Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) President and CEO Sherri Ziller on Thursday June 18, 2026, briefed the State Budget Committee (SBC) on the progress of the Lake County Convention Center, the Gary Metro Center Revitalization Project and the Gary Blight Elimination Program.
Gary Mayor Eddie D. Melton, Lake County Commissioner Kyle Allen, Sr. and South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority President and CEO Phil Taillon were among the Region leaders also attending in support of the RDA and the projects.
Regular SBC review is required by statute as part of the legislation that provided state matching dollars for the three projects.
LAKE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER
With the start of construction on the Lake County Convention Center targeted for the Spring of 2027, the RDA and the City of Gary have established parameters for financing and oversight in a Governance Agreement. “This agreement is similar to the one that we negotiated with NICTD that resulted in both the Double Track and West Lake commuter rail projects coming in under budget,” Ziller said. “It establishes the processes for the effective implementation of the project.”
In addition, a Revenue Deposit Agreement with the City of Gary and the Bank of New York was established to control the flow of funds. “All funds will flow through the trust account held by the Bank of New York,” Ziller noted. “The City of Gary will be responsible for contracting with the vendors and the RDA will have oversight over contracting and payment of invoices.”
The City of Gary has already publicly procured a not-to-exceed-$135 million Design Build contract awarded to the AECOM Hunt – Powers joint venture. The project will be financed with 20-year bonds issued by the RDA and sold to the Indiana Finance Authority. The bonds will be issued in the spring of 2027 and are projected to produce sufficient funds to provide $136.5 million for convention center construction.
To maintain project schedule and budget, the Governance Agreement and the Design-Build contract contain the following provisions:
• Liquidated damages from the joint venture for failing to meet substantial completion
• An 8% contingency in force on the project cost budget
• All invoices and contracts approved in advance by the RDA
• All invoices paid by the trustee directly to the vendors
• Lease payments statutorily collected
• Bi-weekly reporting to the RDA on the status of the design and construction
• Quarterly reporting by the RDA to the State Budget Committee
• Any excess construction costs will be funded by the City of Gary
BLIGHT ELIMINATION PROGRAM
In 2023, the RDA pre-funded the State’s $6 million match to Gary’s $6 million for the downtown Gary Blight Elimination Program. In coordination with the City of Gary, the RDA has administered the program and the fund. Demolitions began with the removal of the former Lovell’s Barber College and a vacant ambulance repair shop late last summer, and are set to continue with the demolition of the former Gordon’s Department Store, the Gordon’s Department Store Annex, the Genesis Convention Center and the Genesis Convention Center parking garage.
On May 1, the RDA released an RFP for the demolition of these four structures. Ten bids were received and at its June 15 meeting, the RDA Board of Directors awarded the contract to McDonagh Demolition. The winning bid was for $2.87 million. Negotiations to finalize the contract and move forward with demolition are underway.
Over the next 12 months, RDA anticipates allocating the remainder of the initial $12 million, representing significant elimination of blight in downtown Gary.
GARY METRO CENTER REVITALIZATION
The Gary Metro Center Revitalization Board established by SEA 434-2023 met for the first time on April 15, 2026. The Board is chaired by Troy Wodruff, who was appointed by Gov. Mike Braun. Both Gary and RDA have three appointments to the board: Terry Carter, Kevin Kimble and Sharon Levels for Gary, and Phil Taillon, Dan Repay and Matt Reardon for the RDA.
Per legislation the State of Indiana has made available $3 million in annual matching funds for the project, subject to an equivalent match from Gary. As Gary has provided $3 million for the first year of funding, the RDA has requested release of $3 million in state matching funds. This will be used to start the design process for the new Gary Metro Station.
