Whenever longtime Plainfield Town Manager Rich Carlucci would call his Avon counterpart, Tom Klein, he’d ask how things were going “up there in North Plainfield.” While the athletes from each town’s high school may be fierce rivals, the two managers simply enjoyed ribbing each other. They also shared mutual respect and a willingness to help the other out whenever they could. It kept a lot of little issues from becoming big problems.
That’s unusual across most of the nation, but not in Hendricks County. Town and school leaders are connected with their counterparts in the county’s other communities. They rely on each other for ideas, advice … and sometimes just an empathetic ear for a tough situation.
The county’s fire departments and police departments frequently train with other departments. Sometimes firefighters and officers train together. A great example was when they practiced how they’d handle an active shooting situation in a school – learning how to best protect each other as the police sought the shooter while the fire crews triaged and tended to victims. Just as in real life, they entered the school not knowing what to expect. They heard gunfire and victims screaming in pain and terror as they polished skills we all pray they’ll never need to use.
Nobody in local government knows as much as they wish they did. When local leaders – both those who were elected and those hired to keep local government running – work with their peers and counterparts, they have opportunities to share good ideas. If one community handles something extraordinarily well, the others can adopt similar processes.
Have you ever thought there must be a conspiracy that explains why Hendricks County school districts announce snow days or delays at the same time? Well, there is. When snow and ice are forecast, administrators and transportation managers are up long before the sun, driving local roads to get a firsthand look at the conditions. The six superintendents have a group call at a set time in the early morning, in which they share what they’ve seen and discuss their plans. After the call, each instructs their staff to notify parents and the media if they’ve decided on a delay or cancellation.
Towns and school districts have different responsibilities but often collaborate when doing so better serves the community’s needs. Sometimes, it starts with a chance conversation – like the time Robin Brandgard, longtime president of Plainfield’s town council, shared some news with School Superintendent Scott Olinger. Robin said Vincennes University was seeking a new site for its Logistics program, then housed in the corner of a big warehouse. Scott mentioned he had recently shown an Ivy Tech leader the land across the street from the high school and suggested it would be the ideal place for a new building to consolidate Ivy Tech classes that were scattered here and there. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a facility in town that could address the needs of both?
That conversation spawned more conversations with other universities, state agencies, and non-profits … all of which culminated in the opening of MADE@Plainfield, a state-of-the-art workforce-training facility. Its presence makes training and college classes more easily available for residents of Hendricks County and surrounding communities. Home to the Hendricks College Network (which has billed itself as a guidance counselor for grownups) and training for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, the facility is also available for use by local employers who want to sharpen workers’ skills.
Such collaboration has regularly been cited as the reason Hendricks County is thriving at the same time most Indiana counties struggle with shrinking populations, difficulties delivering services, and addressing unmet needs. Turns out there’s something powerful about having a team of rivals.