With temperatures expected to exceed 90 degrees this weekend, Gary officials will open cooling centers to reduce chances of heat exhaustion.
Municipal officials will have cooling centers open to the public where anyone can gather in an air-conditioned environment so as to avoid succumbing to the hot temperatures of summertime.
One cooling center will be City Hall, 401 Broadway, where people can come between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Two other cooling centers along Broadway are the Brother’s Keeper, 2120 Broadway, which will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Oak Street Health, 4900 Broadway, which will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Other places where people can gather to escape the heat are the Borman Square, 700 Madison St.; and Calumet Township Center, 1900 W. 41st Ave. Both facilities say they will be open throughout the day, as needed.
One other place will be open as a cooling center through Sunday – the Resurrection House Baptist Church of Northwest Indiana, at 1968 W. 11th Ave. The Gary Fire Department’s station houses and the Public Safety Building, 555 Polk St., also serve as cooling centers.
The public cooling centers are meant to provide help to senior citizens and other people who might be living in residences without air conditioning or portable fans. City officials also say people should report instances of individuals living in structures that technically are supposed to be vacant, so that officials can help those people find a safe, cool space to stay on the hottest of days.
Residents are asked to contact 219-881-1214 if they are aware of weather-related emergencies caused by excess temperatures.
Another option in Gary to try to escape the heat are the beaches along Lake Street and Marquette Park. Both open to the public at 8 a.m., and the former closes at 8 p.m. while the latter closes at 9 p.m.
The city Parks Department has lifeguards on duty at the beaches from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Gregory Tejeda is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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