Plan for community center coming together at council
Project to be built at site of what was Y&W Drive-In
The Merrillville Town Council approved two matters pertaining to the construction of the proposed community center during a special meeting Wednesday.
In a 4-1 vote with one abstention, the council voted to contract with Schererville-based CORE Construction to act as construction manager for the $22.7 million project at a price still under negotiation.
By the same vote, the council gave Council President Richard Hardaway the authority to continue negotiating terms to retain American Structurepoint in Highland as the center’s architect.
In both matters, Hardaway and council members Shawn Pettit, D-6th, Roxanne LaMarca, D-7th, and Jeffrey Minchuk, D-3rd, voted in favor of the actions, while Councilman Don Spann, D-1st, voted no and C o u n c i l wo m a n Margie Uzelac, D-4th, abstained.
The community center will be built at the site of the former Y&W Drive-In on Broadway.
While Minchuk said he’s in favor of the community center, he asked if the town should wait to award the contracts until it has the bonds it is issuing in hand. He also asked if there could be access off Madison Street, or even a pathway, for kids to walk to the center from their homes.
“There are two large subdivisions back there,” Minchuk said.
Jeff Ban, of DVG Engineering in Crown Point, said a bike path could be built there. Regarding the bond issue, Ban said the bond counsel was at a town meeting 11⁄ months
2 ago and the amount hasn’t changed.
The town is issuing two separate bonds for the project and council members said it will be built at no cost to taxpayers.
LaMarca had concerns about some aspects of the floor plan, including the location of the lockers. Ban said the actions were an endorsement of the types of uses in the building and the general size of those uses. Ban said specifics could still be worked out.
Town Attorney Joseph Svetanoff said proposed leased spaces in the building are still fluid now as well.