park
• Plainfield Skate Park
• Friendship Gardens Park
• Franklin Park
• Bob Ward Park Site
• Newby Lane Park Site
• White Lick Creek Park Site
• Plainfield Historic Interurban Depot
• Plainfield Greenway Trail System
• Plainfield Recreation
• Aquatic Center
• Hummel Park

The Plainfield Parks & Recreation Department operates outdoor properties with full facilities April 1 to October 31 and indoor facilities year-round. Park employees maintain 167 acres of parkland including seven park sites, nine miles of greenway trails, the Plainfield Skate Park, and the Plainfield Historic Interurban Depot. The maintenance staff is responsible for the care of the parks, including mowing, building cleaning and maintenance, landscape maintenance, park equipment maintenance and installation, pool maintenance, athletic field maintenance, and care and maintenance of the department.s power equipment, tools, and vehicles.

Large shelters in Franklin Park and Swinford Park are available for rent during the season, as is the picturesque gazebo in Friendship Gardens. Eighty-eight reservations were made during 2006. It is not unusual for all shelters to be reserved every weekend during the summer.

Attendance increased for the outdoor Splash Island Water Park during 2006. A total of 91,494 visits were recorded during the season. While day pass attendance remained relatively stable, membership attendance increased by 19%. Concession sales also increased. Splash Island opened Memorial Day weekend, and then was open every day of summer vacation for Plainfield students, June 2 through August 15. From August 19 through September 10, the water park was open only on weekends.

Programming for both the outdoor and indoor water parks has proven to be popular, swim lessons in particular. Swim lessons are taught to Red Cross standards or levels, with children divided into classes solely based on their abilities and not on age, size, or any other variable. Other popular offerings include water aerobics, which are taught on a daily basis and have high energy, ar­thritis, and low intensity options; .Aqua Athletes. for children under 12, which enable them to use indoor aerobic equipment and then go to the indoor aquatic fa­cility to learn games and swimming skills; and the Splash Island Birthday Party program, which enables groups to reserve either the wet party room or the party area on the pool deck for a small reservation fee. There were 118 Splash Island parties in 2006. Approxi­mately 1500 people participated in aquatic programs.

• Trained 56 new lifeguards in water rescue techniques, first aid, CPR, AED use, supplemental oxygen use and aquatic operations. Also retrained currently employed lifeguards in these areas.
• Instructed 22 guest services workers in basic first aid, food handling and preparation, cash handling, and guest service operations.
• Integrated new CPR counts and techniques while training with newly updated AED equipment.
• Awarded 2006 Platinum Safety Award by Ellis & Associates.
• Received the highest audit scores for lifeguard and administrative performance from Ellis, .Exceeds Standards,. in all areas, on four audits and with facility safety inspection.
• Conducted third annual joint in-service training with the Plainfield Fire Department and Police Department.
• Awarded .Best of Hendricks County. Aquatic Center by the Hendricks County Flyer Group.
• Operated Splash Island for its third season with no serious injuries or events.

Recreation Center Amenities:

• Fully equipped free weight and exercise machine area
• Cardio theater
• Aerobics room
• Specialized classes offered weekly
• 1/8 mile suspended running/walking track
• full basketball courts/volleyball courts with bleachers
• Media room
• Meeting rooms
• Warming kitchen
• Kids playland
• Men’s and women’s locker rooms

The Recreation Center operates 105 hours per week, plus cleaning and maintenance. Attendance increased at the recreation center, particularly during the months of January through March because of weight loss resolutions at the beginning of the year and also before spring breaks. Numbers also increased because of group fitness classes being added into the admission rates. The addition of a Recreation Programmer permitted the development and administration of a comprehensive recreation program and special events for seniors, adults, youth, and preschool enrichment. New classes and events such as a dodgeball league, men’s and youth’s basketball leagues, classes for children to learn basketball, volleyball, and dancing skills, and having message therapy available drew a number of participants. The total attendance of 264,385 during the year, not including Splash Island, was a record.

