Residents object to proposed Parkway plan that would clear Briar East Woods; ask council about 5G towers

Public comment at the Jan. 13 Hammond City Council meeting featured two residents raising environmental and technology concerns.

Mary Shones, who identified herself as a 1st District resident on Wabash Avenue, used her three minutes to criticize what she called the "Mayor's condo scheme" and a proposed Parkway development that she said would clear old-growth Briar East Woods. Shones argued that removing mature trees would reduce the area’s ability to absorb water and increase flood risk; she also criticized proposed spending, saying the city would pay roughly $8 million for a pedestrian bridge located "a mile from where it's needed" and cited an overall figure of about $24 million in taxpayer costs. Those figures and the claim that a hospital no longer exists were presented as the speaker's view and were not corroborated on the record.

Darryl Rogers, a 6th District resident, asked whether the city or council has discussed or considered the arrival of new 5G cellular towers and whether the council has any concern about them. The transcript records the question but no staff or council response on the record.

The council did not take immediate action in response to the comments during the meeting; the public-comment items closed and the meeting moved to adjournment.