Hammond Board forwards demolition bids, sets rehab and registration status dates and waives late rental fees

HAMMOND, Ind. — The Hammond City Board of Public Works and Safety on Jan. 16 reviewed two bids to demolish homes on Ruth Street, approved routine contracts and permits, set inspection and status-review dates for a series of property rehabilitation cases and waived late fees for several rental registrations.

The board heard two bids for the demolition of 28 through 34 Ruth Street. The bid from J & M Industrial Services of Fair Oaks, Indiana, was listed at $318,000; Environmental Cleaning Corporation of Markham, Illinois, bid $277,525. The board voted to forward both bids to inspections for review, tabulation and recommendation.

The board approved a request from William Shore, chief of police, that Officer Sofia Rodriguez receive certified breathalyzer-operator specialty pay retroactive to May 31, 2024. The board also approved advertising dates of Jan. 23 and Jan. 30, 2025, with a bid opening on Feb. 13, 2025, for a resurfacing project on Columbia Avenue; the city reported receiving $1,500,000 from the Indiana Department of Transportation toward the project and estimated total project cost “around $3,000,000,” noting a 50/50 local match was expected.

Administrative approvals included a certificate of insurance submitted by the controller’s office, a contract with Pitney Bowes for a postage machine at the Hammond Fire Department, and disposal authorizations from the police department. The board signed a demolition lien for 940 Field Street after staff presented an invoice, receipt and photos showing the emergency demolition work had been completed, saying the lien would be recorded under the Unsafe Building Act.

On property rehabilitation and enforcement matters, the board approved three rehabilitation grant agreements (GRAMA) for properties at 6126 Harrison Avenue, 1101 Roosevelt Street and 1152 Roosevelt Street and set a status-review date for all three of April 24, 2025. Board members singled out 6126 Harrison for inspection staff negotiation that resulted in confirming the rehab will remain single-family rather than become a duplex.

Several individual property cases were set for future status checks after updates from owners or contractors: 7235–41 Calumet Avenue was reset for Feb. 6, 2025; 2314 Indianapolis Boulevard for Feb. 13, 2025 (staff said water-line flushing had occurred and test results were pending); 251 Detroit was set for April 24, 2025 (owner Brenda Delapaz told the board she is replacing windows and painting and asked to use tax refund proceeds to finish work); 3054 Crane (garage-only matter) was set for May 22, 2025, to allow cleanup and minor repairs; 5125–27 Hohman Avenue (a church property) was set for March 27, 2025, while a purchase agreement, financing and title work proceed; and 1047 Moss Street had its rehab agreement amended and was set for status April 24, 2025 (contractor reported interior rough framing, much of the electrical and window replacement complete; NIPSCO pole work was reported as a remaining dependency).

The board also considered late rental-registration cases during the meeting’s hearing section. The board waived late fees for three properties after owners or property managers explained circumstances: 6643 Van Buren (property manager Cheryl Kerner), 6316 New Hampshire (owner Raymond Bleth) and 7207 Carolina (owner deployed on military service, listed as Mr. Lozano). For 6316 New Hampshire, the board noted this was the owner’s first time registering and waived the late fee on that basis.

In public comment, staff scheduled a status agenda item for 5235 State Line (Judy’s Music Store) for a future meeting. The board adjourned after the routine business.

The meeting included multiple procedural votes taken by voice (recorded on the transcript as “All in favor say aye”).