• Added a total of 13 new pieces of cardio equipment to meet the demand due to the increase in patrons.
• Relocated the free weight equipment to resolve the noise issue over the conference rooms.
• Started .Kids Club. in Playworld, a program that enabled parents to use the recreation center while their children (3-12) were supervised by the play guard staff. There were 11,000 patrons in the program.
• Purchased 45 additional banquet tables and 150 chairs to allow the rental of each room simultaneously. Over 700 rentals were scheduled and more than 21,000 patrons visited the recreation center due to rentals.
• Two table tennis tables and two foosball tables were placed in the food court area to allow patrons the opportunity to play during regular hours of operation and to allow the staff to monitor use.

The Plainfield Skate Park was open daily, March 1 to October 31, weather permitting, until dark. Seven part-time skateguards supervised the park and were managed by the Recreation Operations Manager. Duties included opening and closing the park, supervision, safety inspections, customer service, and responding to accidents. The Skate Park staff participated in pre-season first-aid and CPR training, ongoing in-service training, and unannounced facility operational audits. During the season, the skateguards successfully passed 16 safety audits. This was the fifth season with no serious injuries.

Since being restored and opened in 2003, the Interurban Depot has become one of the crown jewels in the Plainfield Parks system. Residents are fond of its historic value, and the Depot is especially popular for events during the fall and holiday seasons.

The Depot is available everyday except for town holidays and operates the same hours as the Recreation and Aquatic Center. Reservations are managed by the guest services staff at the recreation center, and the facility is maintained by the parks maintenance staff. The Interurban Depot is offered free to local community and civic groups that benefit the town of Plainfield.

One of the highlights of the summer is Plainfield’s annual Fourth of July festival, which is held at Hummel Park and is sponsored by the Town of Plainfield, Guillford Civil Township, the Plainfield Chamber of Commerce, and many community businesses and organizations. Food booths, games, music, and other activities, including the Chamber’s annual duck race on White Lick Creek, are scheduled throughout the afternoon and evening. A huge crowd of more than 10,000 people attended in 2006. The Knightsmen, an Indianapolis 60’s garage band, returned as the featured musical guest. Because of the new daylight savings time, fireworks didn'’t begin until almost 10:00 p.m., but the crowds stayed and were delighted by the spectacle.

The growth of Plainfield, not only in number of residents but in terms of industrial buildings, retail businesses, and traffic, is a challenge to the local police, fire, and communications operations. Demands sometimes strain the available manpower. Planning and executing strategies to handle emergencies as well as the day-to-day operations of these departments becomes an important, essential task. The successes of these operations in managing the needs of the residents was evident in 2006.

One of the major accomplishments of the Plainfield Police Department in 2006 was being reaccredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) for the fourth time. The assessment team, which arrived January 7, went through the accredita­tion files, toured the department, and interviewed personnel. They were so impressed with the department.s work and professionalism that not only did they recommend reaccredidation, CALEA recognized the department as a Flagship Agency. This honor is awarded to only a handful of agencies each year that the commission feels demonstrates continual excellence and professionalism in maintaining the CALEA standards. Plainfield became the first accredited agency to Indiana to receive this honor.

Calls for service continued their upward trend and set a new record in 2006. A total of 50,370 calls for service were handled by the police department during the year. As the success of the industrial business parks and the retail stores throughout Plainfield bring more and more people into Plainfield, the calls for service go up correspondingly.

