Hammond mayor asks council to pause school property action, backs 4‑month data center extension as city eyes NFL stadium bid

The Hammond mayor told the Common Council on Feb. 23 that he had met with School City of Hammond trustees and officials and agreed to delay any action on two high‑school properties until March 31 so the school district can complete research and present reuse plans.

“I met with trustee Carlotta Blake King…their attorney, Joel Harris, and their acting superintendent, Tony Salinas,” the mayor said, asking the council and public to hold off while the district follows up. He said Clark High School lacks a parking lot and would pose practical problems for immediate reuse, while Gabitt High School is a different case because it includes parking.

The mayor also asked the council to support a four‑month, final extension requested by Decennial Group — the current developer working with CoreWeave as the primary tenant — to allow time to finalize a power agreement with NIPSCO and a lease between CoreWeave and Decennial. “They’re asking for a 4 month extension, and they’re aware that this is the final extension we’re gonna grant,” he said, adding the timeframe should be sufficient to complete power and lease negotiations.

He framed the extension as a cautious step while the legislature considers Senate Bill 27, a proposal he said would return about 1% of data‑center net proceeds to local communities. “If this passes, this 4 month extension could be a blessing for us,” he said, noting the city could seek revised terms should the state incentive be enacted.

The mayor also recounted civic and economic‑development items: Pulaski Park redevelopment talks, meetings with NIPSCO, and a $15,000,000 commitment from the Dean and Barbara White Foundation for an outdoor water park adjacent to the Crossroads YMCA. He described the stadium proposal under SB27 as potentially transformational but acknowledged resident concerns and that final financing and governance would be led by state authorities.

The mayor repeatedly noted limits to local control on the stadium plan, saying a state‑created stadium authority would include Hammond representation but that the governor and state appointees would hold decisive authority. He urged the council to weigh trade‑offs while continuing due diligence on incentives and contract terms.

Next steps: the mayor said the city will wait for the school district’s March 31 response on the high‑school sites, and staff will continue negotiations and due diligence on the data center extension and any incentive changes tied to SB27.