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Hammond board approves routine permits, sets hearings and personnel actions
Summary
At its meeting the Board of Public Works and Safety approved a slate of routine items: road maintenance bid advertising, right-of-way permits, a property transfer to the redevelopment commission, a jail medical-services addendum (with one abstention), a plat approval, and several hearings and scheduling items.
The Board of Public Works and Safety approved multiple routine items and set several upcoming hearings during its meeting.
Among the actions, the board approved advertising dates for the 2026 road maintenance program with advertisements planned for Feb. 5 and Feb. 12, 2026 and a bid opening on Feb. 26, 2026; engineering staff said the annual program was last bid in 2019 and the city is soliciting updated prices. The board also approved five right-of-way permits (four Nipsco residential gas services and one AT&T connection to a manhole serving the Lake County Courthouse on Russell).
The board approved personnel changes proposed by Fire Chief Bernard Gazzolia, including the reassignment of Paramedic Jeremy Olsen to private and a promotion for Brandon Deals to paramedic, effective Jan. 26, 2026. The controller's office requested and the board approved the renewal of Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar's amusement-device license. The board approved a resolution and intergovernmental agreement to transfer property at 952 State Street to the Hammond Redevelopment Commission; a staff member clarified the document should refer to the "Commission," not a "corporation."
The board approved Addendum A with Regional Health Systems to provide medical services to the Hammond Police Department jail; one board member abstained from that vote due to an employment connection with the police department. The board also approved the plat of survey for the Blackstone edition at August, set an exemption hearing for Nice and Easy at 4508 Calumet Ave. for Feb. 12, 2026, and set late-rental-registration and late-business-license hearings for Feb. 12, 2026. The board set a status review for 4934 Ash for March 26, 2026.
Why it matters: The approvals move routine city operations forward — procurement for road maintenance, property disposition for redevelopment, and contract administration for jail medical services — and set the schedule for multiple upcoming hearings and compliance reviews.
What happens next: Staff will proceed with bid advertisement, finalize agreements and plats, and prepare for the hearings scheduled on Feb. 12 and the March 26 status review.
Sources and attribution: Details are taken from the board's presentations and correspondence entered into the record during the meeting.