The Support Services Division, which includes the bicycle/ ATV units, the Community Support Officers (CSO) program, the motorcycle units, the chaplaincy program, and the Reserve Division, received a mini-grant of $19,000. The grant was received from the Hendricks County Substance Abuse Task force. The money was divided between funding supplies for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program and Driving Under the Influence (DUI) patrols in the Uniform Division. The division also received a grant from the Criminal Justice Institute to fund Operation Pullover, which provides for overtime pay so officers can staff sobriety checkpoints and look for non-compliance with safety belt laws. The Institute also awarded the department an equipment grant which enable the purchase of two in-car video cameras and two radars. Other notable events/ accomplishments included:

• Officers in the bicycle/ATV program went through a training course in shooting, cone, and group riding skills. Officers recorded a total of 1,014 hours on the bikes with 158 reports taken and 70 arrests.
• The CSO officers worked more than 6,000 hours handling lockouts and vacation checks, tagging abandoned vehicles, assisting in motor checks, fingerprinting, and releasing impounded vehicles.
• In addition to handling traffic enforcement, the motorcycle unit also led funeral escorts and provided traffic control. During October, many of the officers (including Chief Brinker) participated in the Poker Run (organized by BW3's and Harley-Davidson Westside) and raised $1,000 for the program.
• Officer Chad Parks joined Sgt. Jill Lees on the DARE program. The two officers taught DARE programs at the 6th and 8th grade levels at the middle school and in 6th grade at St. Susanna Catholic School, as well as spent time working with youth of all ages. Officer Parks is working on a new 8th grade DARE program to replace the current one.
• The department's Explorer Post #777, whose members are high school and college age students interested in law enforcement, was active during 2006 in such community events as the Fourth of July activities, St. Susanna Festival, and the Duke Energy Lineman.s Rodeo. The post created an Explorer color guard which marched in the Quaker Day Parade. Reserve Sgt. Alex Chabra leads the post.

The Detective Division, filed 348 criminal charges and investigated all major felony cases handled by the department in 2006. The largest percentage of charges filed were theft (at 40%).

• Detectives investigated three bank robberies during the year, two of them within days of each other. Both Citizen.s Bank and Hendricks County Bank were robbed in April, and First National Bank and Trust reported a robbery in June. Detectives worked closely with other police departments who were experiencing similar crimes. The hard work paid off when a Columbus man was arrested in Greenfield and confessed to two of the robberies.
• Though detectives have worked tirelessly throughout the year, following leads, conducting searches, and interviewing family, friends and co-workers, Brad Hensley remains missing. He disappeared in January, reported by his wife. The case has been profiled on newscasts in several states, Fox News, and on missing persons websites. Hensley.s vehicle has never been found, and telephone and credit card records show no activity after the date he went missing.

Traffic Enforcement was made difficult in 2006 by major construction projects that disrupted normal traffic flow and produced a number of problems, including a 20% rise in accidents over 2005.

• There were 885 accidents for the year, seventy-five percent of which occurred during the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The most common factor cited in contributing to the accident was the failure to yield the right of way, unsafe backing, and following too closely.
• An estimated 90,000 vehicles flow daily through the area of U.S. 40 and Perry Road as retail areas, Metropolis, and the warehouse district area continue to expand and attract more people.
• Thirty drunk driving accidents occurred during 2006, an increase of 58% over the previous year. DUI grant funds will be available in 2007 to help assist law enforcement efforts to stem the tide of drunk driving.

Preventable Crimes which include criminal mischief, vehicle thefts, robbery, burglary, thefts, and fraud, were higher in 2006 in almost all cases. Burglary was the lone exception, with a decrease of 11%. There were 30 business burglaries and 112 residential burglaries reported in 2006.

• Criminal mischief cases were up 6%. The majority (65%) were in residential areas and the remainder in business districts. At the end of the year, only 1% were still active. Nine percent were cleared by arrest, 50 percent were cleared without charges, and 40 percent were inactive.
• Vehicle thefts were up 17%, but still down in comparison to 2004 statistics. Forty-six percent of the vehicle thefts were recorded during daytime hours. Of the vehicles stolen, 39% were taken from residential areas, and 61% taken from business districts.
• There were twelve robbery cases last year. Nine took place in business areas. A gun was used in six cases, strong armed robberies represented another three, two were with knives, and one suspect claimed to have a bomb. Five were solved with arrest, two are still active, one is inactive, and one was transferred to another agency.
• Theft cases increased 2%, with 34% of them reported in residential areas and 66% reported in business districts. The majority of the cases occurred during the evening (45%), closely followed by daytime (41%). The remainder occurred at night.
• Fraud cases increased 7%. At the end of the year, 15% of the cases ended in arrest, 13% were still active, 34% were inactive, and 31% were cleared without charges being filed.

