Mayor Thomas M. McDermott, Jr. announces that the Hammond Police garage will be relocating from its present location at 5925 Calumet Avenue to 5808 Hohman Avenue.
The new location has housed the Pantry Plus Deli & Sub Hub since 2011 in the front section of the building. The remainder of the building has been vacant for some years, due in part to finding a tenant who will complement the mostly residential neighborhood.
At a meeting yesterday, the Hammond Redevelopment Commission agreed to purchase the building and will lease out the front section to the Sub Hub. The price tag for the new site for purchase and renovations is just under $500,000 and will be paid for by the Downtown Hammond allocation area, which is tax dollars collected by the County for development in a specific area.
The police have not only outgrown their current location but it is no longer safe for the mechanics working in there. In the new location, the building is newer and more tailored to the HPD’s needs. The current building has three bays for working on the squads whereas the new location will have four bays and the mechanics will be able to do alignments in-house instead of sending the work out. “The costs to repair the existing garage are exorbitant,” stated John Doughty, Hammond Police Chief. “It makes more sense to move.”
“We have had some concerns from our downtown businesses about more police presence in that area,” stated Mayor McDermott. “The move will address that issue. It makes sense.”