Hammond Redevelopment Commission elects officers, clears Davies Coatings expansion with conditions and approves loans and property actions

The Hammond Redevelopment Commission convened for its organizational meeting and elected Tony Hawk as president, retained Greg Myricks as vice president and appointed Mosley Shelton as secretary. All three officer votes were carried by roll call, recorded as five votes in favor.

Staff presented community updates, including the annual Martin Luther King Jr. march on Jan. 19 and a Mayor’s Night Out on Jan. 28, before turning to business items. Anne Taylor, a city staff member, read a short list of upcoming events and introduced the agenda items considered by the commission.

On housing assistance, the commission approved conditional forgivable loans for two homebuyers. Leticia Batiste was approved for $6,974 toward the purchase of 919 Sibley Street, and Hunter Smith and Mariah Montes Flores were approved for $10,000 for 6545 Colorado Avenue. Commissioner Myricks moved the approval and Commissioner Tomich seconded; the roll call recorded five votes in favor.

A principal item was a presentation on a proposed Davies Imperial Coatings thermoplastic manufacturing facility at 1175 State Street. Jack Farino,…