During 2006 the Fire Department responded to 3,906 calls for service. Of these, 2,927 were for Emergency Medical Service with 1,874 patient transports. This represents about 75% of the calls for service.

Training, continues to be one of the most important aspects of the department.s day to day operations. Firefighters train for various types of situations and for various types of emergencies.

• The Fire Department continued to focus on the National Incident Management System during 2006. Safety and rescue were also a focus, including rapid intervention team (RIT) training, firefighter survival, rope rescue, water rescue, and elevator rescue.
• In conjunction with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation the Plainfield Fire Department has begun implementing the sixteen safety initiatives designed to reduce firefighter injury and death.
• Four firefighters attended swift water rescue technician classes, three firefighters attended specialized rope rescue classes, and others attended hazardous materials training, weapons of mass destruction training, and instructor classes.
• The EMS Captain continued to train and provide in-services for the Plainfield Police Department in the use of the Automatic External Defibrillator (AED).

Fire Prevention Services, are important to keeping the public safe. The Fire Department utilizes the fire marshal, administrative staff, on-shift firefighters, and overtime personnel to meet the challenge of providing these services, which include code enforcement, public/community safety education, fire investigations, and juvenile fire setter intervention. Through Program Management, the department now tracks 1,495 individual occupancies within the service jurisdiction of Plainfield and Guilford Township, a 12% increase over 2005. Most of these are commercial/industrial properties.

Public/Community Safety Education Services is also an important function within the department. During 2006 the department hosted or participated in 51 scheduled events. Generally, these are requested by the public. Other important community outreach efforts included:

• The department released 49 media/information releases designed to improve community safety. These were distributed to the media and also posted on the department’s web page. Many of the releases were product safety recalls from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
• The EMS Captain and other firefighters offered child safety seat fitting. These fitting sessions, which are on-going, instruct parents, grandparents, friends, and neighbors on how to properly install the owner’s child seat into their vehicle and ensure the child is within the proper sizing guidelines for the specific seat.
• The Fire Department hosted its fifth annual “Safety Fair,” which was sponsored by Premiere Properties Management. The event brought together 20 different organizations that emphasized personal, family, and child safety. The event was attended by more than 2500 people.
• Free smoke alarms are offered to persons and families in need. The smoke alarms are kept ready at each fire department facility and on department vehicles for distribution as needed.

In keeping the area served by the Plainfield Fire Department

safe, Code Enforcement is essential.

• Plan Reviews are conducted as early as possible in the evolution of a building project to provide input to developers and builders. In 2006, the department conducted an average of 23.5 plans/month. These reviews were on Class 1’ structures, which either are occupied by employees, by the public, or contain three or more dwelling units.
• Inspections verify that minimum code compliance is achieved in the actual construction and maintenance of properties. The department conducted an average of 40.16 inspections/month. The Fire Marshal focuses on new construction projects which contain more flammable materials, have larger building areas, use hazardous materials, and have complex fire systems. Existing (not new) buildings are inspected when safety problems are reported or when they undergo major renovations and additions.
• The Fire Department provides Consultations when technical assistance and requests for fire prevention and emergency planning guidance are requested. In 2006, the department conducted approximately 61.6 consultations/month. These are generally requested by architects, engineers, homeowners, tenants, and other public safety agencies.
• The Fire Department will also conduct Fire Safety Complaint Investigations on a case by case basis with the goal of improving safety and achieving compliance with building and fire safety laws. In 2006 the department investigated 58 cases.

