The city of Gary continues to move forward on work for the development of its new animal shelter following the approval of a $500,000 donation from the Hard Rock Casino of Northern Indiana.
The council approved the donation in a unanimous vote Tuesday evening. All council members were present at the meeting, which was rescheduled due to the Aug. 11 derecho and subsequent power outages in the city.
According to an emailed statement from Hard Rock President Matt Schuffert, the approval was for the donation that was originally presented to the city in March.
“Hard Rock is grateful to the Gary Common Council for approving this donation and helping move this important project forward,” Schuffert said in his statement. “The new Animal Control facility will provide the City with an important resource to better serve residents and care for animals throughout Gary. We’re proud to partner with the City on an investment that will have a lasting impact on the community.”
According to council documents, Hard Rock’s donation will be placed in the city’s police donation fund in the “other building improvements” section. Gary Animal Control is run by the city’s police department.
Gary Police Chief Derrick Cannon thanked Hard Rock for their partnership.
“President Schuffert and the amazing staff has really been a stellar partner when it comes to public safety in the community,” Cannon said.
Cannon previously told the Post-Tribune that Gary’s current animal control facility was built in the 1930s and is approximately 2,200 square feet. The new facility will be about 5,600 square feet and feature indoor and outdoor kennels, quarantine spaces, administrative offices and storage areas.
On March 12, Gary officials announced the $1.4 million project and Hard Rock’s $500,000 donation for its construction. The new animal control facility will be located at 950 Jefferson Street.
In December 2024, the Gary Common Council approved $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the new construction. The remaining funds will come from existing Gary community development and animal shelter allocations, according to Post-Tribune archives.
Corrie Sharp, Gary’s director of zoning, said the city can use tax increment financing to help fund the animal shelter project, and they’re using funds from three tax increment financing districts: Truck City, Madison Avenue and Kirk Yard. The state allows TIFs to be used for public safety projects, she said.
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“Several years ago, the state opened up the statute for redevelopment commissions to utilize (TIFs) for public safety, operating and capital expenses,” Sharp said. “This follows underneath that category, and the commission has approved the use of this funding from these three TIFs.”
Councilwoman Marian Ivey, D-4th, asked if the public will be allowed in the facility once it’s open. Cannon told her that it will. He believes that having a new animal shelter will help reduce the number of stray animals throughout the city and people will be more knowledgeable about their pets.
“For so long, we haven’t had the public able to come to a front-facing facility,” Cannon said. “I was very intentional, on behalf of the mayor, to make sure that we had a facility that was front-facing to the community, where they can come and not only interact with the officers that work there … but then also to educate the public.”