Hammond’s Redevelopment Commission tabled awarding a contract for repainting a water tower when the four bids exceeded staff estimates.
At its meeting Aug. 20, the commission also dealt with a change order for a parking lot and a bid to purchase a lot on Fayette street.
The bids for repainting the water tower located at Columbia Avenue and 165th Street, were higher than recommendations made by the engineering department, said RDC attorney Dave Westland. He recommended no action be taken and City Engineer Dean Button said the issue will be revisited in coming weeks.
Only one bid was received for the purchase of property at 496 Fayette St., which RDC owns and is valued at $37,000. That bid was submitted by 18th Street Brewery, located at 5417 N. Oakley Ave., which proposes using the land as green space, for parking and possibly a small retail location.
The RDC voted to refer the bid to the Department of Planning & Development.
In other business, the RDC approved a second change order presented by Button for $43,937.33 for parking lot construction at the Dowling Park Fields Parking Lot, near the new ICE CUBE indoor skating rink.
“The city owns a lot at the southeast corner of J.F. Mahoney Drive and 175th Street,” Button said. “We are building a parking lot there for 150 cars.”
Merrillville-based Gough Construction is the contractor, and Nies Engineering of Hammond is the construction inspector, he said.
The change order involves an existing water main running along 175th Street, relocation of a four-inch water service line, a curb modification and downspouts to be tied into the new storm sewer, Button said.
Originally the project cost was $843,300.35. This second change order now increases that cost to $981,556.68, a 16.39% uptick, but the project “remains under budget, which is $1.2 million,” Button said.
Loans of $2,500 for down payment assistance were approved for six new residents, three from Illinois. The Homebound Conditional Forgivable Loans total $15,000.
When asked by Commission Vice President Greg Myricks how they learned about this program, most said their real estate agents provided the information.
Lu Ann Franklin is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