The Communications Center, which began handling dispatch services for the Avon Police Department, the Washington Township Fire Department, and the Liberty Township Fire Department in 2005, experienced another record for number of calls for service in 2006. Calls for service rose to 109,277, a 6% increase.

During 2006, all Hendricks County fire and police departments decided to consolidate their dispatching duties into one system. As the new County Communications Center comes together in 2007, it will incorporate individuals from the four dispatch sites in the county, which were in Plainfield, Brownsburg, Danville, and the Hendricks County Sheriff.s Department. This dispatch center will be located in a newly remodeled area within the Plainfield Police Headquarters building, and will be headed by former Plainfield Police Chief Larry Brinker. The equipment and the consolidation is expected to provide better service than what each town or department could have provided, and at a lower cost to county taxpayers.

• A new Computer Aided Design (CAD) system, which will cut down on manual manipulation of current resources, gaining efficiencies for the dispatchers.
• An improved radio system, which will be digitally enhanced with increased inter-operability, cutting down on phone call notifications that formerly had to made to neighboring jurisdictions.
• GIS locating equipment, which will accurately and dependably pinpoint the locations that need aid. A new .pictometry. system is included, which allows the dispatcher to see up to twelve views of every square foot of the jurisdiction. This will enable the dispatcher to estimate distances, heights, and areas for preplanning responses.

Employment at the Town surged last summer due to the number of employees needed at Splash Island. A peak total of 156 part-time seasonal employees worked at water park. Because of year round opportunities, 104 part-time employees are currently working at various jobs at the recreation and aquatic center, including lifeguards for the indoor water park. Having an indoor aquatic center allows the Town to maintain a core group of lifeguards who can provide leadership during the summer season.

At the end of 2006, the Town employed a total of 177 full-time employees and 137 part-time employees. Some of the changes that occurred:

• Clay Chafin was hired as the new Director of Parks & Recreation. Also, a new full-time position within the Parks department, Recreation Program Supervisor, was created. Dan Fletcher filled this position.
• A new position, Information Technology Director, was created. Bill Castetter was promoted to that position, and his former position, Information System Specialist, was filled by Bud Robbins.
• Also created and filled was a new position within the Planning and Zoning Department, Planner I. Jill Sprague was promoted into that position, and her former position of Zoning Compliance Inspector was backfilled by Emily Chabra, who had been serving as a Community Service Officer.
• Positions covered by the remaining new employees included those in the areas of park maintenance, information systems, waste water collection, water distribution maintenance, water treatment, engineering, street department, police department, communications, fire department, and town court.

In addition to Plainfield.s employees, there are also three police commissioners, a chaplain, two school crossing guards, and thirteen people who work as planning and zoning commissioners, committee members, or board members.

The Department of Planning and Zoning maintains the Plainfield Zoning Ordinance and the Plainfield Subdivision Control Code. During 2006 there were several amendments made to these ordinances. The changes dealt with residen­tial matters such as accommodating subdivisions whose remaining buildable lots were affected negatively by previous changes in side yard setbacks; non-residential matters ranging from proposed changes in parking in front setbacks along the Ronald Reagan Parkway to permitted uses and special exceptions in a General Commercial District; changes in Landscaping involving Plant Unit Values for multi-stemmed trees, and allowing certain heights for hedge rows for parking lots and berm heights in Industrial Districts; changing lighting standards to accommodate for outlots when adjoining lots have shared access drives, and providing standards for businesses in residential districts; procedural amendments giving the Director of Planning and Zoning authority to approve requests dealing with Development Incentives regarding Depth of Yard and Use of Yard in certain areas; and changing filing deadlines, providing procedures for amending a Secondary Plat, and making changes in secondary accesses to a subdivision.

