The Hammond Capital Improvement Board on May 5 approved five funding allocations and change orders totaling about $402,618 to address local street repairs and a bridge lighting modification.

Board financial staff told members the board has allocated $2.9 million to date and has about $1.8 million remaining in unallocated capital improvement funds; staff also said the Coleman Avenue reconstruction bid expected this week is projected at about $1 million in local funds.

The board approved a $32,208.33 allocation to modify a recently installed median on Florida Avenue after neighbors reported difficulty exiting driveways and hitting the curb. The work will be done by J and J Newell under the board's sidewalk/contracting arrangements. The motion to approve the Florida Avenue median modification was moved by Commissioner Mujah and seconded by Commissioner Moore; roll call votes were recorded in favor and the motion carried, 6-0 with one member absent.

Separately, members approved an amendment of $265,000 to support a reduced list of pavement overlay projects. Board discussion cited an initial provisional overlay list totaling $1.5 million, with only $1.0 million available from the wheel tax bond; the $265,000 from capital improvement funds will supplement the available overlay funding. The motion to amend was moved by Commissioner Prieto and seconded by Councilman Salinas; the motion passed 6-0 with one absent.

The board approved change order No. 3 for the State Line Road closures project, a $9,595.76 increase with Reif Riley Construction Company after staff discovered a drainage structure in poor condition that was not in the original design. The motion to approve was moved by Commissioner Prieto and seconded by Councilman Salinas; roll call recorded six yes votes and one absence.

A $39,940.21 allocation was approved to repair subsidence on the 500 block of Michigan Street. Engineering staff reported that crews found the same condition that had caused a collapse five years earlier: an old building foundation and construction debris in the right-of-way that had been backfilled, allowing fine material to be washed out and the pavement to settle. Grimmer Construction used flowable fill and resurfaced the roadway and curb line. Councilman Salinas moved the motion and Commissioner Muda seconded; the motion passed 6-0 with one absent.

The board also approved $55,873.26 to modify lighting at the Kennedy Avenue bridge over the Indiana Harbor Belt with Dunnet Bay. Staff and the county engineer, Dwayne Alverson, said the bridge wall contained the existing lighting conduit and that the conduit could not be reused; the county's engineer would not allow surface-mounted conduit on the bridge, and the engineering consultant Lochmuller recommended installing a new service point and conduit on the south side of the bridge. Staff said roughly $30,000 of the Kennedy work is cable and conduit; the remainder covers the new service point, pole relocation and a replacement foundation for a light that must be moved to make approach slabs constructable. The motion to approve was moved by the chair and seconded by Councilman Rakow; roll call recorded six yes votes and one absent.

Discussion vs. decision: Board members discussed funding limits, sequencing and provenance of the overlay list before voting; the board's votes were formal approvals recorded by roll call. Several items were described as responses to unforeseen field conditions (drainage structure on State Line Road, subsurface foundation debris on Michigan Street) rather than programmatic policy changes. Staff noted the pending third-quarter budget will be released in July, which could affect future allocations.

The board approved all items by voice or roll call; each motion was recorded as carried with six in favor and one absent unless otherwise stated.