Gary Dreisherff, a Hammond resident, used the public expression period at the Hammond Capital Improvement Board's May 5 meeting to urge repairs to local sidewalks, bollards and street lighting.

"When they redid Alexander, they never finished the sidewalk at the corner of Martha and Alexander, the northeast corner," Dreisherff told the board, adding the corner is not ADA-accessible. He asked staff to complete the sidewalk connection across the full curve, saying the condition has persisted for almost two years since the street was redone.

Dreisherff also asked the city to straighten two leaning bollards on the east side of Kennedy Avenue at roughly 160th Street and at Martha and Kennedy, and noted a third leaning bollard near a restaurant corner. "There's a couple bollards that have never been straightened out. And it kinda looks tacky," he said.

On street lights, Dreisherff criticized the utility NIPSCO for slow response to repairs. "NIPSCO is a big problem," he said, saying he has reported an alley light behind his house that remained out for about two months despite multiple calls. He asked the board to consider whether the city should pursue a different street-lighting arrangement if the utility does not improve response times.

Chair Commissioner Moore thanked Dreisherff for his comments; Dreisherff said he planned to raise the matters again at an upcoming council meeting and at the mayor's night out. The board did not take formal action on Dreisherff's requests during this meeting; public comment was recorded and referred to staff for follow up where appropriate.