Within Planning & Zoning, the following duties were among those handled in 2006:

• The Technical Advisory Committee reviewed a total of 86 projects. These ranged from applications brought to the Plan Commission, Design Review Committee, and Board of Zoning Appeals, to zoning compliances and to inquiries regarding proposed development.
• The Plan Commission heard 66 cases. These included 12 primary plats (8 industrial and 4 commercial), 13 rezones requests, 25 architecture and site design reviews, 9 development incentive reviews, and one planned unit development.
• The Design Review Committee reviewed 42 items, most of them either architecture reviews or development incentive reviews. They also expedited several additional items.
• The Board of Zoning Appeals heard 33 cases.
• Thirty-one Certificates of Zoning Compliance were issued.
• A total of 261 Improvement Location Permits were reviewed and approved.

A special project underway during 2006 in the department was the Wayfinding Sign Program. Wayfinding signs are placed at strategic points to help motorists find their way to specific points of interest in a community (such as Splash Island). The project is to establish locations for such signs, their design, sign standards, and allow them to be placed in public rights-of-way. The goals is to have the program in place when the S.R 267 road improvements are completed in 2007.

In May, 2005, the National Resource Conservation Service awarded Plainfield a grant from the Emergency Watershed Protection program. This important bank repair project stemmed from flooding which occurred on Labor Day, 2003. The first project was a demonstration project along the Town Garage property completed in February, 2006, and consisted of approximately 500 feet of bank repair. The project allowed the Town and residents to view the actual method of repair prior to letting any major contracts. In March two contracts were let for debris removal from the entire three mile section of the creek between C.R. 300 South and C.R. 600 South. At the end of 2006, the contract for repair work south of U.S. 40 was essentially complete. The contract for the larger portion, north of U.S. 40, was about 75% done. The work is expected to finished by March of 2007.

In March of 2006, the Town completed its second aerial photography project. The 2006 photos allowed more current measurement of impervious surfaces, which was the basis for setting up the storm water billing system. The new flights also included a much larger area than the 2003 aerials due to acquisitions of the Belleville Conservancy District sewers and Liberty water system. The purpose of GIS has been to create an automated mapping system, combining what is typically thought of as a map (like road and town boundaries) with types of other data. A GIS ‘map’ has aerial photography, floodway information, property lines, contour lines, zoning information, sewer lines, water lines, traffic counts, accident data, addressing, record drawings, easements, and other data associated with it.

The Town Court is located in the Police Public Safety building at 1075 West Main Street (U.S. 40). Under the direction of Judge Jim Spenser, the court holds sessions each Tuesday (except the fifth Tuesday of a month) at 7:00 p.m. The court was created as a service to the residents of Plainfield so they would not have to go to Danville to resolve any violations which occurred in the town limits. The Town Court’s jurisdiction includes misdemeanors, infractions, and ordinance violations.

In 2006 the installation of a fiber backbone surrounding the town connecting strategic government building made good progress. The backbone wil become the base for residential and commercial internet provisioning in Phase II and Phase III of the project.

The Storm Water Biling application was added to the MUNIS Utility Biling System, as wel as two normal upgrades. Two significant projects that got underway in 2006 were installation of the Kronos automated timekeeping system for the Town and the upgrading of the current software which manages the membership/facilities at the Recreation and Aquatic Center.

The enhanced Town of Plainfield website was introduced during 2006, with over 100,000 visitors downloading over 5,000 pages. The imaging of all Accounts Payable Checks, Purchase Orders, Payroll Checks, and Direct Deposits were also completed, as well as the ability to retrieve the documents. Audio/visual equipment was upgraded at the Plainfield Police Station and the Department of Public Works to enhance features in meeting rooms. Audio recording was also improved in the Town Council chamber through the installation of a new computer and software.

Robin Brandgard has been a member of the Town Council since 1979, serving as Council President since 1991. An employee of Allison Transmission Division, General Motors Corporation, he is involved in the Manufacturing Program Management/International Manufacturing Programs.

