At its Tuesday meeting, the Gary Common Council unanimously approved a resolution that helps move forward the Lake County Convention Center project.
The council approved a resolution that would allow Gary to issue a request for proposal to build the convention center in a 9-0 vote Tuesday night. Councilwomen Lori Latham, D-1st, and Mary Brown, D-3rd, attended the meeting on Zoom.
In July, the city of Gary filed a legal notice for design-build services to design and construct the Lake County Convention Center. Primary Zoning Contact Corrie Sharp said Tuesday that the city received one verified request for quotation from AECOM Hunt and Powers and Sons Construction working together.
The convention center construction is using a design-build procurement process, Sharp said, where the city would create a technical review committee who issues requests for qualifications.
“They then score those qualifications and shortlist qualified bidders to move on to an RFP, where they submit their package and their price to design and construct the project altogether,” Sharp said.
The committee reviewed the bid on Aug. 4 and approved it. The council needs to give permission for the committee to move forward with the project, Sharp said.
Latham asked Sharp how change orders would be handled with a procurement process, and Sharp said it’s the same as a normal design build, except they establish a guaranteed maximum price. A change order refers to any official changes to the original construction project.
“Because we have the design team and the construction team at the table, we are also doing something different, and the city of Gary is going to be at the table throughout the entire design and construction process,” Sharp said. “Really, it’s a collective collaboration.”
In May, the Lake County Board of Commissioners selected Gary and Hard Rock Northern Indiana as the winning bid for the convention center, according to Post-Tribune archives. As the selected bid, Gary and Hard Rock plan to build a 145,000-square-foot convention center and Hard Rock hotel near the casino, and the property will have space for two additional hotels, including one REVERB by Hard Rock Hotel, and two restaurants and retail spaces.
The project is $140 million, and the city has pledged $5 million to the convention center, $1.5 million of which will be reimbursed by Hard Rock. Gary is using money from gaming taxes to fund its portion of the convention center.
Hard Rock plans to give $1.5 million per year for 20 years, and state matching grants will be made and paid over the course of 20 years. The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority will issue up to $150 million in bonds for the project, according to Post-Tribune archives.
