The Hammond Board of Public Works and Safety on May 15 approved the allocation of $39,940.21 in Community Investment Board (CIB) funds to repair a sinkhole at 500 Michigan Street.

City staff told the board the hole exposed an old foundation in the public right-of-way that had been filled but not properly abandoned, and a sewer lateral associated with the site also had not been properly disconnected. “We found an old basement in the right of way and we didn't expect that right. The sewer maintenance people said, we don't have anything in the area so we had to do an investigation,” a city staff member explained. The board’s routine action accepted the controller and mayor’s prior approval of the funding allocation.

The staff description said contractors inspected the location, which revealed the buried foundation and an improperly abandoned sewer lateral, and therefore an urgent repair was required. The staff recommended the CIB allocation to pay for investigation and repair work already performed or scheduled.

Board members indicated approval in the meeting record with the standard "I recommend approval" and "And I concur" confirmations; no vote tally or dissent was recorded in the transcript. The staff did not provide a future timeline for the repair work during the discussion recorded in the public meeting.

The board’s action covers the specific invoice and allocation described in the correspondence; no additional CIB appropriations or changes to the city’s broader sinkhole policy were proposed during the discussion.