The town of Schererville is moving into a new phase involving the redevelopment of the former Illiana Speedway property on U.S. 30, which will focus on finalizing design concepts, budgeting, funding and a project timeline.
To move the project ahead, the Schererville Town Council on July 11 extended its professional services agreement with Reardon Consulting Services.
Addressing the council, Patrick Reardon, president of Reardon Consulting Services, explained that the overall goal of phase one was to fully understand the true redevelopment potential of the approximately 66-acre property while identifying and mitigating any potential obstacles that might negatively impact the future project.
“This was achieved by the following series of project milestones, understanding the historical context, conducting various internal and external stakeholder meetings, and establishing a project management office for the duration of the project,” he said.
Now, phase two will focus on the delivery of various conceptual designs, as town officials assess input from staff members and the public to crystallize the plans for the various project construction phases to be carried out over the next several years. Reardon indicated the creation of a contest among planning and engineering firms to produce the best uses and amenities for the property.
He emphasized that the development of new playing fields for various youth sports would be central to the project, balanced against opportunities to monetize the use of the land. Overall, the development will pay homage to the property’s racetrack history.
In addition to sports fields for baseball, football and soccer, a community center, baseball stadium, amphitheater, restaurant and nature preserve are strong possibilities for the project.
The land will eventually become part of one larger park through connections to nearby Rohrman Park, including bike trails linking neighborhoods and other local parks. Undeveloped acreage adjacent to the Illiana property could push the combined park system beyond 125 acres.
Council inks agreements for bike trails, paving
The council approved an agreement with the town of Dyer to share the cost of connecting the Pennsy Greenway trial between the two communities. The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission is funding $1.7 million of the cost. The remaining $2.8 million will be split between Schererville and Dyer, according to Town Manager Jim Gorman, who noted the project is about two years away.
Schererville also approved an interlocal agreement with Highland to share the cost of resurfacing Main Street. Each town will pay $130,000 toward the paving.
Jim Masters is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.