In the coming months, the town of Schererville’s vision to bring back to life the former Illiana Speedway as a regional sports and recreation destination will come into clear focus.
At its September meeting, the Schererville Town Council engaged American Structurepoint Inc. to produce conceptual designs for the development of the 70-acre site north of U.S. 30. The company, which has an office in Highland, will produce three conceptual designs to be carried out in phases over approximately the next four years. The contract is for $375,000.
“American Structurepoint is experienced and eminently qualified to work with us, work with town council and the town administration to bring this project to fruition,” Pat Reardon of Reardon Consulting Sevices told the Post-Tribune. “They will come up with the three conceptual designs and the town council will choose one.”
The Hammond Sports Complex, the former Woodmar Shopping Center and the Dean and Barbara White Community Center were all designed by American Structurepoint, Readon said.
The decision won’t be the town council’s alone, as the thoughts and wishes expressed through a series of community meetings will inform their decision-making.
Schererville town officials are talking big, eyeing an amphitheater that would emulate the scale of Crown Point’s Bulldog Park pavilion, according to Town Council President Tom Schmitt, D-4th. They’re also favoring a new community center, an ice rink, new youth soccer fields and a Schererville Buccaneers Pop Warner football complex in addition to accommodating a variety of recreational sports.
Sports will be a central focus of the development, which grew by 6.4 acres with a recent land acquisition by the town on the southern portion of the property. Reardon also spoke of building a baseball “field of dreams” to host local preprofessional, NCAA teams and national tournaments.
Nature and walking will go hand-in-hand with the development. New and existing trails will interconnect and lead to neighboring Rohrman Park and into neighborhoods. The development will respect an expanse of wetlands northwest of the racetrack while enabling public usage.
The development will emulate its racetrack history. It’s unknow if the quarter-mile track will remain and serve some future function or a base to build upon.
“Absolutely, there’s no doubt in our minds that there might be some sort of acknowledgement, homage to the track, paying tribute to the history and use of that property,” Reardon said.
But before any construction takes place — with the first shovel expected to be turned in early 2025 — there will be a comprehensive assessment of the soil. As there’s likely some oil contamination around the racetrack, the town has contracted through Reardon’s firm, at a cost of $29,135, to deliver a second, deeper environment assessment and prescribe the scope of soil remediation that may be needed.
“I’m very curious to see the findings from soil samples on the wetland delineation, the quality of what’s there,” Reardon said. “We’re doing our due diligence.”
Reardon said he doesn’t envision any sort of cleanup on the property that would be cost-prohibitive to the town. He recalled that Illiana Speedway began as a racetrack for motorcycles in the 1940s, progressing to stock cars and sprint racers. It also hosted the occasional demolition derby.
Schmitt said the town will spread financing of the development across a phases approach. The area lies within a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district, which channel funding to the project in addition to using the town’s park bond authority.
Jim Masters is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