Robin has been a member of the Plainfield Plan Commission since 1979 and is also a member of the Elks Club, the Masonic Lodge, and the Lions Club. His other community activities include the Plainfield Cham­ber of Commerce; the Hendricks County Economic Development Partnership; the Greater Guilford Township Civic Association; the Indiana Association of Cities & Towns, Executive Committee; and the National League of Cities Finance, Administration & Intergovernmental Relations Steering Committee.

Kent McPhail was appointed to the Town Council in 1998 to fill the vacancy created when Councilman John Himmelheber retired. He has since been elected to two additional four year terms. Kent has been a past member of the Board of Zoning Appeals and currently serves on the Plan Com­mission. He is also the Executive Director of the Plainfield Chamber of Commerce.

Kent is retired from the Suburban Steel Supply Company of Indianapolis. Prior to that he was General Manager for the Earle M. Jorgensen Company (formerly Kilsby Roberts Co.) from 1973 to 1996. He attended Indiana Central College.

Bill Kirchoff was elected to the Town Council in 1999. He retired from Cinergy/PSI in 2000 after 33 years of service. His last position was as District Manager for the Hendricks County area. Bill is respon­sible for maintaining and developing the Town.s streets.

Bill is extremely involved in the community, serving on the Board of Directors for the White Lick Heritage Community Foundation, Hendricks County Economic Development Partnership, United Methodist Children.s Home and Junior Achievement of Central Indiana. He has also served as past president for the Plainfield Chamber of Commerce. Bill has his bachelor.s degree from Indiana University, and an associate degree from Vincennes University.

Dan Fivecoat is serving his first term on the Town Council. He was elected in 2003. Dan is also a local business owner. He and his wife own the Plainfield Quality Cleaners, which has been in his wife.s family for years. As a small business owner in the downtown district, he has been one of the people spearheading the effort to redevelop the downtown area.

Raised in Clermont, Indiana, Dan came to Plainfield in 1966 when he joined the Plainfield Police Department. He was a policeman for 22.5 years, retiring in 1989. He was in the second graduating class of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, which was on the Indiana University campus at the time.

Ed is serving his first term on the Town Council, having been elected to the office in 2003. Although Belleville was his home when he grew up, Ed moved to Plainfield after spending seven years in the Air Force. He has lived here for 40 years.

Ed has been an active member of the Plainfield Optimist Club for 20 years and has served on the board. He also is a trustee and longtime member of the Plainfield Elks club. In 1996 he retired from Allison and EDS. While an employee of General Motors, he worked in data processing and engineering.

Wes Bennett became the new Clerk-Treasurer in 2005 when Mike Isaacs resigned to return to his former employer, Cinergy. Wes was selected to fill the position by the local Republican precinct committee officials. He will hold the posi­tion for the remainder of the term, which will run through December 31, 2007.

Wes is a banker and resigned from the First National Bank in Mooresville to take the position. He is a graduate of Plainfield High School and has lived in the area a long time. He currently serves as a Hendricks County precinct committeeman. Bennett and his wife, Suzy, have two sons, Ryan and Brendon.

Rich Carlucci has held the position of Town Manager since April, 1988. Rich is a graduate of Western Illinois University, where he received his Bachelor of Political Science degree in 1973. In 1975 he received his master.s degree in Public Administration from the University of Iowa.

Rich has been a very active part of the community. He has served as president of the St. Susanna School Board and is active in the Plainfield Rotary Club and has worked with the wrestling programs at the Plainfield Community Middle School and High School.

Jim Spencer did most of the research on a pro-bono basis for the town in estab­lishing a town court. After the court was created in 1989, the Town Council asked him to become the first judge, and he was appointed to the position. He was subsequently elected by the voters in 1991, 1995, 1999, and 2003. Jim has his law degree from Southern Illinois University and, in addition to the part-time position of Town Court Judge, is an attorney specializing in business law and business litigation. Jim also holds both bachelor and master degrees in civil engineer­ing and worked as an engineer and manager before studying law.