Hammond City Commission approves Sportsplex change order, accepts Gorman purchase termination and approves claims

Hammond City Commission on Feb. 3 approved a $21,600 change order for the Hammons Sports Expansion renovation, accepted the termination of a purchase agreement for a Memorial Park redevelopment project and approved the city's register of claims.

The commission voted unanimously, 5-0, to authorize Change Order No. 2 to Bauer Construction Services to enlarge an opening at the Sportsplex so portable basketball hoops can be moved into storage. The city's City Engineer told commissioners the change order was owner-initiated at the request of the Sportsplex manager and that the overall project remained roughly $230,000 under budget, leaving funds available for the $21,600 modification. "We were asking the commission to approve a $21,600 change order to increase the size of the opening so that we can... store them away," the City Engineer said.

Separately, the commission accepted a letter from Gorman and Company terminating its purchase agreement for the Memorial Park area, which had proposed a senior center and duplexes. Staff told the commission the agreement had been contingent on the developer obtaining low-income housing tax credits; Gorman and Company was unable to secure those credits and therefore exercised its contract right to terminate and to request return of the earnest money held in escrow. The commission approved the termination on a 5-0 roll call.

The body also approved the register of claims by roll call. The claims covered items listed R67816 through R68275 dated Oct. 27, 2025, through Jan. 30, 2026.

No additional public comment was recorded during the meeting, which adjourned following the votes. The commission did not set further action on the Memorial Park site during the session; staff will proceed according to the contract terms and escrow instructions.