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$24 million Infrastructure Investment Represents Initial Phase to Expand Cargo Logistics Sector
Francisco Ayala can tell you what it was like at the Ivy Tech Emilio De la Garza campus’s machine shop last year — cramped, noisy and lacking any flow.
Now after what felt like forever of dust and noise, Ramirez, a machine technologies student at the East Chicago campus, is proud of its new look for which he as well as school and city officials cut the ribbon on the new remodel Oct. 8. The fact that he and his classmates can move is probably the best part, he said
The Ivy Tech Community College Lake County campus is celebrating the completion of a $12 million renovation project that is giving a new look to its East Chicago site.
Ivy Tech leaders and local officials took part in a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the occasion Wednesday which featured food made by culinary students and an exhibit of paintings from local artists.
The upgrades include new exterior windows, lighting and furnishings, as well as the realignment of the main stairway near the front entrance of the building.
The Merrillville Police Department secured nearly $1 million in Community Project Funding to upgrade its radio equipment.
Police Chief Kosta Nuses said the department’s former radios were past their service life. Repair bills were becoming costly. With Lake County Emergency Communications planning to operate on a different frequency, the devices would be obsolete. The department began pricing new equipment.
“This is where the panic kicked in,” Nuses said in a press release. “We quickly found out how expensive the replacement radios were going to be.”
Unexpected capital expenses can put a strain on any budget, but thanks to the assistance of U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, the Merrillville Police Department secured nearly $1 million in federal Community Project Funding to upgrade vital radio equipment.
With the help of local representatives in Washington, the Merrillville Police Department received a grant worth nearly $1 million to upgrade its radios — equipment the department said is in dire need of replacing.
"I don't want to call it life-changing, but it is," Merrillville Police Chief Kosta Nuses said.
The $963,000 grant allows the department to purchase approximately 75 "state-of-the-art" radios, which Merrillville Operations Commander Matthew Paunicka described as "smartphones wrapped in a radio."
A ceremonial groundbreaking took place on Tuesday, Oct. 8, for the initial phase of a long-term expansion project at the Gary / Chicago International Airport.
The expansion project is specifically aimed at the airport’s increasingly critical air cargo sector, which has quickly expanded since beginning operations in late 2020.
Growth in sector propels $24 million of infrastructure improvements
Tuesday’s ceremonial groundbreaking at the Gary / Chicago International Airport commemorated the initial phase of a long-term expansion of the airport’s air cargo sector, which has quickly expanded since beginning operations in late 2020.
The Gary/Chicago International Airport kicked off $24 million in infrastructure upgrades during a groundbreaking Oct. 8.
The funding comes as the airport's air cargo capacity has quickly expanded since officials signed an agreement with UPS in 2020. It now is the third in freight volume for the state of Indiana.
The Gary/Chicago International Airport has made “tremendous progress” in the last few years, its executive director said, and he doesn’t expect that to stop.
“Our airport began cargo service operations in quarter four of 2020,” said Executive Director Dan Vicari. “It has been incredibly successful, providing our airport with another competitive offering to bolster the Northwest Indiana economy.”