HAMMOND, Ind. — U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan is selling the Chicago Bears’ Hammond stadium pursuit as a jobs story, while Lake County officials argue over representation and taxes before any shovel hits dirt.
In a Sept. 18 interview with Inside INdiana Business, Mrvan said the Region is excited about a stadium in Hammond and the economic benefits that could follow. His pitch was blunt.
“It’s going to put people to work,” Mrvan said. “The northwest Indiana trades — the trade men and women in the unions — would build an $8 billion project that is transformational. Then all the different economic downstream suppliers and what that means.”
That framing sits on top of a state financing scaffold already on the books — Senate Bill 27 and the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority — and a still-open site fight inside Hammond.
Key facts
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Peg | Mrvan jobs/trades push + Lake County authority/tax politics | IIB Sept. 18; Times Aug. 6 |
| Site diligence | Wolf Lake Terminals (83 acres); Lost Marsh evaluation done | IIB; Times Aug. 30 |
| County taxes | 1% food-and-beverage tax required for Stadium Authority seats | Times / Carden |
| County stance | Cid waiting for final Bears decision before tax vote | Times / Carden |
| Authority ask | Commissioner Mike Repay wants Lake County represented | Times / Carden |
Jobs pitch from IN-01
Lake County’s unfinished politics
Separately, The Times reported Aug. 6 that Lake County Commissioner Mike Repay, D-Hammond, told the county’s financial management body he wants Lake County represented on the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority created under SB 27.
Council President Christine Cid, D-East Chicago, said she is waiting for a final Bears decision before putting stadium taxes to the council, The Times reported. That caution matters with several members not returning after the May primary.
The Bears have continued due diligence near Wolf Lake but have not finalized a Hammond commitment, The Times noted in the same package.
Site politics: Terminals vs. Lost Marsh
Hammond’s internal site choice remains a live political and neighborhood question. The Times reported Aug. 30 that officials say a Wolf Lake Terminals site — partly Department of Defense storage and partly industrial park — could spare Lost Marsh Golf Course and fold it into a stadium campus.
“It would keep Lost Marsh, which I would much rather do,” McDermott told The Times. “Lost Marsh brings a lot of tourism, but we have a unique opportunity here. If it were the only location they were looking at, I would do it.”
He said the team views the Wolf Lake option as superior and that the franchise came to Hammond asking for the property rather than the city pitching it.
What this is — and isn’t
Region N3 will update when the Bears announce a final site or Lake County schedules a tax ordinance vote.
Related reading
- Indiana lawmakers, Braun lock in SB 27 financing bid for Hammond Bears stadium
- Mrvan and Regnitz locked in for November IN-01 rematch of Region politics
- Mrvan asks FERC for federal probe of NIPSCO after August derecho outages
Photo credit
¹ Illustrative Hammond corridor art — Region N3 file. Inline Statehouse and courthouse images are archive/stock; not meeting-day photos. Photo: Inside INdiana Business — Rep. Frank Mrvan in coverage of Northwest Indiana growth and the Hammond Bears stadium pursuit.