Mayor says city will move to demolish abandoned Clark and Gabbitt high schools despite school system lawsuit

When asked about Clark High School, Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said the city has cited both Clark and Gabbitt as abandoned and intends demolition and redevelopment. "They're both abandoned... They both have power turned off to them. They both have water turned off to them," he said, and added the civil city will push to remove the buildings because they attract crime and are blight on neighborhoods.

The mayor also described ongoing litigation: "When I mean that, school city of Hammond sued me and the civil city of Hammond to stop us from demolishing Gavin in court," he said, and predicted the school district may bring similar suits over Clark. He said the city has discussed redevelopment plans — including working with Purdue Northwest on an athletic complex at Gabbitt — but that progress has been slowed by legal challenges and the district’s participation or lack thereof.