The city of Hammond is looking to turn its old Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 51 into a $6.5 million ice rink.
The Redevelopment Commission at its Tuesday meeting accepted the single bid by Stan Sobilo of Kube Sports to develop the former lodge at 7527 Kennedy Ave. into two indoor rinks, said Africa Tarver, executive director of planning and development for the city.
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“It’ll be complementary to the area, with the other recreational opportunities we have here (such as the new sports center on the old Woodmar Mall site and Dowling Park),” Tarver said. “We’re really excited.”
The location is on the north side of the Borman Expressway and east of Kennedy Avenue, adjacent to Dowling Park in the city’s Hessville section.
In north Hammond, the old Premiere Candy factory site at 628 Hoffman St. will become the site of four warehouses in a plan approved 3-0 by the commission.
Park Development will build three one-story, 11,700-square-foot warehouses and one 64,900-square-foot warehouse on the property. Its approved bid for the property was $310,000.
Though the property has always been zoned for industrial use, Park Development managing partner Mike Kelly said the developer is “sensitive to residential areas” and would make sure to buffer the warehouses with plenty of landscaping. Additionally, Park Development is courting the property to the east of Premiere Candy to expand the project, Kelly said.
Redevelopment Commission attorney David Westland said the approval would be contingent upon the completion of the formalized agreement.
In other business, the commission voted 3-0 to approve ATG Real Estate Development LLC’s development of an $8 million, three-story, 36,000-square-foot office building and four outlots on the last 4.4-acre parcel in Oxbow Landing. Tarver said ATG developer Eric Gastevich had the option to develop the property once he was certain of the success of his other development at 2929 Carlson Drive, Tarver said, adding that construction at the site will begin on or before May 15.
Michelle Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.